With All That I Am: Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Bloodbath pt 2

Winter stood in the corner of the elevator, staring at Karina draped over Mark's shoulder. The guards stood as far away from Mark as possible, as if they expected Karina to wake and kill them.

She shook from head to toe. Karina almost killed her. She was inches from—

The elevator opened on the ground floor. Mark dug in Karina's pocket and tossed one of the guards a set of keys. The guard instantly jogged towards Karina's Aston Martin while Mark dropped Karina in the trunk of the SUV as if she was a piece of luggage. He closed the back and pointed at Winter.

"Get in." Mark barked as he rode shotgun.

The driver floored it. Winter hastily belted herself in as the SUV careened out of the lot. She glanced in the trunk and saw Karina laying there as if she was lifeless.

"Yuqi, it's Mark. Expect some visitors," Mark said on his phone. "Yeah, Karina and Winter are fine. We're taking them home. Expect Karina to be absent from work for a while. Who? Yizhuo? Yeah, she left before the shooting. I don't know who with. Some fucking actor or some shit. I gotta go."

Winter closed her eyes and willed this day away. She was physically and emotionally maxed out. All she wanted was to lay in a quiet, dark room with her baby and pretend the outside world didn't exist. No matter which way she turned, disaster was inevitable.

Mark spoke rapid, furious Italian on the phone. Winter understood enough to realize he was filling in for Karina, speaking to her men who were in clean up and contain mode.

They would erase or disturb surveillance cameras at the hospital and parking garage and even the hotel where Jake was. Karina had the power to erase a person's identity and could kill in plain sight without being caught.

Winter looked back at her wife's lifeless body and shivered. When Karina woke, there would be hell to pay. Not only would she have to answer for Jake, she was the reason Karina had to be sedated. Didn't Karina realize the difference between justice, self-defense and outright murder? Winter clutched the door handle because she needed something to hold onto. How could her life go so wrong in so little time?

When they pulled up to the mansion Winter opened the front door and was greeted by Rocky who barked and licked her hand. She smoothed a hand over his head and then looked past him to Aunt Victoria who had Giselle on her lap. Giselle babbled excitedly when she saw her.

"How was your day, dear?" Aunt Victoria asked.

Before Winter could think of a response, the guards walked in with Karina. Aunt Victoria's face went ashen with fear. She leapt to her feet.

"Is she hurt?" Aunt Victoria asked.

"Sedated." Winter said and took Giselle from her.

Aunt Victoria opened her mouth and then shut it. As the widow of a former enforcer, she knew not to ask.

"Where's Yizhuo?" Aunt Victoria asked.

"She went out with Renjun."

"The actor."

"Yes."

Winter held Giselle close and kissed her on the forehead. The smell of baby powder clashed horribly with the stench of cold sweat and dried blood.

"Here." Winter handed Giselle back to her aunt. "I need to see to Jimin." She looked up the stairs, but the guards were nowhere to be found. "Where'd they go?"

Aunt Victoria pointed and her stomach clenched. Winter headed towards the basement. She had been here twice in her life. The first was to witness Karina beat a traitor to death and the second was to find her sister tied to a chair. Winter felt a sense of deja vu as her damp hands slid over the iron railings. Unforgiving fluorescent lights revealed a concrete room with suspicious splotches on the floor and Karina sprawled on a cot with a thin mattress. The guards nodded to her as they passed.