BLACK ROSE

[|2|]

The sound of the doorbell was unexpected, jarring Rosa from her concentration. She lifted her head from her laptop, brow furrowing in confusion. No one ever came looking for her. She quickly closed out the encrypted file she was working on and powered off the device. Rising from her seat, she instinctively grabbed the pocket knife from the table.

Rosa paused for a moment, listening for any signs of danger before opening the door swiftly, the blade pressed against the throat of the person standing on the other side.

The man raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Nice to see you too, Rosa."

Recognition flickered in her eyes, and she withdrew the knife. "Arvelo. It would help if you didn't sneak up on people like that," she said, her tone flat as she turned and let him inside.

He rubbed his neck and followed her in. "Still as warm and welcoming as ever, I see," he remarked, glancing at the knife she casually tossed onto a chair. It bounced off the leather with a soft thud.

Rosa rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she faced him. "Well, when you people insist on showing up at my apartment like you own it, it's the least I could do," she spoke, her gaze flitting over his broad frame that took up most of the space he was at, "Why are you here?" Her voice carried more annoyance than curiosity.

"What, can't a guy come visit anymore?"

She shot him a cold stare. "No, you can't."

Arvelo chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Well, it's not like I wanted to be here either," he said, his tone turning serious. "Lorenzo has a new target for you."

Rosa raised an eyebrow. "Does this have anything to do with why he was gone so long?"

Arvelo shrugged, brushing his blonde curls out of his eyes. "Beats me. He just told me to deliver the message."

"Why didn't he just call?" Rosa asked, irritation creeping into her voice.

Arvelo shot her a knowing look. "You never answer your other line."

Right. She had cycled through so many burner phones that she barely kept track. "Fair enough," she muttered. "Why didn't Lorenzo come himself?"

"You've got a lot of questions today," Arvelo smirked.

"Do you have an answer or not?" Rosa snapped, her patience wearing thin.

He shrugged again. "Didn't ask. Here." He pulled a small flash drive from his pocket and handed it to her.

Rosa examined the drive before looking back at him. "All the info I need is on this?"

"Yep," Arvelo confirmed. He lingered awkwardly for a moment, looking everywhere but at her.

Rosa narrowed her eyes. "Is there something else?"

He cleared his throat. "Nope. That's it."

"Then you should go," she said, gesturing toward the door.

Arvelo nodded, turning on his heel and heading out. Rosa locked the door behind him, the flash drive still clutched in her hand. She sighed, already mentally preparing for a long night.

Hours later, Rosa sat hunched over her laptop, her fingers moving swiftly across the keys as she navigated through the encrypted files on the flash drive. The data was heavily protected, but Rosa thrived on challenges. Whoever set this up was good-almost as good as her.

Almost.

She cracked her knuckles, the only sound breaking the silence of her dimly lit apartment. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she pushed past the final firewall. Then, the screen went black for a moment before flickering back to life.

Rosa's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. "Shit," she muttered, staring at the contents now displayed on her screen. This wasn't good. Not at all.

What had Lorenzo gotten her into?

The next day, Rosa stormed into Lorenzo's office, the flash drive clutched tightly in her hand. He looked up from his desk, raising an eyebrow at her sudden appearance.

"Rosa," he greeted, a note of confusion in his voice. "What's this about?"

Rosa placed the drive on the table without a word and slid it across to him. Lorenzo caught it with ease, a knowing smile creeping across his face. "You already decrypted it? I figured it'd take you at least a few days."

"I'm fast," Rosa replied, her voice cold.

"I can see that," Lorenzo said, placing the drive back on the table.

Rosa took a deep breath, trying to keep her temper in check. "Do you even know what's on that drive?"

Lorenzo leaned back in his chair, giving her a casual smile. "What do you think?"

"I think," Rosa said, her voice growing sharper, "you're about to get me into serious trouble. A mafia, Lorenzo. The Russian mafia." She emphasized the last part, frustration boiling over. "How did you even get that much information?"

Lorenzo's smile didn't waver. "That's for me to know, and for you not to worry about."

Rosa shot him a withering glare. "I'm the one who'll end up dead if this goes sideways. So yeah, I am going to worry about it."

Lorenzo remained quiet, studying her with amusement in his eyes. "Are you telling me you're afraid to take this job?"

Rosa clenched her fists at the word. Fear. She'd spent her whole life burying it, refusing to let it control her. But now, it hung in the air, taunting her.

"I never said that," she snapped, her composure slipping.

Lorenzo leaned forward, his voice low and mocking. "No, but it was implied."

Rosa looked away, jaw tightening. His laughter filled the room, soft but mocking. "You forget, Rosa. I raised you. I know you better than you know yourself."

His words hit her like a punch to the gut. She had heard enough. Grabbing the drive from the table, she turned on her heel and headed for the door. Her hand paused on the handle when Lorenzo's final words echoed behind her.

"That's something you'll never be able to change."

She slammed the door behind her, leaving without a backward glance.