The Hidden Rose(Book One In The Rose Pedal Series) /✔

Epilogue

it's been five years since Luke died. I'm twenty two now. I've served in juvenile for until i turned eighteen. then i was set free with the warning that if i were pressed with any charges or found guilty for any crime, whether small like shoplifting or big like murder, i would get life in prison for how bad my criminal record now was.

i had wondered aimlessly, emotionally numb from losing Luke. my mom was put in prison for ten years for teaching me this, and committing it herself. my dad was free from any charge at all and Noah had such a good excuse that he was set with only two years in prison. i haven't seen Noah since he got out of jail and i haven't visited my mom in almost three years because of complicated issues. Luke's dad was ripped from his job as a cop and was put in jail for three months for accidental murder of his own son. the reason it was labeled under 'accidental murder' and not 'accident' was because he had tried to kill me. even if i was a criminal.

Flora on the other hand was a different story. after i spent two years in jail, she had 'seen past all my shit and finally saw that I'm a bad person'. so she ditched me and married Sean, finding a new best friend and had kids. the perfect picked fence life I'd always wanted.

i stepped out of the motel and into the dawn light. i glanced around and found my truck parked in the lot where i left it. well, it was actually Luke's truck but it's mine now. it doesn't smell like him anymore. it hardly even looks the way he left it because I've been on the road for the majority of the time.

i climbed into the truck and reached under the passenger seat, lifting out my untraceable laptop. i opened it and waited, munching on a donut. tilting my neck to the side, i let my neck pop, releasing some tension. finally my laptop screen lit up and i moved the mouse to click answer. the screen was black even though they could see my face. it was always like that. the clients always preferred to remain anonymous.

"there's a man in Minneapolis, Minnesota. his name is John Barker and i will send you the rest of the info. make it look like an accident."

"got it." the call ended and i waited for the information to come through. when it did i scanned over it, noticing he was a security guard at some local mall. this will be easy.

i shut the laptop and tossed it under the passenger seat before starting the truck and heading for the interstate. i was currently in South Dakota, so it was going to be a long drive.

 i pulled up to the motel i was going to stay at, checking in and heading to my room on the sidewalk. i walked into my room and dropped my small overnight bag on the bed before heading back out with a bottle of whiskey. i sat on a bench and sipped the whiskey. a woman walked by and into her room, giving me a dirty look. sorry lady if I'm an inconvenience to you. I've just lost my boyfriend and best friend. i think i deserve a little alcohol.

after a few sips, a man sat down next to me. i turned my head to look at him. he was hot, but i wasn't interested. how could i? after Luke? just a week ago was his funeral! he was staring back at me. i turned my head away and took another swig from my bottle.

"i can get you a shorter sentence and a job." he said. i turned my head to look back at him, eyes wide in disbelief.

"what?"

"your going to jail tomorrow. i can make sure you don't go to jail for longer than two years and then have a job waiting for you when you're done."

"pfft. sure buddy." i shook my head and sipped the whiskey. 

"you'll be an assassin. an illegal killer."

"and why would i want that?" i asked turning back to face him.

"because you don't want to spend the rest of your life locked up, picking fights in the prison yard or cafeteria." he simply said.

i turned away, considering his words.

"if you're still here at nine thirty in the morning then i'll take that as a yes. but if you want to say no, you'd better be gone before then." with that he stood up, walking away from me. i looked at my whiskey and then at the man's retreating figure. well shit. i have no other choice if i want to get out of that hellhole before i die.

i snapped out of my memory when a horn honked. i glanced around finding myself in Minneapolis. i had driven all day nonstop and then all night, going one hundred fifty on the interstate and ninety on the highway. i pulled up to the mall and parked my truck. i looked around to find the mall opening and the first shoppers pulling up and parking. i glanced at my watch, stifling a yawn. it was only seven in the morning. i cracked my knuckles on the steering wheel and grinned. this guy is going down. i climbed out of my truck and went around to the back.

i climbed up on the tailgate and grabbed the chest i had locked and strapped onto the back. i unlocked it and glanced around before pulling out a few knives and stashing them in my jacket. they were a type of metal that isn't detected by security alarms. i locked the box back and jumped down, slamming the tailgate closed. i locked the truck and strode towards the mall. i walked into it and looked around, spotting several security guards.

i wandered aimlessly around the mall, pretending to shop and looking for my man. i bought a few things so i blended in until i found him. i spotted him talking to a young boy and his mom explaining why he can't swim in the water fountain in the main part of the mall. i smirked. i went into the bathroom and broke a piece of one of the stall doors, making it moveable but a part extended dangerously. i then pulled out one of my knives and cut into my upper arm, in between my elbow and shoulder. then i smeared some blood on the extending part of the door as if i had cut my arm on it walking by. i let a few drops of blood drip onto the floor before i grabbed a paper towel and pressed it to my arm.

i walked out of the bathroom and looked around, spotting the guard. i walked over to him.

"sir." i said, holding the paper towel firmly to the cut. i could barely feel it, but i put on an expression that indicated pain.

"yes?" he asked, turning to the sound of my voice.

"one of the stall doors in the bathroom is broken. i cut myself on it." his eyes widened at the sight of my arm but he narrowed his eyes and nodded. he lifted his radio from his belt and spoke into it.

"ladies bathroom number five has a broken stall. woman has a cut on her arm. I'm going to get a first aid kit and help her out with it. over" he then placed his hand on the small of my back and led me to a small closet like room. he sat me down in a chair and i looked around. there were shelves with boxes on them. one of them looked really heavy and had a lot of light bulbs in it. i grinned.

he turned back to me and tended to my cut, rolling up my sleeve and gently applying the glue made to replace stitches when the cut wasn't that bad. he turned back around to put the first aid kit back and i reached over, locking the door quickly and stepping onto the chair. i grabbed a light bulb from the box and broke it. he turned around to see me and his eyes widened in surprise right before i smashed the broken glass into his eye, sinking it in until he was dead. i then grabbed the whole box and knocked it over, making it appear as and accident.

i grinned before stepping out of the closet screaming hysterically. everyone turned to look at me and when they saw the sight i was screaming at, panic consumed them all. some lost their lunch, others screamed, but they all cried out until the rest of the guards showed up to take care of the situation. while all the panic was raging through the halls, i slipped away unnoticed to my truck.

i sat in the truck and smirked. i then drove to the nearest shitty motel to rest for a few days. this is my life now. I'm an assassin. I'm here, I'm alive. but I'm not afraid to die.

and there isn't a day that goes by that i don't think about Luke.