Compromised

Chapter 10

The other men in the room rushed to try and extinguish the inferno I created as we exited the room. The short haired woman nodded at me before walking past me and opening the door. I looked back once more, hoping to feel some sort of remorse or guilt, but to my surprise, I felt none. I watched as the flames danced in the dark room, before walking out without a word.

"Man, I haven't seen anything that gruesome for a while, that was fucking awesome." The woman laughed as we walked down the hallway. I gave her a small smile as I watched her click the up arrow on the wall, making the button illuminate underneath her perfectly manicured finger.

"I'm Jolie by the way." She said as she turned towards me and extended out her hand for me to shake.

"Blaze." I said quietly as I took her hand in mine and gave it a firm shake as the elevator doors slid open.

We walked inside the elevator, and I watched her click the third button from the bottom. The tantalizing scent of pine and tobacco lingered in the air, indicating that Ryder was in here just a few moments ago. I leaned my back against the wall, and closed my eyes, relaxing at the smell of the mesmerizing cologne.

"So what'd you do?" Jolie asked as she looked over at me with her eyebrow raised.

"Huh?" I asked as I opened an eye and looked over at her.

"What did you do to get Ryder to put you on the third floor?" Jolie asked as she tilted her head in curiosity.

"I still don't understand what you mean." I said as I closed my eye again and leaned my head back against the wall.

"Only the family is allowed to stay on the third floor, so Ryder and I." Jolie said as she looked forward towards the number illuminating at the top of the elevator.

Ryder and I? Is this his girlfriend? Wife?

I felt a sudden pang of jealousy towards this woman. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused at my own emotions as I tried to decipher why I suddenly felt like slamming this nice woman's head into the wall until she stopped breathing.

Why the fuck am I jealous?

"He either likes you for some reason, or absolutely hates you." Jolie said as she looked at me with her eyebrow raised.

"Most likely the latter." I said as I opened my eyes. I crossed my arms and looked down once I felt that the jacket I was wearing was drenched in blood. I looked up at my reflection in the mirror, and I looked absolutely horrifying. My hair was disarrayed, blood was splattered across my face and clothes, and my makeup from earlier was running down my face. I looked like a bloody fucking clown. The doors slid open, thankfully taking my reflection with them. Jolie walked out first, and I followed closely behind her. 

"You know, he's not as bad as he seems." Jolie said as she shoved her hands in her front pockets and looked up at the ceiling.

"You're right, he's much worse." I said as I rolled my eyes behind her. She laughed loudly at my words, filling the silence with her feminine chuckle. "Is he always so...emotionless?" I asked curiously as I tilted my head.

"For as long as I've known him." Jolie said as she shrugged. "I've seen him almost smile once... I think." She said in a quieter tone as she brought a finger to her chin and tapped it twice over her lips as she tilted her head, trying to recall the memory.

"How long have you known him?" I asked curiously, trying to get some information on the mysterious and infamous Ryder Calderon.

"My entire life." She said as she shrugged and placed her hand back in her pocket.