The growing noise of a squeaky wheel accompanied the return of Hannes from the midst of what I assumed was serious business disguised as brunch… or brunch disguised as serious business, it could have very well been both. I stepped aside as Julian held the door open for him and his cart. Hannes looked confused.

“Hannes, what’s wrong? You look uneasy.” Julian was acting more startled than Hannes was.

“He… actually ate my food.” Hannes sounded shocked. “The second I wheeled the cart out the kid had this look on his face like he knew exactly how I felt.”

“Sympathy?” Julian’s voice had gotten louder. “A sympathetic contractor? You people are mad. Sam, you can’t honestly believe he’s not pulling your strings like a puppet!”

“I know that’s exactly what he’s trying to do, but it doesn’t matter. The less I fight him the more freedom I have, that’s all that matters right now.”

“Yeah that or he’s got you lying to us so that when Trish asks we’ll tell her exactly what you told us… not that that really matters...”

“He’s not making me do anything, whether you trust me on that or not isn’t my problem.” I shrugged. I really honestly didn’t care.

“The last time I let myself be part of some stupid mind game, I was stabbed in the back. No games for educated men today. Today I’m feeling stupid. See you in a century if you’re still around.”

“Wait what are you going to do?” Hannes was trying to hold Julian back as he pushed his way through the doors and into the adjacent room but stepped back almost immediately after. I was confused as to why Hannes hadn’t been able to hold him back, he was definitely bigger, but somehow Julian managed to cut away at his arms with a knife or something. I hadn’t even seen a sharp edge on him. Wherever he’d kept it concealed he’d gotten it out quickly, quietly, and stealthily. I hadn’t even seen him move his arms except to open the door.

“He wasn’t always such a hothead.” Hannes sighed as he wrapped a rag around the cut in his arm. “I’m just glad that whatever Trish does to him hasn’t happened to me yet.”

“I guess you’re lucky you’re just the coo…”

“Samantha.” Dante called from the other room. His voice was still in that normal bored monotone despite Julian’s interruption.

“Great…” I sighed and pushed my way through the double doors with both hands. “What do you want Dante?”

“I just wanted to have you here since Julian decided to barge in. Now the board is even again, neither of us are intimidated and Trish won’t be as furious towards Julian.” I was beginning to see something new cross his face as he turned to look towards Julian who was fuming silently at Trish’s side. “I may still be a boy at heart and never really loved or lost but I tremble to imagine what she might do.”

“You.” It hadn’t sounded like much but something about what Dante said made Julian’s eyes bulge and a maniacal look came over his face as he started to laugh.

“Yes, me. The one you’ve never met before. Sorry Trish, looks like he’s broken after all. What should we do with him? Don’t they generally put down mad dogs?” Dante was still calm and collected.

“You did win the wager. I’m a woman of my word, I suppose I’ll have to do without my favorite toy for a while. The memory of playing with you will just have to tide me over.”

“No, wait,” Julian had begun to panic. “Trish he’s…”

“What did you say to me!” Trish exploded out of nowhere. “Did I just hear you say no?” Crimson mist started to pour off Trish as she stood. Julian was helpless as he was crushed where he stood, choking on a pillar of the mist. A shiver went down my spine as Trish sat back down calmly and the mist faded away revealing Julian’s limp body as it crashed to the floor. “I’ve told him a thousand times, no isn’t something I want to hear.”

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“I’d tell Samantha the same thing, only I find it to be too important of a word not to use.” Dante lifted a cup of tea from the table in front of him and took a sip. “Maybe I ask her a question about my safety and all she can say is yes I’m perfectly safe as some assassin slits my throat from behind me… seems like more trouble than it’s worth.”

“I only have a problem if he says it in English. He knows other languages, some of which I find the word no quite… stimulating in.” I’d thought Hope was a sick puppy, but she just had a few fleas. Trish was rabid. Foaming at the mouth with power over her slave.

“Well, then I’ll admit, that was a fairly impressive miscalculation on his part.” Dante put down his cup and took on a slightly more business like posture. “That covers half of the bargain,” Dante gestured to Julian’s limp body. “Now the other half.”

“I must say it’s certainly been interesting doing business with you,” Trish lifted a plate off the cart and quickly picked a bit of cherry pie filling up between her fingers and slid it into her mouth, leaving a very intentional red smear on her lips, “but I don’t know if I can just give this away to you.” Trish licked her fingers clean before she lifted up a thin golden chain from around her neck. Only a small length of chain had been hidden under her collar, but it was enough to hide a small tear shaped piece of glass dangling at the end. “It must be incredibly important to you if you were desperate enough to make such a dangerous bet to get it. Why should I hand it over so easily? Come on, lets play another little game.”

Dante stood slowly and walked over to Trish’s side and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. I couldn’t hear it but she giggled and blushed like a teenage girl. He pulled back and she practically ripped the chain from around her neck and gently dropped it in his waiting open hand. He nodded to me and began to walk away. I was stunned for a second unable to comprehend what he’d just done, I tripped along as I tried to follow him. As I followed him out of the room I looked back at Trish who hadn’t moved. A trickle of blood was dripping down the side of her head, almost the same exact color as the cherry smear on her lips. She absently wiped it away as she watched us leave. Dante grabbed my shoulder as we turned a corner and we were gone.

“What did you say to her?” I backed away from him as soon as my head stopped spinning.

“I tried to kill her.” He turned away as he said it. “I imagine it tickled.”

“What was that about killing?” Hope appeared at his side but he held her away. It was the first active sign of rejection I’d seen him give her. She had gotten a hold of him with one hand but he pulled it off and walked away down the hall. “Dante, what happened?” She sounded genuinely hurt. “Talk to me!” Hope ran up and pulled at his arm to turn him around but he wouldn’t look at her. “Look at me Dante!” She reached for his chin but he caught her hand and pulled it down to her side.

“I need to breathe for a bit. Please…”

Hope managed to get her hand free and reach his chin before he could stop her from turning his head. His shoulders drooped and his hands fell to his sides. His eyes, I couldn’t not stare at them, the beautiful deep blue that had welcomed me to my new life had turned to a dark red. They matched the blood dripping down his chin from his mouth. He was looking down and to the left, away from both me and Hope. Whatever it was that he’d done, he was ashamed. I knew exactly how he felt, trying to kill someone kills a little bit of who you are, even if the victim was Trish.

“Is this it?” Hope was crying gently as her shaking hands fumbled to grab ahold of a handkerchief to wipe the blood away. “It’s not that bad, see?”

“I can’t do it Agatha… I’m sorry. I’m just not… strong enough.” Dante closed his eyes and rested his head on hers.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I’ll get you to Felix and he’ll fix you up.” They vanished in front of me and I was left alone in the hall with so many questions.

I walked down the hall away from where they had vanished and stood in front of the door to the room that I shared. The mere thought of having sympathy for Dante felt so wrong to me, I was his slave and I had every right to hate him, but I couldn’t not feel bad for him. The second his cold shell fell apart he was just a boy in the middle of a crazy mess. I let my head drop forward and smack into the door.

“Who is it?” Amy called from the other side of the door. I doubt she heard anything that had just happened. Even if she had, I doubt she would have cared.

“Apparently the most recent victim of stockholm syndrome, because I genuinely just felt sympathy for my owner.” I grunted as I let myself in. “Julian says hi, by the way.”