The Story of Blood and Roses Chapter 98

"I'll bring us home food and then we can do our own work, okay?" I told him, ignoring his assumptions . I followed his previous quip and didn't give him the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of me . I saw him nod and went to the kitchen to grab some plates and spoons and forks . I kneeled beside the glass table in front of the couch and placed the dishes filled with food on it . After disposing of the packets I came back and sat down . Anthony had his hands on his cell phone and he was typing furiously at it .
I placed the plate of food on my lap and then connected the headphone to my laptop knowing that things would be getting loud really soon in the room . I took a few bites of the food and then pressed play to watch what was going on . I planned on not missing even a single minute of the whole footage . I looked at every face that entered and exited the room . I saw the cleaning staff slacking in their task . I saw Ron enter to check the room once . I saw little details . In a fleeting moment, I looked at Anthony from the corner of my eyes . I saw that the phone was pressed to his years and his face was scrunched up in concentration . I presumed that the conversation had not heated up yet and everyone was being actively productive in the discussion and being careful to not piss Anthony off .
Clearly, the extremely calm man with mood swings was slipping away . The mood swings were ever present, but the calmness he exuded was muted . With so much going on it was no wonder that he was hyper . It was also a surprise that he hadn't taken any reckless decisions as of yet . He hadn't snapped as such and was still capable of taking rational decisions . I commended him for that .
Turning back to the task at hand I rewound the video and started from the moment I had lost concentration .
The group of men had entered the room and were warily looking around the room . Nolan, for instance, was staring up at the ceilings and pressing his hands under the furniture to make sure that nothing was wired . Little did he know that the cameras were hidden from view because of their camouflaging properties and their eerie similarity to the decor . They looked like those modern lampshades but were in all actually hidden cameras designed to take care of security in high-end hotels and multi-national companies . They were the best and costliest of its kind .

I saw the slight change in his sly movements that I had missed out in my exhausted haze the last time around . He definitely knew what he was doing, and if I recalled correctly, he had acted to be one of the victims and not the one executing the plan . I could feel the ironic smile spreading across my lips as I watched the whole scene play out again . The fidgeting lot had been in need of a pep talk and Nolan had played the part of a nervous novice like a professional .

"It took us so many years to get here . Don't act like brats while I try to save the day!"
"You know what will happen if we fail . "
"Nole, we can't help it . We didn't know what we were getting into when you contacted us . . . "

"Even I didn't know what I was doing when I contacted you . "
"We need to get out of this mess, man . We can't handle this . I don't want to die . "
"None of us want to die . I'm sorry…"
"We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves . We can't change anything . "
"We're trapped . "
"What's going to happen?"
"We need to pull our act together . If any of them finds out, we're dead . Nothing is going to touch the two sitting on the thrones, they'll just swear peace and walk away; we… we will be ambushed . We must remain in his good books . Only he can protect us . "
"You think Darcy will help us if we are found out?"
"Shut up, you idiot!"
"They'll hear you . You'll be good as dead, then . "
"If we can do what he wants, then we'll be safe . "
"What about Anthony?"
"Come here . "
"Listen . You guys thought you would earn some quick cash, and I understand that . But this shit is dangerous . " He warned them . "What you need to do is shut your trap, hide and do what you are told to do . You do not ask questions and you do not look them in the eye . They'll know if you do . Do NOT look them in the eye . "
---------

[Donate @ paypal . me/SunScar9 and ko-fi . com/sunscar9 to ensure I don't starve . ]

Chapter end