THE ASSASSIN WORE RED LIPSTICK

chapter 7: chapter HE FOUND THE GUN

One month. I had been Mrs. Lucian Voss for one month.

One month of red dresses, red lipstick painted by his hands every morning, black sheets, gunpowder scent. One month since Daniel Kane died in our garden, since his bloody collar with my red mark was framed on our wall like art. Our mansion in San Fernando had no more killing, only red roses growing again where blood was.

I thought I was safe. I thought I hid my past well.

I was wrong.

That morning I was in our bedroom, our big bed, wearing red silk dress he bought, my long black hair brushed, my innocent face with fresh red lipstick, my diamond ring shining. Lucian was downstairs in his office, black military uniform, blue eyes ice, talking to his men. He said "Wear red today, Raven, I have surprise for you, my love."

I was happy, humming, opening my secret drawer - the drawer under my side of bed, locked, where I kept things from before I was Mrs. Voss.

Inside that drawer: my old black assassin clothes from Angeles, my old cheap red lipstick from before - the one I used for ten years to be brave - my Mama's photo, 40 years old, waitress, innocent face like mine, wearing red lipstick like mine, and my second gun - small, black, not silver, not the one Lucian returned to me. This gun was my first gun, the gun I used for my first kill at 18, the gun that killed 3 men before silver gun.

I was holding Mama's photo, crying softly, my innocent face sad, my red lips trembling, whispering "Mama, I am married now, Mama, to General who loves red lipstick like you..."

I did not hear his footsteps. Generals walk silent even with boots.

"Raven?"

His deep voice behind me. I jumped, my innocent face shocked, my red silk dress, my old cheap red lipstick in hand, my Mama's photo, my black gun visible in open drawer.

Lucian stood in doorway, tall, black military coat, black pants, black boots, blue eyes cold, scar white, holding papers - surprise papers? But his blue eyes were not on my red silk dress today. His blue eyes were on my open drawer, on my old black assassin clothes, on my cheap red lipstick, on my Mama's photo, on my black gun.

"Raven, what is this?" he asked, his voice low, General voice, but with hurt? His blue eyes black looking at my past.

I closed drawer fast, my small hands shaking, my innocent face pale, my fresh expensive red lipstick smudged from crying.

"General, nothing, just old clothes..." I whispered, my small voice lying, my innocent face lying - first time I lied to my husband.

Lucian walked slowly to me, his boots silent on marble, his tall body covering mine, his hand - big, scarred - opening drawer again himself, taking out my old cheap red lipstick, my black gun, my Mama's photo.

He looked at cheap red lipstick - not expensive like ones he bought me - old, almost empty, the one I used for ten years.

"You kept this," he said, not question, his blue eyes on cheap tube. "This old red lipstick, before me."

"Yes," I whispered, tears falling, my expensive red lips trembling. "That was Mama's shade, General. I used it for ten years to be brave after she died. Before you bought me expensive ones."

He put down cheap lipstick, picked up black gun, small, old.

"And this gun, Raven? You have silver gun I returned, why you have black gun hidden? You hide gun from your husband, Mrs. Voss?"

His voice was low, possessive, not angry, but hurt, like General whose wife hides.

"General, I..." I cried, my red silk dress, my innocent face, kneeling in front of him, my diamond ring on his boot. "I was scared, General, scared you will think I am still assassin, not clean wife. I hid it because I love you and I want to be clean wife for Billionaire General, not killer with old gun..."

Lucian knelt too, his black uniform, his scar close, his blue eyes black looking at my innocent face crying, my fresh red lipstick ruined.

"Raven, my brave assassin wife, look at me," he whispered, lifting my chin, his thumb smudging my expensive red lipstick slightly - his favorite habit. "Do you think I married you to be clean wife who fears guns? I married you because you are assassin who wears red lipstick, who has gun, who killed Victor Kane with one bullet. I fell in love with assassin, not clean princess."

He picked up my Mama's photo, 40-year-old waitress with innocent face and red lipstick like mine.

"Is this your Mama, my love? The one Victor Kane killed?"

"Yes," I whispered, my red lips. "She wore red lipstick like me, General. She taught me to be brave with red."

Lucian kissed Mama's photo gently, then put it back in drawer, but not hiding. He placed it on top of drawer, visible.

"She should be on our wall, not hidden in drawer, Raven. She is mother of my wife, my family now."

Then he took my old cheap red lipstick and my expensive new red lipstick - the one he bought - and put them together on table.

"Old and new," he said, his blue eyes on both. "Before me and with me. Both red. Both brave. Both my wife's."

Then he took my black gun and my silver gun and put them together.

"Old kill and new kill. Both guns of my assassin wife. Both mine now, because you are mine."

He stood up, his tall body, and pulled me up, my red silk dress, my long black hair, my innocent face crying.

"Raven Dela Rosa Voss, you don't hide guns from General husband," he whispered, his lips near my ear, his scar close, possessive. "You show me, and I clean it for you, and I buy you more bullets, because you are my assassin wife and I am proud of your guns, your red lipstick, your innocent face that kills."

He took my black gun, checked it, cleaned it with his own hands - General cleaning wife's gun - and put it back in drawer but drawer now open, not locked, with Mama's photo on top.

"There," he said, his blue eyes black with love. "No more locked drawer, my love. In this mansion, you don't hide red lipstick, guns, or Mama. You are home, Raven. You are safe."

He kissed me then, against our bed, his black uniform, my red silk dress, his lips tasting my expensive red lipstick mixed with tears, making me whisper "Ahh... Lucian..." softly.

"You kept old red lipstick, my love," he whispered against my lips, smudging my red. "That means you are still brave little assassin who wore cheap red to survive. And I love that assassin. I love old and new, Raven. I love all of you."

He painted my lips again with my old cheap red lipstick - almost empty - and said, "See, still red, still brave, still my wife's."

Then he painted with new expensive red over it, double red, brave double.

"Now double red, double brave, double mine," he whispered, his thumb smudging both reds.

I cried and smiled, my innocent face red with double red lipstick, my diamond ring, his wife, no more hiding.

"Thank you, Lucian," I whispered, my red lips double red. "For finding my gun and not being angry..."

"I will never be angry at your guns, my assassin wife," he whispered, carrying me to our black sheets, his black uniform, my red silk dress. "I will only be angry if you don't wear red lipstick. So wear red, always, my love. For me. For Mama. For brave."

And in our bedroom with cracked mirror and framed bloody collar with red mark, there was now Mama's photo on wall, smiling with innocent face and red lipstick like mine, watching her daughter finally safe with General who found her gun and loved her more, not less.

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