THE ASSASSIN WORE RED LIPSTICK

chapter 4: RED LIPSTICK ON HIS UNIFORM

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

One week of waking up in his black sheets smelling like gunpowder and rain. One week of wearing red dresses he bought me - ten red dresses, all expensive, all tight. One week of him painting my red lipstick every morning with his own big scarred hand, smudging it slightly, his favorite habit, whispering "My brave assassin wife."

One week of being safe.

I was in his garden, the garden with red roses that matched my red lipstick, wearing a white dress today because he said "Wear white today, Raven, I want to see your innocent face without red for one minute." My long black hair was down, my diamond ring shining, my silver gun back - he returned it, cleaned, with more bullets, saying "A wife of a General should have a gun, my love."

I was happy. First time in ten years I was happy since Mama died.

Then his soldier ran to me, face pale, uniform sweaty.

"Mrs. Voss! General wants you inside! Now! Danger!"

Danger. My assassin instinct came back, my innocent face cold, my hand on my gun.

Inside the mansion, Lucian was in his office, his black military coat on, his blue eyes ice cold, his scar white, his jaw tight. Two of his men were holding a man on his knees - a man I knew.

Marco. My informant from Angeles. The man who sold me guns, who gave me information about Victor Kane, who was like a brother since I was 15.

"Marco?" I whispered, my innocent face shocked, my red lips pale. "General, no, he is my friend!"

Lucian's blue eyes looked at me, then at Marco, his voice low, dangerous, General voice.

"Your friend sold your information, Raven. He sold your file - innocent face, long black hair, red lipstick assassin, lives in Angeles - to Victor Kane's brother, Congressman Daniel Kane. For 200,000 pesos. Daniel Kane is coming to San Fernando tonight with ten men to kill you for your revenge."

My blood froze. My red lipstick felt cold. Marco - brother - sold me?

"Is it true, Marco?" I asked, my small voice breaking, my innocent face crying, my gun shaking in my hand.

Marco cried, his face beaten, bloody. "Raven, sorry, they threatened my daughter, they... they said they would kill my daughter if I didn't tell... I needed money..."

I fell to my knees, my white dress on marble, my long black hair covering my innocent face. Betrayed. Again. Like ten years ago when Mama was betrayed.

Lucian was beside me instantly, his big hand on my back, his tall body covering mine, his blue eyes black with anger - not at me, at Marco.

"Take him outside," Lucian ordered his men, his voice ice, his General voice that orders death. "Wait."

His men dragged Marco outside to the garden, to the red roses.

Lucian knelt in front of me, his scar close, his blue eyes looking at my innocent face crying, my red lipstick ruined.

"Raven, my assassin wife, look at me," he whispered, lifting my chin, his thumb smudging my ruined red lipstick. "My wife does not kneel for traitors. My wife stands."

"I trusted him, General," I whispered, my red lips trembling, tears on my diamond ring. "He was family since Mama died."

"I know, my love," he whispered, his voice soft only for me, his cold General mask gone. "And family who betrays for money does not deserve your tears. You wear red lipstick to be brave, Raven. Be brave now."

He wiped my tears, then took out my red lipstick from my pocket - he always put one in my pocket every morning - and repainted my lips slowly, perfectly, in front of me, like ritual.

"There, my brave assassin wife," he whispered, smudging it slightly. "Now you are brave again."

He helped me stand, my white dress dirty from kneeling, my innocent face with fresh red.

"Now, what does my assassin wife want to do with a traitor who sold her for 200,000 pesos? Tell me, Mrs. Voss, and your husband will do it. You want me to kill him? You want to kill him yourself? You want me to forgive him because he has a daughter? Your choice, Raven. You are my wife, you have power now."

Power. I had no power when Mama died. I had no power when I was 15 alone. Now I had power - General's wife power.

I looked outside the window, at Marco kneeling in my red roses garden, crying, and I thought of his daughter, 5 years old, innocent face like mine when Mama died.

"Don't kill him, General," I whispered, my red lips steady, my innocent face brave. "Let him go. But tell him he is dead to me. Tell him Raven Dela Rosa, assassin in red lipstick, has no brother anymore. And tell his daughter... tell his daughter her father is alive because a woman in red lipstick forgave him."

Lucian's blue eyes turned darker, black, obsessed, possessive, proud.

"My merciful assassin wife," he whispered, his thumb smudging my red lipstick again, his favorite. "So beautiful when you are brave and merciful."

He walked to the door and ordered his men, loud, General voice:

"Let him go! Give him 200,000 pesos from my account - double what Daniel Kane paid! Tell him Mrs. Voss paid for his daughter! And tell him if he ever steps in Pampanga again, I will kill him myself for making my wife cry in white dress!"

His men obeyed.

Marco looked at me through window, shocked, then cried "Thank you, Raven, thank you, Mrs. Voss!" and ran.

Lucian closed the door, locked it, and came back to me, his tall body pushing me gently against the wall of his office, his black uniform cold, his blue eyes black with obsession.

"You forgave him, my love," he whispered, his hand on my waist, his scar close, his lips near my red lips. "You are not just assassin, Raven. You are wife with brave heart. My brave heart."

He kissed me then, against the wall, his military kiss, possessive, his lips tasting my fresh red lipstick, making me whisper "Ahh... General..." softly, my innocent face red, my white dress pushed up slightly.

"You are wearing white, my wife," he whispered against my red lips, his hand on my thigh. "White innocent face. But your lips are red. My favorite combination."

"General, soldiers outside..." I whispered, my small voice shy, my red lips smudged from his kiss, my diamond ring on his chest.

"Let them hear," he whispered, his blue eyes black, his thumb smudging my red lipstick again, marking me. "Let them hear my assassin wife whispering for her General husband. Let Daniel Kane hear that Mrs. Voss is protected by General who loves red lipstick."

And in his cold office with no color, with cracked mirror that now said "I AM HOME, GENERAL. YOUR ASSASSIN." written in my red lipstick this morning, he kissed his wife in white dress with red lips, and his black uniform had a red mark - my red lipstick on his white collar.

Mark of his assassin wife. Mark that he loved.

Tonight Daniel Kane would come, but I was not afraid. I had a General husband, a gun, and red lipstick to be brave.

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