THE ASSASSIN WORE RED LIPSTICK

chapter 9: BLOOD ON THE MIRROR

Two months. I had been Mrs. Lucian Voss for two months.

Two months of red lipstick painted by his hands, black sheets, red roses garden cleaned from 11 bodies, Mama's photo on wall, framed bloody collar with my red mark like art. I thought we were safe. I thought no more killing.

I woke up that morning and the cracked mirror in living room had blood.

Not red lipstick. Real blood.

The cracked mirror where Lucian wrote one year ago "I WILL FIND YOU, ASSASSIN" in my old cheap red lipstick shade. Where I wrote one month ago "I AM HOME, GENERAL. YOUR ASSASSIN." in my expensive red lipstick. Where Lucian wrote "SHE MARKED MY COLLAR. SHE IS MINE." in blood and red lipstick mixed after Daniel Kane died.

Now there was new writing, fresh, red blood dripping, not my red lipstick, not his blood, someone else's blood, and words: "YOUR MAMA'S KILLER IS NOT DEAD, RAVEN. VICTOR KANE LIVES."

My blood froze. My innocent face pale, my long black hair messy, my white dress - I wore white today - my diamond ring shining but my small hands shaking, my red lipstick still fresh because Lucian painted it this morning before he went to Clark for meeting.

Victor Kane lives? Impossible. I killed Victor Kane in Clark, silver gun, head, one bullet, my 8th kill. I saw his head deliver? No, Lucian delivered? Wait - my Mama's killer is Victor Kane, I killed him, he is dead...

"Lucian!" I shouted, my small voice scared, my innocent face crying, my red lips trembling. "Lucian! Blood on mirror!"

Soldiers came running, guns, "Mrs. Voss! Don't touch! General is coming!"

Black SUV screeched, gates opened, Lucian ran inside, black military coat flying, black uniform, black boots, blue eyes ice cold, scar white, tall body covering me instantly, his big hand on my waist, his thumb smudging my red lipstick slightly - his favorite even when blood on mirror.

"Raven, my brave assassin wife, don't look," he whispered, his deep voice low, his blue eyes black looking at blood writing. "Don't look at blood, my love."

"General, it says Victor Kane lives, my Mama's killer lives, but I killed him, General, I killed him in Clark..." I cried, my white dress, my innocent face, my red lips on his chest, my diamond ring shaking.

Lucian's blue eyes turned blackest black, blacker than night Daniel Kane died, his jaw tight, his scar white, his General voice ordering soldiers, "Clean this blood, find who wrote, check cameras, now! No one enters mansion without my permission! How did blood get on my mirror!"

Soldiers ran, scared, their General angry because someone made his assassin wife cry in white dress with red lipstick.

Lucian carried me to our bedroom, locked door, sat me on our black sheets, his black uniform, my white dress, my long black hair, his hands holding my innocent face, his blue eyes black.

"Raven, my love, listen to me," he whispered, his thumb smudging my red lipstick, marking me brave. "Victor Kane you killed in Clark was Victor Kane Junior, son. Victor Kane Senior, the one who killed Mama ten years ago, is alive, in hiding, in Manila. I did not tell you because I wanted you safe, my brave wife, not hunting again. But someone wants you to hunt again. Someone wrote blood on our mirror."

My innocent face shocked, tears, red lips.

"Two Victor Kanes, General?" I whispered, my small voice broken. "Papa and son? I killed son, but Papa who killed Mama lives?"

"Yes, my love," he whispered, his scar close, his blue eyes on my red lips. "Victor Kane Senior, 65 years old, congressman, owner of clubs in Angeles where Mama worked as waitress. He killed Mama because Mama said no to him. He is hiding in Manila, protected. I was going to kill him myself for you, Raven, next week, surprise for you, so you don't need to wear black assassin clothes again, so you can stay in red dresses as my wife. But now someone told you with blood on our mirror."

He kissed my forehead, smelling my red lipstick.

"Who wrote blood, General? Who knows about Mama?" I cried, my white dress, my red lips.

"I will find, my love," he whispered, possessive, obsessed. "But tonight you will not hunt, Raven. Tonight you will stay in our bedroom, wear red, not white, because white makes you look like Mama and I don't want Mama's killer to see you in white, innocent. Wear red, my brave assassin wife, so you are strong."

He opened closet, took red dress, most expensive red, tight, brave, and helped me change from white to red, his big scarred hands gentle, his blue eyes black watching my innocent face with red lips.

"There, my assassin wife in red," he whispered, painting my red lips again, smudging slightly. "Now you are not scared wife in white, you are brave wife in red, who will let her General husband kill Victor Kane Senior for Mama."

He took my silver gun and black gun and put them on table.

"Your guns stay here tonight, my love. My gun will work tonight. I will go to Manila, find Victor Kane Senior, kill him, bring his head to you, for Mama, for you, for our mirror that someone dirtied with blood. And you will wait here, wear red lipstick, and when I come back, you will write on mirror with your red lipstick again, 'MAMA IS AVENGED. BY MY GENERAL.'"

"Lucian, don't go alone, dangerous..." I whispered, my red dress, my red lips, my diamond ring on his chest, scared wife.

"I am General, Raven," he whispered, kissing my red lips hard, tasting my brave color, making me whisper "Ahh... Lucian..." softly. "I killed 11 men for you in rain, I can kill one old congressman for Mama. Wait for me, my brave assassin wife. Wear red."

He went, black coat flying, black SUV, soldiers, guns, to Manila, to kill Mama's real killer.

I stayed in bedroom, red dress, red lipstick, Mama's photo on wall, framed bloody collar, and cracked mirror downstairs being cleaned from blood, waiting for my General to avenge Mama.

I reapplied red lipstick, ritual to be brave, and whispered to Mama's photo, "Mama, General will kill Papa Kane for you, Mama, tonight, and I will wear red, not white, brave like you taught me."

And downstairs, soldiers cleaned blood on mirror, but they left one drop, because Lucian ordered, "Leave one drop of blood, so Mrs. Voss remembers why her husband kills."

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