Chapter 6

Aconite

(n.) a poisonous flower.

Willow’s POV

Diego and his gang went somewhere so I had the entire day to myself. Jace had agreed to take me somewhere. I was excited, then he took me to a rooftop pool. He said it was his father’s and he had the keys to the mansion. He even bought me a swimsuit.

I changed into it and joined him in the pool.

“It looks so good on you,” he said once I got inside the water. I splashed some on him and he gasped dramatically. He started chasing me and I felt like something wrong was going to happen. But what could go wrong during swimming with a friend? I disregarded the bad feeling and swam to the other corner. Before he could catch me, his phone rang from where he had put his jeans.

“I am still gonna come for you,” he promised before swimming away and out of the water. I swam to the middle and got on my back then started floating with my eyes shut. I wondered what my mom was doing now. Maybe she went shopping or she is getting on it with Steven. I missed her even though I hate her for selling me. I still love her because she is my mother. And the only person I have and will need once Diego divorces me.

Before I could get lost in my head further, I felt something hit me. Pushing me down into the pool. I opened my eyes in time to spot and be able to ditch a barrel-like thing. But I couldn’t move in time so it got my hand caught up. I looked up and saw a man with a hoodie over his head, he had a huge beard and he looked like he was looking right at me. I tried to get my hand from under the metal but I couldn’t. And my body was paining, probably from what hit me before.

I tried to scream but the only sound audible was the bubbles popping. My lungs were about to give out when someone pulled me out. I could feel that my eyes were shut and someone was pumping on my chest. I felt the water coming up from my lungs and back into my mouth and I coughed it out. I looked up and found Jace.

“Who was that?” I asked and he looked around before his eyes landed on my chest.

“Should I get you to the doctor?” he asked and I looked at my chest, it was covered by a large red bruise. Probably from that metal hitting me.

“No, just take me back,” I told him and went back inside the house to change. He drove me to the beach house and I sighed walking to my bedroom. I took off my clothes and looked at the bruise. It was starting to turn purple and some parts were already green. It went from my neck down to my thighs. I sighed and took the bathrobe and wrapped it around myself and went to the kitchen. I poured water into a glass and took a sip. Even the back of my hands had ugly purple bruises.

“Are you okay?” I dropped the glass and turned around. It was Bradley.

“Don’t sneak up on people like that,” I told him bending down to pick the shards. He knelt next to me and started picking the shards too.

“What happened?”

“Nothing. I just bumped into... a... um-”

“Lying,” he called me out and I rolled my eyes.

“Fine, I was playing with the acid.”

“What?” he asked, still not believing me but the bruises on my hands and my chest gave him a reason to trust me.

“I didn’t know it was corrosive,” I said and stood up to throw the pieces in the bin before coming with the broom. He stood up and went to the bin and stood there as if contemplating whether to believe me or not. Not my problem.

I stood up and saw Diego and his girlfriend walk in. I was staring at the girl behind them Bradley’s girlfriend, she looked mad. I was about to walk to my room when my eyes caught the hooded man. I slowly walked towards the door but before I could reach it, the girl shut it closed. I quickly opened the door and ran outside, but the man was no longer there. He was nowhere to be seen.

“Are you okay?” Diego asked and I shrugged walking back inside. I went to the bedroom and started rummaging through the drawers for a pen and a paper. The hooded man was haunting my head.

“Where is it?” I asked myself when I couldn’t find anything.

“What are you doing?” I turned around and found Diego. Of course, Diego would have an office if this were his house.

“Is this your house?”

“Yeah, we are in it aren’t we?” he asked sarcastically, and I sighed. I ran out of the bedroom and went in search of his office. I found it after a few minutes and thankfully found a pencil and a piece of paper on the desk. I sat on the chair and got to work. I could feel someone watching me but I ignored the feeling. I kept my head down until I was done.

“What happened to you?” I finally looked up and found Diego sitting in front of me. He looked at my exposed chest and then into my eyes.

“Do you know who this is?” I asked, ignoring his question. He took the drawing and looked at it then at me. He looked like he was reading me. He had mixed emotions and I was able to see jealousy, but it quickly disappeared as it came. He would not be jealous of me, maybe for Angelica. I am just a girl he bought, I don’t even know how much he paid for me. Or why he really chose me. And my own mother had the nerves to just say yes and sell her only daughter.

“I should be asking you that

“I should be asking you that.”

“He had a beard, and he looked to be almost your height. Are you sure you don’t know him?”

“Brad!” he shouted and Bradley came in within a minute.

“Yeah?”

“Who is this?” Bradley took the paper and examined it.

“He has a beard and he looks almost as tall as Diego,” Bradley looked at me then at Diego. He looked at the paper and sighed before looking at Diego again.

“Beard, how long was it?”

“Maybe it reached his collarbones?” I asked feeling unsure. He nodded and looked at the drawing again. His eyes went wide and he looked at me.

“Where did you see this man?” he asked and I looked at him the at Diego.

“Who is he?” Diego asked and Bradley looked at me then at the diagram.

“Mallory,” Diego stood up and looked at the paper in Bradley’s hands. He looked at me then ad Bradley.

“Fill me up?” I said and they looked at each other and then at me.

“He is the Russian assassin. Been hunting Diego's head for years. Where did you see him? How do you know him?” now both men were looking at me and waiting for me to answer. I looked between them and sighed putting my head on the chair.

“Well, when we got here two days ago, I saw him staring at me. Not really staring at me with his eyes but he was looking at me and I could feel it, then when Jace drove away he made a peace sign. Then when Bradley’s girlfriend walked in, he was standing at the gate. Not like the gate, gate but I could see him through the door. And it was suspicious.”

“How did he find out where we are?” Diego asked and I shrugged, knowing I led him here when Jace drove me here earlier. Diego took the paper and walked out. Bradley stared at me and shook his head before walking out. Nice save.