The Story of Blood and Roses

My mind wandered to too many places. The only thing that could keep it off from the horrid thoughts was my morbid curiosity about Jasper, the person I had to find. So I opened my computer and searched.

Most agents had names that were of significance to them; it was usually what defined them or something they liked. Of course, I was hoping that the person would have significance to the name he gave himself. My father\'s name had been Tango. . . his favorite dance style, even though he had never been a good dancer. Jasper could be anything. . . What did the name mean?

[In English, the name Jasper can derive either from the Persian name Caspar, meaning \'treasurer,\' or the Persian word \'yashp,\' meaning \'spotted stone.\' It is the name of a semi-precious form of quartz.

Famous Jaspers include Jasper Tudor, uncle to the English King Henry VII, novelist Jasper Fforde and fashion designer, Jasper Conran.

It was the 51st most popular name in Belgium in 2006.]

Then in another tab,

[Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color and, rarely, blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time, for snuff boxes. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded jasper. Jasper is basically chert, which owes its red color to iron three inclusive.

The twenty percent of foreign materials determine its color, streak, and appearance.

The Jasper is, along with heliotrope also known as bloodstone, one of the traditional birthstones for March.

In physical therapy, Jasper is used to heal mental stress. It is said to aid in grounding, to give protection, and to help align all the chakras and balance yin-yang energies.]

I hunted for a pad and pen of paper and then scribbled down the newfound information in it. I thought for a second and then dismissed the idea.

I opened a few sites about authenticity and composition, but the most striking thing that came was that Jasper stones were polished to make aristocratic vases sometimes.

Yeah, not very interesting.

I shut the laptop down and stared at the notepad.

I was staring at things an awful lot these days.

I didn\'t know why I was doing this, myself. I needed time to think through my game plan with Anthony and here I was thinking about this Jasper who may or may not have any significance to his real name or character.

I was probably wasting my time and energy. So I kept everything aside and dragged myself to the bed. I covered myself up with a sheet and then closed my eyes to find some sleep.

Luck was not on my side, apparently. My phone started ringing, and I startled awake. I found it tucked underneath my backside.

\'Awkward.\'

I picked it up and looked at the number.

Nope. Don\'t know it.

I picked it up and answered cautiously.

"We need you tomorrow morning, at five." FIVE! "Don\'t be late." And then I heard the dial tone.

\'That bastard, Anthony!\'

I smiled to myself in satisfaction. I was going to begin my dream job. I closed my eyes again, the smile still on my face.

Ready or not . . . Here I come.

It was almost four in the morning when I peeped out from under my sheets and looked at the digital clock on my nightstand. My eyes were still heavy with sleep. I\'d gotten very little sleep the night before. With the excitement of starting my mission mixed with my obsessive thoughts about the black files, sleep had not come easily to me.

It took me a while to get back to my senses and get ready to leave.

He didn\'t even tell me where to go! I thought for a moment and then checked my mobile to see who had called last. It was a private number. Damn.

The man was testing me. How the hell was I supposed to reach him by five in the morning if I didn\'t know where to go? I ran to my room and fired up my computer.

\'Shit. Half an hour to go!\'

I connected my cell phone to my computer and tried to find out the number.

No. It didn\'t come out. I racked my mind and tried again. This time I tried to re-dial the number.

\'Bingo!\'

I pressed the okay button and pulled the phone to my ears.

"Good morning, Mia. How are you doing this fine morning?" I could hear the amusement in his voice.

He wasn\'t impressed. It took me too long to get back to him. He probably had expected me to call him back last night, like the asshole he is. He was testing my limits and my emotions were incapacitating me, rendering me incompetent. He was good. He was probably trying to break my will.

Does he suspect something? Maybe.

\'I need to find out.\'

"You never mentioned where I was supposed to reach," I said in a clipped tone. He chuckled lightly and then sighed.

"You\'re late." Fuck. "Get to the mansion in ten minutes. I\'ll be waiting for you there." He hung up.

He sure loved to be rude to people. Every phone call I had heard him take had been the same.

\'Doesn\'t he want to increase his empire or hold onto it? If he behaves like this with everyone, they would all turn against him and probably kill him one day!\'

I didn\'t think I would ever understand the man. He was a mystery, a mystery I had to unravel in front of the world.

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