Crimson Instinct

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*Xin Lei*

"No Rodey…"

The woman screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Grrrrr Arf! Arf!"

Rodey was chained to the wall with Zhang Ning's men beating him up. The rest of us were tied up together as we helplessly watched the torture.

Fuck! 

I gritted my teeth so hard that I wished to tear off Zhang Ning's face right this instant.

I had to admit that Rodey had a strong will. Despite all the kicks and beating, he didn't whimper or groan in pain. That must have required incredible tolerance.

"Hah! Look what pathetic piece of shit you have become!"

"Weren't you so arrogant that you are our boss's right hand? Now you are not worth even her pinkie."

"You always bossed around us with that high and mighty attitude of yours but now…"

The man punched Rodey in the face. Blood trickled from his lips, yet he didn't scream.

Rodey laughed. "That's why none of you couldn't ever climb the ranks to go close to the boss. Pigheads like you will always be the fools following orders. You can only get jealous of me and lament your pathetic self."

I didn't know whether to get angry with those men or him.

Why do you want to provoke them?

"Rodey! Watch your mouth!"

The man wore brass knuckles. Suddenly he narrowed his eyes, and I traced his line of sight.

What?

Why is Rodey bleeding so much from the stomach?

This completely baffled me. 

The punches were strong, but it shouldn't bleed to this point.

I furrowed my brows and looked carefully at his injuries.

No... they are not the wounds from those punches. Maybe he got them before, and now those hits just aggravated them.

This is bad. The blood flow won't stop if this goes on.

"No, please!" The woman that Rodey was carrying was desperately looking at him as if she wanted them to stop. 

I clenched my fingers. 

Damn! If Zhang Ning hadn't arrived, then we would have been free. We were so close to escaping! Now how will we get out of here?

Rodey won't be able to hold on for much longer, either.

There is no way we can fool so many guards and the other men. We are outnumbered by almost twenty people!

I shut my eyes. I suddenly felt too tired to think.

"Grrrr…"

Cocoa nudged his head on my thigh.

The woman was sobbing, and then she looked at Zhang Ning. She was about to say something when Rodey interrupted. "Don't…"

He looked at her, deadly serious. Even I felt the chills. Rodey was sweating, and he seemed worse with all that blood loss. 

The woman stopped and glanced back at him.

"Don't...beg her. I…" he was breathing hard as he spoke, "I don't want my woman to beg anybody."

I widened my eyes.

Was he really that serious about her?

The woman seemed to freeze. She was staring at Rodey, and I had no idea what she was thinking. Did she understand what he meant?

"Hooo…"

Zhang Ning smiled and spoke for the first time since they dragged us back.

"My woman...Rodey, am I hearing it right? Did you address her as your woman?"

Rodey didn't respond.

Then she suddenly laughed. "Hahaha. I knew it. I was right. To think that my right-hand man could fall so deep for a woman. You, who is a criminal, and she, who is a law-abiding citizen? Hahaha. Didn't you always discard all those women you slept with? There was nothing such as love in your dictionary-"

Rodey chuckled. "There was nothing such as love in your dictionary either, boss. Yet you fell for that soldier. Heh! I think this is the biggest joke of all."

I froze.

Bai Li…

What is he doing now? He must be worried sick, isn't he? Why wasn't I more careful in the mansion?

As expected, Zhang Ning's expression changed.

Rodey was turning paler.

"You are...comparing babe and me? Sure I am a killer. Sure our worlds are hell different. But at least, she is a normal citizen. But, Bai Li was a soldier. Do you understand? He has...put his life on the line to always save people, whereas you have only killed them. Too ironic, right? Where does that leave you, boss? Do you think…Bai Li would like a woman like you whose ideals are exactly opposite to his own?"

Not bad. I never thought he would go against her this much.

Rodey kept laughing. He was looking straight at Zhang Ning. "What happened, boss? Did you think only you realized what was going on with me? I…*cough* knew about your feelings for him the moment you said that you didn't want me to kill him. 'Bai Li is my prey' is what you said, right?"

Silence.

"That's the first time I saw it in your eyes. It felt something different when you uttered his name. Honestly, that took me by shock. But...it's no use, boss...it's no use…it will always be a one-sided love…" he chuckled.

"Shut up, you bastard! How dare you talk to our boss like that!"

One man punched on his face, and it got harshly tilted at the side. He coughed hard.

"Rodey!" The woman cried. "Stop! He is bleeding...pl-"

"Babe!" Rodey suddenly roared and fiercely looked at her.

Even Chu Jie and Long Hu jumped up a bit. Cocoa struggled hard against the ropes too and barked. "Grrrrr!! Arf!"

"Did you beg and cry when they beat you?"

I saw her eyelashes slightly tremble.

"Answer me! Did you or did you not?"

"No…"

I jerked my head towards her in shock.

She didn't?

I took a look at her marks.

The wounds on her skin were so horrible that it must have hurt like hell, and with that pain, if she resisted crying, then wasn't she...just like Liao Chuntao?

Rodey said, "Then don't beg for me either. I am not that weak for anyone to ask mercy for me. This is the last time I am saying. My woman will not beg anybody!"