Shadows of the Underworld: Love and Redemption

Strategy and recuperation - *Diane's POV*

Walking away from Minjun my heart felt heavy for him. I aimlessly wandered around the house while thinking.

I know Bee is really upset, and it's gonna take her a while to be okay again. If I'm being real with myself I had to process it in a short time as well. But I didn't want to be weak for Bee's sake. She came through for me when I needed someone and I owe her the same thing. I have to stay strong for her even though Minjun and his men scare me... knowing what they are and who they were. I can't show anyone I'm afraid. Yes, I admit the situation is bad... they're all killers. But they're killers with a purpose I guess? I don't know..... It sounds like I'm trying to justify murder. Shit! Bee really fell for him hard too.... and the same could be said for Minjun.

Biting the nail on my thumb I walked past a door and noticed a silhouette in my peripheral. I stopped and backed up to look. It was Bo. He was standing in a bathroom, looking in a mirror and wiping dried blood off his face. His expression was depressing. I knocked on the door while looking inside.

"Hey," I said softly. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he replied.

"Doesn't look like 'nothing'. Did you and Felix fight again? Or was it Minjun?" I asked stepping in.

"No, no um, it's..."

"Did Bee do this?" I walked to him a little faster.

"It's fine."

I reached up and tilted his head to get a better look. Even though I was wearing heels, he was still towering over me.

He's taller than Gio... more importantly, the cut still seems to be bleeding a bit.

The injury was in his hair line and I had to move his hair out of the way to get a better look, which involved me taking out the ponytail.

"Tell me what happened." I let go and reached for the towel he was using and he bent over putting his elbows on the countertop and raising his head up for me to see.

"Well as you know by now, she tried to run away. Me and Felix weren't paying attention... well... I wasn't paying attention." He said not looking up. I wiped the blood from his hairline and he didn't seem to be bothered by the pain at all. "She ran into the bushes at the back of the house but the fence stopped her from going further. When we found her, she was sitting on the ground holding her chest and... crying. She was..." he paused and swallowed. "She was so scared that she was shaking."

My eyes were burning as I pictured it.

Don't cry.

"When I had her in my arms, her whole body shook. I've never seen someone with that look before. It's true I've taken lives before and have seen a lot of things. But I haven't seen that. The only explanation I have for it is like watching a creature that's dying fight to protect itself even if something is trying to help it. Like it would rather die fighting than get help because it's so afraid it doesn't trust anything anymore. Take that and put it into a human's perspective... that's what I saw. And she... she fought. She hit me, threw stuff at me and the only thing I could do was take it."

His eyes said it all. He felt guilty. It's like the word itself was written on his forehead.

"Bo, it sounds like you were punishing yourself," I said wetting the cloth to finish clean the blood out of his hair.

"Shouldn't I?" He asked finally looking up.

"No."

"I let that happen. I never should have let her out of my sight. If I didn't-"