Cold Blood

The next ten minutes of Rose Bryant's life were ones she wished she could forever take back. It didn't take long at all for Rose's title as Matt's friend change to Matt's betrayer.

It was like they had known she was having second guesses. It was like they had known Matt had been kind to her that morning. Had literally stitched her freaking shoulder up.

It was like they heard Rose promise she wouldn't tell anybody Matt had heightened senses.

For the first thing the women in the black pencil skirt said when Rose slid in next to her was, "Hold one second. I've got to show you something." She proceeded to unlock the phone she held tightly in her hand and scroll around for a moment, before shoving the phone in Rose's face.

"My name is Mary," she said as Rose's eyes widened in horror at the images on Mary's phone.

"See? Your brother is safe," Mary continued, and Rose peeled her eyes away from the phone and looked up at her. Her look of horror morphed into anger. "For now."

Mary had brought up a picture of Bentley, sitting in class. His hand was pulling back a chunk of his curly, blonde hair as he rested his hand on his palm. His eyes were heavy-lidded, droopy slightly, making it looked like he was squinting at his teacher. Other classmates sat around him, with varying stages of interest.

"One of our friends is making sure of that," she added as Rose swallowed, knowing she mustn't lose her temper in a situation like this, and didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at Mary's dark red hair, that was up in a severe bun and slightly looked like it was pulling her face off.

Rose tried to keep her face blank, but her heart throbbed in her chest. She could barely form thoughts in her head. Her mind just filled with names and faces and she hated herself, but with them so close to Bentley, in his freaking school, she didn't have much of a choice.

She hoped whatever they thought Matt was, it was something that could take care of himself.

"Everything going as planned?" Mary asked, raising a thin eyebrow. Rose childishly wished all her hair would snap from the tight bun that it was in.

"Yes, I talked to Ma- Murdock yesterday morning," Rose answered, her voice breathy.

"And?"

"And… so far so good," Rose shrugged, not knowing what else to say about yesterday, and dreading what she had to say about today.

"Any contact with Murdock today?"

Rose swallowed so loud she was certain Mary heard it.

"Yes." Her mouth was dry, as if her body was trying to prevent her from betraying Matt.

Mary waited, but when she didn't say anything, her eyes squinted at Rose. "That photo I showed you of your brother, was from right before you showed up. And the person that took it, isn't above taking out all the kids in that classroom as an incentive and leaving him the last one standing, before killing him slowly and very, very painfully."

Rose clenched her jaw at the threat. Through a tight mouth, she said, "He said he had heightened senses. He can smell, taste, feel, hearing. He could smell blood from... an accident last night, and could tell I'd been crying, but that's normal for blind people. To get heightened senses." She tried to downplay what she spilled to Mary, but Rose had a feeling that this was something they were looking for.

"If Murdock told you it's normal to smell people's blood and tears, he was lying," Mary replied with a smug look on her face. "I'll contact you for the next debrief in two days. I don't have to keep threatening your brother do make sure you have more information by then, right?"

Rose just shook her head, not saying anything. Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she absolutely refused to cry in front of this women.

Mary rose and began walking away, before pausing and turning around, "Oh. Your big journalism break? It's coming tonight. Make sure you're the one to interview him tomorrow."

And with that, Rose was left sitting alone.

"Hey, Matt?" Foggy's head peered through Matt's slightly opened office door.

"Yeah, Fog?" He asked, absentmindedly, putting down the braille he was reading for a case.

"I think we should get drinks with Rose tonight," His friend answered, stepping fully in the door.

"I don't think she'll be up to it, buddy," Matt replied, slowly, debating on how much he should tell of Rose's condition. Finally, he sighed, "She was mugged last night. A bit bruised up, but she'll be okay."

"What, no way!" Foggy said, his eyes slightly wide. "Where was this? Did whoever did this get caught?"

Matt hesitated before speaking again. "No, he ran away too fast, bud. Thankfully Rose forgot her purse back at the Bulletin, so nothing was actually stolen. She just got a bit banged up."

Foggy shook his through Matt's explanation… through Matt's lies. He inwardly cringed, he was literally the worst at lying on the spot, but it looked like Foggy bought it.

"Man, poor Rose. I'll see if she wants..." Foggy began, but left the room as he spoke, before eventually trailing off. Matt could her his thumbs typing a new text to Rose, causing his heart to clench. He should not have been so open with Rose getting his friend's personal contacts.

But Matt did know she would not be spending the evening alone. He had every intention of visiting her tonight… however as Matt Murdock and not Daredevil.

To Foggy's disappointment, she declined all food offers from him, playing it off as 'not wanting to scare him off' and 'they hadn't reached the point in their relationship to see each other like this'. Sarcasm and jokes. Even at 7 years old, she was rather skilled at it.

Matt's already seen her, so he didn't think she'd be that pissed if he showed up at her door with Chinese food, something he hoped was still her favorite. He knew she ate it for dinner last night, but if her love for Chinese is the same from when they were kids, Rose wouldn't mind another night of it.

Karen told him herself and Foggy were still going out for drinks, but Matt passed for the night, claiming tiredness, though he wouldn't sleep for another 8 hours? 10? He really didn't know.

The sun was setting by the time Matt made his way to her apartment, two bags of food in his hand that wasn't holding the cane. He was only a block away when he heard a scream. He froze, trying to hone in on the sound. It wasn't more than an alleyway away.

Another scream, ending in a women's voice, begging, "please, please, don't! S-stop..."

Matt put the Chinese food down and began running toward noises, now hearing her struggling against her captors. He rounded the corner and heard her heels scrap against the pavement as she was dragged deeper into the alleyway. He followed quietly and rounded another corner, his hand tightening around his stick, but nothing happened. The women stopped screaming, though Matt still heard the steady heartbeats of five.

And suddenly they attacked, forcing Matt to defend himself, or being beaten to a pulp.

He didn't know if they were aware of his blindness, so they didn't give it their all, or if they hadn't been told a thing, and were just majorly confident in their abilities, but it didn't take long for a pile of unconscious bodies to form and then there was just one who clung to keeping his eyes open. Matt ceased the chance to do a bit of hardcore Daredeviling.

"Who sent you?" Matt hissed dangerously in this man's face, pinning him against the wall, but a bloodied grin covered his face- Matt could smell strongly the release of his rotting teeth. "Where's the woman?"

"I seen your face now, buddy. You're going to kill me, so there ain't no need to open my mouth," The man replied, his words slightly slurring together.

Matt's lips pursed in annoyance. "Yeah, but buddy, I can make this a quick death, or a very slow one." The hand that wasn't pushed against his neck, found his hand, and with no hesitation, snapped a finger back.

A long grunt escaped the man, but he pulled his lips together tight in defiance. A couple minutes, and many broken bones later, Matt finally stopped. The man still hadn't spoke, but he had began to scream, and he was certain he thought Matt was going to kill him.

He was going to prove this guy wrong.

"You know, I kinda have this thing about killing people," Matt began, "And I know I hit these guys here a little bit too hard. They're not going to wake up with their brains intake. I'm thinking I do the same to you. Trapped in a shell of a body with no escape? What kind of existence is that?"

Finally, though long pain-filled, the man's eyes widened in terror, as he glanced down at his friends lumps on the ground.

"Okay, I don't- I really don't know much about 'em. A women, a women with red hair approached us. A psycho women. Held out a bag for us give a look in and there was hundred of thousands of dollars. Red said it was ours if we gave someone a beating and y'know, hey, we's good at a beating, so we agreed. All right, okay, I told you now..." The man's stuttering died away at the look on Matt's face.

"I'm really sorry about this," Matt said, rather honestly, and bashed his head against the wall. A clump of blood and hair remained there, but Matt could hear still a faint heartbeat in him.

He walked away then, returning to the place he dropped the bags of Chinese, to find it gone.

Rose knew the men were going to attack Matt. She didn't know when or how they knew he was coming that night, but she knew about the attack. He was suppose to get a little banged up and she was suppose to meet up with him tomorrow and write an article about it, to get deep and personal, and Bentley was suppose to be safe for another day.

But Matt walked away without a scratch.

Before he went, she saw how his head jerked towards the woman's scream. He stood there and a moment of concentration passed over his face, before Matt placed the food bags down, and bolted down the alleyway. He quickly disappeared into the shadows, though not before confidently maneuvering around obstacles in his way.

And then not long passed before Matt was reappearing from the shadows. He stood there, straightening his suit. His head cocked and a deep look of concentration passed over his face again.

Rose hadn't truly believed she'd find anything suspicious about Matt, but now she's not so sure. Heightened senses was one thing, but coming from a fight without a scratch is another.

However he must've realized Rose wasn't worth the visit, for after the mega showdown, he went the opposite direction down her block, and sent her a text ten minutes later.

How are you doing?

She swallowed and quickly thumbed a reply: better thanks.

Shoulder still bleeding? was Matt's next message.

A bit, but I'll be fine, Rose replied. She didn't wait for a response before she shot out, I'm beat, Matty, thanks for checking in. I'll talk to you tomorrow?

But she didn't wait for his reply before sliding the phone in her pocket and leaving her apartment. Rose might have to answer when asked, but she was going to do her best to not be asked.

Since Matt returned from the fight unscathed, her mind had been working in over time, and the thoughts of what Rose should do next made her realize the things she got into as a kid wasn't just a way to provide for Bentley one day. She liked the excitement, the thrill, the power when she had always been unable to have it… and what she decided to do next made her slightly sick to her stomach and was more than anything she'd done in the past. While Bentley came first, she knew she had to do all she could to keep Matt safe as well. Even though by the sound of it, he didn't need any help protecting himself.

But if there was any evidence of a fight, if there was anyone left breathing, it had to be erased. If it got out to them that Matt did this… that they made contact with him and they turned out like this… they would know. Whatever they wanted to know, they would know it then.

Though if Matt was as dangerous as he's being perceived to be, there shouldn't be nothing more than an alley full of dead bodies and all she had to do was bury them somewhere.

All. She. Had. To. Do?

Rose waited long enough for Matt to be out of sight before she scampered down the alleyway. Where they lured him was a dead end… filled with lifeless bodies. However upon closer inspection, she found their hearts were still fighting for another day.

She was starting to realize that she was way over her head here, but Rose didn't know what else to do than what she was about to do. Her stomach began to burn as she patted down and stuck her hands into pockets, searching for something help with her vow to protect Matt.

Did this make her just as bad as her father?She thought this as she flipped a body to his back, his temple covered in gravel and blood. Finding nothing to help her, she went to the next man. On the third body, she found what she was looking for.

The gun was cold in her shaky hands, but she tightened her grip, and took a deep breath. It'd been a while since Rose held a gun. She stood over the line of bodies and pulled up to take aim. It was almost like riding a bike, though instead of a shoulder or leg, she aimed for the forehead.

All that was ironically running through her mind was 'ohGodohGodohGod' when she pulled the trigger.

And again.

And again.

And again.

It took a couple hours of driving for Rose to conclude that this didn't make her as bad as her father… yet. The night was still young and considering the place she was driving to, there was still time, but the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced of this thought. Her father hurt her and her mom, eventually killing her, not out of protection for someone he loved. She never understood what made Bill the way he was. When Rose was younger, she was more interested in protecting her brother and getting away from the abuse that fell on her without her mother protecting her. Now that Bentley was safe from him, she was curious. What had she done to warrant her fathers hatred?

Not that she did much better without her father in the picture. When Rose's father finally went to prison, she was just old enough to take custody of Bentley. However, she was in no place to raise a twelve year old boy. Rose had her hands distributing things in places they didn't belong, trying to secure a future with her brother without their father, and with him gone, she found she didn't know how to get out of the places she'd gone. Eventually she escaped, but she was sure she hadn't left behind a shoe or shirt or something, though they weren't looking to return it to her. Nah, probably more so burn it in front of her face, before turning to Bentley, and then conclude with her.

And the only reason behind her escape was a person and this person still lived in New Jersey, still continued the work Rose fought desperately hard to get out of, and was still willing to help her out. However, this time with a price.

Samuel Carter wasn't your typical drug dealer, and wasn't called Sammy Boy for nothing. Not even in his thirties, he shot the line to king by dozens, and had been working at it since before Rose carried drugs in her schoolbag. But whatever reason, Rose had hit a soft spot with him. Maybe because with his mess of blonde hair and baby face, he reminded her of Bentley, and somehow Rose found herself mothering him the same way she did her brother, despite the anger and rage Sam showed the world. However, 'mother' wasn't the sentiment he felt toward Rose, and was probably the only thing that helped kept her on his good side.

They'd been in contact over the years, often promising Rose jobs that 'wouldn't be too involved' but there was no pressure each time she turned him down. Possibly because Sam knew Rose couldn't stay out of trouble and would need him one day. Even though her disgust for drugs was evident, there was always a rush in a successful deliver, or being a breath away from escaping death or prison, and Sam was often there to witness it and matched her wide eyed grin with a smirk of his own.

Rose supposed he was right. The most adrenaline she got as a songwriter was the rush of a song finished, and while Bent was safe and she was safe, it wasn't the same by a long shot. There was no danger, no suspense, and Sam Carter was probably the only one alive who knew this secret of hers.

Sammy had cropped his hair and grown a foot since the last time Rose saw him and it wasn't a bad look. It actually made his nickname sound a bit silly.

He greeted her as soon as she pulled into winding driveway of a mansion. The front of the house was lit, but the dark night surrounded the yard. In just a couple hours she could have had a better glimpse at the life Sam built for himself.

He had originally put his hand out for a shake, but pulled it back when Rose brought up her bloodied hands.

"Well… I'm assuming that's not yours," Sam's smirk was not only on his face but in his voice too, "However I'm having a hard time believing you're little Rose Bryant from the good ol' days." He took a step closer to her, invading her personal space, and his bright blue eyes peered up into her green ones. Whatever he saw there, he approved of. "There it is. I see it now, Ro."

"Yeah, it's definitely me. Still here with 'protect the bro at all costs' mindset," Rose replied with a role of her eyes. She tried to play this whole situation off for Sam, but her heart pounded in her chest and she could hear a nervous edge to her voice. If he asked questions, if he offered her more help… Rose could be back in this life before she knew it.

"Sounds like this mindset has got you into a bit of trouble," He replied, pointedly eying her hands.

She held them up with a half smile on her face. "When has it not gotten me in trouble? It's the only reason I met you."

Sam chuckled. "True, but it looks like it's finally made you one of us now."

Rose bristled at those words. Narrowing her eyes, she said, "It'll make me one of you when I kill people for money."

"Your brother is equivalent to our money. It's the same thing, in different context. And let's not forget that while you never killed anyone before-"

She glared at him for a second. "You know what, never-"

"You need a body dump and I can do that for you. What you think of this and what I think of this doesn't truly matter, Rosie. You know you have nowhere else to go," Sam cut her off, but didn't break eye contact.

"I guess..." She took a breath, trying to calm herself, but she spoke again through clenched teeth, "I guess the question now is what can I do for you?"

"I want to take over Hell's Kitchen," Sam announced, and Rose's face went steely.

"I'm not seeing how I will be of use for you achieving this goal," She replied, her voice dangerously low. Rose fought so hard to get out… she thought back to all the times he'd come to her. He knew one day she'd need him. He knew it and it was never her decision to stay out of it. Sam had just been biding his time.

His silence caused panic to seize her and she began stuttering, "I'm not… I'm not coming back. I fought so hard to-"

"If I do remember correctly, I'm the one who covered for you to escape. I don't recall any fighting," He said, in an upbeat tone. He knew the moment she called and said she stole a car and had four bodies to hide, Rose couldn't turn down any offer.

"Sam, please." The note of begging in her voice caused her to fill with self-disgust, but she continued on anyway, "I swore to Bentley I'd never do this again. He'd hate me if he ever found out I was doing this..."

"Do you want this to go away or not, Rose?" Sam asked, with a slight edge of annoyance.

It took a moment for Rose to reply. Not because she was reconsidering, but because she was terrified. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was mostly scared for herself.

What she never told Bentley is that she almost lost herself the last time.

"I guess protecting me isn't in your best interest now," She said bitterly, remembering the last words that were exchanged between them. His face was impassive and he just shrugged. Finally Rose said, "Just… just promise my brother will be safe."

"Sorry, Rosie, but it's not part of the deal. I have nothing against the kid, but with running a major business, I have bigger priorities than to babysit your brother. Just be available to help me when I contact you, and all of this," His arms waved to the back of the stolen car, "Disappears."

Rose left Sammy Boy's massive home about twenty minutes later. In new sweatpants and a lose fitting t-shirt and a not stolen, though on loan, vehicle.

On the drive back, she thought how much her world had changed since she saw Matt on her street from her window just last night. Now she knows that despite her friend being blind, he can whip people's butts and live them on the brink of death. And she was back in the business and she had to push down the slight excitement that came from that new development.

But this time, Rose told herself, it was going to be different. This time, she knew what she was getting into, and she wasn't going to get caught up in the game.

Finally, at almost 3am, Rose pulled into the parking garage below her apartment and found the spot with her number on it. She never thought she'd have a car to fill it.

It's amazing how much can happen in one night.

AN: All right, I'll be the first to mention the extent of my knowledge of drugs is the movie 'Blow' with Johnny Depp in it and then a google search of 'drug cartel' when I realized I might want to incorporate this into my story. And also, I know I promised this chapter about a week ago, but my friend told me how amazing of a show Gossip Girl was, and I didn't necessarily believe her... I thought I'd watch an episode to get her off my back and I got addicted. So instead of writing this week, I've completed four seasons. Yeah, I totally judged the show by its title and I'm deeply ashamed.

Anyways, let me know what you think so far! I know there was a lot of Rose, but next chapter is going to involve the whole gang and the drinks Foggy so desperately wants! And Bentley might come to town and I may whump Matt up a bit for a change. So, you know, stay tuned… :) – Anna xx