I opened my eyes, I saw lights.

Feeling returned to my limbs and with it the pain. And it was that painful jolt that brought me fully back into consciousness. I sat bolt upright and looked around. I was lying in a single large white bed all by myself. I am in the hospital of course! But how did I get to the hospital? And what happened after I passed out? Was Braun alive? Questions pounding around in my head shooting about like flies. My train of thought was interrupted when a nurse walked through the door and said in fluent Chinese:

"Ling, someone wants to see you."

I didn't reply, because I knew it wasn't a request but rather just information. I expected it to be Charlotte, since she couldn't wait to torture me about the fact I didn't tell her what I was I going to do, not that I needed to tell her anyways. The nurse stepped outside the room and someone else stepped in... and it wasn't Charlotte.

"Right" I recognized it as Italian. I sized up the new arrival. He looked younger than 20, but was less than five feet tall. He wore a black top hat that covered most of his head, with silky black hair sticking from under it. He wore a black tuxedo with a red bow tie, with black dress shoes. Two massive men that I could tell were his bodyguards as stepped through the door beside him.

"You're the Italian competitor." I said at once.

"Of course!" he replied as one of his men pulled up a chair to the side of my bed. The little man sat down and looked at me and I looked at him back.

"Almost forgot to introduce myself, I am Louis Costanzo M. Massimiliano I know all about you." He said.

I knew he was wrong but I didn't reply.

"You were out for three days... take a look at this." One of his bodyguards passed a newspaper to me and I took it reluctantly. Then opened it and read it...

"Mysterious fire burns down old abandon car factory. 6 died..." I counted the number up, 3 got killed by knives, 2 got killed by shotgun firing, and Kenai...that means Braun is still alive, unless he wasn't found... thinking about the incident gave me a head ache.

"My friend, you caused quite some havoc." He snatched the newspaper form my hands deliberately, then spun in his chair excitedly.

"First of all I am not your friend. Second, what are you trying to get at?"

"Pazienza. Though I may look small, I am actually couple years your senior. That means you should show some respect, so don't ask questions until I finish mine. Capire?" He grinned. He may be a midget, but I will never underestimate him. What he just said there wasn't a reminder but rather a warning.

"Capire," I replied, "I understand".

"Eccellente! Now listen carefully to my next question...what do you think about having a free clue?"

I knew this was a trap. But right now I am a fish in a tank, if I refuse to take the bait, he will just simply overtake me with force. Which wouldn't look too bright for me, considering I don't have any weapons me with right now and my entire body feels sore. And the two guards look were built like a concrete wall, I don't know if my fist would do any effect to them. So I decided it was best right now to just listen to whatever he has to say...

"I am waiting." He cleared his throat.

"Sounds...Interesting."

"Interesting?" he leaned forward.

"Because you didn't mention any catch."

"Ah, you are the catch my friend! You are the fish."

"What do you want to do with me?"

"A simple request."

I waited for him to continue.

"Sharing clues. And I know you have received a clue from Kenai."

"What makes you think I will hand it over to you willingly?"

He held up three fingers.

"Three reasons. First thing, why do you think I have not let my men take it by force yet? I could take your competitor ring and make your death look like and accident." I looked at my hand and found out my Relic ring was missing, which wasn't surprisingly, because he probably removed it from me while I was unconscious.

"Because I am giving you the right to make a decision like a noble men, and I believe you will make the right choice."

"Very well, what's your second threat?"

"Can't you see I am giving you choices? Best keep them when you can, choices cost a lot to keep and cost more when you choose. My second condition is sharing clues together. But you must share yours first."

"I am beyond these childish tricks, how do I know if your clue is real or not? More importantly can you trust my clue?"

"You are truly deceptive." He flashed me a grin.

"Don't worry I won't lie to others unless they lied to me first, so what's the third thing?"

He tapped his finger on his chin just like Charlotte does when she is thinking...

He knows about me and Charlotte being together! On that thought a chill ran down my spine. I eyed him for a moment, and the twinkle in his eyes told me it wasn't accident.

"The odds doesn't seem to be in my favor. Is that all the catches?"

"I know you have no intention of marrying Lady Charlotte, and I never let help go unpaid. If you help me win this game, I will pay you a fair sum, so name your price."

"Give me some time to consider it..."

He was right about I have no intention marrying Charlotte, and the money seemed pretty tempting too. But that wasn't the problem, the real problem was the factor of trust. Could I trust that he would pay up? Could I trust him that he could win? Could I trust that he wasn't going to use me and discard me instantly? It all came down to trust. Honestly a fellow competitor would be the last people I trust, but right now even though I am not given much choice so I just have to make it seem like I am going along with what he says...or I could gain his trust and make him think he gained mine...then at the right timing, I might be able to get away with it. I really have a way with deception. I thought.

"If you promise me all 3 conditions, and help me find more of those and you will get what I promised." He held out my relic ring, I knew if I tried to snatch it out of his hand right now, his bodyguards would amputate me. Then I watched him put the relic ring on his right ring finger.

"Sounds tempting." I said.

"So we have an agreement?"

"Sure whatever you say."

"I thought you would be a much more serious person..."

"It's not that a person changes but rather that their mask falls off." We started at each other for a moment.

"Well one more thing before we go straight to business, come in now!" a brief moment later, a women walked through the door. The guards stepped aside a little hastily...what kind of woman would she have to be to make these brute men filch...only if she was more dangerous than them combined. She has a tall and slender built with wavy ginger hair and dangerous blue eyes to go with it. She wore a purple dress, and high heels. She flashed a smile at me, but it wasn't exactly friendly, it was more like a dangerous and mischievous smile, so I didn't smile back.

"Allow me to introduce you to signora Vanethya. Or internationally known as Silk touch." He said boastfully.

"She doesn't look like your bodyguard."

"Indeed she is not. She is a thief, or a grand thief in fact. For the past 7 years she has stolen countless artifacts and jewelry around the world."

"You didn't catch her?"

"I didn't. I hired her."

"I see."

"You don't seem surprised."

"It isn't a surprise at all. I just thought you normally did both."

All of a sudden Vanethya started giggling, and turned away which made curious about what she found so funny.

"So do I call you Vanethya, or Silk touch?"

"Call me Silk, because Louis..."

"Respect the full name please." Louis responded.

"I am sorry your Magnanimo." That defiantly sounded like sarcasm, though I don't know what the story behind that was. Louis sneered but didn't say anything for a moment, then opened his mouth again: "I am giving the two of you special permission to call me Louis, not even my father called me by that once. So feel honored."

"Your own parents never called you by your first name? Tragic." She sighed. Louis didn't say anything.

"I am guessing you find this alliance odd and funny." I spoke up and both of them turned their attention towards me again.

"Bingo. Because I was wondering why my Magnanimo would cooperate with a commoner. What I find even more ironic is that he was the one that begged for the alliance."

"I don't beg!"

"I would hardly call it an alliance, I would say it's a mutual relationship. I get what I want, he gets what he wants." Though I didn't really sound serious that time.

Her lips curved in a foxy smile. "I will look forward to this relationship."

"Not being prejudice, but I don't work with thieves." I replied.

"But a good one, one that never fails to get its prize?" She flashed a mischievous smile, the ones people show when they stole something successfully and wasn't caught.

"You may have some skill, but don't get overconfident. Thieves are going to be caught at some point of their life."

I expected to hear more confidence but surprisingly her expression hardened. I observed for a moment then said:

"So you have been caught once. Perhaps in the beginning of your career... no even before that."

"None of your business." She sneered and left the room slamming the door hard.

"Interessante, I never knew that before."

"You don't know a lot about the person, until you really look into their past." And all I did was taking a peek.

"I wouldn't worry about her, she can take on half a dozen of my bodyguards at once."

I shrugged on the outside, but on the inside I felt a little impressed by her.

"Now we'll start with your clue."

"You're not afraid of being deceived?"

"Very. But I hope we can both be honest with each other since there is no point to deceive you at this point, the way how you could tell Vanethya past was really quite impressive."

"Very well, I will be honest too."