Red's Redemption ✔

Chapter 8 - It Goes Boom

I fiddled with my hands as I thought of what to do.

Vinchenzo nodded in agreement with Francesca's suggestion. "She's right. Arianna is an agent and has probably dealt with situations like these before."

I wanted to speak up and let him know that I had not(at least not to this degree of importance), but I chose not to. Strangely, I felt a sense of pride that Vinchenzo had so much faith in me. He believed in my abilities even though he had not seen them.

"I think they might speak more to her." Vranchesco stated.

"Are the captives women?" Vinchenzo said gruffly, his lips upturned in a frown.

"Unfortunately. Eliza is hiring women to do her dirty work."

Vinchenzo sighed, "Arianna must do it."

"I will go with her, too." Francesca offered.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, Francesca was not exactly my biggest fan. Deep down, I am scared that she might pull a stand and stab me in the back. What if she attacked me whilst we in the interrogation room? There would be a ton of tools at her disposal.

"That is a good idea. Red, will you do it?" Vinchenzo asked me.

I sighed.

"It is the best we can do right now. Francesca will help you."

Vinchenzo was right. If we were going to take down Eliza and her groupies, we needed as much information as possible. And that meant questioning the prisoners.

"Okay," I said reluctantly. "I'll do it."

Vinchenzo smiled at me reassuringly. "Don't worry, Arianna. We'll be right there with you, you may not see us but we will be there ready to step in."

That allowed me some comfort. At least Francesca would be too scared to try anything with me.

As we drove towards the dungeon, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me. The last time I had been in a similar position, I had been beaten and tortured for days on end. But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. We were going to bring down Eliza and finally be rid of her once and for all. Nothing brought me a sense of peace more than knowing that.

When we arrived at the dungeon, Trevor was waiting for us outside. He handed Vinchenzo a set of keys and gestured toward the entrance.

"Everything is ready, boss," he said.

"Good," Vinchenzo replied. "Let's go."

We made our way inside the dungeon, the smell of dampness and decay hitting us as soon as we stepped inside. The women were all locked up in small, dimly- lit cells that were barely big enough for a single person. They looked up at us as we walked past, their eyes filled with fear and desperation.

I felt a pang of guilt as I looked at them. These were people who had been kidnapped and held captive against their will, forced to work for Eliza. Who knows what she threatened them with? They all looked so timid and afraid, it was almost impossible for me to believe that they had committed any crimes.

We finally reached the cell where the prisoners we had captured earlier were being held. Vinchenzo unlocked the door and Francesca and I stepped inside, the four of us standing in front of the two women who were tied up and sitting on the floor. There were no bruises or scars on their bodies which led me to believe that no one had spoken to them prior.

The room smelled awful, so awful I wondered how they had not thrown up. I knew I desperately wanted to.

"Who do you work for?" I asked, my voice firm and authoritative.

The women glared at me but said nothing. They were really pushing their luck, I knew Vinchenzo would never ever hurt a woman or child but I didn't know what Francesca's stand was on the whole topic. Looking at her, she seemed so terrifying. 

"Answer her," Francesca said, her voice cold and menacing.

The women still refused to speak. Francesca stepped forward and drew her knife, holding it up to the neck of one of the prisoners.

"Tell us what we want to know," she said, her voice low and threatening. "Or I'll make you regret it."

Both women looked at each other, fear evident in their eyes. Finally, one of them spoke up.

"We work for Eliza," she said stuttering. "But we don't know anything. We were just hired to do a job."

I looked at Francesca, who nodded her head.

"Are you sure?" She asked, pressing the knife onto the woman's neck.

She nodded as tears began to flood her eyes.

"What is your name?" I demanded.

"Florence."

"And who is with you?"

"Sandrine."

I nodded my head. Now that Francesca had the knife against her neck, she was more responsive.

"Why are you working for Eliza if you have no idea what she wants or what she is planning?" I demanded.

"M-money." She stuttered. 

I nodded my head. She seemed to be telling the truth.

 "Tie them up and take them back to the car," I said. "We'll deal with them later."

As we left the dungeon, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. We had gotten no new information, and we were still no closer to finding out where Eliza was hiding.

I did not look at Vinchenzo because I did not want to see his disappointed face. That was not my best. The guilt I felt choked me up and prevented me from unleashing any sort of violence on them. After all, they seemed like innocent people who had been in need.

Eliza was that kind of person. She finds people who are desperate to do anything and uses them for her own sick and twisted needs. She is a snake.

But I knew that we wouldn't give up. We would keep fighting until we brought Eliza to justice, and until we freed all the innocent people who had been held captive by them. I watched as they put the woman in the back and gagged them. I tore my eyes away from the scene. I hated this.

I stood for woman's empowerment. I stood for uplifting others yet here I was ordering people to be tied up and shoved into the back of a car. 

After they were secured, we all got into the car. Vinchenzo was driving and I was in the passenger seat. The rest of the crew piled up in the back. As soon as we turned onto the road Vinchenzo aggressively slammed on the brakes. Vinchenzo stiffened as he heard something through his earpiece. 

"What is it?" I asked.

Hey Reddies!

I will be uploading another chapter in the next few minutes! Stay tuned.

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XOXO
Perla