Newly recruited Agent Scarlett Pierce was a determined woman - just waiting for the chance to take on her first true mission. She had worked alongside sexist men for almost a year now, wanting only to be considered an equal.
And as America turns up...
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KADEN AND WILLIAM BOTH STAYED strapped to cold metal chairs, tight thick ropes holding them down and rubbing against their suit pants and sleeves. Blood rushed down Kaden's face from the side of his head, slowly dripping down his neck and onto the collar of his white dress shirt. William sat there across from him, blood rushing from out of his mouth.
The two Agents had both expected it to be an easy deal. These people would give up Scarlett and let her free, and in return they would receive Kaden and William for whatever purposes they wanted. Their thoughts of an easy deal turned out to be the exact opposite.
Upon arrival at Legion, they were immediately attacked, all weapons — even the ones William had claimed were well hidden — were taken from them, leaving the two utterly powerless.
Dealing with terrorists would have been easier than this. Terrorists would take two men over one woman any day.
"What is your connection to Scarlett Pierce?" The masked man asked them, his arms crossed over his chest. Kaden had the feeling that this man already knew the answer.
"We're her fucking colleagues," William spat out, blood dripping from the edges of his lips. "This is just-- we came to negotiate for her release."
"Scarlett's release isn't up for negotiation," he declared.
That meant she was alive. The brunet let out a breath, a small smile on his lips. She was okay, for now, at least.
"We're offering for you to keep us if you let her go," Kaden tried to explain, trying his best to keep his voice even and calm. He couldn't let them know he was about to break.
"We'll keep the two of you. And Ms. Pierce."
"Why?" Willaim demanded. "We know more than her!"
The man leaned forward, his hands tightening on the handle bars of Williams seat. "I said," he told the Agent in a low tone, "that her release is not for negotiation."
The thick metal door behind Kaden opened with a creak, and the masked man quickly turned around to look at who had entered the room. He cursed under his breath.
"Lucien!" A feminine voice called out. "Lucien, let them go."
His head popped up. The brunet would know that voice from anywhere. Scarlett?
Lucien grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her towards him. "How'd you get in here?"
Kaden looked Scarlett up and down, looking for any injuries. She a different set of clothing than what he had last seen her in. There were no bandages wrapped around her arms or legs, no braces, no spots of blood on her shirt or pants. He had somehow expected much worse than her current condition.
Uninjured. That was a good thing.
The woman leaned away from his touch, attempting to pull her arm free from his grasp. The grip only tightened. "It-- it doesn't matter. You-- my arm--"
He let her go without her having to ask. Scarlett ran to Kaden first, kneeling down on the floor and looking at him with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Kaden. You're bleeding." Her fingers brushed over the big gash on the side of his head, her head snapping over to the masked man, who was staring at the two in what seemed like wonder. "You hurt them!"
The Agent looked over to William next, lightly gasping at what she saw. William smirked, his lips a shade of red. "Hey, sweetheart. It's nice to see you, too."
Lucien shook his head. "Samiha, grab her."
Kaden had almost forgotten that other hackers had been in the room with them, witnessing this chaos unfold.
The hacker came out of the dark, taking ahold of Scarlett and pulling her away from Kaden. The woman began to scream, thrashing in Samiha's hold. "Backup, please!" The female called out, other members coming to her aid.
Scarlett was dragged to the exit. "I will tell you anything you want! Anything!" She screamed out. "Do not lay a finger on either of them, do not fucking touch them! Let them go!"
The masked man looked at Samiha. "Take her away. Make sure she doesn't get out this time."
•••
LUCIEN STARED AT SCARLETT AS she sat on his couch in silence, staring blankly at the floor. Tears flowed freely down her face, her skin blotchy and red. When he had entered his quarters almost an hour ago, the Agent had been in the same exact position she was in now. The man couldn't tell if it was anger or sadness in her eyes. Maybe both.
He hadn't betrayed her in any way. They hadn't made a deal.
But she was hurt.
"Are you alright?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"I walked into a room to see my friends bleeding. I offered everything I know for their release and I get dragged out of the room like a dead dog. "Scarlett's eyes flickered over to him, a frown on her lips. "Do you think I'm okay?"
No.
"You have to know that what happened to your friends was necessary. They came to us."
"It was necessary to put a gash in the side of his head," the brunette retorted, sarcasm coating her words. "Necessary to almost knock out his teeth."
The injuries dealt to the two Agents were not caused by Lucien. None of the harm dealt to their bodies had been by him.
"I want you to trust me when I say that neither Kaden or William will be hurt any further," Lucien said quietly, reassuring her. "I have another meeting tomorrow to discuss terms with you on what will happen if you do go through more questioning. But for now... we can't let them go. I can't let them go."
"Trust you? Trust you?" Scarlett let out a laugh, more tears falling from her eyes. "You have done everything but gain my trust! You don't even know if you want me to be dead or alive, how can I trust you with another persons life?"
"You can't," Lucien admitted.
"Damn right I can't! I am willing to give up everything I know and have if it means those two aren't held hostage by you— by you—"
"Monsters?"
The Agent averted her gaze to the ground, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Please leave," she pleaded.
Before finally leaving for the night, Lucien took the copy of Pride of Prejudice from the bookshelf that the woman had dropped on the floor yesterday, writing a short note on the inside cover.
I'm sorry, Scarlett. I mean it.
NOTE I have the vocabulary skills of a sixth grader, so I do apologize for the terrible interrogation scene that I will be editing later. (By the way, any tips on how to make that scene better? I can take constructive criticism.)
This chapter is dedicated to Samiha. Thank you for 5000 reads!
