Blood Red || Book I

Chapter 6: I have a choice

Hell's Kitchen : 2016

Aleksandra's POV

I was right, the suit felt like a second skin. The boots were weightless, the padding moved with ease with me. I went into releve pointe in my boots. Graceful, powerful, deadly. I did one last look in the mirror and smiled softly at myself. I wanted to take in this feeling of accomplishment. I was doing something that I agreed to. I made a choice.

I look at the tablet on the wall and look at my list. Tonight's target: Thomas Roland. He's a drug dealer who some of Fisk's clients are starting to go to. Mr. Fisk tried to buy him out but Roland refused. Идиот (idiot).

I check the time before leaving, 12:54. Roland should be at his main warehouse at this time. The warehouse is approximately 5.73 kilometers from my apartment. On my bike, taking only alleys to stay out of sight, it would take me about 6 minutes. Perfect. I put my mask on and attach my harness to my belt. My favorite thing about being a black widow besides killing: gracefully falling out windows. The window in my apartment faces an alleyway so I don't have to worry about people seeing me. No one can know that there is a rogue ex-black widow who is now a hitman. I lean back and let myself fall. I run down the side of the wall onto the ground. I put my helmet on and get on my bike. 6 minutes until I officially work for Fisk.

I ride through the back ally ways focused on how I was going to kill Roland. Fisk only has four requirements for every mission: no DNA, no witnesses, get rid of any evidence and no one finds the body after. No body, no crime. The first idea is to go for a sniper shot. Fewer witnesses, less of a mess, less of a trace. Perfect. The only issue is that if he is inside a warehouse with no windows, I can't get the shot off. All of this is circumstantial which is the most annoying and exciting part of killing.

I park my bike in an alleyway next to an abandoned building about a block away from the warehouse. If I can get to the roof I'll have much better intel on what approach will be best. The doors to the abandoned building were boarded up, and so were the windows, but the fire escape was open. I start to climb up trying to not make a sound. The suit is so light that climbing is almost easy. I can move silently and smoothly. I get to the top of the building and look across the skyline. New York is honestly not ugly to look at, it's a shame that the people treat it like garbage.

I look at the warehouse and start to focus again. I move to the edge of the building and start to run at full speed to jump. I've done this so many times now that it's become a muscle memory of what to do. Run, don't slow down, and use the edge of the building as leverage to push off. When in doubt, put one hand on your grappling hook and through to the roof of the other building any chance you get. As I jump I can feel the wind all around me, it's kinda like flying but for an extremely short distance. I land, go down into a summer salt, and immediately start running again. This process is repeated 3 more times until I'm at the building next to the warehouse. I catch my breath as I look down and watch what was going on around the warehouse. Roland is already inside, there aren't any cars coming or going but a truck is arriving on the scene. It backs up to a garage door. The garage door only starts to open when the truck is perfectly lined up so barely anything can be seen from the outside. How the hell have the police not busted this guy, they aren't very subtle about it.

Roland leaves the warehouse, looks around, and a black car rolls up. I smirk, they're making this too easy. The driver gets out and nods at Roland then leaves. It's like they're begging me to kill him. He's alone, in a dark alley, and no one is watching him. I attach the grappling hook to the roof and run down the side of the wall, I need to attack before someone sees. I land on the ground quietly, making sure to keep my attack a surprise. I unattached myself from the grappling hook and start running toward Roland. He turns around and doesn't even have time to react before I go after him. I quickly grab his arm and pull it down so I can wrap my legs around his neck, a staple fighting move in the Black Widow program. I lean back, making him fall, I do a backward summer salt to soften the fall on me while making it worse for him. The summer salt allowed me to stand up and get back into my fighting stance.

Roland grunts in pain. "What the" I cut him off by stomping down on his nose, knocking him out. Now the hard part, getting him into the car. I open the door and drag his body into the nice car. Damn, this thing has all the bells and whistles, it's sad that I'm going to crash it into a wall. After getting Roland into the car and positioning him how he needs to be I get into the passenger side. I put the car in park while positioning his foot on the gas. The engine starts to rev, I put the car into reverse so we can get some distance and increase the damage of the hit. I quickly put the car into drive and jump out of the car. I watch intently as the car runs straight into the Hudson River. Stunning.

I hear people run over to the alley. Before they can see me I reattach myself to the grappling hook and run up the side of the building. I need to get out of here as soon as possible. The adrenaline rush kicks in and I'm ready to go. I run, jump and roll back to the abandoned building next to my bike in almost no time. I through my grappling hook onto the roof of the building and fall off. I get onto my bike and ride home. It feels like a breath of fresh air to be on missions again, to calculate killing. As I ride home I feel my burner phone go off twice, that was the first time I remembered the money. $1,000 was now in my pocket effortlessly. The grin on my face widens.

When I get back to my apartment building I park my bike and start to climb up the side of the building. I get into my apartment and take my mask off. I check my burner phone to see that $1,000 has been added to my bank account, along with $5,000 for the month.

$6,000 just in one day. $6,000 I can spend on whatever I choose. I can choose. I smile as that thought sinks in. I have a choice.

• • • • • •
Hell's Kitchen : The Next Day

Matt's POV

My whole body aches and is exhausted after the fight last night at the restaurant that was doubling as a child trafficking warehouse. I'm in excruciating pain, my injuries from last night are constantly throbbing, I'm reminded of last night's fight with every step. As I left the apartment of the boy I rescued, I hear what I was dreading; sirens. Without having any energy left I decided that it would be best if I just went home, and dealt with it in the morning.