Punching Bag

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"Neville that's enough!" I hear Godwin shout. Not long later it stops.

My body aches. I can't move in the slightest or else the pain comes in full force. A stabbing pain coming from my ribs, and a deep throbbing from everywhere else. I'm on the verge of passing out from hanging upside down, all of my blood rushing to my head.

Reddington never warned me of this. But how could he have known? He's never seen what happens inside Neville Townsend's inner circle. But now I have. Now, I'm inside the punching bag.

Suddenly I'm dropped to the ground, all of my body weight crashing onto the back of my neck before gravity brings the rest of my body to the floor.

I take in the deepest breaths I can manage with the amount of pain I'm in. The zip of the bag opens and I'm blinded with light, my vision blurred.

"We don't tolerate mistakes here, Cora." Neville is still panting from the punches he was throwing at me. He didn't go easy on me by any means just because I'm a woman.

I got the call six months ago from Raymond Reddington. He needed someone who works neutrally, not usually on his pay role that Neville wouldn't be able to link to him. He asked me to work for Townsend. To gain his trust and infiltrate his inner circle. I'm to report back to Reddington with any news on Nevilles movements. No matter how small it seems. Reddington wants to know everything. I'm oblivious to exactly what is happening and why he's asked this of me, but you simply don't say no to Reddington. You especially don't say no to the pay he's willing to give you for the job.

I started by working in Neville's illegal transport organisation. He moves guns mostly. I quickly gained positions doing this until I became an overseer for one of his branches. I've been in several meetings with Neville and his inner circle regarding the transport business side of things but I've not been able to get any closer to him. I don't have the luxury of time to gain his trust, so I have to be more bold.

I cough up some blood, trying to clear the way for more air to get through.

Vandyke comes through the door. He doesn't so much as blink to the scene that he's seeing right now.

"There's been a bit of a miscommunication apparently." Vandyke says over to Townsend and Godwin.

They await for him to continue.

"Cora was overseeing the shipment personally and was the only one who was informed of the drop time and location." Vandyke looks at me, bloody and beaten on the floor, still half lying in the punching bag.

"The FBI seemed to know the exact location and time of the shipment and intercepted with ease. However, this was not because of Cora."

Townsend scoffed, his breathing having finally started to calm down.

"Just tell me what the FUCK happened!" He spits at Vandyke.

Vandyke continues calmly. "There's video footage of Smith entering Cora's office and rummaging through her things. There was also an unknown payment made into his bank account not long after this. He's being held and has admitted to looking for the shipment details, but refuses to divulge anything further."

Godwin looks worriedly at Townsend, no doubt waiting for an unstable reaction from him, but Townsend stays still.

Thank god my plan worked. I'd known Smith was dirty for months now. He's been behaved in his role in Townsends business but I found out he's been needing an opportunity to move forward in his own ventures. I planned for him to eavesdrop on a phone call I was having, discussing a large shipment of unregistered and untraceable weapons coming in. Smith needed weapons in a gang war he wanted to start to take over trade in certain areas. He came looking for the shipment details, but he didn't call the FBI. I told Reddington of my plan and he wanted the FBI to intercept the shipment for some reason.

If Smith does talk and says he didn't call the FBI, it'll just look like he was sloppy with his robbery plans.

Townsend takes a few breaths before turning to me. "Godwin will show you were to get cleaned up. Then you are to join us for breakfast."

How he can say this to me so calmly after he just beat me senselessly is beyond me.

Vision a lot better now, I look to meet Townsend. The veins in his neck and forehead are bulging, blood pumping through viciously because he was beating me. His hair is disheveled, his clothes untucked and wild. His bare knuckles covered in blood from the impact of the punching bag.

I look at him dead in the eyes, but unable to hide my curiosity of him. "You're fucking insane." I spit out to him.

Blood slowly leaks out my mouth and down my lips from having spoken. I watch Townsends eyes follow the blood trail down lip, to my chin, where a droplet of blood falls on my chest, just right above my breast. His eyes linger on my chest, even maybe on my breasts which my tank top doesn't hide much.

I can't stop my breathing from getting heavier from the heat of his gaze.

He abruptly snaps out of it, bringing his eyes back to mine. "You'll see how insane I am soon enough." Then he exits out the door.

Godwin comes over to help me up, and we start walking to a bathroom so I can wash up.

I'm having breakfast with Townsend. He owes me an apology. This is how I get in.