The Mafia’s Daughter: Agent Red

I could feel the heat of the sun as its rays hit my skin. Adding to the warm feeling were the leather jacket, pants, and boots I was wearing. Why am I dressed in such thick clothes in this scorching summer, you ask? Well, that’s called fashion. It’s better to look good at all times, even if it means losing your own comfort. “Leave or I might break your lovely bones,” the man in front of me said boldly, giving me a deadly look. He was about a meter away from me, keeping his distance, probably scared to be kicked in the balls. He was in a fighting stance, as if preparing himself for my possible attack. I didn’t know why he was so tense when I was just standing there, looking at him… murderously. I wasn’t even doing anything yet. I could barely recall what exactly brought me into that situation. Why was I standing there, staring at the hideous face of this douchebag? I didn’t say anything then. I just stared at him and tilted my head. I remained unmoving while looking directly in his direction until a sly smirk slowly formed on my lips. “Okay…” I didn’t break eye contact. “But only until I break your bones.” Before he could process what I said, I quickly kicked the small rock at my feet that hit his left eye. He cried in agony while grasping his bleeding eye. His companion, who was just grinning widely, suddenly became alert. The smile disappeared from his lips as he turned to me with wide eyes. Shock turned to anger when he realized what I had done. “Argh!” he shouted loudly as he charged at me. I instantly read his movements so I easily avoided his punch. I grabbed his arms and effortlessly twisted them. I heard his bones crack. Ah, the satisfying sound of the bones breaking. My knee came up next, kicking the one on the left in his groin before giving him a headbutt. He doubled over with a grunt. I felt someone’s presence behind me as the man in front of me fell on the ground. I swiftly turned around and did a round kick just before the man hit me with a steel bar. Tsk! Does he think he can hurt me so easily? Maybe these two guys didn’t know they were messing with a detective. I know how to defend myself, when to strike, and how to stand my ground. Years of training taught me different fighting techniques and stances. I trained as hard as I could to make sure that if I ever found myself in danger again, I wouldn’t be some damsel in distress. I didn’t want to count on anyone else. I only had me to depend on. I wanted to be strong enough to protect myself— just like now. Here I am, face-to-face with two creeps who thought I’d be an easy target because I’m a woman. But they’ve clearly underestimated me. I may be a woman, but I’m not weak. I fixed my gaze on the man with the bleeding eye as he lay on the ground with the steel bar in his right hand. He was still breathing, but too weak to fight or even move. I squatted to watch him clearly. I chuckled as I watched him in his pathetic situation. Should I do him a favor and end his suffering today? I reached for the steel bar and aimed it at his head. With one strong hit, he was knocked out. The guy earlier tried his luck to lay a finger on me. Too bad for him— I was better than him. There was no place here for people who liked hurting others for fun. If they came looking for trouble, I would give it to them. I’m obviously the most stubborn and fearless officer in our task force. Being an undercover agent for five years got me used to violence. If a mission needed it, I did what had to be done even when I didn’t want to, not just for my career, but to survive. My senior gave me a month off after a woman I caught bullying a classmate took me to court for the slaps I gave her. I’m not proud of it, but I don’t regret standing up to those criminals who started it. My rule is simple: treat people the way they treat others. I didn’t trust the system to give the victims real justice, so I made sure to give them a taste of their own medicine. They should be grateful I didn’t go further. I turned to the one who shrieked and saw a shaken woman sitting on the ground. Her breathing was fast as her eyes widened while looking at the two men lying unconscious on the ground. Oh, yeah, now I finally remember what brought me here. This woman. This fragile-looking woman who seemed like she knew nothing more than how to knit blankets. I heard someone screaming earlier in this alley, so I immediately went to check what was happening. I found these two men trying to undress her. It just showed how stupid those idiots were, trying to assault someone in broad daylight. But in a way, it was better that they were that stupid— otherwise they would’ve done something much worse. I walked over to her and helped her stand up. She flinched at my touch, but she didn’t pull away. “What’s your name?” I asked. She didn’t answer me nor even look in my direction. Her clothes were torn, and her pants were a little loose from the struggle. I took off my leather jacket and handed it to her. “Here. Put this on first.” I was left in my black sleeveless top. My hand stayed in the air for a few moments before she slowly took the jacket from me. “T-Thank you,” she whispered. She was still shaking even though she knew that the two men couldn’t hurt her anymore, unless she saw me as a threat. I took a deep breath to calm my face muscles down and to appear less intimidating. “What’s your name?” I asked again, trying my best to sound friendly, but I felt like it still sounded like an order. “Ashley,” she replied weakly. “Ashley, where do you live? I’ll just drop you off–” I stopped mid-sentence when I realized that I didn’t have a car to give her a ride, or money to pay for the transport. Too late to take it back now. I already offered her. She shook her head. “Just take me to the police station.” I froze for a second. The police station was far from here, so I had no choice but to pay for the fare. Still, I couldn’t leave her alone after what happened. “Come on,” I said, motioning her to follow. She fixed herself first before we walked away. I noticed that the guy on the ground was trying to stand up, so I gave him one last hard kick that knocked him out. I stopped in the middle of the street when I realized what I must do. Ashley, who was right behind me, bumped into my back. I turned to her. “Wait here for a second.” I first approached the man I had just kicked, then pulled him towards the wall. I grabbed his golden chain necklace and used it to tie his hands. I saw a rope in the bin not far from where we were and tied his legs too. Next, I went to the other man, whose left eye was still bleeding. I gave him a not-so-pitiful look. He didn’t even struggle to let himself free when I tied both of his arms and legs. When I stood up, I stared at both of them leaning against the wall. There, much better. That would do for now. The cops would be here soon. This way, they wouldn’t be able to get away, or at least they would give the authorities enough time to capture them. I paid for the taxi. It wasn’t that I was complaining, but it kind of felt that way. I wasn’t thrilled about spending money I didn’t really have. Lately, everything beyond my basic necessities felt like a luxury I couldn’t afford. I got out of the taxi first and helped Ashley step down. Honestly, I didn’t know why I was even doing this. My job should have ended after I took down those guys, but here I was, escorting this woman into the police station. I’ve instantly become her chaperon for free. I should’ve been at home, eating, or probably sleeping. But then, I remembered I wasn’t living a fancy life just to sit around doing nothing. I needed to find some side work while I was suspended. And a job interview wasn’t what I found myself getting into, but rather this. Ashley ran inside, and I was left walking outside into the police station. When I got in, I couldn’t see her anymore. Where did she go? I was about to look for her when a police officer blocked my way, causing me to stop. He looked younger than most of the officers I saw here. He looked to be in his mid-20s or early 30s. “Is there anything you need?” His tone wasn’t friendly. He spoke full of authority to make it clear he had a higher position than me. I decided not to bother showing my badge or introducing myself to him. I couldn’t risk getting fired or forced to resign if my station found out I got into trouble again. I couldn’t let the officers recognize me as a detective on break who had just beaten up two criminals. Good thing I looked like any ordinary citizen. “A woman came in here earlier. Have you seen her?” I asked casually. He raised his eyebrows. “Woman?” “Yes, a woman,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “You’re not deaf not to hear what I just said, are you?” He frowned, obviously not happy with what I said. “Her name is Ashley,” I added to be more specific about which woman I was referring to. “Or at least that’s what she said. I don’t know her surname. So tell me, have you seen–” “What do you need from her?” He suddenly sounded so protective over the woman, like he personally knew her. I crossed my arms across my chest. “Oh, so you know her?” He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted when a huge man descended the stairs together with a woman. “There she is,” I said as I walked towards them. “Is she the one you’re talking about?” The voice of the man with Ashley was loud. At first, I thought he was angry. She nodded. “Yes, dad.” The man walked up to me and grabbed my hand for a handshake. I didn’t even have time to react. If he didn’t smile, I would think he was mad at me. “Thank you for saving my daughter.” “Uh… welcome?” I tried to pull my hand from his grip, but he held me too tightly. “You might wanna catch those guys. They might escape.” This wasn’t my area, so chaining those guys wasn’t really my responsibility. I figured I might as well make the most of my break while I was still looking for a side job. “Why didn’t you just bring them here with you?” I turned to the voice. I didn’t notice that the officer who blocked my way earlier was standing right next to me. Finally, the huge man let go of my hand. I simply wiped it on my pants because his hand was sweaty. I rolled my eyes at the officer next to me. “As far as I know, that is YOUR job. Don’t tell me to do something you’re supposed to do just because you were too incompetent to do it yourself.” The officer was about to argue to defend himself when Ashley’s father cut him off. “Don’t worry. We’ll handle it. I have already sent people to catch them.” He turned to his daughter. “Next time, you should be careful. If only you had listened to me and studied martial arts like I told you, you would have been able to save yourself.” Ashley lowered her head while scratching her finger, obviously uncomfortable being scolded by her father in front of us. Her father guided her upstairs while the officer next to me gave me one last deadly look before walking away. I was left there alone. That’s it? After saying ‘thank you’, it’s done? Is that all? Argh! Was it my fault that I expected too much from them? Like giving me a reward? I would gladly accept money as a form of thank you rather than a mere verbal acknowledgment for saving someone’s life. I had no choice but to leave. I marched annoyingly outside the police station. Ashley didn’t even pay me for the fare I paid on the taxi, or at least her father didn’t pay me. Do they think that I’m rich and own multiple businesses that I don’t need money as a reward? I don’t even have a job right now! Fuck this! I should have worn torn clothes to make it obvious that I didn’t have a job. That I was broke. I wasn’t exactly jobless. I had a job, but I was suspended because I refused to tolerate unfair behavior or wrongdoing. I refused to be manipulated. If it wasn’t for our chief treating officers unfairly or criminals acting violently, I always ended up fighting because of how people acted. I got things done my way. I was the kind who didn’t wait for the law to do what was necessary. Tsk! I should’ve been rewarded for helping Ashley. Should I go back and ask her father for money? Maybe I should. Or maybe not. I was standing outside the police station, contemplating between asking Ashley’s father for a reward or not. I sighed as I made my decision. I badly needed money, and I was willing to swallow my pride to feed the monsters in my stomach. Just as I was about to head back inside, I felt someone staring at me. I looked around, scanning the street to see who it was. And there, leaning in his car, was a man watching me. He didn’t bother to look away when I caught him staring like what most people did. Instead, he started walking towards my direction without breaking eye contact. I stayed where I was, waiting for him to come closer. I didn’t know who he was or what he wanted. He stopped about a meter away from me. He was tall, his nose was pointed, and his eyebrows were thick. But what caught my attention was his eyes, they were gray. He opened his mouth to speak. “I saw what you did…”