F L O R E N C E

june | 2016

The fresh summer air filled her lungs, the beautiful city she missed since her last mission.

The last mission under someone else's' control that is. The humidity this time of year was terrible, making her sweat as if she were a sponge dripping out water. Even with wearing cream-colored tank top and jean shorts there was no immunity from being drenched. However, the smell of Italian Street food was to die for and worth bracing the heat. Alex could taste the wrapped piada from just the warm scent swirling into her nose like she saw in the cartoons the Red Room forced her to watch.

Alex had promised she would scour for subjugated Widows in Italy while Yelena went to Spain. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the ability to do things for herself at the same time.

Now, walking out of a certain coffee shop, sitting at one of the tables outside this time, as it was to hot for the fireplace, Alex reached into her tote bag, pulling out her book. In which all she bought after parting ways from Yelena. She bit into the wrapped flatbread, letting the combination of flavors and textures melt into her mouth. Reading the recent chapter of the story about Rapunzel without worrying about taking down a new victim.

Once she finished, Alex stood up to throw away her trash, putting the book back in her bag. She made it to the nearest waste bin, tossing the paper scraps when her arm was snatched abruptly. The force dragging her to the niche in between shops. By instinct, Alex stepped on her captors foot with all force, allowing her to run. Unfortunately, they caught up to snatch her again, but Alex used the person to her advantage. Lifting herself up with her legs around their neck, to then spin until bringing them to the ground.

Landing in a ready stance to fight, Alex powered up her widows bite, hidden as a bracelet on her wrist, in que to strike. Only to stumble as the person was quick to kick her feet, and held a strong hold on her shoulder to be pushed up against the brick wall. 

"Where is it!?"

"You got to be kidding me." Alex mumbled once she put a face to her attacker.

"I know you have it, Widow!?" He spat angrily in her face. His curls pointing out in different directions. He was wearing a grey jacket with a maroon shirt this time and dark pants.

"Do I?" Alex furrowed her eyebrows, not sure what he meant.

His gripped her tighter as if it would get her to spit out the answer he fished for. "You know damn well what I'm talking about!" He gritted his teeth.

"Ohhhh!" She gasped as it clicked in her brain as if she were clueless. "That ugly duffle bag? That's what his is about isn't it?" Alex grinned at him with a humorous smile, although she was slightly intimidated by his harsh stare. Her wish he would forget and moved on didn't get granted like she hoped. "I was just about to return it to you, Marc Spector."

He squinted his eyes, tilting his head, unconvinced. "Sure you were. I just thought I'd make it easier and come to you."

"And you come all this way just to shove me against a wall?" Alex said sarcastically, with an endearing fake smile. "I'm honored, truly. But I'd be more honored if you got off of me."

Marc backed away slowly, keeping a fair distance while close enough to keep her from escaping. "And I'd be more honored if I got my duffle bag back." He said, crossing his arms.

"What's the big deal with that stupid bag?" She scoffed, shaking her head while walking around him, her quick reflexes moving her arm in time when Marc reached in distrust. Alex looked back at him, a smirk appearing. "It doesn't seem too important for a freak who's running around in a mummy costume."

Marc stood there with suspicions of her actions, finding she bent down to grab his hat that had fallen off during the commotion and put it on herself. Peering at him under the bill with her chocolate covered eyes. A simple gesture she wouldn't have done as a Widow as Dreykov never allowed time to goof off. 

"First of all," Marc began as he licked his lips and cleared his throat, snatching the hat off of her head to place back on his, earning a frown from Alex and her tongue sticking out at him. "That's mine." He sneered at her as if taking the hat were a crime.

"Killjoy." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"And second," He said, putting the cap on his head. "The big deal? You broke our deal." Marc said with bitterness, his thick eyebrows making his stare more prominent.

Alex cackled in a short breath. "For the record, I didn't break deal Spector. You gave me the information for Alexei and I retrieved the bag. That was the deal last time I checked."

"I think you forgot the part of returning the bag." He snapped.

She rolled her eyes. "If you were patient I would have gotten it to you."

"It's been almost a week."

"I tried to get it to you earlier!" Alex said, lying her way through the confrontation. "Buuut circumstances prevented it. Besides you never gave me a due date Spector."

"Oh?" Marc grunted with a laugh. "And what kind of circumstances?"

Thankfully Alex's mind was still wired like a Russian Spy to cover her bluff. "Yelena and I were freeing other Widows with the Red Gas after we took down the Red Room."

"Uh huh," He spoke in condescending tone. "And did that involve a little field trip of buying that?" Marc pointed at her tote bag on the ground.

Alex immediately reached for it, but Marc beat her to it, holding it above his head.

"You give that back now." Alex threatened in a cold snarl through her teeth as she tried to grab it.

"Why? What's the big deal, Widow?" Marc grinned, using her own words to taunt. "It doesn't seem important for a Russian Assassin."

Alex knew it meant to be a harmless way to get his duffle back. But the last part of his tease left a minor sting pricking in her chest. Her eyes glared at him, hating the association of something she was no longer apart of.

"Suka," Alex growled. "I'll give you back your duffle."

-|-

      They got to her apartment, not to far from the coffee shop. Alex stepped in after unlocking it as Marc followed in. The small space in the main area consisted a kitchen off to the corner. The floor tiled and the walls painted a forest green. Off to the side, a fridge that was slightly bigger than the one back at the hotel with Yelena. A single couch could have been picked up from a dump where the previous owners abandoned it. The only other furniture and the only thing that didn't look beaten down on was a wooden square table with fancy designs carved into it.

"Nice place." He said without much else to add.

Alex cocked her eyebrow, sensing the lack of a genuine compliment in the statement. Then she shrugged with a long sigh, running a hand through her hair. "It's not much but it keeps a roof over my head." She said as she disappeared into her room.

Marc agreed with a sway of his head in a shrug. He looked around at all of the imperfections with hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket. He trailed behind but stopped at the threshold, leaning against the doorway.

His eyes wandering to the shockingly bare bedroom. In comparison to the main room, there was almost nothing here. Except a dresser, lamp and mattress on the floor.

Marc's mouth part open, until a weight hit him in the chest, his arms catching the duffle before it fell. Alex stood there with her arms folded. 

"There's you stupid bag, happy?"

"No." Marc stated.

"Well, it was good knowing ya Marc Spector," She said as she began to shove him towards the door. "Okay? I'd like to live my life without you tackling me unexpectedly." 

"Wait!" 

Marc spun around, but in doing so, Alex was caught off balance and tripped over the flap by the threshold. Then two arms grabbed her shoulders, dropping the bag in the process, his grip not as harsh as before. She ended being against the doorframe, finding the vigilante looking down at her. Those eyes captivating her curiosity. Demanding, which fit his entire persona.

But Alex could have sworn she saw a glimmer of something else. Something she had never seen before. Not from Dreykov or anyone else in the Red Room that put their hands on her. 

"I need a favor." He stated after taking a swallow. 

Alex raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

"Finding the next person my boss wants me to kill." Marc proposed. 

Alex frowned at that request, then shook her head. "No."

"No?"

"I said no, Spector." She raised her voice before pulling herself away from his hands. "I'm busy and I already decided that I'm good with not seeing you again, so my answer is no." 

Alex swung the door to close it shut. But Marc stopped it from closing with a strength that couldn't be measured. 

"Please!" Marc groaned, his hand holding the door open in just a crack. "I promise this will be just one favor."

"What's in it for me?" She asked, giving up and re-opening the door.

"You're life remains spared." Marc proposed with his bottom lip in a slight pout. "Which by the way, my boss isn't happy that I haven't killed you yet."

Alex rolled her eyes, "Thanks." She said, attempting to shut him out again.

But Marc gripped the door tighter, fighting against the pushing force.

"And,"

His foot now in the door, peering through the crack to stare her straight in the eye. "I can also help you get more money."

She paused.

Refraining, she returned her gaze. "I'm listening."

Marc narrowed his gaze. "Since that Egyptian money can only get you so far-"

"Is that so?" She said with offense. For once in her life she didn't want to seem helpless, yet finding money not easy for a former assasian. It's not like a job interview would guarantee an acceptance with her crimial history if it was ever discovered.

"Yeah," He tilted his head with the click of his tongue. "This person I'm looking for, might be loaded." Marc spoke carefully, leaning forward to keep neighbors from hearing.

Alex scoffed crossing her arms. "Might? Don't play with me Spector." She warned.

In a blink of an eye, she felt the absence of the knife stuck in her back pocket. Then feeling a blade hovering over under her chin.

"Or I could just kill you now," He suggested the alternative. "You did say you never want to see me again. I could help you out with that if you want."

A playful grin smirked on her lips when his breath fanned onto her cheeks. "You had plenty of opportunities to do that, and you never did. Am I just too much of a sad story for you to kill?"

The quietness was painfully loud now. The only other noise being the synchronization of their breaths with the squint of his eyes.

"Wouldn't want to hurt a pretty face like mine? At least Dreykov didn't" She added to her investigation of the mystery.

It seemed to strike a nerve as Marc's nose scrunched with hate at the mention of her old boss, holding his stare before saying, "So do we have a deal?"

Alex cackled a laugh. "As long as we part ways afterwards?"

He nodded with a sigh through his nose as he lowered the knife. "You'll never see me again."

Alex then tipped her head up at him. "Then deal."