Chapter 2 - Bella Ryan

'She was not fragile like a flower. She was fragile like a bomb.'

———♤♤♤———

"Are you sure about this, honey?" Liliana Romano asked Bella as her eyes became glassy with tears threatening to spill, her husband holding her tightly by the waist. It was only natural for them to feel down, they were after all sending their only daughter to America. Bella was already twenty years old, she was old enough to make decisions of her own. The two can only support her as she tries to accomplish her goal: taking down the Sicilian Mafia.

And yes, it may seem strange; why would Bella go to America if she was hunting down the Sicilian Mafia? Although said mafia operates on Sicily, the Don, Dominic Bianchi, himself often spends most of his time in America. Doing various things that feeds both his needs and wants. If she wants to take the mafia down, she must bring its leader down first.

Sicily may be a big island, but such thing is not enough to feed the greed of a Bianchi such as Dominic. Most of his establishments, transactions, and businesses were ran on America. After all, money is said country ran like an easy feat. 

"Call us when you arrive, si?" Giovanni requests, nodding at Isabella.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll head off now before my plane leaves me behind." Isabella says, pecking both her parent's cheeks before turning around and walking away, waving her hand towards their direction as if to bid goodbye. 

 Bella felt her phone vibrate in her pocket as she sat on her seat situated by one of the plane's windows. She fished it out of her pocket before reading the text message.

J. Mendoza

Goodluck. Don't get yourself killed. |

Me

| Thanks and will do.

♤♤♤

A Year Later...

"Motherfucker," Bella swore, forcing her motorcycle to go faster. She glanced over her shoulder and took note of the pair of police cars chasing after her vehicle. Their siren echoed around the city streets as their lights flashed red and blue.

Isabella hadn't expected this to happen.

Now you may ask: what was Isabella doing that lead to her being in the midst of a cop chase? She had been spying on a drug transaction, as she was supposed to gather intel for the benefit of her client. Killing wasn't her only job, after all. She was ready to accept any job that earned her a great sum of money.

Nevertheless, she was merely a spectator. That was until the police were called and she ended up being suspected as one of the drug dealers, thus resulting into the current cop chase she was in.

She swiftly swerved her motorcycle to the right upon reaching an intersection, her body inches away from touching the asphalt pavement as she drifted skillfully.

"I hope these cops are shitty drivers." She muttered, sparing a glace towards her side mirror as she waited for the police cars to appear. The first car ended up hitting a light post accidently due to the sudden turn. Unfortunately, the one that followed managed to drift its way through.

"Ah, fuck."

As dangerous as it may be, she fished her phone out of her pocket and quickly dialed a number.

After a few rings, someone picks up, "Re-"

"Goddammit Ricco, fucking finally!" She exclaimed, pinning the phone securely between her head and her shoulder before going back to driving her motorcycle with both hands. She kept a firm grip on the wheel as she efficiently slip through cars. Isabella was lucky that there wasn't much traffic, despite being in a busy city. If New York had been as packed as it usually was, she would have been long caught by the police.

Ricco Walters, the man she had on the other side of the call, was a member of a local gang in the state. Said gang doesn't have much fame as they often worked within shadows. It was enough for them to run their business as fame doesn't always equal success. Thus, the woman knows enough to not underestimate them

Ricco Walters. A high-ranked member of a gang in the state. The said gang doesn't have much fame as they usually worked in the shadows. But I know enough not to underestimate them. Fame doesn't necessarily determine how strong and powerful one is.

Nevertheless, Walters was one of the couple acquaintances Bella has made in the country she was currently in. Although a year may seem short, it was enough time for her to gain allies and gather resources.

"Why are you so out of breath? Are you fucking riding your bike, right now?!" Ricco exclaims upon realization.

"Yes, dipshit. Think you can lend me some help? The cops are refusing to get off my ass." Bella groaned as she passed through the crack in between two cars.

"Take a turn in Cortlandt alley, my car is in the area." He informs just as the woman hears a car door being shut close from his side of the call.

'He must be waiting in his seat, then.'

"All right, wait a minute." Bella ends the call, shoving the phone back in her pocket. Her eyes caught sight of said alley that was a few blocks from where her motorcycle currently stood. The brunette revved her vehicle, making it run as fast as it could. She readied myself as her vehicle quickly neared the area in a matter of seconds.

All that's left for her to do is to get the timing right.

"And," She mutters to herself, slowly lifting her feet up onto the seat. "Now." Quickly, she pushed herself off her bike, jumping into the alleyway without a struggle. Her motorcycle screeched as it skidded through the pavement.

'There goes my brand new baby.'

Bella swiftly ran towards Ricco's car, prying the passenger seat open and quickly hopping inside.

Ricco eyed her with a questioning stare as she tried to catch her breath. The woman only sighed in relief once she sees that the police car missed the alley they were hiding in, it's familiar blue and red lights rushing past. "Your gang better pay me extra. I just lost my motorcycle, damn it."

Ricco chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Boss has a new job for you."

"Right now?" Bella questioned, her brows meeting in curiosity.

"Yes, right now."

Bella sighed exasperatedly as she ruffled her brown locks. "I really can't seem to take a break can I? Jesus, I just got chased by the police."

"The pay is really high." He shrugs, driving his car out of the dark alley.

If that was the case, then Bella would much rather do the job. Besides, she had nothing else to do for the rest of the night. "Tell me about it." She started, waving a hand to Ricco.

"The gang has caught Elmo Lang," The man shrugs, his eyes remaining on the road as he continued to drive.

Bella scoffed upon seeing Ricco's nonchalant action. 'Did he just shrug?' For Bella, Elmo Lang was no laughing matter. The guy was, after all, one of the most wanted people in America if not the whole world.

"Lang? America's highest paid human trafficker?" The woman questioned. Said convict had been wandering the streets of New York for months. It was a mystery as to how he wasn't caught yet despite the city being a very crowded place. Lang was one of the people in the country's top wanted list. In addition, people on the other side of the law have also been hunting him. Whether they had business with Elmo or they simply weren't pleased of his doings.

"The one and only."

"How? From what I've heard he's hard to catch." Bella questioned. The guy had been moving from a state to another, until he eventually winded up in New York where more than twenty million people lingered. It made everyone's jobs more difficult than it already is, to say the least.

"We got lucky. He somehow ended up in one of our places." He briefly explained.

"Seriously? They had been looking for the guy for months and he just simply ended up in front of your fucking doorstep? You've got to be kidding me." The woman laughed in disbelief. It seems rather convenient that the man had coincidentally found himself situated in one of the territories of Ricco's gang.

"I'm not. Surely you're aware of the bounty over his head?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's a fortune."

"We'll pay you half the money we will get for the bounty. In exchange we want you to get him to speak." He informed.

"I see, that won't be too hard then." Bella commented, crossing her arms in front of her chest as her eyes wandered outside the window, staring at the streetlights that they passed.

"There's one more thing," Ricco adds. "He's connected with the Sicilians."

Upon the mention of the Sicilian Mafia, Bella's head swiftly turned towards the man beside him, her knuckles turning white as she clenched her fists.

"The fuck did you say?"

"He may or may not be a member of the Sicilian mafia."

"Well if that's the case then payment is no longer needed. I'll give you my services for free."

♤♤♤

Bella trudged towards the center of the warehouse where Elmo was tied up to a metal chair. Ricco had decided to stay outside, not wanting to bother the woman as she did her job. The guy's arms and legs were bound tightly by thick ropes, his middle was no different. His torso was bare and rid of any clothing, purple bruises laid for everyone to see. A cloth covered his eyes, blood dripping at the side of his lips. The man had been, without a doubt, warmed-up and readied for Bella.

Beside him was a metal table with knives of varying sizes laid on top. Bella reached out and removed the cloth that obscured his vision.

Elmo winced at the sudden flash of light, letting his eyes adjust to his surroundings before sending a glare toward the woman who was crouched in front of him.

"Y-You're not the one from before." His voice cracked, unable to recognize the stranger who was staring at him with a malicious look. "Who are you?"

"Would you like to know?" Bella teased with a cheerful tone, pushing herself up before making her way towards the table.

"R-remove your mask." Elmo commands, staring at the mask that covered the bottom half of the woman's face. For someone who was tied up, the guy surely had the guts to order the woman around.

"And why would I do that?" Bella asked, picking up a small dagger before walking back towards the tied-up man.

"A little birdie told me you were with the Sicilian mafia." He froze. Bella traced the edge of her dagger, dragging her finger down the blade.

He coughs before replying. "Then the little birdie must have told you a lie then. I work for myself and myself only."

"Honestly, I'm not surprised." The woman shrugged, twirling the knife in her dominant hand. "That mafia is full of scums. You being one of is not much of a shocker, if I'm being honest."

He continued to glare at Bella. "You're messing with the wrong people." He seethed.

Bella laughed at her threat, finding it amusing rather than terrifying. Was that supposed to make her tremble in fear? Make her spine shiver?

The woman sighed. "Honey, you guys messed with me first. I'm only returning the favor."

"W-who are you?!" He screams, enraged.

"Hmm," Bella points the knife towards him. "Does the name Red ring a bell?"

Elmo's face instantly pales upon the mention of the woman's alias. With a harsh stare, Bella ripped the mask off her face, revealing the smirk that laid underneath.

"I'm giving you two choices: you can either speak," She trailed the blade down the man's jaw. "Or die."

Though either way he was going to end up dead. No was was she gonna leave a Sicilian Mafia scum to live. But Bella wasn't about to tell her that. Besides, the man was to find out of his demise seconds before it will happen.

"Where did all the confidence go?" Bella pout, playing with the knife.

"D-don't hurt m-me. P-please." He begged, his skin pale and his eyes wide as his lips trembled with every word he spoke.

"Then speak."

"I. . .I can't."

"Then you've made your choice." Bella speaks, before throwing the dagger towards Elmo's shoulder, the man letting out a blood-curdling scream as the blade embedded itself inside his shoulder blade. Blood dripped down his arm from the his open wound.

"You're crazy!" He yells, trembling.

"I know," The woman winks at him as she grabbed the pliers from the table. "Do you know what these are for?"

Using the pliers, she gripped the end of his index finger's nail. "It's for this." Bella pulled his nail off his finger. His screams echoed around the building, the blood flowing out the place where his fingernail used to be.

"Talk."

When he remained silent, Bella pulled another one of his nails. And another. And another. And another. And another And—

"Stop! Stop!" He finally says, out of breath. "I'll... I'll talk." He gives in, panting.

"The mafia don's behind the death of The Kingstons." He informs.

The woman rolled her eyes, expecting something more valuable than the Kingstons, whoever they were.

Dominic Bianchi, the Sicilian Don, was known to end lives. The woman was aware that it was the Don's favorite past-time. His hands were stained by the blood of those he had killed. Though it's not like Bella's hands were clean.

Nevertheless, Bianchi's body count was far bigger than Isabella Moretti's-- or rather, Bella Ryan's. Months after she had moved to America, the woman made the decision to change her name. She did not want people linking her to her past, as it only takes them a short amount of time to connect the dots and conclude that she was the survivor in the well-known massacre that happened 13 years ago in Italy. Now she was known as Bella Ryan, an assassin who had an alias: Red.

"Who now?" She asked, impatient as she waited for him to elaborate.

"Bruce a-and Layla Kingston. They're the leaders of t-the Panthers, The American m-mafia."

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Unfortunately, I don't have a clue of who they are."

The woman grabbed another knife from the table and slashed multiple cuts on his chest, red blood oozing down his torso freely. Bella went around him and carved a heart on his bare back. It was her symbol; a signature, you could say. Each of her victims, alive or not, bared the symbol on their skin. 

"What else do you know?" Bella inquired, only to be answered with silence. She peeked over his head, seeing his eyes shut closed with his chest heaving as he breathed heavily.

Bella gripped the kitchen knife and stabbed his other shoulder. "Speak."

He let out a struggled breath. "Bianchi. His mafia is getting stronger day by day."

"How?"

"H-He's taking in new r-recruits, establishing new drug factories, importing more w-weapons into the city." He explains.

Bella clicked her tongue, coming to a conclusion as to why the Don felt the need to sharpen up his mafia. He was planning something. And whatever it was, it was not something good.

But what could it be? A heist? A kidnapping? Or worse, it could be a bloody fucking massacre. Though whatever it may be, Bella silently promised herself to stop whatever it was.

"What else do you know?" She asked, getting silence as a reply. Two of her fingers reached out and touched his neck, checking for a pulse which was unfortunately not present.

The woman scampered to search for a tattoo on his body and like she expected, he had one of a serpent: the Sicilian Mafia's insignia.

"Fuck."

Bella went out of the building and told Ricco of what Elmo had told her. The man's reaction only made Bella's curiosity grow.

'Were the Kingstons really that big of a deal?'