AN: We have made it to Madripoor. I hope you guys like this one!
Warnings: Some violence (you should know by now that Chanel has a bit of a problem with this).
Title song: all the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish
Chanel's dress: pin/530369293627270332/
Chapter 8: Can't Commit to Anything but a Crime
"She's not going to bite Sam, relax." Chanel laughed as she watched Sam awkwardly sit through an unrequested lap dance. She searched the bar cameras on her tablet for a better angle to see how Zemo and Bucky were faring. Zemo looked relaxed next to Sam as he sipped on a glass of liquor and let his eyes slowly roam the crowded bar. Bucky stood rigid behind him like an attack dog waiting for a command.
Zemo had thought it would be a better play to enter casually and scan the room first before making his request to speak with Selby. A plan that Sam had not been pleased with, especially after the snake venom shot Zemo had made him take (as payback for Sam snapping his fingers in his face on the plane). The edgy and outright hostile looks the bar patrons were throwing their way also made Sam uneasy, but Zemo didn't seem phased.
"Let's go get another drink," Zemo announced, striding to the bar without waiting for an agreement from Sam.
Sam looked relieved as he gently pushed the half-naked stripper off his lap.
"Don't forget to tip her!" Chanel nagged in his earpiece.
Sam fumbled for bills in his jacket and offered it to the girl, who just stared at him in confusion.
"Put it in her underwear. Jesus, have you really never been to a strip club before?"
Sam rocked his jaw back and forth, unable to give a retort back. He followed Chanel's instructions, trying not to actually touch the girl standing in front of him, and then hurried to follow Zemo and Bucky to the bar.
The club was big and crowded; bass from the constant rap and pop music stream shook the floor. The bar patrons were a dodgy group. An eclectic mix of leather-clad biker gangs, mobsters in silk suits, and shady characters hiding in the shadows.
Sam wondered what exactly Chanel had meant when she said she worked there.
A fight broke out to his left, and he ducked as gunshots rang out. No one else seemed to react as if this was a typical occurrence. One of the bouncers dragged the body out a side door, and Sam tried to hide his shock.
Maybe he didn't want to know what Chanel had done here.
Zemo ordered another drink. Sam declined, afraid of what other weird concoctions Smiling Tiger typically enjoyed.
Finally, Zemo mentioned Selby's name to the bartender. Sam turned around to watch their backs. As he scanned the bar, he caught sight of a familiar face, one he wasn't excited to see in the least.
"We might have trouble. Stephan just walked in; he brought friends." Sam followed Stephan's movements with his eyes as he moved through the crowd; luckily, he hadn't noticed them standing at the bar.
"Shit, what the fuck is he doing here?" Chanel replied as she searched for him on the security cameras. Her stomach dropped when she saw him; he was obnoxiously pushing through the crowd, a small group of men following behind him.
He's going to fuck this up.
She grabbed her change of clothes out of her backpack. The leather Versace bondage dress hugged her body tightly. The straps and gold buckles crisscrossed over her torso and chest, leaving plenty of skin exposed and leading to a collar around her neck. She braided her hair and pinned it on the top of her head before slipping her blonde wig on and fashioning it into a high ponytail.
"I think he's looking for someone," Sam's voice crackled in her earpiece. Chanel rechecked the cameras while she pulled her thigh holster under her dress and sunk her throwing knives and a small dagger into the straps.
Stephan was still far enough away from Sam, Bucky, and Zemo that she didn't panic just yet. She took a moment to apply dark makeup around her eyes and swipe on a deep red lipstick. Her war paint.
As she walked across the street toward the neon pink Princess Bar sign, she was careful of where she stepped, not wanting to get blood, dirt, or worse on her clear pumps. She pushed past the group of people waiting to get into the bar and greeted the doorman.
"Long time no see, Angel." He let her in without bothering to search her for weapons.
Once inside, she didn't have to push people out of her way; they moved for her, willingly clearing her path. Her eyes easily adjusted to the blue and purple club lights, and she scanned the bar, looking for Stephan. She spotted him a few feet ahead of her, talking to a group of men. They didn't appear to be giving him the time of day, but one of them finally pointed toward the bar, in the direction of her team.
Chanel hurried to him and grabbed his arm before he could head in their direction. He was confused for a second before he recognized her. He appraised her appearance with a smirk.
Chanel pulled him to a private seating area. "What are you doing here?" She hissed.
"Trying to protect you. I'm looking for the Power Broker. I like this outfit; why have I never seen it before?" He was running his hands over her body, and she swatted him away.
"I'm undercover. We all are. You need to leave before you ruin this for us."
"I'm not leaving until I get the bastard's name. I'll burn this city to the ground if I have to."
Chanel rolled her eyes, knowing there was nothing she could say to make him leave. "Fine, but stay away from us, okay? You'll blow our cover. And Jesus Stephan, you have a price on your head too. You can't just walk around here making demands." Chanel looked over her shoulder, making sure her team was still at the bar. She didn't miss the disgusted glare that Stephan sent in their direction. "I need you to hear me now." She grabbed his arm hard, letting him know she was serious. "I am undercover. Your possessive bullshit is not going to fly now, okay?"
"I won't let you get hurt."
That wasn't the answer Chanel was looking for, but it would have to do. She gave him a stern look and headed to the bar.
Sam's eyes widened in shock when he saw the blonde woman striding towards them like she owned the place. They quickly narrowed when he realized it was Chanel.
"What are you doing here?" He muttered under his breath.
"Relax. Stay in character." Chanel whispered back as she made her way to them at the bar. "By the way, my name is Giuliana."
Zemo turned around, searching for her; he did not look pleased. Bucky didn't move, but Sam saw his jaw twitch in annoyance.
Chanel approached the men with a broad smile; she wrapped her arms around Zemo's neck in an enthusiastic hug. "I handled Stephan for now, but we need to hurry," she whispered in his ear. Bucky and Sam heard through the comms and nodded in understanding.
Chanel felt a timid tap on her shoulder. She turned around, her lips curling into a warm smile upon recognizing the woman behind her. The dancer was short, but her red platform heels elevated her to Chanel's height. Chanel could tell she had just finished a dance; her skin was covered in glitter and a sheen of sweat. Her thong still had bills stuffed in it, indicating that she had rushed from the stage straight to Chanel's feet.
"I'm sorry, Madam, I just had to see if it was really you." The stripper squeaked, looking down, suddenly aware of how forward she had been to approach her.
"It's me, back from the dead. Come here, let me look at you, Ginger." Chanel lifted the girl's chin and appraised her face and body. A slight frown pulled the corner of her lips down. "Are they treating you well? What happened to Yoshe?"
The girl shrugged. "Never as good as you. She's here." Ginger pointed to a booth where a dour-looking woman was watching them intently. When Chanel made eye contact with her skeptical eyes, she rose and walked towards them.
"Run along now, dear. You have work to do." Chanel's focus was only on the tall woman slowly making her way toward her.
"Yes, ma'am." Ginger hesitated by Chanel's side.
Chanel turned and gave her a quick smile and opened her arms slightly. The girl hugged her like a child hugging their mother. She nuzzled her head against her and then ran off back to her stage.
Zemo and Sam looked at her quizzically, not sure what to make of the interaction. Chanel gave them a mischievous wink as she sat on a barstool between Zemo and Bucky. She briefly glanced in Bucky's direction; his hardened face was turned away from her, his eyes roaming around the room. Stephan and his mini gang had moved to the second level of the bar, watching them.
"Angel Eyes." Yoshe's raspy voice behind Chanel was demanding but curious.
Chanel spun around on her barstool with a sly smile. She crossed her legs, thankful that the dress was long enough to keep her thigh holster hidden. Leaning back against the bar, her eyes scanned the woman from head to toe. Everything about her was imposing; she stood too close, body language screaming aggression. Her silky black hair was pinned on top of her head with citrine crystal hairpins. Chanel smiled at that; she had always found it funny that the boss of one of the most prominent Mafia families in Madripoor believed crystals were responsible for her success. "What happened? I leave, and you let the place go to shit?"
The woman smirked and eyed Chanel's companions, looking impressed when she saw Bucky. "I see you found a new crowd to run with."
Chanel shrugged and twisted her fingers with Zemo's. "You know I'll always be wherever the money is."
To Chanel's relief, Zemo didn't even flinch as he followed her lead, moving closer to her side.
The woman raised a skeptical eyebrow and looked between Zemo and Chanel. "I didn't realize you swung that way. Are you sure you wouldn't be happier coming back here?"
"I assure you she is quite satisfied," Zemo challenged, staring her down.
She didn't back down, turning her skeptical gaze back to Chanel. "Is that so?"
Before Chanel could answer, Zemo turned her face to his and pulled her into a kiss. His hand applied a light pressure on her neck that made her kiss him back needily.
The flush on her cheeks when Zemo untangled himself from her was the only answer Yoshe needed. She shrugged and turned her attention back to Bucky.
"New haircut?" She reached out to touch him, but Chanel caught her wrist.
"I wouldn't do that." Chanel held her wrist tighter than necessary, sending the woman a message. "Unless you want to lose this arm?"
Yoshe smirked as Chanel let her go. "I suppose not." With her suspicions quieted for the moment, she bid Chanel goodnight and moved on to another seedy corner of the bar.
"Who was that lovely lady?" Sam asked, still watching the sway of her hips as she walked away.
"Another ex. She's suspicious, but I think we satisfied her for now. She'll be watching, though," Chanel said under her breath.
Fully sinking into his role, Zemo remained by her side, his hand resting on the small of her back. His finger tangled in her blonde ponytail and then trailed over the spots of exposed skin between the buckles and straps of her dress. "The outfit is killer," he whispered in her ear. "Do blondes have more fun?"
Chanel rolled her eyes and tried to hide the shiver that he sent down her spine, but he noticed, and that annoying smirk appeared on his face. Rather than glaring at him like she wanted to, she remained in character and smiled at him sweetly. "Maybe if you're good, you'll find out."
Sam made a gagging noise behind Zemo. "Geez, can you turn it down like 10 notches? No one can even hear you."
Chanel and Zemo ignored him, intently staring at each other like it was a contest and the winner would be crowned 'Best Manipulator.' In that moment, an understanding passed between them. They both knew they were being played, but neither of them was going to be the first to back down.
The clink of glass on the bar top forced their eyes apart.
"Giuliana, your usual." The bartender slid her a glass of vodka on ice with a skewer of cherries.
Chanel graciously downed half of the vodka before sucking a cherry off of the skewer. She knew Zemo was looking at her as she licked the remnants of vodka and cherry juice from her lips. She swirled the skewer in the remaining vodka. "You want one?" She asked as Zemo watched her, transfixed on the swirling red cherries.
She smirked at him as she sucked another cherry off of the skewer, tilting her chin up towards him in an offering. Zemo internally groaned and grasped the back of her neck, pulling her lips to him.
"If you two are finished," Sam huffed. "I think we've worn out our welcome."
Chanel glanced to the side and noticed the antagonizing faces that were growing closer to their position. She tensed, ready to fight, when one of the men placed a beefy hand on Zemo's shoulder.
"I got word from on high. You ain't welcome here."
Zemo didn't even turn around to look at the man. Between sips of his drink, he spoke to Bucky in Russian.
Chanel jumped back when Bucky's vibranium arm reached over her and wrenched the man's arm off of Zemo's shoulder. Only then did Zemo turn around a pleased smile on his face.
The whirring sound of the virbranium plates as Bucky dragged the man away from the bar fascinated Chanel. The arm really was a weapon, and she wondered what else it could do. Sam shot Chanel a concerned look as Bucky brawled with the bar patrons, effortlessly taking them all down. Chanel slightly shook her head at Sam, telling him to stay in character, and he tried to mask his worry as well as he could.
No one stood a chance as Bucky unleashed his true power on the seedy Madripoor residents. None of them even came close to landing a punch. This was a version of Bucky that Chanel could relate to, a version that she wouldn't feel guilty about claiming as hers.
A man came too close to Chanel, and Zemo pushed him roughly into Bucky's line of fire. Bucky sent him flying across the bar with just two hits.
Chanel was suddenly sweating, and she downed the remaining vodka in her glass. This has to be the hottest thing I've ever seen.
Her skin flushed in excitement as she thought about how his hands had been on her in a completely different type of aggressive manner. She bit her lower lip and heard Zemo chuckle next to her.
"Didn't take much for him to fall back into form."
Chanel ignored him, too transfixed on the scene in front of her to pay him any attention. She pulled herself together long enough to notice the crowd that had formed around them. Several people had their cellphones pointing in Bucky's direction, and Chanel had a feeling this was not something Bucky's therapist would have approved of. She unlocked her cell phone and activated a signal jammer before dropping the phone back into her clutch.
Zemo moved away from her as Bucky barreled toward them, slamming a man down onto the bar, his vibranium hand locked around his throat.
Chanel gasped, her gaze glued to his hand, trying to keep herself from outright panting. She looked up at his face, only a few inches from hers, and couldn't help but moan a little under her breath. His lips were pulled back in a feral snarl, his eyes fixed on the man's face as he choked the life out of him. He looked gorgeous. She wanted him to take her right there on the bar top.
Sam's hand slapped down on top of Bucky's arm, begging him to let go. Chanel saw a tiny flicker of hurt pass across Bucky's features in response.
"Stay in character, or the whole bar turns on us." Zemo swatted Sam's hand off of Bucky and then gave Bucky the command to stand down.
Bucky released his hold on the man's neck, and Chanel watched him scamper away as the rest of the bar resumed their previous activities. Her eye caught Stephan staring down at them from the second level; even from far away, she could tell he was pissed.
"We need to get out of here. Stephan is heading this way." Chanel sent Zemo a panicked look.
"Selby will see you after all," the bartender said as he hung up his cell phone.
With a sigh of relief, Chanel jumped off her barstool and took Zemo's outstretched hand as they followed the bartender to the back of the club. She threw a wink in Yoshe's direction when they passed her private booth.
Bucky trailed behind them, watching their backs as they moved through the club. He was trying not to overthink what had just happened for fear of burying himself under so much self-hate that he'd never be able to get out. Instead, his eyes followed the club lights as they danced over Chanel's body. Since she had walked in, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about how sexy she looked in that dress. He had to fight with himself the whole time they were standing at the bar to keep from staring at her. He wasn't even that perturbed about her PDA with Zemo. He trusted that whatever she did was necessary. So, in the safeness of the dark, isolated section of the bar they were in, he let himself stare. His mind clouded with memories of her hands on him and thoughts about what he wanted to do to her now.
The bartender opened a door for them, and they filed into a back room. Bucky counted four armed guards, two at the entrance and two standing near the short-haired woman on the couch in the middle of the room. Bucky and Sam stood at opposite ends of the couch while Zemo greeted Selby.
"You should know, Baron, people don't just come into my bar and make demands." Selby motioned for him to sit across from her.
"Not a demand, an offer." Zemo sat on the opposite couch and pulled Chanel into his lap, keeping his hand on her hip.
Chanel leaned into his chest, wrapping an arm around him and absentmindedly playing with the fur on his coat. She kept her face turned towards him, hoping Selby would ignore her presence entirely.
Luckily, Selby seemed too interested in Sam and Bucky to pay much attention to her. Her eyes kept flicking to them as Zemo made small talk with her.
"What's the offer?" She finally asked, growing impatient.
"Him," Zemo pointed at Bucky and walked towards him, leaving Chanel on the couch.
"Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum." Zemo circled around Bucky. "And I give you him, along with the code words to control him, of course."
Chanel held her breath, not sure how serious Zemo was being. He hadn't mentioned this as part of his plan.
What is his exit strategy?
Zemo grabbed Bucky's chin lightly between his fingers, and Chanel saw Sam flinch; she shot him a warning look.
"He'll do anything you want." Zemo looked at Selby expectantly.
Chanel internally rolled her eyes at herself.
Why is this turning me on? God, I need help.
"That's the Zemo I remember. I'm glad I decided not to kill you immediately." Selby looked giddy as she rose from the couch and took Zemo's place, circling around Bucky.
"The serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you want to thank...or condemn."
Chanel stiffened and leaned forward, ready to jump off the couch, when Selby ran her hand over Bucky's face. Now Sam shot her a warning glance, but Chanel's fiery eyes were focused on the pulse point of Selby's throat.
"Is Nagel still in Madripoor?" Zemo asked.
"Not so fast. Give me the code words."
Chanel couldn't hide her displeasure when Zemo started to hand over a piece of paper with the Russian code words written on them. She grabbed Zemo's arm, stopping his actions.
"Baron, your companion here doesn't seem pleased with this arrangement." Selby looked at Chanel closely for the first time.
Chanel floundered, trying to think of a way to save her fuck up. She looked up at Zemo. "Don't. Not until she gives us all of the information."
Selby, a naturally paranoid creature, looked between Zemo and Chanel suspiciously. She remained where she was, next to Bucky, and stared at Chanel curiously. "You look familiar; what's your name?"
When Chanel refused to answer her, Selby goaded her on by grabbing a handful of Bucky's hair and yanking his head back.
Zemo watched Chanel's hands curl into fists and tried to salvage the situation before it got worse. "You may have met her; this is Giuliana."
Both women ignored him. They were locked in a deathly stare as Selby tried to remember why she looked so familiar.
A loud ruckus started in the bar, catching their attention. They all looked to the large security monitors, and Chanel sighed in frustration when she saw Stephan and his goons beginning a brawl. Selby recognized his face and turned to Chanel in understanding.
"That's who you are...Chanel. Kill them," She commanded as she reached for the gun on her hip. Her motions were cut short when Chanel's dagger pierced her throat, and she fell to the floor. Chanel was on top of her in seconds, pinning her to the floor. "Keep your hands to yourself." Chanel plunged the knife further into Selby's neck and then pulled it quickly toward herself, ripping through the woman's thin neck, just like she had been trained to do in the military.
She barely registered the other gunshots that took down Selby's guards. Sam and Bucky grabbed the discarded guns and formed a defensive position at the exit.
"This is just great; now we're all going to have a bounty on our heads," Sam hissed.
Chanel avoided his gaze as she wiped the blood off of her with Selby's pashmina shawl and quickly rifled through her pockets.
So much for not killing anyone.
She cleaned her blade with one swipe and lifted her dress to place it back in her thigh holster. When she looked up, she caught Bucky's eyes. He was experiencing a range of emotions, confusion, and shock mostly, but all Chanel saw in his eyes was hunger.
"I thought I said no weapons?" Zemo grumbled as he dragged her by the elbow to the exit. "We have a real problem now, so drop your weapons and follow my lead."
Bucky and Sam did as they were told and calmly followed Zemo through the bar. He kept his tight grip on Chanel's arm, and she realized he was actually pissed at her. She expected that from Sam or Bucky, but not him.
They hurried through the crowd that was distracted by the brawl still going on with Stephan and his men. Chanel faltered for a moment; it felt wrong to leave him there; they were all in danger.
"We don't have time; they will kill you," Zemo whispered in her ear.
Bucky and Sam were ahead of them now and turned back to look at her, wondering what the hold up was. Chanel knew if she held them up, she would be putting them in danger, but she couldn't make her feet move. If she left, Stephan could get hurt.
Zemo tried to drag her forward again, but she twisted out of his grip. "I can't just leave him here to die!" She started to turn towards Stephan when shots rang out in their direction, causing Sam, Bucky, and Zemo to duck.
Chanel caught a glimpse of their faces on the bar's big screen, offering a significant reward for their heads.
Shit.
Once again, Zemo's hand wrapped around her arm, and this time she let him drag her out of the bar. Sam and Bucky led the way as they all dodged bullets that seemed to be flying from every direction.
"I can't run in these heels!" Sam yelled.
"I know you did not just say that!" Chanel yelled back, her feet screaming in her 6-inch heels. "Hold on, I have to get my backpack!" Chanel turned down an alley, the men following. She crouched behind a dumpster, where she had stashed her bag.
"Hurry up. We're sitting ducks here!" Sam shouted.
"Hold on, hold on." Chanel dug her mini pistol out of her backpack and then slung the bag over her shoulder.
"You don't have guns for the rest of us?"
"You were all pretty clear on the no weapons rule." Chanel snarked back, leading them back onto the street.
The shooting began almost immediately. Sam and Bucky took off to the right, but Zemo steered Chanel to the left.
Bucky glanced over his shoulder and saw Chanel was missing. "What the hell, where did they go?" He started to slow down, but Sam pulled him forward.
"We can't stop."
Bucky huffed in frustration, he knew Sam was right, but it felt inherently wrong to leave her behind.
Chanel turned around and shot an approaching bounty hunter as she and Zemo ran down another side street. "Where are we going?"
"Away from the direct line of fire." Zemo skidded to a stop and pulled her into a small alley, pressing her against the brick, caging her in.
"Don't you think we should have alerted Bucky and Sam to that plan?" She tried not to stare into his eyes too long, but he was so close. She didn't like what she found; his eyes were dark and turbulent. Chanel shrank back a bit; Zemo really was mad.
"Why did you do that?" If they weren't being hunted by every resident in Madripoor, he would have been yelling. He settled for a low growl instead. "We were almost out of there with everything we needed."
Chanel recovered quickly and moved her face closer to his, matching his intensity. "Why did you offer Bucky to her, like he was something to be owned?"
Zemo backed off, moving his hands off the wall to rub them over his face in irritation. "I wasn't going to leave him there."
"Oh, no? So, what was your grand plan then? It would have ended the same no matter what."
Zemo grumbled under his breath and turned away from her, accepting that she was right without actually voicing it.
"We need to focus on how the hell we are going to get out of here. And we need to find Bucky and Sam." Chanel pulled her tablet out of her backpack to track their comms. "Come on, they're only a few blocks away." She didn't wait for Zemo to give his okay before she took off in their direction. Having Sam out of her sight was starting to send panic through her veins.
They rounded a corner and found Sam and Bucky boxed in by several bounty hunters. Before Chanel could get a shot off, shots rang out from above them, taking out the bounty hunters.
Chanel kept her gun raised and hesitantly approached Sam.
What the hell is going on?
"Are you okay?" She appraised Sam while keeping her finger on the trigger of her gun.
"Yeah, we're good. You?"
"Where the hell did you go?" Bucky yelled at Zemo.
"We're good. Just took a detour." Chanel laid a calming hand on Bucky's arm. She looked up at him and saw the panic that was still in his eyes. She moved her hand to his face, forcing him to look at her. "Hey, we're good. It's okay."
Bucky took a deep breath as he scanned her from head to toe. Not finding any injuries, he relaxed, just a bit.
"Next time, try to run away from the line of fire, not directly into it," Zemo said as he picked up a gun from one of the dead bounty hunters. "It seems that you have a guardian angel."
"Well, this is just too perfect. Drop it, Zemo." Sharon approached from out of the darkness, her gun pointing in Zemo's direction.