Don't call Sam. Don't call him. Don't wake him up. It's too late at night. Let him sleep.
Bucky rests his head back against the wall and takes a slow, shaking breath. His head is swimming and he knows it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to call Sam this time. He'd promised himself he wouldn't call Sam this late except for emergencies, but this- Well, it is an emergency.
He pushes himself off the wall and continues down the alley, looking around for any sign of his assailants. He shouldn't be doing this. He knows he shouldn't be following these guys after they attacked him in his home like that. He shouldn't.
But he has his reasons. He has his reason. One. Big reason. And he can't just give up, no matter how exhausted he is from the wound in his side. He has to see this through. He can't give up.
He stops at a turn, looking either way, and tilts his head, closing his eyes to listen and smell. There's a distinct cologne he's been following. One of the guys was drenched in it, and unlucky for those fucks, Bucky's got heightened senses. He turns his head one way, then the other, and briefly thinks about how he probably looks ridiculous, but then he's off like a shot to the left.
They're close. They're close and he can smell that fucking cologne and he can hear-
Bucky comes up short right outside a cracked door, his heart thundering in his chest. He can hear it. His lips part on a silent breath of sorrow. He can't- God, no. Please.
He pushes into the doorway, cautious, but still too reckless. He should have called Sam. He really should have, but his heart is hurting and he let his emotions get the better of him.
He slips behind a row of shelves in a dimly lit storage room, and he can hear them talking, grumbling about their next moves.
"Th'fuck are we even gonna do with the thing?" Bucky can't see them, but he knows that's the one with the cologne. He remembers that voice when the guy was right at his side, digging his knife into Bucky's ribs.
"Throw it in the fucking river, I don't care." This voice is new, rough and cruel. Bucky clenches his jaw and swallows hard.
"Jeez Rick. That's harsh even for you. Boss said to take it. Didn't say to kill it." Cologne guy again. There's only three of them that Bucky can remember. He could take them.
He pulls out his phone, putting it on silent and sending a text to Sam, along with a location ping. Pocketing his phone, he holds his breath and listens.
"Boss said to kill the super soldier bastard, Jeff, and you fuckin' missed your mark on that," Rick growls, and Bucky takes a slow breath in.
Who's the Boss they keep talking about? Who told them to kill him? Who told them to take- Why would their boss tell them to take that if not to lure him out? If they wanted him dead, they wouldn't need to have taken…
There's a soft sound and Bucky can feel his jaw aching with how tightly he's clamping his teeth together. He can't just sit back and listen to it. Not anymore.
But what if he acts too rashly? What if he hurts her?
He pulls his phone and checks it, smiling at a response from Sam. He's on his way. He understands the gravity of the situation. He gets it. Of course he does. Sam knows.
Bucky puts his phone away again and takes a slow breath in, shifting and pulling out his gun. He could take down two of them before they realize where he is, if he can get a clear shot. He's a fucking sniper, for crying out loud. He just needs to know where she-
There's a shout, then a hissing sound and a yeowl. Bucky turns and moves around the shelves quickly, only to see one of the guys doubled over with his hands over his face, blood seeping between his fingers. The other two are staring in shock as-
A small white cat is growing at them, back arched and fur on end. Bucky tuts his tongue as he comes around the shelves and she turns, running to him and leaping onto his shoulder.
"That was cold, girl," Bucky chuckles, lifting his gun and aiming at the other two. "You should have aimed for his jugular. At least he wouldn't have suffered."
Alpine gives a low growling sound against his ear and Bucky chuckles as the main door slams inward and Captain America flies in, his shield slamming into the back of one of the thugs.
"That works, too," Bucky hums as Sam lands next to him.
"Nobody touches Alpine," Sam growls, looking at Bucky. "Or you."
Bucky smirks. "You wanna help me finish these fucks off then?"