Chapter 3
After Clint had given him the abridged version of their current predicament – mobsters chasing Kate in a case of mistaken identity, no aliens involved and no need to mention the Ronin of it all – Barnes had just shrugged and told the two of them to get some sleep. Clint was too exhausted to protest, so thanked him and made up some blankets on the floor in the bedroom. Kate and Pizza Dog took the pristine double bed.
It wasn’t long before Clint started snoring. Kate on the other hand, exhausted as she was, couldn’t seem to calm her brain enough to switch off for a few hours. Images of the fight in the warehouse kept flying through her head every time she shut her eyes. With the adrenaline wearing off it was starting to hit her just how close they’d both come. And who was to say they were out of the woods yet?
So she was a bit on edge. And, as much as she trusted Clint, she was wary of the gruff guy currently keeping watch on the other side of the door. Any person who took a dislike to Pizza Dog was definitely suspicious in her opinion.
Which is why she was still awake an hour later when Barnes started talking in the next room, voice low. She stilled at the sound, tried to listen in. It took her a minute to realise that she couldn’t tell what he was saying because he wasn’t speaking in English.
Doing her utmost to be quiet, she climbed out of bed and shimmied across the room to listen at the door. Her entire body tensed as she realised what she was hearing - she’d heard enough Russian in the last few days to recognise it, even if she couldn’t understand anything.
Suddenly there was a clattering noise, and a low “shit” from the other room, before she heard footsteps, definitely footsteps getting closer.
She scrambled back into her original position on the bed, breathing hard as the footsteps approached and…thankfully stopped. Right outside the door. Like he was listening.
She tried to calm her breathing (what the hell did a person breathe like when they were asleep?!), and prayed he didn’t open the door.
Pizza Dog let out a little whine in his sleep. Kate thought she heard a sigh from the other side of the door, and finally footsteps moving away. Lucky.
She allowed herself to breathe again.
Only question was now what was she supposed to do next? If she tried to wake Clint and explain, would Barnes notice the noise and come back to investigate? There was also the possibility she was over-reacting here. People were allowed to speak Russian without being into some shady shit after all. Maybe it was just a really unfortunately suspicious coincidence. Clint did trust this guy.
Although. He hadn’t actually said that, had he? Trusted people who trusted him was what he’d said. Which really if you think about, meant Clint didn’t trust him?
First thing's first, she told herself. Be prepared for the worst, which right now meant…exit strategy. If this guy wasn’t legit and had just sold them out to the tracksuits, they may need to leave in a hurry. She lay where she was for a minute, listening for signs of movement from the other room. Once she was satisfied it was all quiet, she gently raised herself off the bed and moved over to the window. They were on the fourth floor of the walk-up, so not too high really if they had to make a break for it.
A quick glance told her grappling to the building across the street wouldn't be an option. Straight up or down then. She was just about to turn from the window, happy with her preliminary assessment, when she spotted it. The man in the bright red tracksuit starting to cross the street, coming toward their building.
She quickly ducked out of sight. Counted to three, then peeked back out. Spotted the top of his head approaching the building before the view was blocked by the window frame.
And then the door buzzer rang.