Chapter 8
I lay with him for a while, listening to his heart beating beneath my cheek as he breathes evenly. His metallic fingers slide gently along my spine as his flesh ones cup my face, tracing my features with a feather-light touch.
“You should go.” He murmurs, his breath stirring my hair. “Someone will be in with a tray soon.”
I nod, standing slowly. Bucky finds my bra, sheepishly putting it around me and fastening the hooks behind me quickly. I step back into my underwear before picking up my scrap of a dress and laughing out loud.
“You don’t happen to have a shirt I could borrow do you?” He smirks before reaching under the bed, pulling out a clear, plastic container of clothes. He takes out a grey t-shirt, putting it over my head as I put my arms through the holes.
He hesitates then, looking at me. His hands rest on my waist as he slowly leans forward, kissing me softly.
“Will I see you again?” I ask, leaning back just far enough to look into his eyes.
He takes a deep breath before nodding once. His fingers tap my chin once, and then he steps away, sitting back down on the bed. I pick up my shoes, leaving the room without looking back.
As I near the elevator, a man steps out with a tray, right on schedule. He shoots me a sideways glance, his eyes falling to the torn dress in my hand for a moment before he hurries past me.
I ball the fabric up tighter as I get into the elevator, pressing the button to my floor. I lean against the metal wall of the elevator as it goes up, exhaling as I reflect on the last couple hours. The doors open, and I startle as Natasha stands in the doorway.
“Ha!” She says, reaching into the elevator and grabbing my arm, pulling me out behind her. “I knew it would go well.”
I laugh as she leads me to my room, opening the door and flopping down on my bed. I sit beside her, tossing her shoes aside.
“So?” She says, her wide eyes looking at me ask she talks. “What happened?”
I shake out her dress, revealing the shredded fabric before I drop it into her lap. Her eyes widen even further, examining the dress before looking back up at me and erupting in laughter.
“I owe you one.” I tell her, laughing too as I run my fingers through my hair.
She nods as she throws the dress into a trashcan across the room.
“Oh definitely.” She says with a grin. “And I will be cashing in the favor.”
I laugh again, nodding at her. We talk for a while longer before she leaves, and I go into the bathroom to take a shower. I carefully fold Bucky’s shirt, setting it on the counter before I step into the water.
I shower quickly, stepping out and looking for clothes in the drawers in the room. I find a pair of jeans, and I put them on before putting Bucky’s over-sized shirt back on, tying the back into a knot to make it fit better.
I stand in front of the mirror, twisting my hair into a knot on the top of my head. Suddenly, an alarm goes off throughout the compound. I jump, grabbing the gun from my nightstand before running to the door and swinging it open.
Three men run past my door, getting into the elevators and going down as I step into the hall.
“Liz!” Steve calls from behind me, and I run towards him.
“What happened?” I ask, looking between him and Nat.
He shakes his head as he leads us towards another elevator.
“Intruder in the prison block.” He says flatly.
My heart speeds up, my hand tightening on the gun.
“Bucky?” I ask.
Steve shakes his head again as the elevator goes down.
“I don’t know.” He answers.
I nod, not saying anything else. The doors open as we come to a stop, and we step out. The alarms continue to scream as we walk towards his cell.
The sound of a fight echoes down the hall, followed by the screech of Tony’s blaster. We all start running, our guns in hand as we near the noise.
We get to the cell, finding it in shambles. The glass is cracked and falling as the broken electronics spark and crackle. Tony stands over a man, his blaster aimed at him as he calls Steve over.
Nat and I step closer into the room, looking around for any other intruders. Looking for Bucky.
Another loud crack comes from the cell, and we spin on our heels to face whatever is coming. I exhale with relief as Bucky steps out of the glass and smoke, flipping his hair out of his eyes as he looks at us.
I shoot him a small smile as he gets closer, his eyes locked on me as his boots crunch over the wreckage.
“Bucky thank god I thought—” I start.
His eyebrows furrow as he glares down at me.
“Who the hell is Bucky?” He asks, cutting me off.
My blood turns to ice as his jaw clenches, and he plunges a knife into my abdomen. I gasp as the blade cuts through my body, and my hand covers his as my blood spills over the hilt. He pulls the knife out, stepping away as I fall to my knees.