Locked, Loaded, Loved ✔️ COMPLETE | UNDER EDITS

Chapter 4--Steve | EDITED

I watched Natasha speed away from the diner before turning back to my comms. "Tony, you've really made a mess this time."

"What?" he asked innocently. "Romanoff knows what she's up against with us."

"That's not what I meant." I ran a hand through my hair, my mind wandering back to the look in her eyes when I pinned her against that wall. "She's a professional. And she has a cover to keep. What is your motive here anyway?"

I could almost feel the shrug through the communicator.

"You've learned well not to question my methods through the years, Rogers," he said. "I have my reasons for today."

"It doesn't have anything to do with what you said to me this morning, does it?"

Tony chuckled. "Not intentionally, no. But you're still thinking about that, huh?"

"I'm not dignifying that with a response, Stark. But whatever you're planning, you better run it by Nat first. She'll be pissed if you compromise her."

"Not planning on interfering with her mission," he replied. "Are you coming back to the compound?"

I checked my phone, realizing I had a ping for the location of Nat's vehicle. I frowned. "In a bit. Did you install GPS in our phones?"

"Your phone always has GPS. I've modified it, though." Tony paused. "Why, what's going on?"

"Nothing. I'll catch you in a bit, I need to follow up on something." I disconnected and got into my own car, pulling up the tracking data to go after Natasha. The GPS had her location as a cabin about fifteen minutes from here.

Not the compound, not the apartment under her alias.

When I pulled up, her car was sure enough parked outside. I walked up to the porch. From inside the cabin, there were no sounds but I was sure Natasha was here. Why else would her car be?

I wasn't more than a few steps inside when the fury of red hair came flailing at me, this time pinning me against the wall.

Natasha smirked. "Two can play at this game, Capsicle."

I laughed. "I deserved that."

"You think?" She released her hold, eyeing me carefully. "What are you doing here?"

"I followed your GPS. I don't know why, for some reason I got an alert for where you were."

Nat frowned. "That's funny, I got the same but for you. That's how I knew you were here."

"Uh, Natasha? You still there? I think our connection got interrupted."

My gaze snapped to the sound from the other room. "Bucky?"

"You caught me on a call to Wakanda," Natasha confirmed. "Barnes, Steve just walked in. Can we put a pin in this and come back to it?"

My best friend's face filled the screen in the small room as he glanced between me and Nat. "Sure thing, Romanoff." The screen went dark.

"You didn't have to hang up with him," I said.

"Yes, I did." Nat crossed her arms over her chest. "Barnes is helping me chase down a lead for my mission. You, on the other hand, almost blew the whole operation today. You and Tony."

"In my defense, Tony doesn't always tell me things."

"But you go along with it anyway." She stepped closer. The blue of her eyes swirled with a mixture of annoyance and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"I follow my own leads."

Her nostrils flared. "Is that why you followed me? God, you can't just leave well enough alone, can you?"