Locked, Loaded, Loved ✔️ COMPLETE | UNDER EDITS

Chapter 6.5--Natasha

Twenty minutes later, Emery and I arrived at the diner and found our boss talking to a tall brunette. She nodded as he spoke.

"Ah, just the two ladies I wanted to see," he said.

"What can we do for you, sir?" Emery asked.

"We have a new employee joining us. I'd like you to meet Katya Sanderson."

The brunette turned toward us and flashed a smile. "Pleased to meet you both," she said in a British accent.

Emery and I exchanged a brief glance, before turning back to Katya.

"Nice to meet you as well," I said, flashing a smile of my own.

"Alright, let's get to work. I need someone to help train Katya on some of the basics around the diner," our boss said. "We have a few people out sick today, so we need all the help we can get around here."

"I'll do it," Emery volunteered.

"Then it's settled. Let's get to work."

When Katya left for the break room to get an apron, Emery caught my arm.

"I don't like this," she said, voicing my concerns exactly.

"You caught it, too?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Take this. I'm gonna make a call." I pressed a comms unit into her hand.

"Be careful, Nat," she said.

"You too."

We went our separate ways and I called Tony to give him an update.

"Keep me posted," he said once I'd explained the newcomer at the diner. He understood our concerns about Katya, but without proof of...well, anything, there wasn't much we could do except keep an eye on her.

"I will." I watched as Katya left the break room, tying an apron around her waist. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Have Steve and Bucky drop by the diner during lunch time. And connect up the comms system. I snuck two units out for me and Em, so you can monitor us from the compound."

"Will do," Tony said.

We hung up and I took a deep breath before starting my shift. The morning rush was slower than normal, which was good since we were low on staff and training a new employee.

"Rubbish! I'm terribly sorry," I heard Katya say as I cleaned up a few of the tables. I smelled something burning.

"Don't worry about it," Emery said, waving away the smoke in the kitchen as best she could. "Let's try the cappuccino machine."

I shook my head in disbelief as I listened to their conversation. Maybe the initials are just a coincidence. Unless the clumsy waitress bit is just an act. Luckily, I didn't have to think about it for very long because Steve and Bucky showed up five minutes later.

Emery was able to keep Katya busy wiping tables while she spoke to Steve at a far booth. Bucky took a seat at the counter to talk to me. I gave him the customer spiel to hopefully not draw too much attention.

"What can I get you?" I asked.

"I'll have an apple fritter, blueberry pancakes, and coffee," he said.

ABC: all bases connected. I recognized the code: we had backup moments away if the situation called for it. Embedding the code with food words worked for my cover, but could be altered depending on the circumstances. This time I knew it meant that we had backup moments away if the situation called for it.