Locked, Loaded, Loved ✔️ COMPLETE | UNDER EDITS

Chapter 11.3--Steve

"Nat! Natasha!" I yelled through the comms, ignoring my friends trying to restrain me.

*blink* Signal Lost *blink*

"Steve, we lost contact," Shuri said much too calmly. "Please, I need you to take a breath."

"If something happens to her..."

"Steve, sit down," Tony ordered. "Look at me. We won't let anything happen to her. You know Natasha. She probably has a plan."

I opened my mouth to protest, to say I was tired of everyone saying they wouldn't let anything happen to her. Clint spoke before I could.

"If I know Nat—and I can safely say that I do—she has a plan. This is part of her plan. You know how she is. She has to act like the damsel in distress to get the intel she wants. We can't go in guns blazing. If she needs us, she'll signal."

"How?" I asked. It had been a while since Nat was on a solo mission like this. The last time was...well, when she was recruiting Banner.

"We got a hit," Shuri announced. "Natasha planted the bug on Alexei. We should have the tracking data on him in a minute."

I engaged my shield. "Then let's go."

Clint put a hand up to stop me. "Cap, we can't do that yet. We can track Alexei from here but we still can't go in to help Nat. I know you want to make sure she's safe. I want to make sure she's safe. But the only way to do that is to avoid drawing suspicions."

Director Fury calling...

Tony clicked a button on the monitor and Nick Fury's face filled the screen "Director Fury, what can we do for you, sir?"

"My sources tell me that Agent Romanoff went off the grid with Alexei tonight," Fury said. "I want you all to listen to me very carefully. No one is to go after her until I give the orders." He looked directly at me with his one good eye.

"How soon will that be?" I asked.

"Soon. I'll be in touch." The screen went dark before we could do or say anything else.

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Three days later

"Are you Steve?" a woman with short black hair and strikingly bright eyeliner asked, walking up to me outside of McKinsley's bar.

"Um, yes?"

The woman put her hands on her hips. "Why did that seem like a question? You're Steve, right? Natasha's boyfriend?"

I nodded, wondering what she wanted. "Yes, I'm Steve. How do you know Natasha?"

"She's a friend of a friend."

"Which friend?" I didn't mean for it to sound like an interrogation, but I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into.

"Pepper Potts. She's Tony Stark's wife."

"I know who she is. Is something the matter? I don't usually get sought out like this."

The woman smiled and stuck out her hand. "Mandy Higgins. Listen, I wanted to talk to Natasha about something. It's kinda urgent."

"Nat is..." I thought about what I should tell her. "She's not with me right now. But I can give her a message."

Mandy fished a piece of paper out of her purse. "When you see her, can you give this to her?"

"Sure thing." I smiled at her as she turned on her heels and walked away.