Blood in the Water | 18+

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵

𝘈𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘢

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Something was off. Danger was lurking around the corner.

Steve must have felt it too because he pulled me closer to his side as we walked through the mall. But with every turn it felt like we were being watched, the hair on the back of my neck was prickling and I clenched Steve's hand tighter, it was the only stipulation he had, he wanted me to hold his hand and I had no problem with it, because it made me feel a sense of security. That same security had been stripped the further into the mall we walked.

A rumble from the end of the building had Steve yanking me into his chest, throwing us to the ground when an explosion went off. Papa was here.

Steve pushed off me first, pulling a gun from the back of his slacks as he rose to his full height. I quickly scrambled up, flinching when he shoved the gun into my hand. His forefinger and thumb gripped my chin, dust had clung to his body but he didn't seem to mind, just held my face and made me focus on him. "I need you to run," I nodded, but he could feel my hesitation, I was never without guards, "I need you to run Aurora," I glanced over his shoulder to see my father's men pouring into the building, and my breath caught, "Don't look back. I'll find you."

"Dante and Enzo," I whispered, looking at Steve again.

"What?"

"Papa brought Dante and Enzo."

Steve snuck a glance over his shoulder and cursed colorfully in Italian. "Run bambina. Don't look back."

I nodded, sliding the gun into my waistband before I spun on my heel, sprinting to the opposite side of the building. Gunfire erupted behind me, and I passed so many screaming children and mothers, men pulling me forward when they realized that I was being chased. I hadn't even bothered to look, but by the way the gunfire got louder with every step I took, I knew they were gaining on me. I stopped when I got to the center of the mall, the giant waterfall in my view and I spun, yelping when two hands shoved me into the ice-cold water.

I could barely hear what was happening above the water as I recouped from hitting my head on the tiled floor, and the pink water confirmed that I had started to bleed. But I wouldn't let them take me, I didn't want to go back to Papa where he could just ship me off to the highest bidder. Steve may be the devil of New York City, but he gave me something I never had. Freedom. He gave me the freedom of expression, the ability to wander alone, he gave me the freedom to express my emotions. And I wouldn't let anyone take that away from me.

So without surfacing, my feet found the edge of the fountain, and I shoved back, one hand above my head so I didn't run into the middle with my head. Once my fingers felt the stone of the sculpture, I pushed to my knees, gasping as I pulled air forcefully into my lungs. I turned to the men surrounding one side of the fountain, Dante and Enzo stood with my father in the center of them, Steve and Bucky were rushing to try and get to me, only stopping when Dante and Enzo pressed guns to both of them. Steve looked distraught, trying to get to where I was, but froze completely when Enzo shoved him to his knees, the gun pressed to the base of his skull.

"You've wasted too much of my time dear daughter," My eyes snapped to the vile man I called my father, the gun still a heavy weight in my back pocket, "What the hell are you wearing, women don't wear pants in our world, disgusting."

"Lovely to see you too Papa. Sorry, I'm not dressed to your liking."

"Stop this ridiculousness and get out of the fountain," My fathers eyes were hard, hatred swirling in the iris'. I've never been scared of my papa, I knew I was his least favorite child, he made it abundantly obvious, but I never thought he hated me, not like this. "I've got three men lined up to view you for marrying," I blanched as his jaw set. I couldn't believe he could look at me as an object, a piece of property to auction off to the highest bidder. "Oh don't look at me like that, you've always known your job."