Coming Down ➢ Steve Rogers

twenty eight

"Well, when were things ever easy for us?" Delaney muttered. She thought she heard Natasha snort on her end of communications.

"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?" Wanda said.

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become a second nature."

"Anybody ever tell you, you're a little paranoid?" a new voice contributed.

Delaney smiled when she heard Sam's voice. Ever since they all started residing in the new compound, the friendship she shared with Sam Wilson only continued to grow. He, like Clint, was a sort of brotherly figure to her.

"Not to my face," Natasha responded. "Why, did you hear something?"

"Eyes on target, folks," Steve said. At once, he brought them all back to the situation at hand. "This is the best lead we have on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him."

"If he sees us coming there won't be a problem, he kind of hate us."

Hate might be an understatement, Delaney thought to Steve.

He chuckled lowly in response. I think that is exactly the case, love.

Delaney was glad no one was around – her cheeks heated up at Steve's words. They were quite withdrawn when they were surrounded by company, reserving their affections for when they were alone, or talking to each other in their minds.

"Sam, see that garbage truck?" Steve said suddenly, his voice sharpening in the miniscule second between this and his conversation with Delaney. Delaney glanced up, and saw the said truck rumble past. It looked very full. "Tag it."

Sam confirmed. Delaney sat back slightly in her seat and turned the page of the newspaper while waiting for Sam's report. Her eyes ran over the words without taking any of them in.

When Sam next spoke, he was terse.

"The truck's loaded for max weight, and the driver's armed."

Delaney's heart stilled.

"It's a battering ram," Natasha said flatly.

"Go now!"

Delaney didn't need Steve's urging – as he spoke, she had already sprung to her feet. It had taken her only seconds to arrive at a conclusion.

Of course, she and the others had studied this area in depth before they headed out. And there was only one place that was protected in such a manner that would require a battering ram

"What?" Wanda stammered. She wasn't as quick to comprehend what had happened – in terms of the battlefield, she was still inexperienced, when compared to the rest of them.

"He's not aiming at the police," was all Steve said.

Delaney made to dash toward her transport, but came to a stop. She leaned back and chugged the rest of her coffee, almost coughing it all back out. The temperature had dropped somewhat, but it was still hot, and it burned the entire way down.

It tasted good, though. There was no way she could have let that go to waste.

Natasha and Wanda had already disappeared from sight by the time Delaney swung her leg over her motorcycle. She was glad she'd decided to wear a leggings-and-skirt combination: it made the movement of her legs that much easier.

The engine revved as she pushed it into gear. Leaning over the handles she sped off down the street, only having to make the occasional sharp turn to avoid incoming traffic.