UNRAVELED ~ STEVE ROGERS [3]

Chapter Eighteen

Steve pulled the Mini up under the overpass, a fancy silver car and a blonde woman in front of us. My stomach tensed, the stale cigarette smell wafting over me. Steve turned around as he parked the car.

"Stay put," he said, his words for the three of us but his eyes for me. I nodded stiffly, and with another glance back he hopped out of the car and greeted Sharon. I scowled, slumping down in my seat and watching them. Sharon pulled out her phone, and pressed a few keys, like a password.

With a hiss, like hydraulic doors, the metal casings around my hands opened, no longer compressing my hands and wrists. I gasped in relief, and the metal cases fell between my knees and landed with a thud on the floor, banging on my feet. I felt an incredible lightness, and my curled, cramped hands were pale and stiff.

"She could have taken those off hours ago," Sam said, looking at her with a furrowed brow. I shook my head.

"Short range unlocking system. It insures the subject can only be released when they know it's in a contained and controlled environment." I attempted to stretch out my hands, but a burning fire flooded my muscles and joints and I had to curl them in again.

"Take it slow. You'll tear the muscles if you move to quickly," Bucky suggested, looking at me with those beautiful, sad eyes. I felt a swell of empathy for him and smiled gently.

"Ok." Slowly, I unfurled my hands, splaying my fingers as the pleasant stretching pain filled my hands. Soon, my hands were flat in the air, the splatter of scar tissue on my palms white against my skin.

"Can you move your seat up?" Bucky asked Sam, a little roughly. Sam stared forward, but I could see the little smirk he wore in the rear view mirror.

"No," he said. I snorted, and Bucky looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I glanced out the window and tried to listen in on Sharon and Steve's conversation.

"I owe you again," Steve was saying, smiling. Sharon's lips curled up, and I almost growled at how pretty she looked when she smiled.

"Keeping a list," she said, risking a glance at us in the car. More specifically, Bucky.

"You know, he kinda tried to kill me."

"Sorry. I'll put it on the list too. They're going to come looking for you," Steve replied, a worried look in his eyes. I huffed.

"I know," Sharon replied, tipping her head down so her hooded eyes beamed at him. Her mouth was slightly parted, as if she wanted to say something, and she crossed one leg over the other. She liked him. A lot. And it made me even madder when he grinned back at her.

"Thank you, Sharon," Steve said gratefully. There was a pause, and then she leaned forward, her chest pushed slightly out, one hand aiming for his cheek and the other for his chest. For a moment, I thought he was going to mirror her, but instead he pulled away, and for a split second his eyes met mine, brilliant and blue.

Sharon saw him pull away and she stopped, putting a hand on her head and the other on her hip, as if to act casual. Steve cleared his throat and gestured to the open boot full of our gear, including my silver case of poison.

"I should take this," he said awkwardly, gathering up half of the items in his arms.

"Uh, yeah, I should go," Sharon said quietly, and without another word she hopped into the silver car. Within a few minutes Steve had packed our gear in the trunk of the Mini, shut the trunk on the silver car and watched it speed away, dust flying in its wake.

Steve opened the driver side door and slid in, his tall frame comically large in the tiny space. I didn't want to catch his eye, because I wasn't sure what I would see.