┌──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┐

"𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧?"

└────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┘

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

"It was him." Steve says to Sam in the van, both their arms locked tight in front of them with large metals cuffs. Steve stares down at the cuffs in dismay. "He looked right at me like he didn't even know me." The words twist in his stomach.

"How is that even possible? It was, like, 70 years ago." Sam points out.

"Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43. Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall." Steve explains, glancing up to Sam. "They must have found him..." He pauses for a moment. "Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky."

Sam nods before turning to one of the three guards. "Hey, where's Juniper Fox?"

One of the guards shoves their electric baton towards Sam before flipping it and shocking the guard in the middle while the one on the opposite side kicks him in the face.

They both take off their helmets to reveal Maria and Natasha.

"Boys." Natasha nods.

"Ah. That thing was squeezing my brain." Maria groans. She looks at Sam questionably before turning to Steve. "Who is this guy?"

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

Juniper glares daggers at Brock as they ride in back of an SUV.

"How could you?" Juniper asks, her voice sounding defeated as she analyzes the man she's shared everything with, yet he been hiding a horrific secret from her. "Hydra, Brock?"

He stares back at her, wishing he could erase these past few days and everything could go back to the way things were—where she was kept in the dark.

"Brock." She spits out.

"What, Juniper?" He snaps, raking his hands across his face. "What do you want me to say?"

"Anything!" She shouts causing the S.T.R.I.K.E. member who's driving to glance back at them through the rearview. She begins laughing manically and Brock shifts nervously in his seat, eyeing her. "You know what S.H.I.E.L.D. is, you know what it means to me. Everything my mother worked for, built, her entire goddamn life! And you just blindly spit on that every single day?!" She leans forward and the man in the passenger seat slowly reaches for his gun before Brock subtly shakes his head no.

"It's my job, Juniper." Brock says to her, desperation evident in his voice. She needs to understand, she has to. He cannot lose her, he will not lose her. He just can't.

"Oh!" She throws her hands up, laughing once again. "Oh. My bad, my fucking bad." She eyes land on her ring before she rips it off her finger.

"Don't-" Brock tilts his head to the side but she doesn't let him finish.

"I've been trying to tell you and my father for YEARS to let me do my fucking job, but noooo!!!" She screams, tears threatening to form out of anger as she blinks forcefully, looking up at the car roof. "So don't sit here and try to tell me it's your job to work for a terrorist organization, Brock! You see this—" She holds up her ring between the pad of thumb and index finger.

"Baby—" Brock leans forward.

"YOU SEE IT!" She shoves it in his face. "THIS IS A LIE! This ring is a goddamn lie!! Our entire marriage is based on a lie." She shakes her head, losing it, coming unglued and unraveled by the second. Both men in the front exchange a look of alarm, scared of what the woman will do next, but both too scared to do anything about it.

Brock takes both her hands in his, pulling them into his chest. "No, no it's not, baby, I love you." He insists. "You love me. I'm still the same man you married, the same met you met years ago, baby, I swear." He begs, eyes watering as he looks into her cold, hazel ones- terrified. Terrified of how she looks at him now, terrified what'll happen after this is all over... terrified he's lost the strongest, sexiest, most fiery woman he's ever met.

When he joined Hydra many years ago, he knew she would never agree to it, he knew she would hate him entirely. So he kept it from her. Every day, wishing he could just tell her, and she would just understand all he wants is to protect her and keep the world in check, in order.

She yanks her hands back, squeezing the ring in her hand.

"We both know that's not true." Juniper whispers brokenly, collapsing back into her seat.

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

The SUV pulls into an alley way, coming to a stop. Brock gently grabs Juniper's upper arm and pulls her along with him as they exit the vehicle. She starts analyzing her surroundings, frantically looking all around for some sort of clue or sign as to where they were while they step over to the van that has Steve and Sam.

"Two holes. Start digging." Brock orders as he holds up his gun, keeping Juniper glued to his side as they approach the van, S.T.R.I.K.E. directly behind them. Two men open the doors and Brock cocks his gun, freezing.

Juniper glances over his shoulder, letting out a small sigh of relief as she see's an van empty... with the exception of one guard laying unconscious beside a large hole burned into the floorboard... like the one Fury made to get them out of their car accident...

They got away, she smirks as Brock turns to her.

"Where are they?" He questions lowly.

She chuckles, raising her brows victoriously as she shrugs.

"Where the hell are they!" He screams, kicking the van door.

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

"Where's Juniper?" Natasha asks as they pull up to their location.

"With Rumlow." Steve looks down at his hands. He froze, and now she's with him. Natasha's jaw tightens, angry that her best friend is with that monster.

Maria opens the gate and they enter the hidden operation, one of the agents immediately hurries over to them.

"They'll want to see him first." Maria says and Steve looks at her confused.

Natasha leads them down the hall and Maria peels back plastic curtain to reveal Nick Fury laying in a hospital bed.

He raises his head up. "About damn time." He looks at them, noticing one person is missing. "Where the hell is my goddaughter?"

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Hey, heyyyy!!! Welcome back to THOA14!! And happy Agent 14 dayyy!! ;)

STAKES ARE GETTING HIGHHHH!!! I've been really excited since planning this book to have Natasha involved in the van scene & with Nick hiding out, since she didn't go on the run with Steve & was clearly upset in the movie Nick didn't tell her, so that's where she's been btw!!

Also loveee that Sam was worried/asked where Juniper was & NICK TOOO!!! WE LOVE UNCLE/GODFATHER NICKKK!! I also love how emotionally charged & angry the scene is between Juniper & Brock omfggg!! Cause I just cannot imagine... sharing a home, life, & bed with someone & they've been lying to you for so long... ugh </3 my girl deserves so much better...

Anywaysss, hope y'all enjoyed this chapterrr!! I cannot believe how quickly we're moving right alonggg!! But we still have quite a ways to gooo so buckle uppp bc it's getting gooddd ;)

Don't be afraid to comment your thoughts, questions, & reactionsss... AND THANK Y'ALL SOOO MUCH FOR 500+ READS ON THIS BOOKKK!! Until next timeee, mwah!! <333