Winter's Heart (Part 1) 18+ Canon

Chapter 16

"Rise and shine, Buck. It's time for breakfa...", Steve said, breaking off in midsentence when he entered the bedroom. 

Before him on the ground lay his friend, legs entangled with Livs. He couldn't say where James began and Liv ended. James had heard him and sat up, alarmed, scanning the room for a possible threat. Liv groaned beside him, dragging her body to sit up as well. Her eyes were half closed, her messy hair framing her face. James spotted Steve standing at the door, groaned and fell backwards, rubbing his face. Liv realized that Steve was standing in front of them and dropped her gaze, feeling her face reddening. Steve opened his mouth, shut it again and tilted his head, eyebrows pulled together, not sure what to say. 

Half an hour later, they sat in the living room of their suite. Liv wasn't able to make eye contact and nibbled on her scone. Steve occasionally met James' gaze and smiled, which caused James to roll his eyes in annoyance. Clint had joined them but went for a coffee instead. 

For the rest of the day, they went through their plan, trying to minimize possible risks. Steve would be on standby, guiding them from afar, only interfering when he had to. Meanwhile, James and Liv would go in through the front door with their invitation. As soon as Liv found the server room, Clint would cause a distraction.

When the time came to get ready, Liv got nervous. She did her makeup, opting for a more natural look, but accentuated her eyes with black eyeliner. She put her hair into an elegant bun at the back of her head and curled some strands that framed her face. She took a long look into the mirror before heading for the clothing bag that had held her dress. She opened it and gasped at the beautiful dress Natasha had picked up for her.

The dress itself was red, but the see-through material on top of it shimmered in blue and purple whenever it was moved. It hugged her breasts, stomach and waist but lay loose in her neckline. From her waist down, it floated airily around her legs. 

James entered the bedroom holding up a tie. "Can you help m...", he said, but stopped to take in every inch of her body, trying to memorize everything. 

Liv put in an earring and looked over her shoulder, catching James staring at her. She turned and took the time to do the same. He looked nice in a suit. It didn't really fit his bulky body, but he still looked nice. His hair was combed back, giving of forties vibes. 

She walked over to him, took the tie out of his hand and put it around his neck, binding it. 

"Here you go", she said, smiling, staring at the bowtie, not looking into his eyes, afraid hers would give her away. 

"Ready?" he asked. 

Liv hesitated but nodded, turning in her heels, walking over to the nightstand and taking the USB stick. The dress hugged her body like a second skin, leaving no room to hide the stick. She bends her leg slightly, making the long slid part show and revealing a thin strap around her mid-thigh. She attached the stick to this strap and stretched her leg, which was covered by the slit. 

"Now I am", she said, turning to James, who was just watching with raised brows. 

"Can you hear me?" Steves' voice echoed through their earpieces as he watched them climb the stone stairs to the main entrance of the A.I.M. building. Liv lifted her dress to not fall over the hem while James' hand rested on her lower back. He tilted his head to the side and nodded. 

Steve should have seen it sooner. The change in James's behavior when he was around Liv. She was good for him. He deserved happiness, peace even. 

"Barton? Natasha?" Steve asked. 

"On it", Clint replied through the earpiece, running up the stairs to get to the position he scouted the day before. From the roof of the building he'd have the best view of what was going on in the glass building in front of him. 

"I'm on my way inside", Natasha said. "Clint, remember that time in Tokyo?" 

"Is your memory okay? You start to worry me", he replied. 

"My head is totally fine", she said. 

"Just saying", Barton said, reaching for the roof. "I'm on position now." 

"I'll meet you inside, Steve", Natasha said. 

"Wait for our signal", James said. 

James and Liv entered the building. The fear nagged at her, making her body tremble. James took her hand and guided her to the bar, passing her a glass of champaign. 

"It will be all right", he assured her, squeezing her free hand. 

Liv's gaze wandered over the room. At the far end, she spotted a familiar face. 

"What is it", James asked, following her gaze. 

"That's Kenjiro Tanaka," she said, nodding to a man in his thirties who stood apart from the rest of the guests.He turned his head, revealing an earpiece. "Security specialist and employee of A.I.M. Securities. He is our ticket in." 

They made their way to him. As soon as he noticed them, his eyes fixated on Liv, giving her a bitter taste in her mouth. 

"Excuse me I'm searching for the ladies' room. Mind showing me where it is?" She said, while trying to ignore the bad feeling in her stomach. 

"Sure", he said, lifting his hand to his earpiece. "Leaving position thirty-two." He listened to the response James and Liv couldn't hear before leading the way away from the rest. 

"Your new boyfriend?" he asked, casting James a quick look over his shoulder. 

"I need access to the server room", Liv said instead of answering. 

"You are kidding, right?" he asked, stopping and staring into her eyes to make sure she wasn't. 

"Twelfth of July", she said, holding his gaze. 

Kenjiro sighted, casting James another quick look. "I know. Just don't... don't mention it." 

James leaned in and whispered in her ear: "You have history?" 

"He's my Ex-boyfriend", she said, staring at Kenjiro's back. 

Kenjiro tilted his head slightly, listening to the voice in his ear. If James hadn't watched him, he wouldn't have noticed. They stopped at the elevator, he entered a code and they went upwards. They exited the elevator on the sixth floor and followed him through a security door. Kenjiro stopped in front of a grey door with the number 635 on it. He punched in a code and the door opened, revealing rows and rows of server racks. 

"Where is the backup server?" Liv asked. 

"One floor above us, on the opposite side," Kenjiro said, frowning. 

James gave the information to Steve and Natasha, making sure, they heard him before catching up to Liv. 

"You have five minutes", he said to them and positioned himself in front of the door.