Finding Jade - A Bucky Barnes Story

Chapter 5. The Storm (Sexual Content)

Halfway to the Bunker they turned into a gravel road that reduced their speed considerably. Bucky had to drop back a bit because the dust generated by Steve's car made it almost impossible to see where he was driving. Clint was navigating for Steve based on the directions the outfitter had given them. They wondered how he managed to keep his business going in these times considering he would need access to grasslands and water. Then they came over the final rise and realized how he kept in business. He wasn't just an outfitter but a slaughter house. Hundreds of broken down horses were being kept in pens, waiting to be slaughtered for their meat.

"I didn't know," said Clint, spitting out the window before he rolled it up in an attempt to keep out the smell. "Bastards."

"We still need the horses," said Steve. "Think he would sell them to us?"

"He would want more," said Clint. "Do we have anything left to barter?"

He pressed his comms and asked if anyone had anything left to barter. Bucky said he had a box of penicillin and a vial of broad spectrum antibiotics. Peter said he had some loose electronics parts. Jade looked at her hands and saw it. Pulling her wedding ring off she held it up.

"18 k gold wedding band," she said. "Has to be worth something."

They pulled up to the house and Steve, Clint and Bucky approached the outfitter. Clint insisted on checking out the horses first, running his hands down their legs and over their backs, then checking inside their mouths. He was happy with two of them but said the third one wasn't healthy.

"How does Clint know about horses?" asked Jade.

"He's a farmer," said Peter. "Has a farm in Iowa. His wife and kids are there. He'll be going back to them for a while after this next mission."

Jade focussed her attention on the bartering. She was tempted to listen in mentally but resisted knowing it was more important that they trusted her. Finally they appeared to have struck a bargain. Bucky came to her side of the car and asked for the ring. He caressed the side of her face when he took it and gave her a soft smile. Then he went to the cooler and took out two vials of penicillin from the box. Clint was leading the horses into a horse trailer which they would return on their next provisions run. He guided Bucky to the jack part and he backed into position while Clint hooked it up. He came around to the window.

"We bought the horses but the saddles and trailer are loaners," he said. "Thanks for giving up your wedding ring, it made the difference. Gold always does."

On the drive back Bucky explained that Clint already had a place in mind to keep the horses and would work on some things to barter for saddles before he went home. Jade said she knew how to forage in the badlands and could find all sorts of things good to barter.

"Like what?" asked Bucky.

"Precious stones," she said. "Opal, turquoise, jasper, quartz. You just have to recognize the signs of where a vein comes up to the surface. There's lots of geodes as well. None of them are particularly useful but they're pretty and perhaps someone wants something pretty. Ma taught me. It's how she supported herself before the Others."

"Look who has hidden skills," said Bucky, smiling, and taking her hand.

Although the rain threatened it hadn't come down but once the two vehicles arrived everyone rushed to get everything inside as soon as possible. The weather station on the roof gave every indication of a storm brewing and no one wanted to be caught out in it. Clint led the three horses to the garage area and tied them up while he removed their saddles. They had bartered for some feed and he fed them and watered them. Jade approached him.