Ensnare

6 - And If She Doesn't Come Back?

ALINA

"I've been through what happened!" I hissed, my hands clenching and unclenching at my waist. "We are not chucking her out."

The minute he'd gotten home and seen the sleeping Connie on the couch, I'd grabbed his arm and dragged him into the bedroom. And now we were having the most heated whisper argument of my life.

As soon as the couch had been set up to sleep on, Connie had been out cold. She was now softly snoring in one of Steve's T-shirts.

"Well she can't stay here!" He gestured to the wall that Connie was sleeping behind. "She's a literal murderer."

"Where else do you want her to sleep? On the streets of New York where we can't keep an eye on her?!"

"Preferably in a prison cell where she belongs!" He looked as though he was about to breathe fire.

"If we put her in prison Gunn will find her, you know he will."

Steve shook his head. "But what she did to Aditi-"

"You've already told me all that you know, but you can't speak for Aditi. I am so tired of you trying to protect us all when we don't need your protection." I snapped and then covered my mouth.

"I think you're just talking about yourself." Steve said quietly.

I nodded, going back to whispering. "I know."

"I just," he put his hands on my shoulders, "I don't wanna loose you."

I looked up at his up at him. "Is it because of what happened to Roara?"

He paused, dropping his hands. "She and I, we'd been close before she found out I'd been keeping the truth from her about Loki. And then I lost her, and I was never able to make it up to her. And I don't want to lose you."

"Steve," I placed a hand on his cheek, "she's not going to kill me. If anything I'm in least danger, it's you she doesn't like."

He snorted, but I saw a brief smile on his lips.

"I'm serious. What happened with Aditi today, that wasn't okay. She doesn't know how to act with people, she doesn't understand what is and isn't okay. She's been trained to be a killer since she was five years old, just like Nat. And by all accounts it took her a while. She's still unable to have any reliable relationships, but we all accept her."

"What do you mean, Nat's got us."

I paused. I still hadn't told him about the kiss that she and I had shared before she'd rejected me. Rejected me because she thought that Steve liked me. Rejected me because we worked together. Rejected me and then regretted it because Nat, for all her amazing qualities, still hadn't got her shit together. And now I caught her staring at me and then looking away, pretending not to have.

"I know. But even now things aren't always smooth sailing with her. And it took a while. Steve," I sighed and let my hand drop, but he grabbed it and put it back, "Steve she's got nowhere else to go. We kick her out, and then what? She goes on the streets, we can't keep an eye on her. What else are we supposed to do with her?"

He closed his eyes. "I mean jail is an option."

"What, a place that Gunn could easily find her? I'm not doing that, you know I'm not."

"Alina-"

"Steve please. I'm the only one she has. For some reason she trusts me and I have to do right by myself first and foremost."

He opened his eyes. "Do you promise this isn't about Roara?"

I sighed and leaned into him, putting my arms around his shoulders. "She's the best lead we've got. I'm not giving up on Ro. I can't. It's all that's keeping me going."