Red

Part 4

Bucky

Mallery isn't in the main house when the little family packs up and leaves for the holiday. I send them on their way and make my way back inside to make a cup of coffee and check my email. Aside from setting up a plan for Steve's sister, I had planned to visit a few of my stores to check on them during the holiday. It's a busy time for shoppers trying to take advantage of any deals and coupons, and I'm always interested to see how the customer service is handling the influx of foot traffic.

I'm upstairs using Natasha's office when I hear Mallery come in and call out for me. "I'm upstairs." I hear her feet padding up the stairs and wrap up the message to my VP before hitting send and closing the program.

"You've made yourself at home." She smirks at me, and I shrug.

"Nat invited me to use the space." She sits opposite the desk and myself with her cup of coffee. "How are you doing? Did you sleep well?"

She grimaces. "I generally ... don't? I'm averaging about three, maybe four hours a night."

I frown and lean back in the chair, but before I can say anything, she speaks again. "But it's better than where I was before. I wasn't sleeping at all until I passed out from exhaustion."

"Well, we're going to have a nice, relaxing weekend." I shut down my laptop and fold my hands on top of the device. "We do have to have a difficult conversation first, but I want to say something first. If you aren't ready to talk about any of it, especially to me, then I understand. I'll still be here to help you, and we can still plan how we're going to approach this.

"But, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable talking to me. You and I haven't had the best relationship over the years, and I just—"

"Bucky." She holds up her hand to stop my verbal diarrhea. "I really appreciate that. I know Steve and Tash both told you some of what happened. I ... I don't know if I can tell you. At least, right now."

Nodding, I sit forward. "If you're ever ready." She nods, and we both sigh. "So, my first question is this: do you have an order of protection?"

"I'd have to face him in court, right?" She's biting her lip, but she never breaks eye contact with me.

"Yeah, honey." I sip from my coffee and smile softly at her. "That's how they work. I know the idea seems scary right now, but I think you should consider it. You know we would all be there to support you."

"I know, I just ..."

"What's wrong?" I ask because I can tell she doesn't want to tell me.

"His best friend is a cop."

Shit.

We talk for about an hour about the night she finally called Steve from the police station. She has all the names of the EMTs who were there to look her over and the officer she gave her statement to. When I ask her if she and John ever came out to Jersey to see the family, she shakes her head. "I wouldn't bring him around Grant. Plus, I knew Steve and Tash would see right through everything."

"You weren't ready?"

"I was stupid." I open my mouth to shut that down, but she shakes her head. "I was. I saw what our mom went through, Bucky. How could I let someone do that to me? Our dad killed our mom and got away with it. That was gonna be me."

"What happened? I mean, what changed that night?"

She sighs, and her gaze drops to her hands in her lap. "He proposed. I knew if I said yes I'd be stuck there with him forever. Or as long as he wanted to keep me. I kept seeing my mom being tossed around, but it was my face. He started talking about kids, and I lost it.

"I started yelling and screaming at him that I would never marry an abusive asshole like him." She swallows. "John didn't like it when I talked back to him."

"Who called the police?"

"A neighbor. She called 911 and dispatch sent the call to the nearest unit to respond. It was just by chance that it wasn't his friend's precinct since that's where we, he lives." She's not crying, but I can see her resolve starting to crumble.

I remember what it was like to see Steve and Mallery's mom get beat up by their dad; as children, we were helpless against him. Even as we got older, it felt like there was nothing we could do to get him to stop. Mallery's face creeps into my mind; her delicate features are marred by fear, and I shake my head to clear the vision away.

"Okay, let's have breakfast," I say suddenly, and she looks up at me with watery eyes. "You need a break, and I think I've heard enough for now. I make a fairly decent omelet; let's go."

She laughs and follows me downstairs where we work together to throw breakfast together before Mallery suggests we sit outside. "We won't get too much more outdoor time," she tells me as we carry plates outside, and I can't help but agree. It isn't hot yet, but the sun is warm, and I block the sun directly so her fair skin doesn't burn. She basks for a moment in the morning air, still and quiet by the pool, with only birdsong to break up the silence.

"What other plans did you have for today?" she asks just as I take a huge bite of my eggs. "I know you weren't anticipating babysitting me."

"I was going to check in on work," I say once I swallow and shrug. "You should come with me."

"Go into your office? Sounds like a blast," Mallery tells me with a laugh, and I roll my eyes.

"Not my office; a few of my stores." I drink some juice and watch as confusion clouds her face.

"Wait, what is it that you do?" She places her fork down and stares at me.

Leaning back, I smirk. "You know what I do."

"I know what company you work for, but I have no idea what you do. I never thought to ask."

"After we clean up, we can leave. Say an hour?" She just nods, and I laugh to myself. "I'll show you what I do."