"Answer it."
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
You glance at James who stands frozen, staring at the cell phone in his hands.
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
"Answer it, James," you urge, shivering in the frigid evening air as it blows across the silent rooftop.
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
Hesitant blue eyes find yours, but you give them an encouraging nod. He swallows nervously, but then flips open the phone, putting it on speaker. The moment he does, a loud and ostentatious voice comes through from the other side.
"Well it's about time honey bear! I was afraid you weren't going to answer. Is this a new number?"
The color drains from James' face as his eyes flare wide. He looks to you in panic. The shock on his face must be mirrored on yours as you glance back.
"Tony Stark?" you mouth silently.
"Helloooo?" Tony's voice rings out from the open cell.
But James doesn't move. He simply stares at you - wide eyed. Your mouth gapes as you gesture at the phone, but James shakes his head stubbornly. He tries to hand it to you, but you try to avoid it. The phone ping-pongs between your hands, slipping between them. You suck in a breath as it falls. In a desperate attempt to save your only connection to your allies, you dive for it. Your knuckles scrape the concrete as you catch it a moment before it smashes to pieces against the ground. As you straighten up, you cast James a nasty glare.
"Rhodes?" Tony questions. "Hey man, you there?"
"Hang up?" you mouth silently.
James nods and you start to close the phone, but Tony speaks once more.
"Hey buddy, I got a message from a Ken King for ya. Hello?"
An eerie chill spreads through your body as you stare at the phone in your hand.
"Ken King?" you blurt out in shock, unable to stop yourself. James sucks in a breath as he rolls his eyes and facepalms, shaking his head.
"Oh," Tony says. "You're...you're not my Rhodey. Wrong number. Bye."
"Wait!" you cry out, ignoring James' frantic, yet silent, gestures for you to hang up. "No! No, you...you have the right number, Mister Stark."
The line falls silent. You bite your lip as your pulse races, heart pounding in your chest.
"Mhm," Tony finally lets out a skeptical hum.
You sigh in relief, thankful he's still on the line. Kentay had promised he'd find a way to contact you. And it makes sense he'd choose someone as a relay rather than call you directly. And Tony Stark is a perfect relay - his encryption is bound to be top notch. If the Spectres caught an outgoing message, there's no way they'd be able to hack through Tony's security to figure out its content, audience, or destination. Kentay chose Tony to protect you.
"Please, Mister Stark," you say, glancing at James. "This is important. What was the message?"
"Yeah, see, I really don't like talking to people I don't know, honey," Toney croons sarcastically. "And to be frank, you sound like trouble. And not the good kind."
"No!" you answer quickly. "No trouble, sir."
"Pardon my skepticism," Tony grumbles. "But I'm not exactly in the mood to play the 'are you a good guy or one of Ross's goons' game today."
YOU ARE READING
Saving Bucky (Bucky Barnes x Reader)
FanfictionSet immediately after the events of Saving Steve (Book 2), Bucky finds himself locked up in the hands of The Company - a mysterious shadow organization asking too many questions about his Winter Soldier programming. And he'll do anything to hide th...
