BOOK 4 of the ORPHIC Series
DISENTHRALL
/ˌdisənˈTHrôl/
set free.
~~~~~
When Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker starts adjusting to a world without Captain America and more government therapy sessions...
T H E F A L C O N A N D T H E W I N T E R S O L D I E R
40
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Are you scared of the White Room?"
Delacroix, Louisiana August, 2024
LUCY CLAMBERED UP THE steps to the basement of Sarah Wilson's home. She swallowed hard, phone in hand. She turned the knob of the door without touching it, padding into the living room. She was immediately greeted by Alpine, who mewed with worry and nuzzled against her leg. Lucy leaned down, patting her head gently, before entering the kitchen. The sun was just peeking up and above the horizon.
How many hours had passed since she'd assumed Sam as her handler? How many hours had passed since she couldn't figure out why James was with her? How many hours had passed since she feared the safety of Sam's own nephews and Sarah's children?
Lucy's unspoken questions were interrupted by fast, tiny footsteps. Her lips twitched upwards into a tired smile as she brought Angeliko into her arms. She held him at her hip as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck. She glanced around the kitchen and found Sam and James sitting across from each other, two cups of tea in front of them.
They looked up at her as she approached, and Lucy hesitantly slipped into the stool beside James.
"I just forgot where I was." She blurted. "Happens, sometimes."
Sam just looked at her. He looked tired—exhausted—and it made her feel so much worse. She wasn't going to hurt anybody. She needed him to understand that. She wasn't going to do anything to put the kids in danger; to put his sister in danger.
"I wasn't going to hurt anyone." She pressed. "I wasn't—I wasn't going to hurt anyone, Sam."
All at once, his brows furrowed and his expression filled with confusion. As if he couldn't understand what she was talking about or why she was mentioning it.
Why—why didn't Sam understand?
James grasped the hand not holding onto Angeliko, giving her a reassuring squeeze; that it was okay, that Sam wasn't even mad and that they weren't gonna leave.
"I didn't—" Sam's expression froze for a second, like his brain wasn't catching up with him. He sighed. "—I was worried about you, Lucy. I know you wouldn't hurt anyone here. That wasn't even— I didn't think about that."
He turned his head away, like he was trying to collect himself. Lucy's grip on James's hand loosened because oh, that was good. She didn't make him upset about the safety of his family— he was worried for her.
