#87 Job Isn't Done Yet

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As soon as we stepped into the living room, Uncle Tony turned to me with that familiar, no-nonsense look on his face. "Is it true?" he asked, his voice low but pointed. I just shrugged, not offering much. He let out a long, tired sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Jason, did you help Romanoff flee?" He asked again, this time with a heavier tone.

There was no point in lying. I nodded. "I did what you tried to do indirectly," I said with a casual shrug. "I mean, you did warn her that Ross' men were coming to get her."

He let out another sigh, this one more resigned. Shaking his head, he walked over to the couch and slumped down, lowering his head into his hands like he was trying to make sense of the whole mess. After a moment, he glanced up at me with an exasperated look. "Of course, you would help her. You're always on their side," he said, half-joking but mostly serious.

I sighed back, sitting across from him. "Mr. Stark, I was on your side when Ultron literally wanted to kill all of us at that party." He looked away, clearly not in the mood to relive that nightmare.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Mr. Stark, what I'm feeling right now... it's probably the same thing I'd feel if I were around Cap. I feel like I'm playing double agent. Just like Ms. Romanoff." As soon as I said her name, I saw him tense up, closing his eyes for a second. Yeah, that was a touchy subject.

I pressed on, a little softer now. "I'm not sure your relationship with her, or Cap, will ever be the same. But, Mr. Stark, you and Cap were good friends."

His response was immediate, sharp, almost like a reflex. "Don't say it again," he snapped, cutting me off.

I held my hands up in surrender. "Alright, I get it. You probably want him and his friend dead, just like your parents suffered."

At that, his eyes snapped to mine, a flicker of something darker there. "You knew about it?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, my eyes lowering a bit. "Everyone knows a Winter Soldier assassinated your parents. And very few knew who the Winter Soldier was. I'm one of them. I knew Bucky Barnes and Cap's history. But I wasn't in the position to tell you about it. Cap should have done that."

Tony's anger seemed to deflate a little. He leaned back in his seat, his expression softening but still distant. I took the chance to keep talking. "Working closely with him, knowing him, I can tell you this—'trust' means everything to him. And now that he's broken yours, he's probably feeling a hundred times worse than you do."

We sat in silence after that, the air between us heavy but not uncomfortable. After a moment, Tony sighed again, this time standing up as he did. "I'll let you know when Ross' men leave," he said, his voice more even. "You need to disappear before they catch you."

I nodded. "Got it."

As he walked away, I leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. It was a mess, sure, but at least I still had my head. For now, anyway.

After about an hour of sitting in silence, the door to the living room opened, and Uncle Tony walked in. He held out a white envelope, waving it at me like it was no big deal. I took it, raising an eyebrow. "What's in it?" I asked, cautiously.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Your allowance."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, tearing open the envelope. A card slipped out and landed in my hand—a credit card? I blinked in surprise and looked at him, wide-eyed. "Mr. Stark?"

Tony looked away, clearly avoiding eye contact. "You can access it from anywhere in the world, and it's non-traceable. Now hurry up. Ross cleared his men until tomorrow morning."

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