Fire and Ice, Sugar and Spice

Chapter Thirteen-Safe House

Chapter Thirteen

Safe House

Before the brave woman can slump over, I catch her with a little breeze and lift her up with a stronger one. Everyone has abandoned the parking lot, so it's just her and me. I float her over to the nearby grass and lower her gently onto it. I raise my hands over a section of earth and slam them down onto it. A square crater appears, about six feet deep. Solemnly, I lift her up again and lower her down into it. After gently placing the soil back where it was, I walk to the asphalt and cut out a headstone. I make it as smooth as possible before placing it above where her head is. While I don't know her first name, I remember her last. I carve words into her headstone with a burning finger. Judge Bryant. Badass. Sighing sadly, I pat the headstone and clutch the keys tighter in my hand.

"I'll keep my promise." I whisper and make sure the car is locked before running back into the building for my knuckleheads. Luckily, they're already on their way to me. When I swing open the side door they're both standing there, looking surprised to see me. Their faces turn worried when they see blood all over my shoulder and hand, but I don't have time for their concern right now.

"Liya, what the hell?" James asks. I grab his hand and start moving.

"Thank god. Come on, we need to leave now." I start running back to the car and get in the driver's seat, waving at the boys to join me. James smiles smugly at Steve when he gets into the passenger side of the car and Steve has to sit in the back. I start the car and start driving before answering any of the boy's questions, which they're firing at me like little annoying machine guns.

"GUYS, SHUT UP BEFORE I THROW YOUR ASSES OUT." I yell and finally get a break from the constant questions. Sighing, I look at Steve in the rearview mirror to address him first. "Put your seatbelt on." I say first. Begrudgingly, he does. "Thank you. Now, is there a folder or booklet back there?" I ask, glancing between the blond and the road. I hear some rustling and Steve's head disappears from my sight for a moment before popping back up.

"Yeah. What are these? And who does this car belong to?" He asks again. Bucky rolls his eyes.

"It's mine, thank you for your concern. What's in it?" I ask. James turns around to peek at the papers as Steve no doubt reads through each one carefully.

"These...these declare all of us innocent. The whole team." I sigh in relief at Steve's words and can finally relax. Well, until the thought of Nazis come to mind. Man, this got complicated fast.

"So that lady really did it. Damn." I mumble, regretting the fact that she's now dead.

"Yeah, so could you tell me why the hell you're covered in blood now?" James asks, concern leaking back into his voice. I half roll my eyes at him. I open the little compartment in the middle of the two seats and chance upon a small container of wet ones. I love the preparedness of old people. I use one to wipe the blood off of me the best I can while scolding James.

"You couldn't even take a second to be happy you're free and under no danger of being incarcerated in America?" I ask, taking a curve a little fast and hear Steve make a high-pitched noise in the back.

"Yay. Now, tell me please." He sasses and gets me to smile just a tad. He takes the cloth from me and gently wipes the blood off where I can't see. It's wrong that I think that's romantic, right?

"This is the judge's car. She was shot and bled out in front of me. Thus, her blood being all over me." I tell him factually. His mouth shuts and he blinks, surprised. "She's the one who gave me her keys and those papers." I explain further. "Almost there, guys. Where do I pull in?" Steve takes a break from reading to point where to go. I drive straight at the garage doors and they magically open just before I hit them. I screech to a stop and jump out of the car, following Steve with James on my tail. "There's something else, Steve." I tell him as we enter an elevator. The door shuts after James slips in beside me and grabs my hand. I squeeze it. He isn't going to like what I have to say.