Mosaic (Bucky Barnes X OC / Winter Soldier x OC)

Chapter 18: Valeriy Ayers - Cookie Dough (Part III)

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Then silence....

Except for the wind whipping by the car. The hum from the engine filling the air inside.

A shaky breath escaped me. My ribs were of no help. I could almost feel the constraint on my lungs, by something sharp instead of the cast and its needles. Broken ribs. My palms rubbed at my ears, trying to focus on the air zipping by the car and not the screams echoing in my head.

The fight or flight response flooded my system with adrenaline at the mere memory a lavender scent and the laundry bag of soap bars that came with it. My shoulders rolled, trying to feel the cushioned seat. Not the concrete floors I had been pinned against, kicking and screaming. Anything to get away from the boots and fists. When I could fight no more, the ball I curled into as an attempt to at least protect something.

"Valeriy." Deep and strong. His voice dragged me right out of it.

Two blinks later, I saw the ball I was curled up in, tight as it was before. My bones did not agree with this.

"You're safe. I'm with you."

My nervous laugh grated against my ears. I forced my hands to move away from my ears and leaned away from my pulled up legs.

"You're not there anymore. You got out."

"I got out. I.... There were moments where I thought I might not...? But I had to try. I couldn't trust anyone else to keep upgrading the security before anything happened to Gramps or my brother.... Managed to get my shit together enough to literally drag my ass out of that bloody house."

"How the hell did you escape?" he asked, sounding quite baffled at the notion.

I shrugged. "Bit into one of their wrists when I got the chance? Bought enough time alone while they fixed their friend. I climbed out the basement window by stacking furniture.... Sparks... she found me dragging myself across the street before the kidnappers found out I escaped.... Brought me back to the parents."

'A full bloody circle....'

I could never escape being Valeriy Ayers....

"...Wh-what happened... after?" He sounded so hesitant to speak the words.

"...Made a deal? Sign stuff in their stead. Do business stuff. Do whatever they wanted of me. Be their ideal daughter.... I need their protection."

And when nothing else was asked, I stopped picking at the frayed threads on my shirt and stare at the trees zipping by. My forehead rested against the cool glass. It helped with the pounding headache.

Didn't know how I felt about sharing this. The fear and relief overwhelming each other. The fear of the consequences. The relief in getting it out of me.

With an irritated huff, I shifted up the seat enough to pull out a blanket or two. Wrapping myself tightly in their still warm embrace, I tried to find comfort in softness. Something to distract me from the annoyance bubbling from within my chest. Annoyance that I always felt whenever these memories drifted to mind.

How they got their claws into Amber by faking her death.

How Eve and I... how we no longer....

How everything changed.

If only we didn't –

"You know what the dumbest part of all this was? That fucking company, Cybertek or some shit, the one we were getting in bed with. They were shady as fuck!" I snapped, catching my tone when Bucky gave the wheel another crack. "They had some shady ass fucker running things as some shadow head.... Everything had started normal... like any other company we were buying.... But then things didn't quite add up in their books.... It got fun. Felt like some detective mystery game... and I dragged Amber in. Needed help with the medical mumbo jumbo....