Dice || 𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀

Eight

Same guys from before who were trying to put Buck down. Same asshole Captain with his stupid bushy mustache over his nonexistent top lip. Same damn guns she designed and cleared for manufacturing, except they weren't on stun this time.

On stun, precision pointers were green, but those cute little dots cascading Candice and James' bodies were unfortunately bright red.

"Candice Collins, you are under arrest for aiding and abetting the domestic terrorist known as James Barnes in his escape." Maynard spoke gruffly. "Come quietly and we won't put all of our rounds in your friend."

Half of her wanted to comply for the sake of Buck not getting shot, but the other just couldn't stand down out of annoyance."

"We all know you'd do it anyway, dickhead." The aggravation was crystalline on her face and in her voice.

"He's a terrorist. Frankly, you're doing your country a disservice." His second, who's uniform was labeled Olsen, spoke up with the tone of white republican teenager.

She glared at him. "I prefer Germany."

The Captain's face twitched slightly and he stared dead at the man behind her.

"I bet you like her real good, don't you." He said dryly. "You've imagined all the things you would do to her, maybe in the end..." he pursed his lips and shrugged. "You'll snap her neck like a twig."

Maynard was the third person to insinuate that horrible thought. That he'd kill Candice in a sick manner of attraction. The thought of him even putting a hand on her was enough to piss him off. Not more than her, though.

"Leave him alone!" Candice barked, but in quick response, Olsen yanked her into him and squeezed her body so tight that the strained wince she let out automatically made James want to punch the Captain in the throat.

He didn't realize that he actually did punch him in the throat until he was covering his face with his arm to deflect several bullets and the man in question was on the ground cradling his face.

Candice panicked, attempting to kick out of Olsen's grip but failing miserably as he held his padded bicep over her throat so tightly that her feet didn't even touch the ground. She choked, legs kicking harder until she felt the surface of his shin guard. Without even a second thought, she slammed her boot into his knee. He let out a wounded snarl, dropping her just as he fell to the ground. She tried to get herself off of the ground to run, but she slipped in the mud and Olsen caught her ankle.

"Let me g—" she struggled and screamed frustratedly as he dragged her back towards him, digging his gloved fingers into the fabric of her jumpsuit to flip her onto her back. Despite her legs kicking frantically to get her off of him, adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he backhanded her with his fist. Blood spurt from her lips and he grabbed her neck harshly, making her give out an asphyxiated gag. Her brain rattled as she grabbed his wrist, then the other when he added another hand to the squeezing ensemble around her throat.

She couldn't see his eyes behind the black visor, but she could see the blood thirsty grin in his grit teeth at the thought of the life just popping out of her if he could squeeze hard enough.

Her eyes watered and she wheezed, face turning bright crimson as her vision blurred in and out. The pressure was excruciating and she dug her heels into dirt and mud and left bleeding fingernail marks on bare forearms to hopefully make him let her go.

No such luck.

Today was not a good day at all. Today she'd helped a wanted criminal escape, fallen off of a building into a river, was nearly detained, and now she was probably about to die.