salvation ; 𝐛. 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 , 𝟐

009. lost and found

THE SUN HAD only just begun to rise when Cara broke the silence. We'd finally made our way out of the city of Langley, Virginia, but I knew that it would take ages for me to eventually feel safe. My heart still raced each time we spotted another car on the highway with us, my mind convincing me that Agent Wretton was near, laying in wait until we decided to make the fatal mistake of getting out of the car or exposing ourselves to the world.

"Keep a lookout for a parking garage," Cara said as she pulled off the highway. "A car rental would work better, but anything we can find is gonna have to do."

I furrowed my eyebrows. I was beginning to realize how horribly my plan would have gone if I'd stuck to my own ideas of getting Bucky back by myself. I needed someone with experience, someone with knowledge of being a fugitive. Someone like Cara. "What for?"

Her ponytail brushed her shoulder as she looked to her left, judging whether or not she could successfully make the right turn onto the next street. When she did, she answered, "We're getting a new ride. It's time to make a change."

My chin jerked to glare a her so fast that I felt a small pain at the back of my neck from the force. "You're getting rid of my truck?" I asked, partially confused, while anger clouded my vision.

Shrugging, Cara had her head on a swivel as she looked for anywhere we could stash the car and switch it out. "Common sense, Elda," she said, exasperated, "we can't go on the run in a vehicle like this! Everyone knows what it looks like now. We've got to get a new one." She makes a few more turns, my voice falling silent in disappointment. I was in for some kind of adventure, that was sure. Giving up the last thing that tied me to my house was definitely not what I expected to do that day, and needless to say, I wasn't happy about it.

I didn't say anything more, though, as I knew that Cara would only get louder and press her point more. She was good at that. Winning arguments happened to be a strong talent of hers, something that probably accompanied her throughout her entire life.

"Bulls-eye," Cara muttered, and I looked out the window to see a parking garage on our right, the concrete structure standing tall in the middle of what looked to be a downtown area of wherever we were. "Alright, I'm gonna need two dollars when we leave here." She paused a moment to raise her eyebrows expectantly at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, and you don't have any money on you, is that it?"

Cara's too-sweet smile was nearly comical as she said smartly, "If I'm driving, then you're paying." She collected the ticket that was dispensed from the machine and proceeded into the garage, slowly pushing the truck up to the top. "Ooh, that one's nice, right?" She said when we passed a bright orange sports car. "Too flashy, but a girl can dream." This same exchange happened again, enough times that I began to think that my new friend was having far too much fun with the prospect of stealing a car.

Only when we got to the top of the parking garage did we come across a strong black Jeep, the frame making a shape like a box on wheels. I'd never cared much for the aesthetic of cars, but I was beginning to understand just what made Cara Jansen tick. And for some reason, it was cars.

She smiled simply. "That's the one." Parking next to it and cutting the engine, she sighed. "This one looks fun, wouldn't you say?"

"Cara, we're stealing it," I tried to reason with her. "This is grand theft auto."

The young woman cocked an eyebrow. "You really know your crime, huh?"

I shook my head. "No, I watch TV. Enough of it to know that this is illegal, and we could get in serious trouble for this."

"Oh, but escaping from the CIA and shooting out their tires isn't?" Cara scoffed, opening the passenger door. "Elda, I came here to do a job. To fulfill a promise I made to Steve. If you truly want to get back to Bucky this badly—"