She has no past-only shadows. He has no future-only guilt. When Valentina Allegra de Fontaine pulls her out of hiding, she isn't offered a choice. She's drafted. Placed like a blade among broken weapons: the Thunderbolts. Leading them is James Buchanan Barnes-former Winter Soldier, reluctant hero, a man with walls no one's ever broken through. Thrown into a team built on secrets and second chances, she's tasked with more than survival. She's meant to keep an eye on Barnes. Control him, if necessary. But what happens when the only thing she can control is her own downfall? A slow-burn descent into trust, betrayal, and a connection that should never have been possible.