*Warning*
*Warning*
*Warning*
This chapter contains descriptions of child abuse. It contains some heavy H/C so if this content is too heavy for you, just skep it. It will not be central to the story line and I'll be posting again next week. I guess this stuff was just hanging half forgotten in my subconscious, when I reread this recently I realized it could be very sensitive, but I didn't wanted to hide it or just threw it away. If you really feel that you can read it: here we go.
...
Finally, the sun was out. This was California and it's not supposed to rain in California, not ever if you asked Nina. Kind of unreasonable but not everything has to make sense. She was just a couple of blocks from her house when she saw the first rays of sun in three days and, God, she hoped James was alright.
Four days ago, before she left to do a stunt double job in LA, she stopped by the supermarket nearby and made sure to leave behind enough food and emergency numbers for the half week. James Promised, kind out of nowhere, he would keep the house in order until she returned, which made her checks turn a little pink. She never had much help around the house. Her reaction had him laughing a little; she knew she would miss these little moments. Affectionating herself for him had proven easy, so did missing him but she didn't call him and neither did he, safer that way. Gavin had no news from Anton or the book; soon Nina would have to think of something else to track him.
She nearly hoped her way into the house but her excitement was cut short; James set curled in ball in the wall opposite to the entrance, he was sweaty but still wearing his thick hoody and sweet paints with no shoes. Nina knew he could hear her, in fact, he heard her park outside, leaving the car without her bags. But he didn't move or even suggested to notice she was home. She walked quietly to him trying not to startle the guy; she got closer crunching down to his level. The large, 6-foot tall guy looked like a lost chill; his red eyes looked like ether he been crying or not sleeping since she left, maybe both.
"Hi dear, it's been a long time no see you." James didn't say anything or moved. Nina hated the silence. In the past week when he got angry or threatening, she could just ignore him, she could say something and he would focus in the task in hand, but the quiet, it was something she didn't know her way around yet. He just looked like he wasn't even from this world, like in the first time they met. She had a plan this time thought.
"Gavin called me on the way here said he had something serious for me, I don't know if I'm taking this one. A missing person case; which is something I've only done once; this one could get really dangerous." James sight, touching his knees with his forehead. "A Chinese girl, from a family near here. I know her uncle worked for the yakuza and she lived in a bad Neiborhood. I could use someone that can speak the language and watch out for me so I can help." He sighed "The money would be good. She's only eleven, her mom and dad would really like to see her again but they can't call the police... bet helping would do you good."
James's eyes closed than went back at the girl; she was amazing, big green eyes pleading him, he could swear he had seen that expression before but couldn't place it. The excitement he could read in her; despite her best efforts to council it still popped right out of her eyes, she wanted to go and find this girl. Could he blame her? Little kids shouldn't be wandering around by them self on the streets, that much he knew. He took a deep breath, he'd draw in the past another time, He looked back at her.
"You want me to help you find some missing kid?"
"Please, she's an only child." Nina said trying to be as sincere as possible.
"Ok." James sight looking down but getting up. He just looked at her. It took her a moment longer than she would like to admit, to notice he was waiting for her to tell him to do.
"We should go to the car." She said turning on her hills. "Gavin already looked the hospitals in the girl's area, I'll have to check detentions centers and shelters and this shouldn't take too long. They are not far from here but you'll have to wait in the car for these. We can't let anyone see you just strolling around town."
"Strolling?"
"Yeah like... Just don't let anyone see you and if you think of anything else, just let me know."
They drove around town for the rest of the day, the dark tinted car windows made good enough a cover for James, who just set quietly for the most of it. It all turned out for nothing, as they both expected. Nina came back from the last location talking in her phone James notice how much she had done with that throughout the day. He knew what smartphones were, but was still interesting watching her fingers move thru the screen as it answered almost every question she could have as long as she'd asked the right questions. He wished he could get one of those but he knew what smartphones were and they were too risky.
'Too risky' that thought could have made him chuckle. If he was worried about risks what was he doing stopped in some poor girl's home. Nina had done a good job bugging Russell's office, Gavin was monitoring it and they haven't said anything about the girl yet. They got some interesting information in the comings and goings of Hydra, but nothing on Nina or plans for going back after James. As far as he knew she was safe, she was just so... He didn't know yet. He sure had liked to kiss her; and he sure hope he would have the chance to do it again; but he was staring to think she couldn't really help with Anton; it was all starting to feel like a mistake made when he was too weak to think.
"I was in the phone with the mom, May Ping, she speaks English but the husband doesn't they can meet with us tonight. Would you come in with me and listen, see if you pick up something?" James just nodded a yes. "Great, I'll drop you off after, you've done enough and I have somewhere else to go tonight" She said starting the car. "I talked to a girl in there who knew Saskia, the missing girl. She said Saskia was hanging out with a boy named Chace; that he and some other kids were going to a street party the day she went missing, I'll pass by there see if I can find something."
"Too many people?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so. But let's talk to the parents first, see what they know"
"You think this kid knows anything? Did you hear anything about him?"
"Chace Mannford; he was from the same school she went; same age;" When they stop at a red light she went back to her phone. "Plays basketball, his team won this state's Championship, what a boy! Cute too, Saskia really scored with this one." Nina said sarcastically.
"Light is green." He mumbled a little amused with the girl's enthusiasm.
"Okay you hold this." She said throwing the Phone his way "See if you can find anything in his social media" He didn't even try, just dropped the phone in his legs.
…
"That wasn't good" James said in the way back from Saskia's home. The whole conversation had been weird, the parents; Chao e May Pang, weren't definition of loving parents if James had ever seen any, but he hadn't, had him? Hydra's Soldier had no family, no nation, no home; no mother who would screen in anger after crying in relief once he made it home after leaving for a Carnival in Jersey and lost all his money and had to walk home with the other boys.
'The tall woman with dark hair and red puff blue eyes hugged him in the morning when he made it home but sure followed it with a whole hour rent that he listen wile tried bravely to hold back tears and the unbelievably angry man made sure he followed the three week chars full length as punishment, after he assured him that if he ever scared his mom and dad like that again he'd have more than chores to worry about.' He had seen loving parents, he didn't know their names, he wasn't sure he remembered their faces right but he knew they existed, despite what he heard in Siberia.
The whole conversation made Nina inpatient really quickly; they left the house less the twenty minutes after they got there. She got to the car without a word and drove to her house. They were halfway there when he broke out of his own thoughts to meet her eyes but if it was possible the girl looked almost as anguished as he felt. Her, usually cheery, green eyes were dark and her face hard; she hasn't said a word all the way.
"I remembered my parents." he tried. "Or I think I did... They weren't like that."
"Lucky you, that's just how I remember mine." she said bitter but regretted immediately. "Sorry, I don't mean it. Wait you remembered your family?"
"I think... I think that's what it was, there was a woman crying one morning when I didn't come back home and a men pufff... he was angry but I think they cried before I got there and I think they were happy to see me; I don't remember they say it but I think they were."
"Those were your parents James." She said running her hand thru her nose and snorting. "They worried that's why they cried and they loved you; that's why they were mad. My dad didn't care if I lived or died shipped me away first time he had the chance and then dragged me from the only real home I've ever had just cause it was convenient to him." she said and made a stop some where he didn't know. "I think Saskia parents didn't care for her either and that's why she isn't here now. Look, we haven't eaten all day this place has the best burgers in the world, I'll get us take out, and we'll see what we do after."
She got out of the car before he could protest. When she came back with the food he did say she didn't need to buy him food all the time; she just shoved it away saying he followed her around all day and was so patient not complaining once -not that he felt anything like talking at any time that day- buying dinner was the least she could do.
…
Nina wrapped her hair in a ponytail and turned to pic the food bags in the back seat. "I need to change, go ahead and eat if you're hungry." He smelled a grassy sent he wasn't familiar with; maybe he would take her in her offer and not even wait for her to get dressed. He did the kindness of opening the car door for her and take the keys, the bags from her trip were still seating in the trunk. He took those inside leaving them to the side of the door, Nina would take care of that later. She had left the food bags in the table and headed to her room. He took a minute to exam them, taking the food out. Cheesy fries; Some kind of crisp sticks with little black dots in then, maybe pepper; and really big Hamburgers. The smell was stronger than any other food he had before.
In the bed room the girl hurried throwing her jacket and shoes at a chair in the corner, near the window. She looked thru her dresser; shorts and an old Chicago White Sox shirt would do for now, and it didn't hurt it was one of her best fitting shirt's with cleavage and a form that hugged her curves nicely, she ignored the thought and ran back to the room, or the ill fed super soldier would eat all her food before she got there.
"You're not going to the carnival?" James asked when she sat next to him. "You said you wanted to talk to the people there."
"No. I want to look for the Chace kid. See what he's got to say about Saskia. Maybe she told him anything about her parents. If we're right about this family maybe he can confirm that then we have to see where she went."
"When we were there... the father... he keep saying in Chinese it was the mother's fault the girl 'got away' not gone missing but 'got away'. If you ran away at her age where would go?"
"Well, I would leave the state move to California, to try to be a stunt double. When that didn't work right away, just take a bunch of other jobs like Kong foo sensei, Privet detective or whatever. Until I met some wanted guy and worked missing cases with him. Especially if he is not bad at it and real cute too." He choked a little on his food, Nina covered her mouth with her hand trying not to laugh at his reaction. James didn't understand how he end up spending so much time with someone he knew so little about, reckless again. Reckless was really a part of him he wasn't used to.
"You ran away?"
"Yeah, I did actually. You see, when my mom died my dad sent me to live with my brothers in Scotland, but about three years later he got engaged to a woman that couldn't get pregnant so he dragged me back, I was thirteen. Things ware good for some time with her there, she was nice. But after, things went back to the way they were before my mom died and-".
Nina's voice went little above a whisper than broke. James's heart clenched. Why anyone would do anything bad to a little girl was beyond him. The girl eyes got a little wets and he raised his flash hands to wipe it away and ended running it in her hair. She leaned in his touch and moved forward, kissing him gently. He put his metal hand in her waist and running it up her back pulling her closer. She kissed him harder; ran her hand down his neck to his torso. He used his both his arms to picked her up and seat her in his legs, holding her closer for one second, one second later Nina felt him using that arm and all his speed to seat her in the farther corner of the sofa; he retreated to the other side breathing heavily.
"Sorry I didn't mean-"
"Don't do that again. You've been thru enough and the last person who tried to help me and up in a hospital and I don't need you in my conscience too."
"Sorry, I…" he walked away before she finished.
Nina breathed in deep. Thinking was hard after practically flying across the room. She wasn't hurt other than her ego, maybe she would admit that her heart hurt a little too, maybe most of all. She felt guilt as if she was responsible for his pain and past, wished all that away. She decided if their horrible past can't just be made disappear, she'd find what she could infect do. She took her notebook and searched PTSD. She read every article she could until the sun was out.