Steve quickly dragged Sarah back to the hotel, making sure not to look back over his shoulder. Showing his fear was the worst thing he could do at this point, but he knew that leading the Medranos back to the hotel, where his wife and child were, wasn't a great idea either.
"Dad, I'm tired. Are we almost back to the hotel?" Sarah whined up at her father as she hung her head back and stared at the night sky.
"We're almost there, keep walking." Steve barked back and Sarah groaned, feeling the ache in her small feet as she tried to keep up with her father's hastened pace. When they reached the hotel, Steve finally allowed a look behind him to see if he spotted the tall woman, but he didn't notice anyone he recognized. Finally feeling at peace, Steve relaxed and ushered Sarah into the elevator. As the doors began to close, he caught a glimpse of dark, curly hair waltzing into the lobby and felt his stomach drop.
When the doors opened to their floor, Steve sprinted down the hall and yanked out his key, opening the door as Sarah trudged her way behind him. He looked up and swallowed his fear, needing to be brave for her, "Come on sweetie, it's time for bed."
Sarah slowly shuffled her way into the hotel room and grumbled, "I haven't even eaten yet."
"Which wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't stormed off without telling anyone."
Sarah winced at her mother's sharp voice, clenching her teeth nervously as she looked toward the bathroom to see Kayla tapping her foot anxiously. "I'm sorry Mom. I told James?"
"James isn't an adult. James doesn't make decisions for you. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Wandering off in a foreign country with nobody watching you? Sarah, I would have-" Kayla stopped as she clenched her fist to her mouth, fighting back to urge to cry, "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you."
"But Dad was sick-"
"Your father is a grown man and he can take care of himself. You are a small little girl who could have been kidnapped. What would we have done then?" Kayla whimpered, feeling the weight of being a parent crush her. "Is this because we haven't been spending enough time with you kids?"
"No, I just wanted to make sure Dad was okay." Sarah repeated and Kayla looked up to see Steve staring out the peephole nervously. Kayla pursed her lips and let her eyes slide back down to the little blonde. Sarah swallowed, pulling her thin hair over her shoulder to keep her hands busy, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I thought I was doing a good thing."
"James is in Bucky and Tessa's room. You should go join him and eat some of your supper. I ordered you chicken strips, remember?" Kayla asked softly, and Sarah's eyes lit up, hugging her mom around the legs before scampering toward the adjoining doors. She tripped a little, but caught herself on the doorframe before barreling into the other room.
"Steve..." Kayla trailed off, pressing her hand against Steve's ridged back as he stared out the peephole. "Steve, what happened tonight?"
"I saw the Medranos. I think they recognized me from stalling them earlier today." Steve admitted, finally pulling away to look at Kayla, "I was following Osvaldo from the restaurant when I realized Sarah was there. When I looked up, I saw Izetta. Her husband followed me to the hotel- possibly her too. They know we're here, and they know we're suspicious."
"What do we do now?" Kayla breathed in, taking a turn at the peephole, but the hallway was quiet, "Should we leave tonight?"
"I don't think we can leave yet, there's more to this than we realize." Steve mumbled, looking over his shoulder. "Izetta knows that Sarah is my daughter, and she knows that I'm a potential threat. I think-"
"We need to eliminate them." Kayla finished easily, straightening up, "Like I suggested earlier. I'm not taking any risks with our family."
Steve huffed out his frustrations through his nose, clenching his teeth in an effort to disapprove, but Kayla was right. "Alright. But we need to get information about Contini. Then we do what we have to do and leave Geneva. It's almost done."
Kayla lowered her head and walked from the door, knowing the hardships tomorrow would bring. Steve looked through the peephole one more time, finding the hallway still empty.
Tomorrow we end the Medranos and Contini. Then we're only one stop away from going home.
The sunshine broke through the curtains into the Carters' room, stirring Steve from his slumber. He ruffled his son's hair and swung his legs over the bed as the boy groaned. Steve tip toed over to the other bed and leaned over to press a kiss against Kayla's temple. His wife had her arm wrapped tightly around Sarah, her anger from the previous night melted away into gentle protection. Steve stroked away a stray chunk of hair and Kayla's eyes began to flicker. She looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Hey handsome."
"Time to get going. We've got a job to do."
"Five more minutes?" Kayla cooed softly, nuzzling her forehead against Sarah's. "I don't want to leave yet."
"Kay." Steve said darkly, and she rolled over to meet his glance, seeing his brows drawn. "We have to go."
"Get Bucky. I'll be ready." Kayla groaned, rolling over to plant herself on the hotel floor. She looked down to Sarah, seeing the little girl's blue eyes staring up at her hopefully. "Be good for Auntie Tess today, okay? Stay here in the hotel and draw. No going outside alright?"
"Whaaat? We have to stay inside? That's stupid!" James moaned loudly from his bed by the window, reaching onto the floor to grab his iPad. "Where are we going next? I need to start learning a new language."
"Dad wouldn't like you buying more lessons." Sarah warned and Kayla turned to her son with a questioning glare. James responded with a guilty grin to his mom before staring at his sister and punching his fist into his other palm threateningly.
Kayla's attention was pulled away to Tessa as the little brunette wandered into their room with a yawn. "Well, it's seven-thirty, so clearly its time to be awake." She groaned sarcastically as she pushed her long strands away from her eyes.
"Sorry. We have a job to do. Stay in the hotel okay? There were some... attacks last night. Locally. I don't want you or the kids in danger." Kayla said quietly, but looked between the children so they knew to listen. "Please be good. Promise me?"
"We promise." James and Sarah echoed in unison from their beds. Sarah already had her sketchbook out and was sorting through her colored pencils as James swiped through the various languages he could begin learning.
Kayla knelt down and began rifling through her suitcase as Tessa lingered curiously above. "Katie- might I have a word?"
Kayla looked up to see Tessa's brow raised questioningly, wanting to know what had actually happened, and what their plan was to fix the situation. Kayla rolled her eyes and rose to her feet, leading the shorter woman into the other room where Steve and Bucky were pulling on their boots. Tessa leaned against the dresser, looking over her should to make sure the children were occupied. "So, what happened?"
"The scientists we've been tracking saw Sarah with Steve last night. We have to get rid of them, otherwise the kids aren't safe. Keep them here, don't even go to the pool. We'll be back before lunch. Do you understand?" Kayla explained under her breath as she settled onto the bed beside Steve. "We've been so careful, but if the Medranos can identify Sarah, they'll never be safe."
"It could already be too late-" Bucky started, but Steve stood quickly, causing Sarah to look up from the other room at him curiously. He offered her a short wave and looked back toward his wife and friends.
"No. We get rid of them. We leave Geneva. This never happened." Steve ordered, "Let's get moving. We'll see you in a few hours."
Bucky pulled Tessa into a loving kiss before following Steve, which left Kayla to stand between the two adjoining rooms, looking from her husband to her children. Her lip wavered and she swallowed before chasing Steve and Bucky, leaving James and Sarah in the safety of their swanky hotel.
Bucky and Steve left the hotel lobby side by side, engaged in a conversation about the United Nations Convention happening in Geneva that weekend. They laughed loudly and Bucky pointed toward a cafe across the street, leading Steve away from the hotel. After the men were gone, Kayla watched Izetta rise from her seated place on a bench to follow them. Kayla smirked and slunk behind her, pulling her sunglasses down her nose as she popped her gum loudly.
She followed the tall woman into the cafe, taking note of where Steve sat alone and where Izetta sat nearby, watching him shamelessly as he played on his phone. Izetta tinkered with something in her purse, and Kayla caught a glimpse of the red vial she'd rendered useless.
The sudden feeling of inadequacy and the fear of failure bubbled in Kayla's stomach as she considered the likelihood of her succeeding. If she hadn't... this could mean the end for her husband. It wasn't a chance she was willing to take.
Kayla took a step closer, but felt the cool metal barrel of a gun rest against the nape of her neck. "I wouldn't move if I were you."
Kayla ground her teeth as she heard the gun cock, recognizing the voice behind her. She stiffened, but didn't try moving. Even a super soldier would fall with a bullet in their head. "Contini."
"Mrs. Medrano says you and your husband have a precious little family. A daughter. A son." Leonardo Contini whispered into Kayla's ear as he gripped her upper arm with his free hand. "I had a son, too. You knew that. And he's dead because of you. I'll kill you. Izetta will kill your husband. And Osvaldo will kill your children."
Kayla's eyes widened, but before she could shriek, she heard screaming from the cafe, and the distraction offered Contini a chance to bash her unconscious with his gun.
The hotel's smoke alarm blared loudly around eleven-thirty, approximately four hours after Steve, Kayla, and Bucky left. Tessa looked up at the ceiling, then out the window, looking for any sign of a trick, but she was met with a wave of heavy black smoke.
"Kids! We have to go!" Tessa yelped, pulling the blinds shut and running to grab the kids' backpacks and shoving their things into it. She looked up to see James and Sarah staring at her silently, "Come on! The hotel is on fire, we need to leave!"
"Mom said not to leave. She said it wasn't safe out there." Sarah parroted nervously, but something about her expression told Tessa she was mentally preparing to leave.
Tessa handed Sarah her backpack and scooped her tennis shoes off the carpet, "I know. But it isn't safe in here right now. We need to go. I'll take care of you, I promise."
"They said they'd be back before lunch. It's almost lunch time..." James muttered, uncharacteristically shy. "Are they okay? What's happening? What aren't they telling us?"
Tessa paled as a loud knock erupted from the door, "Coming! We're coming!" She yelled as she grabbed James's iPad out of his hand and shoved it in his backpack. "Listen, its complicated, but right now you have to trust me, okay?"
James jumped off the bed and grabbed Sarah's hand, shielding her behind him as Tessa flung open the door, but there was nobody there, only a stream of people merging toward the stairs. She led James and Sarah toward the stairwell and pushed them ahead of her, pulling up the rear to make sure they didn't get lost. They scrambled down the stairs and into the lobby, fighting through the black smoke out into the street.
"Tessa!" Bucky's voice cut through the crowd and Tess stopped to look toward it, trying to find her boyfriend.
"Bucky!" She yelled and suddenly he was beside her, holding her tightly in one hand and James in the other. "What's happening?"
"Get the kids to the UN Convention! Stay there, I'll come collect you guys when I can!" Bucky yelled over the screams, gently pushing Tessa and the kids in the right direction.
James balked, pushing his feet into the ground and halting them with his strength, "No! Where's Mom and Dad? We aren't leaving without them!"
"You aren't leaving without them, you are just waiting somewhere safe until they can get there. They are together. I'm going back for them and we'll all meet you there, okay?" Bucky told the young boy. He saw defiance in James's face, and recognized it instantly. He'd seen it a thousand times before in the face of his father, and it shook Bucky to his core. An explosion shook the building and Bucky held up his gloved left hand as debris started to fall toward Tessa, Sarah, and James, "Go now! Get out of here!" He quieted and pressed a quick kiss to Tessa's lips, "I'll be there as soon as I save them."
Before Tessa could ask what he meant, Bucky was gone and they were being herded away from their hotel by the hoards of panicked people. Tessa grabbed James's hand and he kept a tight grip on his sister. The little blonde looked up and around in terror, but tried as hard as she could to keep up with her brother and Tessa until James finally hoisted her onto his back and gave her a piggy back ride to their destination.
When the United Nations Office came into view, Tessa let out a loud sigh and slowed to a stop, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "We made it."
"What do we do now?" Sarah asked as she slid off James's back and came to stand beside her brother.
"We go in." Tessa breathed before leading the kids toward the pillars that would offer them protection from the panic outside. Tessa looked around nervously as others had the same idea they did, looking around for somewhere safe to hide and someone to tell them it would be okay. Tessa looked around, but as she turned, she felt a pinch in her neck and winced. Her hand flew to the spot and found a small puncture in her skin. "Get... help." Tessa whispered as she started to fall, feeling the effect take to her system instantly as James began to scream for somebody to help them.