"We have got to stop meeting like this."

I'd gotten my hand up just barely in time, the wire of the garrote cutting into the leather of my jacket sleeve. She'd planted her body in such a way that she had the advantage of leverage and there were no conveniently placed walls or trees to slam her into and loosen her hold.

"Agreed," I growled, reaching back with my free hand in another attempt to get a purchase on any part of her. Once again I failed as she tightened her grip enough for the wire to cut into the side of my neck deep enough to draw blood. Since going backward hadn't been successful I shifted, wanting to make certain I had a solid hold on the thin metal when I tried this possibly foolish move.

I staggered back two steps, planted my feet then folded at the waist, flipping her over my head. She should have ended up flat on her back on the ground before me. Her reflexes were better than I expected though. She rotated, agile as a cat, and landed on her feet in a crouch, hands still holding onto the garrote, which had twisted about my right wrist.

We stood there at an impasse, the wire cutting through the leather as she continued to pull, tightening the loop about my wrist, her leaning back and actually making me have to work to curl my arm and drag her towards me. To give her credit she didn't panic as her booted feet slid across the damp grass until close enough for me to grasp her wrist.

"Let go or I will break it."

For an instant she resisted, the wire digging deeper into my arm, I quickly countered by rotating my hand and adding pressure that caused the bones in her wrist to rub against each other in what surely could not be a pleasant manner. She grimaced then opened both hands, the garrotte loosening instantly. "Fine," she groused.

I didn't release her, just relaxed my hold slightly. "And don't go for your gun," She adjusted her stance slightly and I added, "or knife."

"Way to kill the mood, Rogers." She straightened slowly, hands coming up and open to show her intention of cooperating for the moment.

"Says the one who just tried to kill me." I carefully unwrapped the garrotte from around my wrist and tossed it away. She'd changed her appearance since we'd last met in person. The dark hair now lighter, dark blonde, light brown take your pick. Her eyes had changed as well, now a deep dark brown instead of the blue I'd expected, which firmed up my belief that searching for her based on features would be useless.

She grinned. "My point exactly."

It had been months since our last encounter and I certainly hadn't expected to see her here in London. I kept my trips to see Peggy private. I mean some of my teammates surely knew I visited her, but it had never been a specific topic of conversation. And while I did visit as often as I could manage it had never been on a set schedule. "You've been stalking me?"

She shook her head. "That word comes with a certain connotation that definitely does not apply here. That said, you have become a tad difficult to access now that you've moved into your new home."

That meant she knew I'd relocated from the Tower to the Compound. "You didn't get the hint the last time we met, did you?"

"There was a hint?" She shrugged. "I've got my job. You've got yours. That's how it is."

"You flew all the way here just to mug me in a park?" I had to admit to being a little impressed.

"What? No. I'd just finished up another job when I got an alert that you were visiting your-"

I shot her a warning glare, the muscles in my jaw popping.

"- friend. You always walk through this park afterward." She lowered her hands, making certain to keep them in view and not go for any of her weapons. "I simply took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. Sadly, I didn't have any long-range weaponry with me else I'd've gone for that headshot."

Christ, could the woman be any more cavalier about killing people? "Was your trip... successful?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "Let's just say I found myself with some free time after achieving my goals."

That sounded like a yes to me. I surged forward and grabbed her left arm, expertly twisting it behind her back. She didn't resist the least bit. "I am taking you in."

She laughed out loud. "Into where? Last I checked the Avengers don't police anything. They just shoot robots and drop cities out of the sky."

I clenched my jaw again. "Why is it no one remembers that the robots wanted to commit genocide?"

"Maybe it's because you were the idiots who created the robot?" She added in a hmmm at the end for the full irritating effect.

Still, I couldn't exactly argue that she was wrong. Tony and Bruce had played with something they hadn't understood in the least and it had quite literally blown up in our faces. And now Bruce had vanished and Tony hid in his lab and barely spoke to the rest of us. He'd fucked up royally while trying to do the right thing and even with the creation of Vision as a counterpoint all of us still kind of blamed him.

"Not the point," I argued, at least somewhat annoyed that she successfully baited me. "I'm sure Interpol wouldn't mind the present."

She spun about getting out of the hold with surprising ease though I did manage to retain my grip on her forearm. "Why would they care?"

I took a mental pause at that. She seemed to be suggesting that should I drag her into the local constabulary of any stripe that they would have no interest in her. Could it be possible? Could an admitted killer really have gone unnoticed for potentially years?

Guess I could find out, but I suspected it would be a waste of my time. And given my encounter with the legend my friend Bucky had become, knew a really good assassin could go unidentified for decades. Nat had discovered nothing on her in the months since our last encounter, but it had also been pushed to the back burner of the to-do list. As Jade had so pointedly reminded me we didn't do police work or track down mundane criminals.

Still, I found it difficult to just let her go knowing she would inevitably kill someone else. I released her and took a step back, prepared to see her bolt away into the evening. Much to my surprise, she did nothing more than straighten.

"You thought it through that quickly. I'm suitably impressed." She moved off toward the bushes and retrieved the garrotte which she coiled and stuffed into a pocket. "Care for a cup of tea, Captain?"

"Why? It's not like we're friends."

"Why not? I've got a couple hours to kill until I leave and your transport will remain hidden until you need it. So, I ask again, Captain, care for a cup of tea?"

I just stared at her for a long moment then mentally threw up my hands in confused defeat. "Sure, why not." I might actually learn something about her of actual use. Like her real name.

She led the way to a nearby tea parlor and waited until we'd settled into our plush seats before speaking. "Is she doing well?"

It dawned on me there and then that she knew precisely who I'd been visiting. "No. We are not friends and you do not get to ask me about my personal life. Especially her."

She shifted slightly eyes narrowing at the harsh tone I'd used. "Right, because you are not going to use this opportunity to ask probing question about me."

"Of course I am. I know nothing about you other than you claim to kill people for a living. The name you gave me is obviously a fake and you have managed to remain a complete enigma to not just myself but every agency out there." As soon as I completed the hushed rant I realized I'd given away far too much information. Thankfully she didn't appear smug about it, just kept a bland expression on her face the entire time.

Any response she might have had put on hold as our server arrived with what had to be the most elaborate tea set I had ever seen and proceeded to set it up as well as the scones and clotted cream. She deferred to Jade for cues. "Shall I pour?"

Jade nodded. "Lemon for myself, cream for the gentleman."

She did so with the swift efficiency of long practice.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that she knew how I took my tea. Not that I drank tea all that often, which... I managed to hold my tongue until the nice lady had left. "You will leave Peggy out of this."

She lifted her cup of tea and leaned back in her seat. "But she'll make a perfect pressure point. I don't think there isn't anything you wouldn't do to protect her."

I clenched my jaw. If it weren't for the fact we were in a public place I would have throttled her right then and there. "What do you want?" I growled.

"Want? What could I possibly want from you other than proof of your demise at my hand?" She kept her tone sweet and innocent so as not to make those near us, who could possibly overhear, suspicious.

Somehow I kept forgetting that this woman cared for nothing more than her payday. For an instant, I had to wonder if she'd cared about anything or anyone ever during her life. I suspected the answer to be a straight up no. So if she couldn't be persuaded with threats perhaps, in this instance, throwing money at the problem might just solve it. "How much?"

She blinked as he picked up a scone and transferred it to the tiny plate in front of her. "How much what?"

"How much to leave Peg- my friend alone?"

She picked at the scone, pulling small pieces off and popping them into her mouth as she pondered my question. "You think I can be bought?"

"That's the way it works, isn't it? People give you money and you do things." At this point, I'd be willing to hand deliver her to the Raft and shove her into the deepest pit of a cell they had no matter that I didn't really agree with their preference of skipping the whole trial by one's peers before locking them away, but I had a reasonable certainty they'd be able to keep her incarcerated long enough to protect me and mine.

"Something like that, yes."

She almost sounded disappointed in me, which didn't make a whole lot of sense given she'd basically just threatened to blackmail me with Peggy. I sat there in silence perfectly capable of waiting her out.

She sighed softly. "My price is simple: ask. Nicely."

My brows knit in confusion, absolutely sure that there must be a trick to what she asked for as payment. "What?"

She huffed out a breath of irritation. "Those are my terms for the deal. Just... ask."

I had to clear my throat twice before I could speak. "Will you leave my friend out of this. No threats. No blackmail. No creative persuasion to get me to do what you want. Please."

The left corner of her lip twitched slightly, her eyes giving lie to the amusement her facade of stoicism tried to contain. "Of course," she agreed magnanimously. "Now was that so difficult?"

"You have no idea," I muttered earning another brow raise for my troubles. I sipped at my tea, which I found to be quite flavorful, not like the crappy tea in bags we used back home and tried to wrap my head around her sudden humanity. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"

She frowned. "If you would like this particular deal in writing I will do so, or you could simply trust me as I did with you the last time we met."

I snorted. "Trust you? With what you do for a living?"

"Just because my job involves killing people doesn't mean I can't be honorable," she argued and I had to resist the urge to laugh outright at her.

"Uh, that is kind of the definition of those you shouldn't trust."

She shot me an unreadable look. "Did you or did you not blow three Insight helicarriers out of the sky a few years ago, all of which were staffed with hundreds of people many of whom died when they crashed into the Potomac?"

"They were Hydra," I instantly responded with, "and I did it for the greater good."

She cocked her head slightly. "And you presume that what I do is not for the same purpose. How very judgemental of you." She actually sounded disappointed in me, and I had to admit she did have a point.

I did not know enough about her and her motivations and had simply presumed the worst. "So prove me wrong. Tell me who hired you to kill me?"

She snorted into her tea. "No one. I told you, there's any number of offers on the table that I could potentially collect. You... you're a hobby of sorts. A challenge. I've gotten closer to you than pretty much anyone else. You just happen to be extremely tough to kill."

So blunt it almost surprised me. "Should I be honored you've taken the time to shoot at me more than once?"

"It'd be kind of weird, but sure if that's what floats your boat."

I scowled at how she made light of my potential death. "You know I have to stop you."

"I know you have to try, which I do respect. We weren't supposed to meet in person though I must admit I find it a refreshing change from my far more anonymous business arrangements."

"Aren't you concerned you might come to like me?"

She smiled. "It's never been a problem before."

Oof. The implication she had killed one she'd considered a friend already. That could potentially be a clue as to who she was, but without a reference point, I still lacked the means to discover it. I took a few moments to sip my tea while pondering just how the hell I could convince her to perhaps consider another line of work.

The pleasant heat of the parlor had settled in enough for me to want to remove my jacket. As I tugged the right sleeve I had to acknowledge it had been completely destroyed, the sleeve sliced through on one side thanks to the garrotte.

"You might want to clean up before taking that off." She gestured at my neck.

I ran my fingers along the left side, my fingers coming away covered in mostly dried blood. The collar of the jacket must have hidden it from direct sight, else the older woman would have said something when she'd waited on us. "You couldn't have mentioned it sooner?"

"You would have let me be out of your sight?"

A good point. "I'll be right back." I stood and headed for the restroom to clean up.

There I discovered the shirt had also been ruined, the collar red with blood that would probably never be removed. I cleaned off what blood I could and examined the shallow cut the wire had left in my skin. I doubted it would leave a scar or be visible within a day or two at most. I couldn't understand why I permitted her to remain free. Just the threat of her trying to kill me again should have been enough to make me want to remove her from the board. Instead, I had tea with her. Apparently, I saw something beyond the killer exterior to the person beneath. Either that or my perceptions of assassins had been completely warped by the discovery that my best friend had been turned into an unwitting one.

I dried off my face and neck, put the jacket back on to hide the bloody shirt and went back to the table to discover her gone.

Guess I shouldn't have been surprised, yet I stood there like a forlorn idiot as if my date had ditched me.

"Sir, she asked me to give you this."

The woman who had served us handed me an envelope. "Thank you." I dug into my pocket for my wallet.

"The bill has been paid, sir. Feel free to enjoy the rest of the tea and pastries. No rush." She smiled at me before strolling away to assist a couple at another table.

I settled back into my seat, the envelope oddly heavy in my hand. I drank my tea and ate an entire scone before opening it.

Inside I found a note and what looked like a coin, but not from any currency I recognized.

Leave this near your friend and she will remain off limits to all.

I could only wonder how a simple coin could protect Peggy from this mysterious all Jade had written about. Of course, it might be useful if I had any idea who they were.

I finished the tea. Left an additional tip then headed for the quinjet and home.

. . . . .

"Clint, get over here and tell me this is what I think it is?"

The archer in question grunted and, with gigantic coffee cup in hand, shuffled his way over to Nat who held the coin I'd been given from Jade in hand.

He leaned over her shoulder slurping the coffee as he did so. I watched his eyes go from still semi-conscious and sleepy to wide in an instant. He snatched the coin from her hand as he straightened nearly slopping coffee out of the mug with his sudden movement. "Where the hell did you get this?"

"Jade gave it to me." As concisely as possible, I related what had happened the day-ish before. "Her note implied that Peggy would be safe if she had that," I waved at the coin, "nearby."

"Uh, yeah," Clint muttered, still staring at the coin in his palm. "This is basically a get out of death free card from assassins."

"A what?" Yeah, I knew Jade claimed to be an assassin, but so could anyone, really. Just needed the means and the will to kill others for money.

"How did you get this?" Nat questioned as she took the coin back from Clint. "These are beyond rare."

I scratched the back of my head in consternation. "I, uh, asked?"

Clint whistled. "Steve's got a girlfriend," he singsonged.

I had no interest in biting on that hook so I ignored it. "What makes that coin so special?"

Nat shot an unreadable look my way. "You really don't know?"

I shook my head.

She glanced over at Clint who shrugged. "That's an Assassin's Guild coin. One of the European clans based on the sigils. I'd have to do some digging to figure out which one."

"And how would you know that?" I questioned, still not certain I believed any of this to be real.

He headed back to the kitchen to refresh his cup o'joe. "Because, once upon a time, they tried to recruit me."

That earned an eyebrow raise from me.

"Hey, I wasn't always the upstanding citizen I am today, okay?" He didn't sound the least bit guilty over what he may or may not have done in his misspent youth.

"So are we talking Assassin's Creed here or something else?" That got me snickers from both of them.

"Yes and no," Nat finally answered. "They have nothing to do with the Templars. It is literally a closed group who trains recruits from a young age how to be assassins. They have money, power and these days, tech like few others."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Ever seen the John Wick movies?" Clint asked.

"Yeah. Sam talked me into it." That's when the lightbulb hit. "You're serious?"

"Very. That portrayal is not a hundred percent accurate, but close enough that..." Nat trailed off when Clint cleared his throat. Loudly.

"Clint?"

"Let's just say there have been rumors a former guild member paid dearly for selling his story to Hollywood, okay?"

Which implied the depictions in the movie to be close enough to the reality to cause repercussions within the actual guild. "Next you'll be telling me there's Thieves' Guild."

They shared a look that spoke volumes.

I decided to drop that hot potato and took them at their word for now. "So, why is that coin so valuable?"

"Because it will tell anyone who might do something to Peggy that she's under Jade's personal protection," Clint explained.

I must have stood there looking like an idiot so Nat added, "Jade will remove, with prejudice, anyone who might even think of harming Peggy."

"Is that a big deal?"

That glance again.

"Uh, yeah," Nat answered.

"Beyond a big deal," Clint added. "Those coins are worth your weight in diamonds."

"Vibranium," Nat corrected.

I found that hard to believe but didn't argue as the two of them obviously knew far more than I did on the subject. Time for me to learn, I supposed. "Can we use it to find her? Find Jade?"

"Should. I can make some discreet inquiries. Clint?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I've still got some contacts in the Guild. Ones who owe me favors."

Nat cracked her knuckles. "Time to troll the dark web see who's in the game these days." She tossed the coin back to me and I stuffed it in my pocket. "Get that to Peggy soonest. If Jade figured out the connection others could too."

I hadn't really thought about Peggy being in danger. I mean, she wasn't in the game any longer. Her health waning in her later years, as had her short-term memory. Oh, she knew me but had lost track of conversations part way through. Every single damn time she realized I had survived and come back to her shattered my heart just a tiny bit more. Nat had a point though, she could easily be used against me. If Jade had figured that out it wouldn't be difficult for others to do so as well. "I'll have it delivered ASAP then."

"What's the priority on this?" Nat waited patiently for me to respond.

"Low. Extremely low." They both gave me the side eye. "It's not. Not really. If you, either of you, have spare time to work on this I'd appreciate it, but this is personal not Avenger's business, so..."

"So as soon as possible, gotcha," Clint gave me a wink and poured himself yet more coffee. "I've got training classes with noobs, but I'll start shaking trees after that."

"Clint-" I tried.

"Cap, she's actively trying to kill you. It's kinda in all of our best interest to stop her." He shrugged. "Just sayin'."

Okay, so he had a point. I still didn't want them wasting any more time than necessary on my problem. However, they were the ones with the contacts and not me so relying on them had become a must. I debated admonishing them but instead just said, "Thank you."

"Welcome. Don't you have a meeting with Hill in like... now?" Nat hadn't even looked away from the computer her fingers flying over the keys as she did her tech thing.

I looked at my watch. "Shit. Flight training later, yes?"

"Yes. Now run. You know she doesn't like it when you're late."

I gave her a grin and bolted from the room.

. . . . .

"I come bearing gifts."

I lifted my head to see Tony carrying a fair sized package with bright yellow DHL labels all over it.

I grabbed a towel and wiped the worst of the sweat away. "When did you get in?"

"Nowish." He held out the package and I took it from him with what must have been a bemused expression on my face. "Since when do you have a secret admirer?"

"I don't." My brows knit as I read the return address, which lacked a name. Just a street address in Rome. I didn't know anyone in Italy, never mind Rome.

"Well, open it. Let's find out who's sweet on you."

I sighed but tugged the strip that unsealed what turned out to be an outer box. The inner one I slid out to reveal a decently heavy clothing box.

Tony sucked in a surprised breath. "That's a Valentino."

"A what?" I asked as I tossed the DHL box aside to wrangle the fancy black box that did indeed have the name Valentino stamped onto it in gold letters. "So?"

He waved a hand. "Open it, then I might explain, you heathen."

I snorted and did so. Tissue paper hid the contents but the scent of leather drifted up to my nose. I parted the paper to find an envelope. Tired of juggling I set the box bits down on the bench. After setting the card aside I parted the tissue to discover a leather bomber jacket, which I pulled out. It unfolded neatly sending the scent of buttery soft leather wafting about us.

"Rogers, if you don't want your sugar daddy I'll take 'em." Tony actually sounded in awe.

"It's just a coat, Tony."

He huffed in clear disappointment of me. "That's a Valentino. That coat probably cost over five k."

I froze for an instant. "What?" I suddenly worried that the sweat would permanently mar the buttery soft leather I held in my hands. The look of what might have been terror on my face caused Tony to chuckle and gently take the coat from my nerveless grip.

"Who's it from?" He nodded towards the envelope I'd set aside.

I picked up then opened the envelope to find a card inside. I flipped it open and read the short note. 'To replace the one I ruined.'

Not signed, but obvious who it had come from. "Uh, it's not a secret admirer."

"No? Then who?"

"My assassin. The jacket I wore during our last encounter didn't fare so well against her garrotte."

Tony's eyes went wide. "Well, at least she has good taste in leather." He handed the jacket to me. "You might want to sic Nat on her."

"Already done, there just isn't much to go on, yet." I carefully folded the jacket and set it back in the box. "I'm sure she'll make another appearance."

"Maybe you should just ask her out on a date."

I would have choked on my water had I been drinking any. "I'm reasonably certain I'm worth more to her as a payday."

Tony snorted. "Still, it couldn't hurt to be nice to her. Might save your ass one day."

That particular point I refused to argue. "Might also make it easier for her to get to me." I shook my head not understanding how this had come about. Having enemies I got, someone wanting to kill me just to collect a payday. Nope. I couldn't wrap my head around that one. "We still on for tactical tomorrow?"

Tony stuffed his hands into his front pockets. "That we are, Cap. Gonna finish your workout?"

I nodded. It would give me a chance to ponder the implications of my enemy also apparently being a nice person. "Dinner?"

"If I'm free. I've some modifications to work on tonight."

"That you want to get to," I said with a laugh. I could always tell when Tony was getting impatient. He'd start bouncing on his toes followed by pacing. He'd not yet reached the latter, but the former had made it's scheduled appearance.

"You know me so well," he responded with a grin. "You really need to do something about her though. I don't need to be repairing bullet holes because she took a chance while you were out saving the day."

"I'll see what I can do," I told him as he slipped through the door. I picked the box up off the bench in some confusion. Yeah, she did kind of destroy that jacket, but I hadn't asked for or expected her to replace it. So why had she?

I set the box aside, out of the way, and returned to lifting heavy things.