Ch. 5
Sam and Steve spent the next twenty minutes discretely searching Alma's apartment while she took a shower and got dressed. They found nothing of interest save a password-protected laptop and cache of passports with various fake identities. Of course, Steve reasoned that her passports were useless now. Like Natasha, all of Alma's S.H.I.E.L.D. created alternate names had been uploaded to the internet and flagged by a variety of governmental agencies.
When she finally emerged from the bathroom, Steve blinked at the change. Her glossy coal black hair was pulled back in a long, loose french braid, a few curls escaping here and there. Her dark eyes were lined with kohl and her full lips were a pouty red. She wore jeans that looked liked they were painted on and a red long sleeve knit top that clung to every curve. No wonder she found work leading husbands astray. He couldn't stop himself from staring at the transformation.
"Damn, girl, you clean up nice." Sam grinned as he looked her over.
"Thanks, see, I knew there was a reason I liked you," she said with a grin.
"Uh. . . you look better. . . . I mean good," Steve managed.
She cocked an eyebrow and shook her head, flouncing back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.
"You hesitated, man; you never hesitate when complimenting a woman," Sam chided him gently.
"I know," Steve said, glumly.
When she emerged, she began to fill the backpack on the coffee table with a variety of items. She started with her laptop and charger.
"Going somewhere?" Steve asked.
"Like I said, you blew my cover. I need to relocate," she said as she walked into the bathroom and returned with three guns and small box of ammunition she had hidden there. She put them in the backpack, zipping it up.
"You're not going anywhere until we talk. We need information on a Dmitry Pavlov. He lives in Buenos Aires," Steve began.
Alma tensed. "Ugh. I hate that guy. I met him at a few society parties when I was working undercover. He always gets a little handsy when he gets drunk. What do you want with him?"
"His grandfather was Hydra. Our source in Moscow confirmed that he was following in his granddad's footsteps," Steve explained.
"Great. A legacy", she snarked.
"Dmitry will have information about The Winter Soldier," Sam added.
"So, this is all about finding your bestie?" Alma said, staring at Steve.
"How did you know?" Steve asked.
"You guys wrecked half of D.C. It was all over the news."
"I need to know exactly what happened to Bucky. I want to know how to reverse it," Steve said insistently.
"So you're hoping this Dmitry Pavlov will give you the intel you need?" Alma asked.
"Yep."
"Well, like I said before Rogers, you basically ruined my life. There's no way I'm going to help you out," she said, checking the contents of her backpack once more before zipping it up again and having one last look around the apartment for anything she'd missed.
"What if we pay you?" Sam offered.
"You? Pay me? For what?"
"For the information on Bucky. How I can track him down. It's obvious you need the money," Steve said.
She looked at him with narrowed eyes. "How much?"
He smiled, knowing she had taken the bait. "How about ten thousand?"
She let out a short bark of laughter. "You're kidding me, right? You were a level eight agent, right? Your apartment was paid for by S.H.I.E.L.D. You have no wife, no kids, so your living expenses were pretty low. I'm sure you've got plenty socked away. I want fifty thousand for any information."
"I'm the only one that wants it. It's useless to you. Once I walk away, that's it. I'll give you twenty thousand for it," Steve countered.
"Thirty thousand."
"Fine, but for that much, you need to help us out if we need to track down more intel," Steve said and stuck out his hand to shake on the deal.
"Fine," she said, staring at his hand without touching it until he lowered it awkwardly. "Like I said, I've met him a few times at some fundraisers for the ballet company. Of course, my covers are all blown thanks to you. However, the best lies are the ones closest to the truth. I suppose I could go in as an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, desperate for money, for a job. It wouldn't be that far from the truth."
"We're coming in with you," Steve insisted.
"What, don't you trust me?" she shot back.
"No, I don't. Fury's last words to me were 'trust no one'."
She smirked. "Sounds like him. Fine, Sam can come with me."
"Why him?" Steve asked.
"Because I'm ruggedly handsome," Sam supplied with a huge smile.
"Sam, I can play off as an associate or even a boyfriend . . . you . . .," she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I've got a feeling that you'd be horrible at undercover. Plus, as good as I am, even I couldn't sell us as a couple."
"Works for me," Sam said with a grin.
"But, don't worry, we'll call you in if we need you to Hulk smash anything," she sniped.
"Alright," Steve said, hating being excluded from the mission, but seeing the wisdom in her words.
There was a rapid, insistent knocking at the door.
Alma sighed as she looked through the peephole on the apartment door and saw a contingent of armed men. "That's them."
"Them?" Sam asked.
"Remember when I warned you that there were men gunning for me and that you guys were going to blow my cover?"
"So, you brought us back here, what, to act as a human shield?" Steve snapped as he stood and tensed.
"I did warn you. And three against ten are a lot better odds than one against ten." She smiled. "Are you ready to have some fun?"
Author's Notes-
1. Ch. 24 of "The Captain's Bride" has been posted!
2. Ch. 32 of "The Price" - an Agents of Shield story, has been posted!
3. If you use tumblr, you can find me through my link on my profile page or check out my tumblr name - creativereadingfanfiction.