CHAPTER THREE
Sleeping was impossible. The couch was comfortable than anything else before, but those dreams were unbearable. From the moment his mind was getting very slowly back together, sleeping was a painful and unpleasant activity. He saw his past in dreams. Unluckily, this one was from the time when they captured him and kept him locked down. There were many horrible moments. They tortured him, made him fight with a bunch of young inexperienced girls. And then there was that moment when they put him in that chair of the horror and suddenly everything was gone. Something was missing in his mind. Bucky growled from his dream and clenched his fists. A loud painful moan escaped his lips.

Wake up, soldier.

He tried to catch his breath. There was something new in the dream. Soft hands touching his wounded fists, icy blue eyes staring into his and a smile so gentle, it reminded him he’s still a human being. That person was talking to him, saying him soothing words. If only he knew who that was. The dream didn’t show him enough. He needed more. Who was that person?

James.

Bucky opened his eyes when he heard a gentle voice saying his real name. It belonged to a girl. He inhaled the air through his nose and slowly sat up. His flesh arm combed his hair. He felt his heart beating fast as his body was shaking a little. Fucking nightmares. Ever since he escaped, whenever he wanted to take a nap or a good sleep, the nightmares were following him, like it was a punishment for his escape. He betrayed the people who made him do awful things.

The man put his feet on the floor and hid his face into the big palms. He needed a moment to wake up and recover from the dream. “You are awake,” he heard a voice coming from the room. When his head lifted up, his baby blue eyes saw Izzy complacently sitting on two boxes and checking her phone. Her hair wasn’t braided as usual. This time, she only had a high ponytail. On top of it, there were black sunglasses. Bucky was confused a little. How did she get there? The girl looked at him, cocking her head a little. “Bad dreams?”

He sighed. “More like a bad life,” he breathed. “What time is it?” he asked, stretching his arms in front of him, yawning. “Where’s Rick?”

“Seven,” she replied simply and stood up; hiding the mobile inside of the leather jacket she was wearing. This time, she was wearing high black boots, dark blue skinny jeans and she had some kind of black shirt. Only the bottom of it was sticking out of the jacket. “He didn’t come. And stop with the bad life thing. It could have been worse, believe me.”

“What are you going to do to me today?” he asked, looking into her dark eyes. “Will you broke my arm or try to punch me in the face like you did yesterday?”

“All you have to do is ask and I can make it a reality,” she winked at him. “Relax, soldier. I’m not in a bitchy mood at the moment. Take your stuff and come with me,” she pointed at his jacket which served as a pillow. “Hurry up, boy. I also have other plans for today,” she clapped her hands. “Rise and shine!”

He didn’t say a word, only rolled his eyes at took the jacket. Bucky didn’t have any other things with him. He stole the jacket from a shop that day when he ran away from the bar, after that accident. Together, they went main room, where the keys to the bar were laying on a table. She took them and quickly ran up the stairs. Bucky did the same. When they were out, she locked the bar with all those keys, put them into a pocket and took out another pair of keys. Together they approached her motorcycle. Bucky was impressed. It was one of the newest models and it looked beastly. He smirked.

“Here’s the thing, Bucky,” she said his name softly. “We are going to my place – the only place safe for me and you,” she hopped on the bike and started it. She put on the sunglasses. Her head turned to him. “Come on, boy, we don’t have all day.” The man didn’t hesitate and jumped on the bike behind her. At first, he wasn’t sure if he could put his arms around her waist until he heard a soft chuckle. “Just wrap your arms around me. I won’t bite.”

“That is debatable,” he replied with a grin on his face and put his arms where they already should have been. When she was sure the man was holding tightly, they finally moved forward. The ride was smooth and adventurous. Without even realizing, his head was suddenly resting on her shoulder as he was watching the road. Izzy’s body firmed a little. That guy was feeling way too comfortable and she had to smile a little. After seven minutes of driving, their journey in front of an old small apartment house. It had four floors and there were no garages. She stopped the motorcycle near the sidewalk and turned off the motor.

Bucky let her go and left the bike. He quickly fixed his long brown hair and looked around. It was a calm street a poor one but in the end, it was better than nothing. “What’s the matter, Bucky? You didn’t enjoy the ride?” she asked, mocking him a little. “Did it make you nauseous?”

“Not at all,” he shook his head and took a deep breath. “You are a great driver.”

“I know,” she winked at him. “You were way too comfortable back there,” she giggled. “Now let’s go,” she patted his left shoulder, signalizing him to follow her. Together, they went into the building, heading to the stairs. “I live on the top floor. It’s not big and it’s not small either.” While they were approaching her flat, she explained everything. “The neighbors are fine. Everyone mind their own business and you should too.” When they were finally there, both of them were loudly breathing. “This building has a huge advantage – the walls pretty thick, so when you are climaxing, you can be pretty loud.”

Bucky’s eyes saw the damaged walls and dirt in the hallways. It wasn’t pleasant, but everything was better than sleeping somewhere on the street or in a bar. He even ignored the last sentence she had said. When she opened the door to her apartment, he was surprised. The flat was clean and she even had furniture. The first thing he saw was the kitchen and living room put together in one room. The kitchen unit wasn’t new, but the doors were re-painted. There was a massive rounded table where were guns and knives, waiting to be folded and sharpened. There were two other doors. His eyes also founded a pretty big comfortable sofa and a television surrounded by a cabinet and a small bookshelf.

“This is where I live,” she closed the door behind them. “As you can see, this is the kitchen slash living room. The furniture is not new, well most of it. The door to the right, near the wall,” she pointed at them, “is leading to the bathroom. The other one, closer to the kitchen are for the bedroom – my bedroom.”

“Why are you doing this?” he asked her without thinking. “You don’t know me and…”

“Shut up, will you?” she sounded annoyed. “You agreed to this and I’ve already told you the reason. Now, listen,” she continued with her previous talk. “You are sleeping on the couch and this one is much more comfortable than the one back in the pub,” she breathed and turned to him. “Boy, you are one lucky bastard today.”

Bucky bit his lower lip. “How can I repay you?” he looked into the dark eyes. Now he could see them better. They weren’t black, only dark brown. When she was looking at him, he felt a soft pinch somewhere deep inside of him.

She didn’t respond. Izzy quickly ran to her bedroom and came back with a blue towel and a clean black shirt. “Now, you can replay be taking a shower, because you really need one. Then you can put this shirt one – it belonged to one guy I banged with like two years ago,” she playfully rolled her eyes and tossed him the things. “I believe there’s shower gel for men in the bathroom. Probably Rick’s, I’m not sure.”

“Why are you so nice to me?”

She stopped for a moment and took a second before she answered. “Because, a few years ago, I was in the same position as you are now,” she cleared her throat. “No more questions. Be glad you are here. One more word and I can kick you out. I don’t give a fuck,” she crumbled her shoulders.

Bucky took a deep breath. “Thanks, Izzy,” his lips crooked into a smile. Without any other word, he went to the bathroom and locked the doors.

The raven-haired girl sighed, biting her lower lip. She made a soft moan of irritation and finally moved to the kitchen table where she had all the guns and knives. She took a hundred dollar bill and put it on top of the weapons. She quickly grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from a tea table and wrote a short note for the man. Izzy needed to leave the apartment as soon as possible. She had a work to do. The girl put a spare key into the lock and quickly left her flat, leaving Bucky alone.

There was no time for conversation or showing him everything like he was a baby. She needed to work and her customers won’t wait forever. Being a badass bitch was a good thing and with her skills and attitude she always earned a lot of money. Today, her new targets were in Georgetown and Conway and she should be gone until midnight.

Bucky took a very long, hot bath. He could be there as long as he wanted, as he needed. No one was forcing him to quit or to hurry up. There was nothing better than a hot water running down his skin, making him forget about the present and the past. His every muscle was loosening up. He could choose if he wanted a shower or take a bath. It was all in one. Another positive in the bathroom was the bathtub. It was very long. Even two people could fit there. Bucky could stretch his long, tired legs. This was like heaven for him. He knew he must do something nice for the girl. This wasn’t just a small help, no. This meant a lot to him.

After half an hour, when he was all clean and relaxed, he finished the bath and dried his firm body with the towel she gave him. Then he wrapped the wet but still soft material around his waist and came closer to the steamy mirror. His hand got rid of the steam and he looked at his reflection. The tired eyes were still there; however, his face looked brighter and happier. Someone helped a monster like him to start a new life. Maybe it won’t be that amazing; at least it’s a better life than it was before.

He put on the clean shirt and the underwear. He needed new clothes as soon as possible. When he got out of the bathroom and his mouth opened to say something, his baby blue eyes found the apartment empty. Izzy was not there. She must had left while he was taking a bath. This gave Bucky the opportunity to check the rooms and discover something new about the woman. There were no photos of her and other people. There was a probability she never had a family. There were no flowers or decoration. The walls were dark yellow and the floors were wooden. The brunet came to the table where all the unfolded guns were. His eyes found a note and a hundred dollar bill.

Buy some clothes and perhaps food (just go down the street). Don’t thank me. I.

Bucky’s lips crooked into a light smile. That girl had a style and he was thankful for it. He didn’t wait any longer. The man took the money, quickly put on some clothes and went shopping. He even found the spare key she had left him in the lock.

…

A man landed with a crash on a glass table. It shattered under his weight, making him moan and grunt from strong pain. His mouth was open, eyes were closed and blood appeared on his hands and the floor. Some slashes were heavily bleeding and his back hurt like hell. This visitor was a big surprise from him and the worst part was he didn’t even know her. “Fuck! Shit!” he mumbled, trying to catch his breath. He felt the warm liquid flowing down his arms onto the floor where it mixed with the rest of the blood. “Who the fuck are you? What do you want from me?” his eyes found a woman, comfortably sitting on his white couch and she was playing with a knife in her hand. “I don’t know you! I don’t own you any money! I didn’t do anything.”

Izzy took a deep breath and her dark eyes scanned his shaking body. His gurgling was annoying. She took out a mobile from her pocket and set a timer in one minute. She stood up from the couch and came closer to him. “Honey, you have one minute,” she showed him the time on the device, “to answer your own question. I believe you know the answer. If you don’t answer until the end of the time, my knife will meet your throat,” and she pressed the start button.

A tear of sweat ran down his forehead. His eyes were looking at the female version of a devil. The black-haired girl had a wide smile on her lips and she was obviously enjoying every second it. “I- I,” he was babbling. “Please, no,” he begged. “I’ll do anything!”

“Thirty seconds!” she reminded him the time. “Come on, big boy. I know you want to live. All you have to do is say it.”

Before the time was up, he gritted his teeth and said, “It’s Don, isn’t it? That fucking bastard! We had a deal! This is not my fault! He said I have time until the end of this month! Why would…?” and then he stopped, realizing, it was another issue. “Fuck, fuck! I slept with his daughter,” and after those last words, the time was up and the phone started to ring.

Izzy took a step back and hid the knife back to its case. “Bravo, big boy. You are going to live,” she smirked at him. “And it wasn’t that difficult, was it?” She let him stand up while her legs started to roam around the apartment, checking all the fancy paintings and expensive statues. When the man was finally up, Izzy quickly jumped to him and roughly grabbed him by his balls, squeezing them hard. He screamed. “What’s the matter? Does it hurt?”

“Fuck, you bitch,” his voice was high-pitched and tears appeared in his eyes.

“What? I didn’t get that,” her evil eyes blinked and Izzy started to laugh. “Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad!”

“Stop, please, stop I’ll give you anything you want!” he caught his breath and the girl finally let his balls be. He pushed his legs together and slowly sat on into an armchair. He was panting, making faces from the pain. “He made his point,” the man whispered. “You made yours. Take what you want and leave me, please.”

“Promise?” Izzy stretched her arms. “We can play a little longer if you want.”

“No, I don’t want to play with you. Fuck,” he sighed, “my balls!”

The black-haired girl licked her lips. This man was giving up way too easily and it wasn’t fun at all. “As you wish,” she nodded and in a second, her fist met his face. It was a very hard punch. It brought the man to a state of unconsciousness. She knew where to punch him and how to do it. There was no time for killing. Only a blood was running down from his nose. “Ah, now, this is done. It’s time to collect my personal reward.”

The man, Don – a famous gangster in South Carolina, gave her five hundred dollars for this action. He didn’t want to send any of his men. He knew the girl and the references from his friends were respectable and valuable. Because her new victim said she can take anything, Izzy started to collect some useful things. She found his wallet with three hundred dollars, an expensive Rolex watch of color black and a new phone, not even used before.

The girl went to his bedroom, which was like the size of the man’s living room. She found a black sports bag where she put all those stolen things. Because she had a guy in her apartment, who didn’t have many clothes, Izzy took some clean underwear, socks and expensive trousers with shirts. Stealing was like a hobby for her. When she ended in an apartment where a rich guy was, she always had to steal something – money, alcohol, even his dignity. Usually, it was money. Today, she needed much more things. There was one more thing she had to do before she could leave. The girl took a picture of that man, who was deeply sleeping thanks to her fist. It was a proof for Don that her job was done just like he wanted.

After a couple of minutes, she was down in the garage sector with a huge smile on her pink lips. She put the bag on her back and came to her motorcycle. Before she could hop on it, her phone rang. She took out the device and accepted the call. “Hey sexy,” she said, greeting Rick. “How is it going?”

-Nothing much,- he said quietly. -I have some bad news, sweetheart and you are not going to like them.-

Izzy heard cars passing by. He was standing outside, most probably alone. “What’s going on?” her voice changed from sweet to serious.

-Almost an hour ago, two men came to my bar. They were looking for your new puppy. Both of them were wearing tuxes and one of them had a weird accent, like a Russian one. They had shown me a photo and asked me if I knew him. I think they’ll be back soon. What are we going to do?-

Izzy’s stomach turned over and her body firmed a little. She sat on the bike, her hand still holding the phone. “What did you tell them?”

-I told them only my man saw this guy in Columbia a week ago and that he was heading to Atlanta I also told I’ve never seen him in my bar .-

“Good,” she took a deep breath. “They can’t find him, Rick. If they do, we are fucked up. Well, mostly I am. Fucking shit. I’m leaving Conway in a few minutes. I’ll see you at ten tonight. If anything changes, let me know.” After that, the line went dead and she looked at her device. There was no time for thinking. Firstly, she sent the picture to Don. Subsequently, she started up the motorcycle and went back to Charleston. Driving for two hours wasn’t something unusual. She loved her motorcycle so much and driving was her second favorite thing. The first one was sex.

Two and a half hour later – she needed to stop at a gas station because she was way too hungry – Izzy was back in Charleston, leaving her bike in front of The Raven. Still having the bag on her back, she went down the stairs, entering the pub with a bright smile on her face.
“Look who it is,” Rick smirked a little when he stopped his conversation with one of his friends. “Miss World, welcome back!”

“I know,” Izzy came to the bar and sat on a free barstool between two guys. “I would win the competition,” she joked. “You don’t have to be blond and skinny. You just need to be me. Give me a glass of whiskey, will ya?” she sent him an air kiss.

“Whisky? What happened to you, Iz? No beer, no vodka today?” he grabbed the first bottle of quality whiskey and poured it into a bigger glass. “You are smiling like never before. That’s very creepy,” the Raven was mocking her. He set the glass in front of her and the woman quickly drank it. “Wow, you’ve been really thirsty. Tell me what happened today.”

“Oh, you know, I had a really long hard day, I needed a drink and now, I’ll be leaving home. I have a lot of work to do these days. I’m going to Savannah tomorrow morning because I have a lunch meeting with a client. When I’m done there, I’m moving to Jacksonville where I have a very important mission. I’ll be back in two days,” she explained him. “Oh, and one more thing,” she took off the bag and started to dig in it. Her fingers found what she was looking for. “Tada,” the woman sang, showing him the black Rolex watch. “These are for you.”

“Wow,” he was surprised and took the unexpected gift from the girl. “Look at me,” he laughed, “I’ll be like a businessman with them.” Rick showed his new gift to his friends, sitting next to Izzy. She took the chance and quickly, without noticing, sneaked away from the bar. The Raven deserved those watch for everything he did for her – helping her in need, giving her money and just being her only friend. She could trust him. He was the one who helped her when she was down on her knees.

The short ride home was calm, peaceful and the police were nowhere around. Izzy parked the bike near the sidewalk and went home. It was strange when she heard a sound of a TV coming from behind the entrance door. She opened it, went inside and saw the brunet, sitting on the couch, his eyes focusing on the screen. Like it was something he has never seen before. He was wearing different clothes. Obviously, he found the local cheap clothing store and bought something to wear. “Hey,” Izzy greeted him neutrally, taking off her shoes, bag, and the leather jacket.

Bucky’s head quickly turned to her. “Hi,” he whispered. His mouth stayed open, not knowing what to say. His eyes were checking her every move. Izzy opened the bag and took out what she had there.

“Here you go,” the girl tossed him various types of clothing. “I had a great day,” she winked at him. “You are welcome by the way and save the thanking speech for now,” and with that, Izzy hid in her room, closing the door behind her.

Bucky checked the clothing. There were some shirts and the size was pretty much his. He found there shorts, socks – everything useful. It was a miracle, a gift that couldn’t be repaid. When he stood up from the sofa, the door to Izzy’s room opened and she came out only wearing a very old long shirt, exposing her legs. “Hey, thanks for the clothing. Listen, I’ve been thinking…”

“Second thoughts?” her eyebrows lifted up and she crossed arms over her breasts. Her very long black hair was brushed in a messy bun and she looked differently. Also, she wasn’t wearing any make-up. The girl still looked beautiful. “Look, the door is there,” her head made a move towards the entrance. “You are free to go.”

“Look, I’m the most wanted man on the planet – I think. You are definitely not safe with me. If they find me, they will find you and put you in jail for helping me. I’m not going to lie, I wanted to leave today. But when I thought about it for the second time,” he dryly gulped, “I’m glad that you gave me a roof over my head. And, I would feel better if I know how to repay you. You may be dead inside,” he had a playful grin on his face and surprisingly, her lips crooked into a tiny smile, “but I’d like to do something for you. If I’m going to stay…”

“For now,” she stopped him, “don’t get into any trouble. When I’ll need your help, when I find a job for you, I’ll let you know. Then you can pay me back.” The woman passed by him and her eyes found the guns on the table clean and folded. She turned to him and looked into his eyes. “Nice job. Where did you learn that?”

“Well, I’m the Winter Soldier. And also, it was a long time ago,” he whispered, turned on a heel and went back to the couch, sitting down and focusing his mind on the TV. There was a show running and it was getting interesting.

Izzy put her thumb to her lips, sticking the nail between the teeth. She was looking at him from the table. If only he knew. She could tell him right now, but that would be the biggest mistake. It’s up to him, up to his brain. They were looking for him. It would be dangerous for both of them, if he knew all the facts or if he would leave Charleston. Without any further ado, she went to the fridge where she took out some food and once again, Izzy went back to her room. There was a brand new mobile waiting for her and she needed to change the card and set the device for her needs. The old phone would belong to the soldier.

When the food was eaten, she went back to the kitchen where she put the trash into the bin. “Listen,” the raven-haired girl started a short conversation. “I won’t be here next night,” she went to a cabinet near the round table. When she opened it, there were bullets, various medicine, and bottles of pure alcohol. Once again, her dark brown eyes looked at him. Bucky was blown away by the TV and she smiled. “Try to not make a mess here,” her voice changed from soft to serious. Her hands were working with the reservoir, filling it with bullets. “Don’t forget it is still my place.”

The blue-eyed man turned to her and saw what she was doing. “Why do you need guns?” he asked.

“They are a part of my job,” she said, not looking at him, eyes once again locked on the reservoir.

“You kill people?”

A chuckle escaped her throat. “Mostly not, but yeah, I do. I always did.”

There was the deepest silence they’ve ever experienced. While Bucky was looking at her, eyes scanning her figure, she just focused on her work. The truth was, Izzy was a very attractive woman for him. As a man, he could tell that to himself. Seeing her in clothes like those she was wearing, made his pants tighten. “I think I know what’s going through your mind,” he broke the silence. “It’s wrong in every way and yet you still do it. Every time you pull the trigger or do it with your bare hands, you regret it.”

“No, every time I pull the trigger I enjoy it.” Izzy banged everything that she was holding against the table. She wasn’t used to this – sharing a flat with someone, talking about regrets and feelings. This was all new to her. Yes, she had to help him, but that doesn’t mean she will change for some guy. “Look, if I want to talk about my feelings and shit, I’d go to the Oprah show.” When she finally looked at him, the man was confused. “Eh, never mind.”

Their conversation has ended. From that moment, the two of them weren’t speaking. Izzy let everything be and just went to the bathroom where she took a long shower. When she was done, all clean and dressed up, she went back to the guns. Bucky was standing in the kitchen, drinking water. His back was facing hers. Before she went to bed, the girl gave him a spare pillow and a warm blanket for the night. She went to bed after midnight. The new day was slowly coming and she needed some rest.

Notes