Branded For Ruin

Part 15

            The aroma of cookies filtered throughout the house as you pulled the snickerdoodle cookies from the oven. You smiled at how the cookies turned out, and you placed them on a plate to bring to your neighbor, Grace Rumlow. She seemed nice when you met her when you first moved in. It had been a few weeks, and you wanted to do something nice for her. Tugging on your jacket and boots, you grabbed the plate of cookies and stepped out the door. A sprinkle of snow covered the ground. You had remembered to tell Mark you were going out this time. Last time, he had freaked out and yelled at you. You knew he was just trying to protect you, and you promised him you would tell him everywhere you went. He was scary when he yelled.

The decorations on the outside of the Rumlow home were beautiful. A few reindeer decorations littered the yard, and you could see their Christmas tree through one of their windows. A porch swing that was painted the same blue looked inviting and you walked up to the door with a smile. After rapping on the door a few times, Grace opened the door with a grin.

"Y/n!" She beamed. "Come in! I need someone to keep me company."

You followed her inside and you were meet with warmth. Small Christmas decorations were atop the fireplace. A small fire was crackling in the fireplace. Her house looked homey and cozy. She took the cookies from you and set them on the counter.

"So, how's life with Mark been?" She asked as she started making some hot cocoa for the both of you.

"Amazing. He's very kind and has given me anything I could ever imagine. It might seem kind of weird, but I don't remember much before Mark." You said with a shrug.

Grace turned toward you and nodded in understanding. "I can't remember much before Brock either. And he's also given me everything."

She handed you a mug of hot cocoa and you two wandered toward the couch. After sitting in silence for a while, you looked at Grace.

"Do you ever feel like a memory from before is right on the edge of your mind, but you can't quite grasp it and it's just so frustrating?" You asked before taking another sip of your cocoa, savoring the flavor.

Grace wouldn't meet your eyes. She stared at her drink, the steam wisping into the air. With a sigh, she began to speak. "Can I tell you something?"

You brought your mug to your lap. "Of course."

"Follow me to the porch swing." She said heaving herself off the couch before walking toward the door.

You followed her to the porch swing, wondering why she suddenly became serious and wanted to go outside. Maybe the swing calmed her? You weren't one to judge. The swing did look pretty cozy. Taking a seat beside her, you both started to rock, a soft sensation filled your stomach at the movement. It was calming.

"Sometimes I do remember." She spoke quietly.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

She tightened her grip on her mug. "Every time I tell Brock something I've remembered; he gets angry and injects me with something. Then my memories grow fuzzy, and I can't remember them anymore. Now I've stopped telling him, just trying to please him. I-I don't think I'm supposed to be here. I think he kidnapped me. I remember bits and pieces of my life before, but it's not all there. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I think Mark did the same to you."

You looked at Grace wide eyed and stared at one of the reindeer decorations. "No, Mark couldn't possibly. H-he wouldn't do that. He's been nothing but kind to me."

"I've been waiting to tell someone about this, but everyone in town works for them. You have to believe me, and you have to try to remember about your life before."

You mind was buzzing with thoughts. Could Mark really have kidnapped you? And if he did, what other things would he do? "What should we do?"

Grace slumped against the swing. "We really can't do anything. Their men are everywhere. There's no way we can leave town. The best we could do is pray and wait for a miracle."

~~~~~

"Well, what did you get?" Bucky asked looking over Sam's shoulder.

Sam pushed Bucky away from him. "Dude, seriously, personal space. I can't concentrate when you're breathing all over me. I'm not as tech savvy as Stark, so give me a minute."

Bucky frowned and began pacing. Sam was tracing the fingerprints with one of Stark's scanners. It was a lot of work and Bucky was waiting as patiently as he could for Sam to scan the prints from the letter and find him someplace in the world. The technology was extremely advanced, and Sam barely knew how to work it. Not to mention their budget wasn't exactly what they needed to accomplish such a task.

"How about now?" Bucky pestered peering over Sam's shoulder again.

Sam let out a sigh of frustration and glared at Bucky. "Why don't you go take a walk, and I'll call you when I've got something, okay?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Bucky sighed. "Yeah, okay. I'll, uh, I'll go take a walk. Come on Alpine."

Alpine leaped off the couch with a meow and followed Bucky out the door. Bucky took in the streets bursting with holiday cheer, but he couldn't seem to smile, not without you. A couple people were singing carols, their voices lifting up in the chilly air, but Bucky could barely make out the words. Alpine trailed behind him, watching his owner with interest. Bucky stopped in from of an unfamiliar doughnut shop.

"Let's get some doughnuts and cocoa to bring back to Sam. What do you say?" Bucky asked looking at his companion.

Alpine meowed in response, and Bucky set him in his coat before entering the shop. As Bucky walked up to the counter to order, the barista eyed Bucky warily.

"Hi." Bucky said with a tight-lipped smile. "Can I have a—"

"No animals allowed." The bored man interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Bucky questioned with a slight frown.

"No animals allowed in here." He repeated with a small smile.

Bucky reached for his phone. "He's my service animal. I have the verification on my phone. Let me just—"

"I don't care if that cat has a license to drive. No animals allowed soldier boy." The man said not even trying to hide his smile.

Bucky's fists clenched at his sides, and he held back a growl. Unclenching his fists, Bucky let out a deep breath. "I guess I'll take my business elsewhere. Good day, sir."

Bucky growled that last part before storming out of the doughnut shop. Alpine purred against him, and Bucky hugged Alpine close to him. "People are such jerks. I'll be sure to give this place a horrible review, that's for sure."

"Hey you!"

Bucky turned around and saw a man with perfect caramel hair running toward him.

"Are you friends with Y/n?"

Bucky eyed the man who was currently bent over trying to catch his breath, his exhales coming out in white puffs.

"Who wants to know?" Bucky questioned.

The man swallowed down another breath of air before looking at Bucky. "I'm Charles Blackwood, Y/n's neighbor. I want to help you. A few years ago, my old fiancée, Grace was taken by people like Mark, and I want to help someone get saved if I can. I want to save you the sorrow I went through. I, uh, also might be able to help with any expenses."