Captain John Price x Reader

Sixteen

With a grim expression on his bearded face, Pride smuggled you into the cell, in which the hostage was kept locked away.

Before he entered himself, he looked around to make sure that nobody was to be seen.

You appreciated his thoroughness and the fact that he handled the thinking. Not that you didn't think at all, but you preferred to waste as little thoughts as possible and usually taking action was a lot easier anyways.

"Hello there.", you flashed her a broad smile.

It was best to make yourself seem as harmless and polite as possible. It would be even better if she thought you were on her side.

Letting out a low growl, the woman raised her head to face you.

She was chained to the chair she was sitting in, both legs tied, while a thick metal chain was wrapped around her torso and lower body. Her hands were cuffed to the table so that she had some sort of stability.

But it wasn't comfortable by any means.

"Why am I still alive?", she asked without skipping a beat.

Immediately, you noticed her accent again.

She really was American, it was easy to tell.

Even Price seemed to be a little surprised how audible her nationality was. As someone who grew up with the English language as his mother tongue, he must have noticed the accent even quicker.

"You're from the south.", he noted and grabbed the collar of his vest to pull it down in his usual, relaxed manner. "Georgia?"

Her lips flinched.

Gently, he rocked back and forth on his heels.

At first you had thought that it was a sign of restlessness or stress. But after watching him for a while you had noticed that he was training his balance, the core of his body.

It was a common military technique, easy yet efficient. By balancing his weight on two points of his body he taught himself how to stand solid once the ground wasn't stable underneath his feet no more.

You had done it many times in basic training, but after years on the battlefield it was just a memory of the past.

Like a game.

Without acknowledging that he was in the room, the woman pulled a face and turned to you.

"You should kill me.", she said.

You tilted your head, curious.

"Why would I do that?", you asked.

"Because the Americans will get me. And then I will convince them that you are the enemy."

"Yeah, I've heard about that already. But I hate to disappoint you. Officially, I'm an ally."

"Sucks to be you right now, innit?", Price stepped closer to her to appear more threatening.

After all, he was playing the bad cop.

The woman pulled her head in. She was visibly intimidated by this huge, bearded man who had a look on his face as if he wanted to kill her with bare hands.

The fact that he was dressed like a killer didn't make it any easier for her.

With a chuckle, you placed a hand on his chest to hold him back. In that moment you realised just how much strength his body held.

Despite the bulletproof vest that was covering his entire torso, it was easy to feel the movements of his muscles underneath. Whenever he moved, the vest moved as well, as if he was a volcano and the shore answered to it.

"Calm down, beanie.", you said to him but kept an eye on her. "I'm sure she is a reasonable woman."

He pulled a face. Either he really was mad or he was a damn good actor.

No matter what it was, in the end, he played his part perfectly.

"Fuckin' hell, captain, I thought you wanted answers.", he growled. "This is bloody bullshit! She's a hostage. Treat her as such."

You pushed him to take a step back, away from her.

"I do, but let's stay civil."

Her posture softened a little.

"I won't tell you anything.", she insisted.

You sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. You won't tell us anything, you'd rather die, we should shoot you now. Same old story, really...", with a swift movement you pulled back the empty chair in front of her and turned it to sit. "Listen, this is nothing new to us."

"Then you should know that this is a waste of time."

"I'll show you what a waste is!", Price growled and wanted to approach her again.

This time, you were sitting too low to push him back.
You grabbed his hand instead.

Rough, dusty gloves pressed into the palm of your hand.

He had long fingers, not particularly thick nor slim, but just right for a man his size, with hands that looked like paws.

Out of reflex, his fingers wrapped around yours and gave them a gentle squeeze.

You didn't know why, but that small, unimportant gesture made your heart skip a beat.

An uneven breath escaped you.

But you quickly shook that warmth off again.

"You're a smart woman, no?", you asked her with a soft expression on your face.

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't respond.

Price punched the table.

The impact was so hard that a dent was left inside the metal surface.

"Impressive...", you mumbled with raised eyebrows. "But I like men who are as rough as their faces."

She snorted.

"You're a weird one.", she said, but quickly turned back to the topic. "I am a smart woman."

Pleased, you smiled.

"Good. Very good indeed.", you hummed. "Now... I'm sorry, I missed your name."

For a moment, she hesitated.

"Karina."

"Very well, Karina. Here's the deal. You're not some third world country citizen, which means people are willing to bargain for your life. The CIA is coming to pick you up."

Her face froze.

"The CIA?"

"Yes. And no one can keep them from bringing you back to the States. But we might be able to put in a good word for you."

Price's eyes narrowed.

"They'll get rid of her as soon as she crossed the border.", he said.

You knew exactly that he was trying to frighten her.
And it worked.

Horror lit up inside her eyes.

"No...", she mumbled. "No!"

"Yes.", you shrugged. "But there might be a possibility."

"You have intel we need.", Price continued in his low voice. "Help us out and we help you."

"Exactly.", you smiled. "Maybe we can save each other."