Chasing Ghosts | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 92: You Don't Have To Be Sorry For Doing It On Your Own

First of all; hi guys, welcome back! Second, this may or may not take you more than an hour to read because it is hella long again (please grab a snack) and I therefore did not proof-read so I'm sure there are some mistakes. And third; despite it being the briefest mention, I have to say that this chapter mentions suicide (again, very, very briefly). That being said, please leave comments and update me on your lives! 

July 14, 2024 

There were two girls instead of one on the backseat of their Audi that afternoon, and there would be two for the next three months. It was weird, to say the least. Katya could not stop glancing in the rearview mirror as she drove into the city, the girls' soft chatter filling her ears.

Taking in another girl was definitely not on their schedule. They were supposed to be holiday planning; looking for fun things to do around their holiday home, buy pool floaties, and Katya was supposed to take the break she promised Natasha; letting everything with her mom settle down, give it time to process.

But priorities had shifted, their help was needed once more, so they threw all those plans out the window and made new ones.

Easy when you're spy-trained to adapt quickly and be flexible.

Luckily, Jordyn had started to warm up to them too. It went incredibly slowly, her anxiety in the way most of the time, but she spoke up every now and then. She'd dared to ask Katya if she'd called her work yet and settled everything with her boss, and she'd told Natasha her shirt looked nice.

Most of the time, though, she was silent and tense, afraid of overstepping or doing something wrong. She was used to getting yelled at, probably. In a way, she acted a lot like Maya when she first came home; constantly feeling a need to prove herself so she could stay; be useful. A survival instinct that played up but Katya hoped would settle down soon, hopefully as the days progressed and Jordyn learned this family's routines and habits.

''Don't be nervous.'' Maya's reassuring voice reached Katya's ears, not meant for her, but rather for the new best friend she'd made. ''My mom will talk to yours and it'll be fine.''

But despite her best efforts, Jordyn shook her head. ''My mom is not going to let me leave that easily.'' Her gaze stayed locked on things within the car, never daring to glance outside and see how close they were to their destination.

''Then you haven't met my mom. She can convince pretty much anyone of anything.''

''Which is incredibly sexy,'' Natasha muttered under her breath; too soft for the girls to hear, but loud enough for Katya.

Talking to Jordyn's mother wasn't something the brunette looked forward to. It made the most sense that it would be her, but she wished she could push Natasha inside that house and throw the door closed behind her. Not fair exactly, but she started to get tired of difficult conversations filled with heavy stuff. Stupid, yes, especially since she was the one in need of those talks usually, but her brain needed a serious break after this. More serious than the one before this.

Katya suppressed a sigh when she parked the car in front of the small house, hating the silence that took over once the engine, radio, and aircon died. Right after lunch, like right now, the sun burned on the black paint of their family car relentlessly despite it only being July. Sweat immediately gathered in her hands once that cool flow of air-conditioned wind stopped, but that could also be the growing nerves.

Her body turned around in the leather seat, catching Jordyn's gaze without trouble. And that's when she realized she wasn't the most nervous one. ''I want you to know that I'm going in there without prejudice. I want to hear her out first.'' Even though she had her opinion at the ready, there were always two sides to the story, no matter how much she trusted Jordyn's word. Call it leftover training from working in the intelligence business.