Deceitfully Devoted

Chapter 6

"Are you hurt?" Steve exclaimed as he rushed toward me. His eyes were wide in alarm as his hands scanned my body, looking for injuries. I winced as his hand brushed gently over my forehead. "Who did this?" he asked as his eyes darkened.

"Oh, this?" I asked, motioning toward my head. "It's noth-"

"Don't try to downplay this," Steve said, shaking his head. "Who?"

"Rumlow," I sighed, looking at the ground. "And Pierce," I added, hesitantly. Steve inhaled sharply, his chest rising quickly. His jaw hardened as he looked around frustrated. His face winced as his eyes landed on my neck.

"And this?" he croaked apprehensively while his hands lightly traced the spot where the man with the metal arm had strangled me. I flinched, turning away from his touch as flashbacks of my intimate dance with death cascaded through my mind. I opened my mouth, staring at the ground, unable to find the words to tell him what exactly had caused those marks.

He made eye contact with Nat, who was gripping Sitwell by the arm. Nat raised her eyebrow, tilting her head slightly before motioning toward him. Steve closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before turning his attention back to me. He lowered his head, exhaling, as he softly placed his hands on my shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. He quickly turned around, storming toward Sitwell. He grabbed his arm, pushing him toward the building behind Nat.

"Woah, wait," Sam exclaimed, calling after Steve. "The car's parked that way."

"Change of plans," Steve sneered over his shoulder. "Natasha," he called, as he continued walking toward the building.

Nat gave a lopsided grin, making eye contact with Sam before turning to run after Steve and Sitwell. Sam and I exchanged a confused look and quickly followed behind them.

"You wanna tell us what's going on?" Sam called ahead as we entered the building. Steve was already leading Sitwell up the first flight of stairs, Nat following closely behind.

"Take the elevator. Get off on the second to last floor. Take her with you," Steve instructed as he continued to climb. "Wait for my signal."

I pulled my eyebrows together, glancing at Sam again. His forehead was wrinkled as he looked down at me, pausing as his eyes drifted to the hallway. He nodded once and gestured toward the elevator.

We entered the elevator without saying a word. Sam quickly looked over the floor buttons, punching the one second from the top. Crossing my arms, I leaned against the elevator wall. I watched the numbers flip as we climbed higher, trying to dismiss the events of the past few hours. I closed my eyes, tilting my head back. My body ached from all of the torment it had endured at the hands of those men.

I could feel Sam staring at me from across the elevator. I let out a sigh, louder than intended as I opened my eyes meeting his stare. He quickly shifted, turning his head as he cleared his throat. The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Sam turned to the open doors, motioning for me to move forward.

"You good?" he asked as he followed me into the hallway.

"What?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"I asked if you were okay," he said quietly. His phone buzzed, causing me to jump slightly.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I lied, crossing my arms and chewing on my lower lip. Sam pulled out his phone, checking his message. He shook his head, staring at the screen before looking up at me.

"Natasha said to find a window and watch for her signal," he said, showing me the text. I drew my brows together as I started scanning the hallway for a window. "Hey. Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot and everything-"