Tangled Paths | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 7: I knew him

7
I knew him

Bohemian Bar, Brooklyn NYC May 5th, 2015

It was a busy late afternoon, people of all classes shuffled in and out of the bar to eat, have drinks, and use the bathroom on their commute. Darla wiped down the horseshoe bar with a wet rag and a spray bottle of cleaner. She was sporting a black short sleeve blouse and a pair of black yoga pants. She paired the outfit with some brown booties and gold bracelets. Her dirty blonde chest-length hair hung in beach curls that framed her face. Hidden under which was an earpiece. Darla slowly made her way around the room cleaning tables and listening to conversations in hopes to overhear something useful.

A new group of people shuffled inside and sat up at the bar, another man followed who'd shed assumed as part of their group and had just come in after them. Darla made her way back behind the bar and took notice that the man didn't sit with the group, instead he sat two seats down toward the middle of the horseshoe. Since the group had come in first she took their orders and made their drinks, once satisfied that they were taken care of Darla approached the long dark-haired man who sat alone, his black baseball cap obstructed his eyes. Darla grabbed a glass and then turned to him.

"What can I get you sugar?" Darla asked.
"Double of whisky, neat." the man replied. All of the hairs on Darla's body stood on end when she heard his voice. She stared at him for a moment then attempted to shake the feeling and turned to make his drink.
"Do you want to start a Tab?" Darla asked. The man cleared his throat.
"Sure." He replied as she finished. She nodded and turned around to hand him his drink, when she did his steely blue eyes locked with hers. He carefully took the glass from her and placed it down in front of him.
"Thank you, excuse my staring but you look like someone I used to know" he stated, not looking away from her. Darla's heart began to race, she cleared her throat and looked away from him, then grabbed a rag.
"Oh yeah, what was her name?" She asked as she wiped the bar with the cloth.
"Darla." He spoke.

Without even realizing what she was doing Darla reached for her gun underneath the bar. She pulled it out quickly and popped two shots off at Bucky but he ducked down and the bullets hit the front windows causing them to shatter. The whole bar turned into a riot of people running and ducking down. Before Darla could get another shot off Bucky grabbed the barrel of her gun with his metal arm and crushed it so she couldn't fire.

Darla let out a frustrated grunt as she took a moment to assess her busted gun. "I hear gunshots on your location. Do you need backup Agent Grant?" A female voice came through her earpiece. Blinded by anger and rage she ignored her coms and dove over the bar while she drew her fist back to collide with Bucky's face. Bucky stopped Darla's fist by catching it in his own. He locked his grip around it and pulled her all the way over the bar and attempted to get a better look at her.

There was no mistake that this was in fact Darla, and the question was how but he didn't have time to question that at the moment. Darla's back collided with the floor effectively knocking the wind out of her as Bucky attempted to cease her attack. "Can't we just talk about this?" Bucky strained as he fought off the blows she was dealing with her left hand while continuing to hold her right down. Darla brought her knee up with all the force she could and effectively struck Bucky in the balls. A raw pain flowed through him which caused him to groan and drop her fist.

Darla took the opportunity to weasel her way out from underneath him. She dove across the bar once more and reached for a bottle. She cracked it against the counter causing the bottom half of it to shatter and what alcohol that was left in it to erupt across the bar and floor. Someone left in the bar let out a scream. More people ran out of the bar. Bucky rose to his feet, now visibly angry which set Darla off even further. She jumped atop the bar with a complete disregard for the broken glass and lunged at Bucky with the broken bottle. Blinded to her surroundings.