*Thud.*
The bedroom door was flung open, and two figures tangled together tumbled directly onto the massive two-meter bed.
Locke and Natasha lay there together.
Natasha rolled over.
“Want to go check out my place?” Natasha whispered, nibbling on Locke’s ear.
Locke thought for a moment, then nodded.
“It’s been a while.
Sure, let’s go.”
With that, Locke unlocked the door of his Audi A8 and drove Natasha toward her home.
Natasha’s home was originally located in a scenic, picturesque spot.
But over the years, the dense trees on the mountain had vanished.
They hadn’t died out naturally; rather, Natasha frequently hired professional loggers to prune and trim the mountain’s foliage.
Though it was somewhat barren now, it had a unique, stark beauty.
Natasha led Locke along a small creek toward the house.
“Since you’re here, you’d better stay a little longer this time.”
Locke nodded.
“Of course.”
He pushed the door open.
Although there were some weathering marks on the steps outside, the interior was clean, cozy, and tidy, free of any musty odor.
It was clear that Natasha was a homebody who returned to check on the place often.
However…
Locke frowned slightly.
“Have you brought anyone else here recently?”
Natasha rolled her eyes at him.
“Ever since you first came here, I haven’t brought a single soul.”
Locke nodded, scanning the room.
“Then why is there no dust?”
“Can’t I come back on my own?” Natasha sighed.
“Since you got married, if I want to come back, I can only do it alone.”
Locke believed her, then looked up at the ceiling.
“It looks like the roof is leaking.”
“Is it?” Natasha glanced up.
“There’s a creek right next to us, and the air is damp today.
It’s probably going to rain.”
Locke held out a hand to sense the ambient moisture, then nodded.
“It is indeed going to rain.
And from the looks of it, a heavy rain.”
“A downpour,” Natasha corrected.
As soon as she spoke, a torrential downpour came crashing down.
Seeing this, Natasha quickly led Locke toward the bedroom.
“It’s pouring.
Locke hummed in agreement.
It didn’t look like the rain would stop anytime soon, so taking a break was a good idea.
***
The next day, early morning.
Natasha, wearing an oversized men’s T-shirt instead of her usual tight bodysuit, walked out of the bedroom.
She smiled at Locke, who was already sitting at the bar counter.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” Locke looked up at the newly awake Natasha, smiled, and placed the freshly made breakfast on the counter.
“Breakfast is ready.
Dig in.”
Natasha walked over and sat on a barstool.
“I am pretty hungry.
Want a drink?” She pointed at the bottle of Thunder Bourbon beside him.
Natasha raised an eyebrow.
“Are you allowed to drink during work hours?”
Locke shrugged.
“Last year, no.
This year, yes.”
Last year, he was just a junior agent with no autonomy.
But this year, he was a senior agent leading his own team.
Natasha took a slice of bread with an egg in it and waved her hand.
“You might be fine, but I can’t.
I have things to do later.”
Hearing this, Locke thought of Blade.
“Eric Brooks?”
“…”
Seeing Natasha stare at him in silence, Locke explained, “The guy acts so edgy.
I had to look into who he was.”
Natasha smiled.
“And what did you find?”
Locke smiled.
“What I can see is only what you guys want us to see.”
Eric Brooks, also known as Blade.
Locke had looked up his file, but it was obviously fake.
Locke had taken one glance and knew instantly that the public records on Blade had been meticulously fabricated by professionals.
Natasha finished her breakfast, picked up her hot coffee, and downed it in one gulp.
Then, she looked at Locke with a serious expression.
“Since we’re on the subject, Locke, I want you to hand over this case.
Locke didn’t reject the request outright, but he matched her serious gaze.
“Give me a reason.
A reason that would make me give up avenging my own men.”
“They are vampires.
They aren’t something you can handle, and this is out of your jurisdiction.”
“Brown doesn’t think so.” Locke shook his head.
“And so what if they’re vampires?
Are they really harder to deal with than mutants?”
It was true that SHIELD had rich experience dealing with extraordinary creatures, but the Sentinel Secret Service was no different.
Natasha said in a low voice, “Vampires are different from mutants.
Unlike mutants, who mostly work alone, vampires are pack animals.”
Locke shook his head, unmoved.
“Handing it over is out of the question.”
“Locke…”
“But we can collaborate.” Locke cut off Natasha as she tried to argue further, saying with a smile, “Five of my men are dead.
There is no way I’m letting this case go.
If I hand it over now, I might as well retire early.”
No agent would want to work under a boss who wouldn’t avenge them if they died.
Even if the ones who died were Brown’s men, Brown was his all-weather strategic ally.
If Locke actually abandoned this case, his relationship with Brown would certainly freeze over, if not break completely.
Plus, there were other reasons.
So, even if he wanted to hand this case over to SHIELD, it was impossible.
Natasha frowned at Locke’s words but remained silent.
Locke sipped his third glass of Thunder Bourbon of the morning and watched Natasha think in silence.
He didn’t want to yield the case, but he also coveted the Extraordinary Points harvested by Blade.
Therefore, combining their efforts through a partnership seemed like the best option.
Natasha pondered for a moment and looked up at Locke, who was waiting for her response.
“How would this collaboration work?”
“By exchanging what we each have, of course.” Locke looked at Natasha with a smile.
“If I’m not mistaken, your agency wouldn’t have dispatched the two of you just because a single informant died.”
The death of a lone informant wasn’t worth agents from the SHIELD Trident showing up in New York City.
To law enforcement agencies, informants were like toilet paper; once you used one sheet up, you just pulled another.
Natasha frowned and said nothing.
She was considering whether to share the information they currently had.
Locke didn’t press her.
He took her empty plate and placed it in the sink.
After a moment, Natasha snapped out of her thoughts and looked back at Locke.
“Can you make the final call?”
Locke smiled at her question.
“I can’t, but I know the person who can.”
“…”