A/N: *peeks from around corner* Is this a safe space?

Lmao, enjoy, lovelies!
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"'I can do this,' I thought. Then: 'And even if I can't, I have to.'"

NADINE

The casino was extravagant.

It had all the makings of a gangster flick, with high, arched ceilings and chandeliers, glittering marble and gold columns and tables, and a purple carpet. Blackjack, English and European roulettes all filled up the room, with the occasional poker and slot machines. There was a circular bar in the middle of the room, and at the very back was a set of stairs that led somewhere obviously suspicious, as they always did.

Nadine stood near one of the roulettes, Sam's hand placed on her waist. He quickly assumed his role as her date, cheering and interacting with the other players. For a military man, he was rather good at deception. Or perhaps this role was just a simple extension to his own personality, so it was easy to fulfill it.

"Careful," she quietly warned him as he placed another bet, having lost a significant amount of money during the last one. "You draw too much attention and they'll notice us."

"I got this, Nadine," he pestered, giving her a once-over and his distinguishable crooked smirk. "Besides, you'll never blend in."

Nadine turned to him, brows furrowed. "What?"

Sam laughed, but his eyes were glued to the spinning roulette. "Relax, I'm saying this as a friend who doesn't want to get in your pants, of course. Someone else clearly does, though."

He nodded slightly to the side. When she followed the motion, she caught sight of a pair of blue eyes staring right at her. Bucky seemed to have forgotten about the poker game, his gaze piercing through her, asking a question without making a sound: Are you ready?

She didn't know how to respond, so all she could do was give him a smile. One corner of his lips turned upwards, and he gave her a wink before going back to the game, her heart fluttering as she was consumed by the feeling of wanting to go to him.

But she couldn't. Not now.

Maybe not ever.

"Anything?" Natasha's airy tone snapped Nadine back, her eyes searching the crowd for the woman. The now-blonde blended in well, but she saw her sitting at a table alone, a glass of champagne in her hand.

"Not on my end," Nadine responded as she tapped her earpiece. She gave Sam a pat on his cheek, and maneuvered her way towards the bar at the center of the room. She adjusted her faux fur coat. "Yours?"

She heard Natasha take a breath. "No."

"Something's wrong."

"Isn't there always something wrong?" Natasha replied dryly. Nadine didn't respond, so she continued, "Maybe while we wait, we could talk. No one else is currently connected to this channel, so it's just us."

Nadine rolled her eyes, taking a sip of the champagne that was served for her and continuing on her way, her gaze locked on the set of stairs at the end of the space. She looked at the suited men circling them. They didn't have weapons, but judging by the way they looked at her as she walked past them, any unwanted advances to get up there would be met with a possible bullet to the head. "Why do you always insist on having such terrible timing?"

"Being a multitasker is one of my many charms," Natasha retorted.

"One of your many flaws," Nadine corrected as she settled herself at the far right corner of the room in order to look at everything. Both women chuckled, but Nadine's amusement turned to confusion as her head suddenly felt lightheaded. "Uh..."

"Nadine?" Natasha questioned, but her voice sounded faded, like an echo in the wind.

The room was spinning. Oh, God, the room was spinning.

"The drink," she concluded, blinking hard as her vision doubled, and her ankles weakened.

"Nadine? Where are you? I'm coming to-"

"No," Nadine slurred, her mouth dry and numb of any feeling. She didn't know if she was even holding her glass anymore. "Let it, agh, play along. Dante... Taj."

She knew Natasha understood what she meant, that the boys had been taken prisoner the same way. Despite it, Natasha started to protest, "Are you insane-"

"-'Tasha," Nadine pleaded with more urgency, her knees buckling from under her. She didn't feel like she hit the floor, but caught the fleeting sense of something grabbing onto her arms.

"Nadine?!"

• • •

When she finally woke up, she noticed two things.

One: her head was pounding.

And two: she was in a dark room.

Her hands tingled as her senses reactivated, the drug's effects finally starting to wind down. She didn't know how long she'd been out or if she was even in the same building anymore.

"Dina."

She looked up at the sound of her voice, noticing the bars that kept her inside the space. A cell. She was in a cell. She focused on looking past them, and she could make out a silhouette, but she couldn't see who it was.

"Dina," the light voice said again, this time with more urgency. "Wake up already."

Emilia.

"Where are we?" Nadine asked, her voice raspier than it usually was. It reminded her of Dante's comments about her morning voice, and about how she seemed less intimidating when half asleep. Cute, was the adjective he'd used, which earned him a punch in the gut.

"Gracias, Dios." She heard Emilia sigh in relief. "We're trapped, somewhere. We don't know if it's the same place."

Her ears perked up. "We?"

"Oui."

Nadine jumped at the third voice, immediately sitting up, which caused her vision to spin. "W-What?"

"Pathetic." The French accent immediately gave Kaia away, making the word sound like pathetique. She scoffed, "How much did they put in your drink to make you so slow?"

Before Nadine could retort, muffled voices filled the left side of the space. There was a ping, and a door slid open, revealing six figures. Two of them were dragged inside and into the cell across from Kaia.

When the other four -guards, clearly- left, they sat there in silence, trying to figure out how to react. Should they talk? Maybe try to ask some questions?

Emilia reacted first, gasping out, "Dante! Taj!"

Dante. Taj.

They were alive.

His head snapped sideways, shallow breaths slowing as he realized his sister was in there. "Emilia...? Y-You shouldn't be here!"

Dante.

"Estúpido," she snapped, beckoning him forward. When he forced himself towards her, she placed a hand on his chin, looking at his face. Nadine couldn't see if he was injured, but by the way his breaths were labored, he definitely was. "Of course I'm gonna be here."

"Are you guys alright?" Kaia asked, voicing the question that Nadine was itching to ask. Despite the passiveness, Nadine could feel the anger rolling off of her in waves. She knew that despite Kaia's cool demeanor, she was itching to get her hands dirty.

"Oh, wonderful, actually," Taj drawled, hissing when Emilia touched him. "Italy has been amazing. It is so welcoming, very tourist-friendly."

"Kaia," Dante grunted, his fingers circling around one of the bars as he peered through them to look at her. In the dim light, she couldn't make out his face well, but she'd bet that he was staring at her with the puppy dog eyes that he only reserved for her. "You're here."

"Yes," Kaia confirmed, and for the first time in a while, she laughed, any past problems forgotten.

"Well, I feel left out," Nadine muttered as she moved to rip her dress's slit. If she was going to fight her way out, she needed to move.

Dante laughed, but it sounded more like a croaking sound. "How could I ever forget my girl?"

"What is this place?" Emilia questioned. "Why the hell does the Hand have a casino with a cellar?"

"It's not The Hand," he answered. "And it isn't just a casino."

Nadine proceeded to take off her heels. She didn't need heels, but she could use them as a weapon, she supposed. "It's a fight club."

"Yes," Taj replied, his voice wearier than it usually was. His time here had taken a toll on him and was now full of exhaustion. "If you are stuck here, you have to fight to the death."

"Wonderful," Emilia drawled.

"What I do not understand is how they seemed to know who to drug," Kaia muttered, fidgeting with the strapless top of her blue dress.

"It was deliberate. They knew who we were." Nadine looked at Dante. "Who did you say was in charge of this place?"

"It's-" The door slid open again, and Nadine quickly stood up, heels in held in front of her defensively. Three men entered the space, and the one in front -not the boss, but certainly the one in charge out of the three- stood across from Nadine, staring at her derisively, as if she were a pest he couldn't wait to get rid of.

The door of her cell opened. "Walk," he said, tone harsh and direct. His accent wasn't very distinct, so Nadine didn't have the slightest clue as to where he could be from.

Nadine scoffed. She couldn't believe he thought that would work. "No."

"Dee," Kaia muttered in a cautious tone, and from the corner of her eye she noticed the French woman gripping the bars tightly, almost as if she were wishing she could bend them to her will. "Do as he says."

Alas, Nadine was never a good follower. She simply lifted her chin up, and continued staring at the man's eyes. "No."

They flashed with contempt, but instead of threatening her, he simply switched the gun over to Kaia, while the other man did the same towards Emilia's direction. "Are you going to cooperate, or do we have to shoot them?"

"Nadine," Dante hissed, his tone harsh. He was staring at the gun pointed at his sister. "Don't be callous."

Well, that definitely worked.

She relented and dropped her heels to the ground. She couldn't risk neither Emilia nor Kaia getting shot, especially because of her.

Hands circled around her biceps, and she was forced out of the cell. A bag was placed on her head, and she thrashed in their arms as they dragged her somewhere. She hated not being aware, and the fact that she was almost carried didn't help in painting some kind of picture on how to get back to her friends. She was, legitimately, blind.

When the bag is pulled off of Nadine's head, a bright light suddenly overcame her eyesight. It took a moment for her to adjust to the brightness, but as she looked around, she realized where she'd been taken. She was in a ring, with crystal panels that kept her inside, with no way to escape. People dressed in pretty clothes - they were from the gala, she assumed- were watching and cheering; Natasha, who's worried eyes betrayed her steely gaze, seemed about ready to get in the arena, but Nadine shook her head faintly. No. She didn't need them to be added to the list of "employees."

To her left, she saw Steve standing idly by, Sam blending in the crowd a few feet next to him. Both wore serious expressions, but neither of them made any attempt to intervene. Instead, Steve simply nodded and gave her the tiniest of smiles; his way of wishing her luck.

From the corner of her eye, she caught someone push through the crowd: Bucky, frantically searching her to see if she was hurt. He looked ready to forget everything and fight his way towards Nadine, but Natasha's hand circling around his arm impeded it. Good. The last thing they needed was chaos in the wrong moment.

Before she could think about it, her hand lifted up to her heart. A small gesture to symbolize that whatever happened, she'd be with him. The look in his eyes broke a tiny part of her heart.

Her opponent forcefully entered the ring to the cheers of the crowd. He was a tall man, with wide shoulders, a strong jaw, and harsh, dark eyes. When he unbuttoned his shirt, Nadine noticed the Ten Rings tattoo on his chest, symbolizing his allegiance to the terrorist organization... and his combat experience.

A woman stood in front of the caged ring, sequined blue dress hugging her curvaceous figure. "Benvenuto!", she addressed the crowd, her perfect teeth glittering as she smiled wide.

Nadine tried to listen, but she tuned her out as she stared at her opponent. She didn't have her weapons; they'd took them from her when she got knocked out. All she had was a ring with a tiny dagger that Emilia had given her for her birthday, and her combat skills.

She could only pray that would be enough.

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WORD TRANSLATION:
1) ándale (spanish)- come on, go on
2) gracias, Dios (spanish) thank you, God
3) oui (French)- yes
4) estúpido (spanish) - stupid, wuss, ignorant
5) benvenuto (italian)- welcome

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A/N: HEY, GUYS!

I missed updating this book lol. I'm sorry it took me so long to do so; so much has happened in the last few months that it's a miracle I didn't give up on it.

I'm not gonna bore you with the details, but I wanna say thank you to all the votes, comments, and reads! These last few months I've been getting so many notifs of people adding this story to their reading lists and it makes me so happy! So thank you again!

Also! If you don't follow me, I made an art instagram account where I'm posting (and selling) my art. Could be fanart (most not for sale), could be original, it all depends on my mood lol. The handle is @eclipsesolxr, and if you're interested in buying some of the prints, I have a link on my profile (and on instagram) with some shops you can buy them at.

I'm also planning on selling jewelry and art in order to pay for grad school, so if y'all are interested, follow my instagram @ECLIPSESOLXR and be on the look out.

Thank you so much again!

Let's hope I won't take so long next time, lmfaooo

I love y'all for sticking around though. So thank you again!