Chapter Text
Sam didn’t waste a second. “You know why we’re here, Valentina. Everything points to you. The bullet used against Bucky. Bob, the whole mess in D.C.—that’s all in here. We even have the name of the merc who pulled the trigger. And every thread we pull comes back to you.”
Valentina only arched a sculpted brow, taking her time thumbing through the file. “You’ve done your homework, I’ll give you that. I might’ve even admired the persistence if I wasn’t on the wrong end of it.”
John snorted. “If you’d been half as clever hiding your tracks as you were at making a mess, maybe you wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Valentina’s gaze slid to him, unimpressed. “Please, Mr. Walker. You’re about as subtle as a grenade in a fishbowl. If I wanted James dead, he’d be dead.”
Ava crossed her arms. “We’re not here to banter. We know you were the architect behind half the dirty projects the government swept under the rug. We’ve got enough to bury you, and you know it.”
Valentina’s composure only slipped for a heartbeat, just the faintest flicker of something uncertain. She closed the folder, exhaled slowly, and finally let her practiced smile fade. “Look, I won’t pretend I’m an angel. But I don’t have that kind of power anymore. After what happened with Bob and the Sentry program, I’m barely clinging to my seat at the CIA. My security clearance is down to reading the cafeteria menu . If you think I could pull strings like this, you’re giving me too much credit.”
Sam’s voice was cold, decisive. “That’s exactly what someone would say if they wanted to throw us off the scent. Why should we believe you? You’re the only one with motive and means.”
Valentina’s calm started to fray. She leaned forward, eyes flashing with an edge of real fear—or was it desperation? “I know how this looks, but you’re wrong. I’m not even looped into black budget projects anymore, and everyone here knows it. You want my calendar? My calls? Go ahead. For once, I’m clean. I found out about the hit on Barnes the same way you did. I swear on my life, I didn’t order it. If you don’t believe me, check with whoever’s got me under surveillance. They’ve been breathing down my neck for months.”
Yelena, arms folded, circled the desk like a shark. Her voice was low. “You always have an angle, Valentina. Always. Even when you’re cornered.”
Valentina’s lips twisted. “This isn’t me. I’d have come up with something smarter. Think about it. I wouldn’t use a bullet you could link to my past. That’s amateur hour.”
Sam pressed. “So who is it? If you’re not calling the shots, then who the hell is?”
Valentina looked genuinely frustrated now, the façade finally breaking. “If I had any idea, I’d have told you already. I don’t like being set up either, Captain. I have enough enemies without someone framing me for murder. I want whoever did this as much as you do.”
Sam was done with this. “I’ve heard enough. Eli, Torres, cuff her.”
Torres hesitated a half-beat, but Eli didn’t blink—he was across the room in two strides, catching Valentina’s arm as Torres circled behind her. The steel of the cuffs clicked with finality, and Valentina, caught genuinely off-guard, twisted in their grip, eyes wide with outrage.
“Are you serious?” she barked, struggling as Eli pulled her arms behind her back. “This is an outrage, Sam, and you damn well know it—let me go!”
Sam leaned in, his patience gone. “You’ve dodged enough accountability. You want to play games, do it behind bars. I’m done listening to your bullshit.”
Valentina’s mask finally broke, voice rising in desperation. “You’re making a mistake! You think you’ve got all the answers, but you’re just doing what someone wants you to do! I swear to God, Sam—!”
Yelena, who’d been silent, pacing like a caged animal, suddenly froze, her eyes narrowing. She held up a hand, cutting through the chaos. “Wait—stop.” Her voice was sharp enough to halt even Eli’s movements.
John shot her a look. “What? You got cold feet now?”
Yelena shook her head, jaw working as her mind raced. “No. Something’s off. This whole thing—these clues, the timing, the way it all falls in our laps—it’s too clean. Too perfect. Since when does Valentina leave a trail this obvious?”
Ava stepped in, frowning. “She’s right. Even Valentina isn’t that sloppy. There’s something here we’re missing.”
Valentina turned and glared at Sam. “This is what I’ve been saying, you idiots! I have my sins, but this—this isn’t one of them. Someone wanted you to drag me out of here in chains.”
Sam glared at her, but uncertainty finally flickered in his eyes. He looked at Yelena. “You’re sure?”
Valentina’s wrists were still pinned behind her. “Before you parade me out for the cameras, why don’t you check my damn logs? All my activity—emails, calls, my location every minute—is tracked by the government. You think I’m not on a leash these days? Go ahead.” She jerked her chin toward her desk. “My computer’s right there. Check the surveillance. I haven’t had access to anything sensitive in weeks—not without a roomful of eyes on me.”
Torres shot a questioning glance at Sam, but Valentina pressed on, her voice hardening. “I can prove where I’ve been, who I’ve talked to, every second. I couldn’t have set this up. Someone wants you to think I did, but they’re playing you.”
Sam hesitated, that old sense of doubt creeping in. He nodded at Torres. “Check her computer.”
A faint smile crept onto Valentina’s lips. “You want a real lead? Let me log in. I still have CIA access. I can’t clear myself without the right codes, but I can pull access records from Nightshade’s security files. It won’t get you all the way, but I can at least show you who’s been sniffing around. You want names, Sam? Let me help before someone else buries the trail.”
Ava folded her arms, studying her. “And you’re just going to help us? Out of the goodness of your heart?”
Valentina rolled her eyes. “Out of self-preservation. I’m not spending my golden years rotting in a cell for something I didn’t do. You want to catch who set up bucky? Yes or no?”
Sam’s jaw tensed, but after a moment he gave a single, sharp nod. “Fine. Unlock her.”
They watched, as Valentina—sat down at her desk, fingers flying across the keys.
Yelena hovered so close behind Valentina she could have counted every silver strand in the woman’s hair, eyes narrowed, fists shoved deep in her jacket pockets. Sam stood just to the side, arms folded, every muscle in his jaw working as the NIGHTSHADE logo flickered to life on the government terminal.
He let out a low breath, barely more than a growl. “So, you’re saying you didn’t know this got pulled out of the freezer and pointed at Bucky’s head? That’s a hell of a gap in your oversight, Valentina.”
Valentina didn’t so much as blink, fingers tapping, frustration simmering in her voice. “If I’d had anything to do with it, bucky would be a cautionary tale on the six o’clock news, not half-frozen in a medical pod. Give me some credit, Captain—I’m not that sloppy. Pierce shut it down for a reason.”
John let out a huff, clearly running out of patience. “If you two want to flirt, could you do it after we get to the bottom of who’s trying to kill us?” He rolled his eyes at Ava, who stifled a laugh with the back of her hand.
Valentina ignored them, cursing softly under her breath as the cursor blinked, then froze, the monitor awash in a harsh red warning: ACCESS DENIED—INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE.
Sam’s skepticism hardened, but Valentina only spun in her chair. “You see? This is what I’ve been screaming since you stormed in. I don’t have access anymore. I’ve been on a leash so tight I can’t even sneeze without three men in suits handing me tissues.”
Yelena clicked her tongue, clearly itching for action. “I could break it.”
John leaned against the window, arms crossed, “What about using Cap’s codes? Worth a shot.”
Valentina didn’t argue, simply shoved her chair back, gesturing for Sam to step up. “Try it.”
Sam shot her a look, then entered his credentials. The machine whirred, green bars flickered, and the page opened—only partially, but enough to reveal a string of classified documents. Sam scrolled through, jaw set, eyes flicking down the page, absorbing the details: project start date, supply lists, locations… and finally, at the bottom, a name, typed in stark, bureaucratic font:
SECRETARY OF STATE MACINTYRE
The silence in the room felt like the moment before a bomb goes off.
Even Valentina’s practiced composure slipped, her lips parting in genuine shock. “Well. Didn’t see that coming.”
Ava exhaled sharply, her gaze darting between Sam and the screen. “So all this time we’ve been chasing the wrong snake?”
Yelena, scowled at the document, then at Valentina. “Looks like you’re not the only one with skeletons in your closet, Lady Director.”
Sam’s eyes never left the name, his voice low, more steel than ever. “Get every file you can. Now. And Torres, pull up everything we have on MacIntyre. I want eyes on her.”
Valentina arched an eyebrow, that familiar wicked smile tugging at her mouth. “Told you I wasn’t your villain. This time.”
Yelena didn’t let up. “You’re just lucky, Contessa..”
Sam barely heard them, his focus already shifting, mind turning over every new danger.
He stared at the name on the screen, knowing this was only the beginning of a new, much uglier fight.