Chapter 44
"Cough, cough..." The man lay on the ground, struggling to breathe. The sharp pain in his chest was unbearable—he knew his sternum had cracked, possibly even broken. Gritting his teeth, he reached for a syringe from his tactical belt and injected it into his thigh. The special potion coursed through his veins, temporarily dulling the pain.
Slowly, he pushed himself up, looking ahead. There, standing in front of him, was Natasha Romanoff—the target he had been tracking for years. But he hadn't expected this. Her strength, her speed—it all seemed far beyond what he had anticipated.
He recalled the arrow he'd shot earlier. The way Natasha had effortlessly dodged it and landed unharmed after falling several floors—something was clearly off. His well-honed instincts screamed danger. As a seasoned agent, he knew when to retreat, but even with all his precautions, she had managed to track him across such a distance.
Yelena arrived shortly after, breathing heavily from the chase. She took in the scene, seeing the man struggling to stand while Natasha stood before him, calm and unfazed.
"Is he going to kill us?" Yelena asked, her voice steady now that her emotions had calmed. She eyed the man warily.
Natasha shook her head. "Maybe just me." Then she turned her attention to him. "So, who are you?"
The man remained silent, gripping his compound bow and assuming a stance that indicated he was ready to attack. Yelena instinctively prepared to strike, but Natasha stopped her with a gesture. She could tell that this man wasn't just anyone. His gear wasn't the kind an ordinary organization could provide, and a wounded animal was always more dangerous. He might try to take Yelena down to shift the balance.
"Your target is me. Do we know each other? Are you from Eastern Europe? Western countries?" Natasha's questions came swiftly, her sharp eyes observing every micro-expression on his face. She listened closely, even to the rhythm of his heartbeat, using her heightened senses. "England? Germany? The U.S.? France?"
Her interrogation left both the man and Yelena momentarily stunned. Natasha's expertise in reading people, paired with her enhanced abilities, allowed her to detect the subtlest shifts in the man's demeanor.