The Price We Pay for Family - 31

Cont...

 In the many years she'd known her brother Sarah had only seen Sam get angry, truly angry, a handful of times. He was the mediator who made everyone come to an agreement. A negotiator, not someone given to showing his emotions or acting on them rashly. 

But when he came storming into her restaurant, the words that came to mind were 'on the warpath.' His eyes were hard, and his stride was barely containing his anger. 

Sarah spotted Okoye watching with a neutral face across the room before getting up and dragging Torres with her as she quickly followed Sam into the back. Sarah left quickly, knowing the kitchen would run just fine, and trailed after her irate brother and the professionals. 

There was a crash in the backroom, and by the time Sarah made it in, Okoye and John were struggling to contain Sam as he fought and struggled against them, cursing furiously. Sharon was doubled over, holding her face as both Torres and Shuri tried to help her. 

"You liar!" Sam spat, "You double-faced snake!" 

"Sam! Calm yourself!" Okoye ordered in her general voice as she secured her hold on Sam. 

Her brother had just slugged Sharon in the face without an explanation. Sarah stood gaping in the doorway as she watched the chaos unfold. Her brother was not violent without reason. Never throwing the first punch, always tried to find a way out of violence until it was the last resource. Something had changed in the few minutes he'd been outside. 

"You need some ice for that?" Torres asked, pulling out a chair for Sharon to sit in as Shuri administered aid to Sharon's broken nose. Sharon just groaned and tilted her head back. 

"What the heck, man?" John asked, standing in front of Sam, who was still frothing at the mouth.

 "Why don't you ask the CIA asset that went rogue and burned half of mandipoor down a week ago and is on the run?" Sam spat back, no longer struggling. 

"What?" John frowned. 

Torres whipped around to face Sharon, "You didn't."

 "She most certainly did. She also committed treason, stole classified projects, and sold them on the black market. Isn't that right, Power Broker?" Sam sneered. 

Okoye slowly released him, "Is this true?" 

John turned around to look at Sharon, eyes wide, "You- you killed Karli. You did that on purpose."

 Sharon looked torn before her face hardened, "I did what I had to do."

 "No, you did what you wanted to, what you needed to secure your empire. Played us all for fools." Sam corrected, voice low but just as venomous as he had been screaming. 

"I didn't have a choice! Mandipoor was the only place I could stop running!" Sharon burst, voice sounding so earnest and desperate to be heard, understood, "But to survive in a town like that with a rap sheet like mine, you had to fight to survive. So I fought. And then, with the Blip, everything turned to chaos, and I was able to make a life for myself. A good life. A safe one. But then you came back, and I saw a chance to get out. To come home. But my hands are too tied to that town. Mandipoor demands a debt to let you survive, and I couldn't outrun it. That place changes you. I couldn't get out clean even if I wanted to."

 Sharon looked so desperate for them to believe her. So alone. But Sam wasn't having it, "Or maybe you're so changed you're no longer the woman I knew. Maybe that's who you are now. Someone who sells out their acquaintances to what's left of Hydra."

Sarah's breath died in her throat, choking her. Sharon had seemed so honest. But Sam wasn't looking for the sob story. He was looking for the truth.

 "I didn't know it was him!" Sharon denied, "I sold them the fluorocarbon, a lot of it, but I didn't know what it was for!"

 "I call lies." Ayo hissed from where she had been standing silently next to Sarah, "One does not make these connections with data like that." 

"Okay. I sold them Vibranium restraints too. But I didn't realize what it was for until I heard what had happened." Sharon admitted, "By the time I did, they were gone. So I started poking around their operation. They didn't like that. So they burned me. Why do you think Mandipoor's burning? I wouldn't burn the city I run." 

"You sold vibranium restraints and enough coolant to drown someone with, and you didn't think that was suspicious?" Sam asked, voice dry and brittle. 

"No. I thought they wanted to try and melt the vibranium down and were using the coolant in their machine forge. I figured that would trigger the Wakandan sensors for stolen vibranium and didn't think anything of it." Sharon explained defensively. 

"We had no reports of heat spikes like melting vibranium in the last year." Shuri shook her head. 

"Why now?" Okoye asked regally, "Why did you decide now to find us and right this wrong?" 

"I may be considered a terrorist, but even I have a line. I don't want Hydra again under any circumstances. I've seen firsthand what it can do. That and I got burned. I figured now was as good a time as any to come and try." Sharon shrugged, "It's a really bad explanation, but it's all I got."

"Why didn't you come out and tell us all those years ago?" Sam asked quietly, "Why didn't you tell us the truth then?" 

Sharon was quiet for a long moment as she thought, "Because I was too jaded. I had been at that job too long. I no longer trusted. I saw you as a means to an end. Not as someone who would help because they could. People don't just do that. The world doesn't work like that." 

Sam sighed heavily, "I wish it didn't."

 "They're on their way, aren't they?" Sharon asked quietly.

 "Yes." Sam said softly, "I wish the world was black and white, but the longer I do this job, the more I see its shades of gray."

 "I'm sorry, Sam." Sharon said softly, "I wish that too." 

Sam closed his eyes, and it seemed like the weight of the world had fallen on his shoulders, "I'll see what I can do about getting you a lighter sentence or maybe a deep undercover assignment since you've built an identity, but I need to know, do you have anything that might help us?" 

"Not really. All I know is the middle man I met with." Sharon shrugged helplessly, "Really intense, gal. Older, black hair, purple streaks in it like she's trying to be a twenty-something.  Her name was Countess something or another-"

 "Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine," John said, cutting Sharon off. 

"You know her?" Sharon asked, mildly surprised.

 "Yeah," John turned slowly to Sam, "And she isn't a middle man."

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