Bucky lamented that he was not born with two extra legs so that he could run faster. Thankfully, he had managed to use Adrian as a shield. Otherwise, he would be dead by now.

Touching the bruises on his neck, Bucky shivered in pain. When he tried to sneak into the yard, he ran into Adrian and quickly lowered his head.

"Why are you only coming in now?” Adrian asked.

Bucky replied, "I was chatting with Hendrick. He's a gossipy fellow and refused to let me go until he finished. Do you need me for something, sir?"

"No, I don’t need anything from you." Adrian fought back a smile. "But Hendrick does. He told me to tell you that he needs assistance. It's the time to harvest the herbs, and they need extra hands."

Knowing that his lie had been exposed, Bucky slapped himself twice. As his cheeks burned, he said, "I didn’t mean to lie to you, sir. Can you forgive me?"

"Did you go after Shaquille?" Adrian asked.

Seeing the bruises on Bucky’s neck, Adrian understood what had transpired. O