Party of Three | MMF Romance (Complete)

24 | SHUT IT DOWN

24 | SHUT IT DOWN

Ademar and Taehyun sit in a quiet state of shock on the sofa.

Nichole finished relaying Caty's disturbing update and now they're all on high alert. The finger in the mailbox confirms that Kade is definitely in business with very dangerous people. God only knows what Kade may have told them.

Who will they target next? How much do they know about Nichole? What has Kade told them about Ademar and Taehyun? Will they change their minds and demand more money? More importantly...

Is Kade even still alive?

"Baby." Taehyun breaks the silence. He places a hand on Nichole's thigh, squeezing gently. She comes back to herself, turning to face him. "You zoned out again."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry. Did you ask me something?"

Taehyun nods. "Did Caty tell you what she planned to do about this?"

"And is she actually going to give these psicópatas the money?" Ademar questions.

"She didn't say anything about the money, but she told us to lay low while she discusses everything with her parents and their attorney," Nichole answers. "She assured me that she'd keep all of our names out of it. Said she'd tell them that Kade got caught up in a bad jam and he needs help getting out of it. With all the hell that he's put his family through in the past, I doubt anyone will have trouble believing whatever story she creates."

"Dios mío," Ademar mutters, shaking his head. "We should have killed that fucker when we had the chance. But we didn't and now look at what's happening!"

"Not now, Addy." Taehyun sighs, not in the mood for his lover's theatrics. "The Lowery's obviously have to pay up. How can they not? Kade is their son. He's family."

"From the way that Caty spoke..." Nichole says, "I think I may have underestimated how fed up The Lowery's are towards Kade. Caty seemed more upset about this turning into a scandal and ruining her father's shot at becoming mayor than she was about Kade's life being at stake."

"Shit," Taehyun says. "The guy is undoubtedly a massive asshole, but that's still kind of fucked up."

"Not really," Ademar opposes. "This is what happens when you burn all your bridges. People stop fucking with you, sometimes even your family. Kade brought this onto himself."

Nichole couldn't disagree with that, but she was also having trouble accepting the fact that she may have played a part in Kade's kidnapping. She vividly remembers the night that she snuck up on Kade at his motel room. She remembers how panicked he became when she took away his cell phone. She remembers how he claimed to be waiting on an important phone call and if he didn't answer in time, "they" would come after him.

Turns out he hadn't been spewing bullshit.

"The phone," Nichole whispers, thinking out loud. "We went through Kade's burner phone and it only had one contact. Quincy. What if he's with the people that have Kade? What if we text Quincy—"

"No," Taehyun swiftly interjects. "We are not playing the negotiator role for Kade fucking Lowery. We need to limit our trips outside and continue to mind our business while Caty figures out a plan to rescue her problematic brother. The end."

"I like this plan," Ademar says, looking bored. "Can we go to bed now?"

"No! Because I feel like you two aren't seeing things from my point of view." Nichole stands and begins to pace the floor, her anxiety spiking. "I was with this man for years. We were going to get married and start a family, for fucks sake. Yeah, I moved on, but he's still a part of my past that I can't erase. And I... I can't just sit back and let someone die because of a stupid mistake that I made."

"What mistake are you talking about, sweetheart?" Ademar goes to Nichole, gripping her hips to keep her still. "How can you possibly find blame in this situation and place it on yourself?"

"Because I'm the one who ordered Taehyun to take Kade's phone that night," Nichole cries. "Kade begged us not to do it and then he told us what would happen if we did. This whole thing is all my fault. I-I think I might've killed him..."

"Stop. You did nothing wrong," Ademar snaps, his heart breaking for Nichole. "None of us knew what Kade had gotten himself mixed up in. That bastard had this coming to him one way or another, and whether he's dead or alive is none of our concern. His decisions are what lead him down this path. You are not at fault here, Nichole. You are not Kade Lowery's keeper. Please understand that."

"Addy is right." Taehyun stands and kisses them both. "And it's late. We all have had a very long day, so let's talk about this more in the morning. For now, let's go to bed and get some rest."

No one objects. The trio head to bed, only two of them managing to successfully fall asleep.

. . .