No Strings Attached

Chapter Thirty Three

“What’s up with your face?” Jayden was laughing softly as he brought Nate’s bag out of the back of the car – surely the man should be bloody happy he was home – but he looked as though someone had just kicked his puppy!

“Get used to my face,” Nate was growling, and sending Shannon evil glares, “This is exactly how it’ll be sticking apparently for the next fucking fortnight.”

What the fuck? Jay’s jaw had dropped – his eyes darting between his two friends – more than a little confused.

“Doctor said we can’t have sex, and he’s bitching,” she enlightened him. And it all became crystal clear as he burst into a loud, gut-rumbling laugh.

“Said I couldn’t, he didn’t say you couldn’t ... oh no! He practically had a fucking embossed invitation at the ready!”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I can’t believe you’re falling for this shit,” he was huffing out angrily, as he was taking slow steps up to the porch, “I hit my head – not my dick! He’s obviously got some sort of ulterior motive! He wants you so horny you’re cross-eyed! That’s his fucking problem!”

“What?” she looked to Jayden for help, who was too busy splitting his sides – and then to Tori, who was just smiling quietly watching the interplay between them, “Nate! I’m never going to see him again!”

“You’re damn fucking right you’re not! The way I feel right now, you’ll be lucky to see the light of day again at all! I’m going to be chewing at the fucking doorframes by the end of the night!” Shannon chuckled as she walked away down the long corridor to the bedroom, shaking her head as he carried on shouting after her.

Jayden crept up behind him – he’d been too wound up to even notice his best friend approaching – until he bent to his ear.

“Someone’s a bit fucking pussy whipped,” he taunted quietly, laughing as he watched Shannon break into giggles, kicking the bedroom door closed behind her.

“I wish you were talking about her ...” Nate grumbled, crossing his arms over his broad chest with a sulk, before pulling his shit together – he’d have to deal with her later! Right now, there was far too much shit pounding against the fan, he’d have to concentrate, “What’s happening anyway? I spoke to Clarke yesterday – he’s going off at the deep end in that place. Some of the shit he was spouting was sending shivers down my spine.”

He was leaning back against the wall, arms crossed as he looked back at Jay through expectant grey eyes.

“Are you up to this right now, man?” Jayden’s eyes narrowed on him in concern, “Take a step back, this job really isn’t going anywhere anytime fast.”

“It has to,” Nate turned on him quietly, “We’ve got seven days before we have to start the deconstruction. This shit has to be as seamless as a tap and trace, nobody can suss that we have him, or the gigs over. Spill.”

Jay hesitated – this stuff was always more Nate’s forte than his to think on his feet like he’d had to, but he’d done the only thing he felt like he could have.

“I wired up the R8 while I called the ambulance, and torched it. According to the streets, you’re dust. Dobrev has no hits on you right now, because he’s already transferred 150 grand over to Tourniquet – as far as he knows, he got his order filled. Sebastienne, according to his people, has gone MIA because of a personal emergency – I’ve got a few questions being asked, but I’m steering them right now while we start in on the network.”

“So what have you picked up from the REM-OB?”

Remote Observation was one way of looking at it after all – although, to be honest it would’ve been so much easier in the old days, when you could just tap a phone line with a crocodile clip. Thank you modern technology, Nate thought with a cold smirk, for the opportunity to tie him up to a meat hook and steal his fucking phone instead.

“I know who he’s pulling the girls in from – like a fucking amateur he’s using one of Franchetti’s own codes in the emails, and I’ve also hacked his accounts – I know how much he’s pulling in capital, and what’s going where. Dobrev isn’t the only one he’s paying – there’s another name.”

Which meant he was using others for “special orders” as it were – whatever they might be.

“And once we start breaking those links, you think we won’t need him? Because this has to be fucking seamless, Jay!”

“Franchetti started the whisperings months ago – you know this – he’s already got a bad rep. Once we have the wheels in motion, there’ll be no stopping it – we just drive him out and he can rot.”

They could buy themselves all sorts of time making it look like an accident – there could also never be any proof.

“Has he talked?” Nate clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth – because this, after all, had been what he’d really been looking forward to.

“Not yet,” Jayden was smirking – seeing the cold fury pouring out of Nate’s eyes, knowing he’d be having some fun with this one.

“Then what we waiting for?”