Chapter 21

Nate

Two Days Later

I poked my head around to the living room to see which of the two people with a key to my place was coming in - uninvited.

Mikey.

"You can't just fucking knock?" I gave him a look. It had been a long two days trying to get Jenna to talk to me and getting the cold shoulder from her. It would seem she never did go over to Ashley’s Thursday night seeing that I headed over there when Ash wouldn't come to heel.

We spent the evening on the couch, bullshitting until she tried to get in my lap. She was less than happy when I denied her a long ride on my cock, but as far as I was concerned, my body belonged to one woman.

Too bad she wasn't interested in servicing it for the time being.

"Since when do I knock? I'm not the cops." Mikey closed the door and followed me into the kitchen. "Where you been? Working and shit?"

"That and sleeping." I walked to the fridge and pulled out a beer.

"You know most people drink coffee or hot tea in the morning."

"Right. Well, I ain't a hipster or an old lady, so try again." I turned to face him and chugged the beer.

"What's going on with Jenna and Ashley? You made up your mind yet what you're going to do?"

"I'm not killing Jenna. I know that much." I shrugged and burped loudly. "I can't off Ash either, man. She's stood beside me through every shitty thing in my life. I need to just disappear."

"And let them kill each other?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "That sounds like the manly thing to do."

"Fuck you too, Mikey." I walked past him and picked up my phone as it buzzed on the table. Ashley. "Damn. This bitch is calling already this morning? What now?"

"Ashley?" Mikey dropped down on the chair beside the couch.

"Yes." I pressed the talk button and put the phone to my ear. "It's Nate. What's up?"

"Someone stole Darek's computer last night, Nate. Do you know anything about that?" Ashley's voice was stone-cold. I'd only heard her sound that way a few times, and none of them turned out really well for anyone involved.

"Nope. You sure you didn't just misplace it in a drunken cleaning spree?" I sat down on the couch and took another drink of my beer.

"It's not funny. Darek kept everything on his computer. I mean - everything. I need it back. It has the codes to our bank accounts and the insurance documents."

That caught my attention.

"Don't you guys have cameras around that place? Seems like something you would-"

"Yes. That's the problem. The guy that took the computer isn't someone I would ever in a million years mess with."

Confusion rolled over me. "Who are we talking about here, Ash?"

"Erik Bertinelli. Why was he in my house last night? What the fuck are you up to, Nate?"

"Nothing. I didn't send that asshole over there." I sat upright as my pulse sped up. Why the fuck would Erik be in our shit. "I'm scoring a huge sum of money from you over this, Ash. Why would I mess it up? You're not making any damn sense."

"Only two people would have sent that cold bastard to my house while I was sleeping."

"Well, I ain't one of them." I stood up as my thoughts scattered in a million directions. Who the hell had sent Erik to Ashley's place, and what did he want with Darek's computer? Shit. Jenna? No way.

"He's your best friend from grade school, Nate. Maybe you wanted to get the numbers yourself and close me out of the deal."

"I haven't spoken to him in years, and you know that. Besides, if I wanted the goddamn computer, I'd have come over, fucked you, drugged you and taken the damn thing. I don't need a hitman to steal for me, Ash. Use your pretty blond head and think."

"Then it was Jenna, which is still your fucking problem. Get the laptop back. Now. And put a bullet in her fucking head before I do it."

Every muscle in my body locked. "Don't touch her, Ash. She's a goldmine, and I'll not have you fucking that up. You'll implicate us both. Just chill out and I'll go pay our old friend a visit and see what's up."

"You do that. I'm on guard against all you bitches right now. Especially you. Asshole."

"Sorry you feel that way, baby doll. I'll be in touch." I dropped the call and glanced down at Mikey. "Erik Bertinelli took Darek's laptop out of Ashley's place while she was sleeping last night."

"And he let you guys see him on the camera?"

"Oh yeah. I'm more than sure he meant for that to happen."

"What?" Mikey snorted. "Why the fuck would he want that?"

"To send a message. When the Bertinellis get involved, death is soon to follow."

"Right, or that he wants you to come see him. Maybe he understands what you're up against."

"I don't need Erik's help, Mikey. He's a back-stabbing bastard. My days of covering his ass are over."

"He probably feels the same." Mikey shrugged as I growled at him.

"Stay out of it."

He lifted his hands. "No problem, but you need to go see him. You can't protect the woman you love when you're the one being sent to kill her. The math doesn't work out, man. I promise."

He was right. Fuck me. He was right.