Chapter 15 Nash
NASH
Enjoy my shower!
This woman is frustrating as fuck. I hate how in equal parts I want to kill her but also want to fuck her, show her there is nothing wrong with my dick.
I noticed the way she was baiting me earlier with the way she opened her legs, she nearly got me, too.
It’s not my fault she is insanely beautiful, but then she opens her mouth and crazy spills from it.
Then she flips me on my fucking ass like some kind of ninja and pushes a knife to my throat all under the guise that she learned it in self-defense.
Bullshit.
That was a perfect defensive maneuver. It felt good when I was able to turn the tables, I still have it.
The fact that she didn’t flinch at all when the knife was against her throat, there is no way in hell that woman is a journalist. But why are Brooks and Sophie lying to me?
Why the hell was she pushing me to fight her this morning?
The woman is certifiable. I can’t work out what her game plan is.
Who is this friend she is trying to save?
Is there a friend or is she trying to get into the cartel for another reason?
Getting out of the shower, I get dressed and head straight over to my computer and open it.
I sneakily took a photo of her from my security camera yesterday as an insurance policy.
I log into my secure system and load up her face.
I should have done this yesterday, but I trusted my oldest friend, now I think he’s fucking with me, and I don’t know why.
I input her photo into the system and wait for the hits to come up.
If she is hiding something, it will come up here.
My computer pings, that was quick, and when I stare at the screen I still.
There are photos of Ellie traveling the world working as a journalist, everything she has said is right there under the internet’s images.
I shake my head because it doesn’t seem right, it’s too clean, too perfect.
On the surface, it looks normal, but to someone trained to look for inconsistencies, it is the perfect cover, but what the fuck for?
I pick up my phone to call Brooks as he needs to give me answers, but it vibrates in my hand with a message from my bank; five thousand dollars was deposited into my bank account from Ellie.
What in the fuck? I grab my gun from my desk and slide it into my pocket—no one knows about this account—before storming out of my room to where she is sitting in the living room on her phone.
“Did you just transfer money to me?”
Ellie looks up at me. “Yes.”
“How the hell did you get my bank details?” I never gave it to her.
“Brooks.”
I shake my head. “He doesn’t know about this account.”
“Or maybe you don’t know your friend,” she says, giving me a saccharine smile.
“Or maybe I don’t know who the fuck I let into my home.”
Ellie shrugs. “Probably that, too.”
I pull the gun from my pocket and aim it at her. “Get the fuck out of my home. I want no part of whatever this is you are doing. Fuck you and fuck your friend. I’m not helping you anymore.”
Those eyes land on the gun, then on me, she doesn’t even flinch. “You can’t do that.”
“Watch me. Get the fuck out.” I point to the door, while still having my gun trained on her.
“Nash, please.”
I shake my head. “Leave.”
Ellie stands. “This is so much bigger than me bruising your ego.” She starts to stalk toward me, slowly, evenly, like a fucking panther.
“You think I’m doing this all because of my ego?
Because you insulted my dick. Please. I don’t give a fuck about what you think of me.
I’m doing this because my friends are lying to me, and they have never in their life done that before.
What have you got on them? You’re obviously blackmailing them. ”
“I’m not blackmailing them,” she says coldly, continuing to get closer.
“Bullshit. You’re a fucking snake in a summer dress,” I spit at her.
“I’ve been called worse.”
“Don’t take another step,” I warn her.
“Or what?” She smirks. See like I said, she’s insane.
“I’ll fucking shoot you.”
“No, you won’t.” She continues to get closer to me. “Under all that gruffness is an honorable man. There is no way in this world you would ever shoot a woman. Your moral compass is too strong.”
I swallow because she’s right, I don’t want to fucking shoot her.
I aim the gun away and pull the trigger, shooting the bullet into my wall as a warning shot.
I don’t get to see her reaction because she is on me in two point five seconds flat, grabbing for my gun, and we end up in a scuffle until the next thing I know, the barrel of the gun is pointed at my temple, and I hear a click.
Fuck.
I didn’t see that happening. Ellie slowly gets up off me while holding the gun at me. I swallow, it looks like I have severely underestimated this girl.
“Now, I guess you and I need to talk calmly, without violence, unless that’s what you’re into.
It’s been a while since someone’s roughed me up.
” She keeps the gun aimed at me as she gestures for me to take a seat in the living room.
I do as I am told because I know when I’m beaten.
I sink into the sofa and glare at Ellie.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be so …” she turns her nose up, “so you …” she adds.
“Same could be said about you,” I bite back.
Ellie takes a seat and then I watch in fascination as she completely deconstructs my gun and throws the ammunition in one direction and the gun in the other.
“Just so you know, Brooks and Sophie never wanted to keep you in the dark. I didn’t trust you.
I don’t trust anyone. But unfortunately, I underestimated you and that rarely happens.
Usually, I take more time in researching people, but this time I didn’t, and now it’s biting me in the ass.
” I raise a brow at her, what the fuck is that supposed to mean.
Ellie then picks up her phone and presses a couple of buttons.
Who the hell is she calling? “Hey, we have a situation,” she says into the phone.
“You didn’t kill him, did you? You promised me. Brooks will be fucking pissed,” Sophie chastises through the phone.
“It was fucking close.” She grins.
“Oh, thank God.” Sophie sighs through the phone. Why did Sophie sound genuinely relieved Ellie hadn’t killed me?
“Unfortunately, things have escalated and here we are,” Ellie explains to Sophie.
“What do you mean escalated? It’s been a couple of days,” Sophie questions her.
“Where the fuck is Brooks,” I call out to Sophie. “He has some fucking explaining to do.”
“Oh,” Sophie says, registering hearing my voice.
“Like I said, we have a situation,” Ellie explains to her.
“How bad of a situation?”
“He pulled a gun on me and tried to shoot me,” she explains.
“Fucking, Nash,” she curses.
“How the fuck is this my fault? You lied to me, Sophie. Both you and Brooks sent the devil to my home. What she failed to tell you is that it was a warning shot and then she disarmed me and held the gun to my head.”
“Right, I see.” Sophie chuckles. Is she fucking serious? “Maybe you shouldn’t have shot at her. Honestly, you’re lucky you’re breathing.”
My mouth falls open at her remark before my eyes fall on Ellie who just shrugs as if this is all normal. “Who the fuck is she? And why are you and Brooks lying to me?”
“Brother, I didn’t lie,” Brooks adds, joining the conversation.
“Omitting the truth is still fucking lying. I know she’s not a journalist. I searched for her online, everything was too fucking perfect. You set me up,” I say angrily to my friend.
“I didn’t set you up, but I also didn’t think things would turn south so quickly either.”
“The woman is the most insane, frustrating, infuriating, annoying person I have ever met. It’s been two fucking days and I’m ready to kill her.” Brooks bursts out laughing. “This isn’t fucking funny.”
“It kind of is. Never seen you this worked up before about a woman.”
“Fuck you. I got a ticket to the fucking gala. She can have it. I’m out. I want this bitch gone. Whatever you guys have going on I don’t want any fucking part of it,” I yell at my oldest friend. “And while we’re at it, never call me ever again for a favor.”
“Nash,” Brooks says my name and I can hear the hurt in his voice.
“No. I never thought my brother would do me like this. I thought we were closer than that.”
“Nash … I …” Brooks starts to try to explain.
“This wasn’t at all how I wanted things to go,” Ellie states as she stares at me.
“And this sentimental friendship bullshit doesn’t normally affect my blackened heart, but …
” Ellie lets out a sigh, “we’re family now and I …
you know … guess … fuck … ew … this is all weird for me.
” I frown at Ellie whose accent has changed from an English hybrid to Russian. What the hell is going on?
“Ellie,” Brooks says her name in warning, this has me sitting up straighter.
“This is Nash, we can trust him,” Sophie tells Brooks, and I hate the fact that she has to remind him in that moment, which makes me realize this is more mission than favor.
“If I’m involved in something and I don’t know, we know that’s when things go south,” I tell him.
“Yeah, it sucks doesn’t it,” Brooks bites back, reminding me of my fuck up. That was like a dagger to my heart.
“It’s not his fault, Nash. It’s much bigger than our friendship,” Sophie explains.
“Does this have anything to do with your sisters being kidnapped?” I ask. Brooks called me to help him find out what had happened to Zoe and Grace when they disappeared, if by some chance, they had wound up in the cartel.
“Yes,” Sophie answers honestly.
“Does your trip to Dubai have something to do with that?”
“Yes.”
I run my hand over my shaved head a couple of times as I try to connect the dots. “This has something to do with the Bratva?”
“Yes,” Sophie answers honestly again.
“Is she Bratva?” I turn, looking at Ellie, seeing her with new eyes.