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Chapter Fourteen
After drying Carter off and tucking him in, it takes the boy less than a minute to pass out cold. Nathan gives himself a few minutes to sit on the bed and just watch the boy sleep. Then he tells himself to stop being a selfish bastard and heads into the bathroom for his dreaded call with Maison. He runs the water like usual, just in case Carter wakes up, then takes a seat on the steps leading to the tub and dials the number that used to be his lifeline and now feels more like a death threat.
As always, there are 3 rings, then a clipped voice. “Name?”
“Eagle 2.”
“Code?”
“7134.”
“Hold.”
The phone connects almost instantly, Maison obviously having been waiting. “What thefuckdo you think you’re doing skipping check-ins when you have my baby brother?”
Nathan closes his eyes. “I knew Benny would call.”
“Benny isn’t who I’m interested in talking to.”
“I know…”
“I didn’t say anything when you skipped the check-in the night you had to punish him, but you can’t keep doing it.”
Nathan runs a hand through his hair, sighing. “Alright, Mais. No more avoiding, I promise.”
“Good.” There’s a stretch of silence between them, Nathan staring across the bathroom at the door keeping him from Carter. Nathan wishes he could keep the boy locked in the bedroom forever. Safe. Unharmed. Maybe even happy, as far as happiness goes in situations like these.
“Should we just rip it off like a band-aid?” Maison asks, pulling Nathan back from his thoughts.
Nathan leans back against the tub, closing his eyes. “Go ahead.”
“Henley. He comes tomorrow, right?”
“Yup. Dinner meeting.”
“Do you feel good about it?”
“Which part of it?” Nathan asks with a huff. “The part where I make a business deal that may lead to the end of this goddamn operation once and for all, or the part where Todd Henley comes near Carter again?”
Maison hums softly. “Let’s get business out of the way first.”
“I’m feeling good about that part. Real good. The guy is a fucking idiot bottom feeder. Gets a kick out of being friends with the important players without being one himself. All of the benefits with none of the pressure.”
“Perfect. The more important people he hangs out with, the more info he has for us. Treat him like your best fucking friend.”
Nathan nods. “That’s the plan. I’m rolling out the works for him.”
There’s a pause, and Nathan knows exactly what Maison is thinking. He can feel the tension as his best friend tries to keep the conversation professional. It takes a few seconds, but then Maison breaks. “He’ll ask to use Carter, you know.”
“I assume he will, yes.”
“Are you going to let him?”
“I don’t want to,” Nathan says quietly.
Maison makes a small noise. “You said you’d be giving him as a gift now and then, right? And a reward for your men?”
“Yeah, but I was hoping to avoid those situations as much as possible.”
