Page 37 of Drift

“Hard to say for sure until I get it back,” said Jack. “But the fuel pump definitely isn’t sounding happy.” His look drifted to Gray, and Gray knew that look, the one that saidtoo close to home, mukka. “Ray will pick you up at the MC by the time you clock off,” Jack said back to Monique, and the change from Sam to Ray was… concerning, He’d definitely picked something up. “I should know for sure by then.” He thumbed to the Polo. “I’m gonna get him onto the recovery truck. Jan, can you get Monique out of the chill and into Gray’s Merc? I’ll need her contact details putting into my new phone.”

Jack went to chuck it over, then came over to Gray and slipped Gray’s phone from his pocket. He held his up next to it, then thumbed through, adding his number to Gray’s. A frown crept up for a moment, then something else was typed in his own: no doubt Gray’s number. After a moment, he chucked the phone over to Jan, and Jan just about caught it.

“Course,” said Jan. “C’mon, trouble.”

Gray waited for them to head off and take some warmth before following Jack over to his tow truck.

“Problem?”

“Hm?” Jack frowned back at him, then started on the ramp and didn’t say anything until the noise from lowering it hit the car park. “Go take a look near the fuel cap. Tell me what you see.”

Gray made his way to the driver’s side and made it quick. A few spots of water loitered around the cap and marked a thin path down the dust of the side panel. Gray ran a look over the roof, then went back over to Jack, not happy.

“There’s been no rain,” mumbled Gray. “Not with the heatwave over the weekend. And there’s enough dust on the sidepanels and roof to say it’s not been through the carwash.” He slipped a hand into his trouser pocket.

“She also said there was a quarter of a tank in last night, yet it read full just,” said Jack.

Gray cocked a brow. “Someone added water to her tank?” Oh, now wasn’t that… interesting.

Jack scanned the carpark as the ramp finished its long stretch towards the polo. “A lot of. Water’s not like sugar. Sugar doesn’t dissolve in petrol. It stays in a sediment state at the bottom. Disturb it, the filters do their job and keep it out of the engine. The most it will cost is a new filter, but it won’t cut the car out. But add water?” He gave a rough sigh. “If water instead of fuel from the tank is shunted around the engine, into the cylinders, it knackers the whole combustion process.”

Gray watched Jan store Monique’s details in the phone, the talk between them looking more relaxed. “Literally dead in the water,” mumbled Gray. He didn’t like that, and it left him with two gnawing options. Was this the serious players tied to Jason’s murder, or—

“Our office bullies?” Jack looked Gray’s way as Gray scanned the car park for CCTV and found no sign. “Monique mentioned on the phone to Aid that problems started this morning as well. They could have gotten access to both locations. Maybe they’re playing with how the mention of trouble this morning will put them in the clear if they were here this afternoon and seen.”

Gray looked at him. Theyhadbeen here. Jack wouldn’t know that, but the reasoning was sound, and Jack didn’t come weighed down with a Welsh murder scene. This was too out in the open and public for the Welsh killers, but if this started at Monique’s home like Jack was saying and Chris and Benhadbeen here this afternoon, it couldn’t be ruled out.

“Hm,” Jack mumbled more to himself. “This morning would have been the testing phase: a lot of water in the tank cuts the engine immediately, but only a little will cause drag on the accelerator and minor grumblings. It explains the difference Monique mentioned. And like here, I doubt Monique has CCTV at home to check for this earlier-morning kind of fuckery either.”

“More serious than office bullying, though,” mumbled Gray, if they’d been on the road and it had cut out…. “I should have been told sooner they were giving him issues.”

Jack tilted his head, and this look settled in his eyes, like he watched Gray from a few miles away. The look was similar to how he was never quite with Gray through his absence, only here, Jack knew precisely where everyone was. “I’m telling you now there’s potential proof of an issue,” he said quietly.

“That’s not what I meant.” Gray was looking to bite, mostly as a result from his own head still being back in Wales, with bone marrow siphoning and the possibility of a doctor being behind it all, but he didn’t want to dig into Jack for it.

Jack nodded. “I know what you meant. But you’d have donewhatprior to this?”

Gray cocked a brow. “You into thinking I needed proof to handling Chris and Ben, now or any other time?”

“Yeah,” Jack said quietly. “Because this is MC staff and Jan. Family, the best of, and you don’t fuck with an MC staff member until there’s proof he needs fucking with. We don’t need protecting at work.”

Gray watched him for a moment, not understanding where the challenge came from. Or maybe he did with being told to back off. “You all right?” he said gently.

That seemed to catch Jack off guard, and he sniffed, wiped at his nose, and looked around. “Sorry. Just pissed off over this bullshit, that I missed his call.” He gave a deep sigh as he looked Gray’s way. “Especially over malicious shit like this.”

Gray nodded and rubbed at his arm. Maybe that was it. He looked ready for a fight, mostly with himself, so Gray didn’t push it. Upsetting Jan was only going to add to it when it came to Monique. And then he had to sit Jack down and talk… Jude.

Christ.

“Okay. Double check your working theory,” Gray said gently. “Get me the proof this was done here. Get me a definitive timeline of anything that happened since this morning, then we’ll talk security.”

Jack nodded eventually, and Gray went to turn away, but Jack came in close, a hand gently brushing at the back of Gray’s before a finger hooked his and pulled him in close. His kiss was all Gray’s, taking all thought away from Gray for a few moments with the full-on public intimacy of it.

Jack pulled back eventually, his look soft. “Sorry I missed your call.” He flicked a look to Jan. “Fucking sorry I missed his more, especially leaving him stranded on the roadside.”

Twice he’d mentioned that now. It really ate into him, so Gray gently brushed the back of his hand along Jack’s. “Kind of frustrating, huh? This stepping back on security and leaving a lover on his—”

A rougher kiss stopped Gray’s words, and Jack tugged Gray in hard, clothed cock crushing clothed cock and taking Gray’s breath. “Carry on with thetold you sodigs.” Jack pulled back, cocking a smile. “I’ll mukka tip you for it.”

---