Page 52 of Drift

“She’s got Raif, and his version of nasty Shrek scares the shit out of me. She’s also got MC security. She’ll be fine. You’ve got a phone to call her with, and Gray, he’ll—”

“I’ll… what, exactly?”

Jan eased back, hearing Gray. He stood back by the door to the reception hall, leaning against the anachronistic black Victorian lamppost, holding his coffee, his other hand in his trouser pocket, and the look their way was… off.

Jack looked over too. “Just letting Jan know you’ll know before anyone else if there’s trouble for Monique.”

“Yeah?” Gray turned away. “Oval. Now, Jack.”

Giving a frown, Jan eased away. A look came his way off Jack, but it was an old look over Jan being caught in the start of a street brawl about to break out, where Jack didn’t really see him, not fully. But then Jan never was his threat.

He didn’t understand why Jack’s look said Gray was his threat now.

Gray headed in, and saying nothing, Jack followed like he’d been expecting a talk of some sort.

Confused, Jan followed them into the hall. Gray rested his coffee mug on the table just as Ray came from his obs room, and such a strange look passed between them both that had Jan pausing.

It stopped Jack dead centre of the reception hall as well, his lowered look on Ray’s circle around him.

After a moment, Ray came to a stop not far from him, and Jack nodded to himself, then went over, nose-to-nose close.

“Gray still getting you to dip your dick where it shouldn’t be, huh?” It came so flatly off Jack, and Gray eased away from the mail table as Jack tilted his head slightly. “Don’t you ever get sick of playing I Spy on my balls?”

I Spy? Jan looked between them. Fuck. Had Gray told him about Jude at some point? If so, why the aggression towards Ray? Why the cold front off Gray towardsJack? And why the hell hadn’t Gray waited until Jan was here to tell Jack about Jude, because he must have done it whilst Jack was at work. “What—”

“Jack.” Gray never shifted his gaze from him. “Back off. Now.”

“Fuck you.” It came so quietly, and Jan really wasn’t sure who that was really meant for. Ray or—

Jack headbutted Ray, then in the next breath, took him down to the floor before sending run after run of vicious kicks to Ray’s ribs.

“What the fuck? What the—” Jan backed off wildly, hands running through his hair as Gray came in, an arm around Jack’s neck. He twisted him away, sending him stumbling a few paces before helping Ray find his feet. Then as Jack came back in, pure focus on Ray, Gray twisted Jack’s arm behind him and grabbed the back of Jack’s hair, forcing his look up to the ceiling.

“Whatthe fuck’swrongwith you?” snarled Gray in his ear.

Heart pounding hard, not understanding what was going on, Jan took a step closer, but only one, because the look in Jack’s eyes…. “Jack, what… what the actual hell?”

“Let’s go tell him, shall we, eh?” Gray didn’t give Jack a chance to reply as he forced him back down the hall, towards the Oval.

Jan was left unable to move, to ask Ray if he was okay and—

“Jan?” said Ray, hugging his ribs. “It’s okay. Go with them.”

Jan glanced at him, tried to offer a sorry, but only shrugged before making it to the Oval.

Gray forced Jack face-first up into the corner of his study and held his struggles still until he was forced to stop trying to tear off the arm around his throat as well as ease the rough grip on the back of his hair.

“Carry it on,”snarled Gray in his ear.“You carry it on trying to push fucking buttons, I’ll show you exactly how you’re not… like… fucking…me.”

Jack stilled, breathing heavy, hard, but it was almost as if he was caught tensing for when Gray would let him go so he could start again. So Gray kept him pinned there, a grip in his hair forcing his forehead into the wall like a dog-handler to aggressive Pitbull to enforce the no-aggression point.

The standoff seemed to last an age, those few minutes stretching down a long nightmare tunnel that only widened the more Jan stood there, watched. Then saying nothing, Jack locked his hands behind his head, keeping them there.

Gray instantly eased off, resting a fine fingertip point to the back of Jack’s neck, almost to test if he would retaliate, then when none came, he removed his touch. “Down.”

Looking like he tolerated Gray’s handling, but nothing more, Jack found his knees, hands still locked behind his head as he knelt into the corner.

“Jan,” said Gray quietly. “Jack’s medication bag. Go fetch it for me.”

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