Page 84 of Drift

Blood started to drip from Jack’s nose, and he wiped across it and looked down at it before shaking his head. When he looked up, anger ruled his look more.

“Oh Jacky boy… now what trick are you trying to pull, huh?”

Jan frowned, took a step back. “Martin?” He shot a look back to Gray, his confusion mirroring everyone’s.

Was that fast and short sharp switch between Jack and Martin something new? Light didn’t know, but it seemed to throw Jan and Gray out—and Martin right along with it with how heavy that anger was, the blood to his nose.

Gray went in close, cupping Martin’s jaw and lifting his head up to get a look at his eyes. “You… you two okay?”

More blood trickled from Martin’s nose, and, unusually, he went to speak, then failed.

Gray threw a quick look Jan’s way. “BP meds and ice. Fast as you can. George?” He looked over Martin’s shoulder. “Go with him. Don’t move from his bloody side.”

Jan nodded and left with George close by as Gray wiped a thumb under Martin’s nose. “Keep your head down. Pinch your nose.”

Martin shook him off, and Light went in, a grip at his arm to stop his retaliation.

A hard look came Light’s way, and Light returned it until he saw recognition filter in, but it took a while, which was really unusual, and eventually Martin snorted a smile and cupped Light’s neck briefly before he eased down. More blood dripped onto wood flooring.

“Fuck.” Martin kept his head down and pinched his nose. “Piper… good to see you again, kid. But… shit,” he said after a moment. “Why the jackass move off Jack to try and pull the leash back like that?”

Gray cupped Martin’s neck. “Cutter’s daughter,” he said flatly, shifting him slightly to hold his gaze. “You really need anything more beyond that?”

Martin shoved off Gray’s touch, and Gray held out his hands, backing down, but then he went back in close, looking to calm Martin down with the semi-aggression. “We need to talk. Now.”

“Oh you fuckingthink?” The bite to Martin’s tone was undeniable, but nothing else was said. He pulled away eventually, but the discomfort in his eyes looked like his head bled from the inside out, and he didn’t move away from Gray. Tensions were lived, tested, and nullified all in that one silent exchange. Martin’s stay by Gray called for a moment’s downtime through the hurt, because in the end, Gray was the only one Martin trusted with handling his downtime. And Gray, he settled around Martin as he no doubt saw it.

But then Martin levelled a look Simon’s way. “You got a problem, Sharon? Only I seem to remember that anyone who runs from here doesn’t exactly come back bloody alive, let alone sane.”

Simon went over to him. “Ray.” He didn’t take his look off Martin. “Give me your phone.”

Ray paused on his comm with his radio and started to feel through his pocket.

Then his other.

Then his back trouser pocket.

Light buried a groan. Fuck.

Jude had bumped into Ray… not the other way around, and Simon had caught what they’d missed.

Ray’s phone was gone right along with Jude.

“Bastard,” snarled Ray, and a look went Gray’s way. “He’ll go via the roof. The way he got in. I’ll—”

“Let him run.”

Ray looked over at Simon.

“He won’t get access to the phone,” Simon said flatly. “It’s biometric and encrypted. Anyone but Ray trying to gain access to it, they’ll kill it. That includes any one of the Night-walkers who think they can gain access to any of my secure devices.”

Night-walkers… Light doubted Simon realised he’d just verbally confirmed he’d been doing his own private search history on the Night-walkers, and that look off Gray as Gray folded his arms…?

“He’s street smart and no doubt used to handling stolen goods,” said Ray. “He’ll know phones can be tracked via cell tower triangulation or GPS. He’ll switch it off.”

“He’s not MI5 surveillance smart,” said Simon. “The ones I issued you all have their own tracking tech that doesn’t require the phone to be active.”

Ray cocked a brow.

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