‹ Prequel: Going Bush
Going Bush 2: Suburbia
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“Dammit!” Rick cursed, hitting his hand on the hood.
“What?” Zac looked to him.
“Five more seconds, I swear-“
“Rick, do you still have that hardware in your car?” Isaac’s eyes were almost glazed over as he looked to him.
“Yeah, why?” he looked up.
“Can that,” he pointed to the laptop, “we need to get to Tay’s. Natalie’s in danger.”
“Crap,” Rick closed the computer and immediately high-tailed it back to the car, “I’ll get back on it as soon as I can!”
“What are we gonna do?” Zac shook his head, “Nate’s gonna know either way!”
“Look, we know Tay’s in Mexico, right?” Isaac said seriously, “and Nate is wherever Tay is. That means that Nate isn’t in Tulsa. Right now we need to use that.”
Zac took a moment to catch his breath as Rick backed down the driveway and took off down the street with a roar of the engine.
“I’m gonna get Nat and Kate to Georgia. With the kids,” he said finally.
“Want me to come with?” Isaac offered, making Zac start to worry with how calm he seemed to be.
“You get to Tay’s and check on them,” Zac insisted as he walked around the car to get in, “I’ll head home and get Kate ready.”
“Okay,” Isaac agreed, heading straight for his own car.
Without another word they tensely parted ways.
*
“That… was unwise,” Nate took Taylor’s jaw firmly in his grip, making him look him in the eye.
“Now you’ll spend the rest of your life not knowing who got to her first.”
Taylor’s eyes were welling up already, and the tears fell easily once Nate let go.
“Please, leave her alone,” he begged.
“Now, now, you brought this on yourself,” Nate tsked, “I was perfectly happy for you to have a verbal catch up with your brother, and you had to go and ruin it. Now whatever happens to Natalie will be on your head.”
“This has nothing to do with her,” Taylor insisted, shaking his head, “your gripe is with me. Please. Do whatever you want with me but leave my family alone.”
“But see, therein lies the problem,” Nate stepped closer making sure that he was in Taylor’s personal space, “because hurting your family hurts you.”
“I am begging you,” Taylor reiterated.
“I know, and I appreciate that,” Nate said softly, gently picking some hay out of Taylor’s hair, “but I’m afraid that’s not enough.”
Taylor closed his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself.
“Now, while you’re feeling unusually compliant…” Nate went on, “I do have a favour to ask. Well, really, another deal to strike with you.”
“What?” Taylor opened his eyes again.
“I don’t want your Mistress to know what happened here,” Nate insisted, “do you know what will happen if she finds out? Or rather, what I’ll have done?”
Taylor didn’t reply, so Nate just smiled.
“I’ll have them take your daughter.”
“What?” Zac looked to him.
“Five more seconds, I swear-“
“Rick, do you still have that hardware in your car?” Isaac’s eyes were almost glazed over as he looked to him.
“Yeah, why?” he looked up.
“Can that,” he pointed to the laptop, “we need to get to Tay’s. Natalie’s in danger.”
“Crap,” Rick closed the computer and immediately high-tailed it back to the car, “I’ll get back on it as soon as I can!”
“What are we gonna do?” Zac shook his head, “Nate’s gonna know either way!”
“Look, we know Tay’s in Mexico, right?” Isaac said seriously, “and Nate is wherever Tay is. That means that Nate isn’t in Tulsa. Right now we need to use that.”
Zac took a moment to catch his breath as Rick backed down the driveway and took off down the street with a roar of the engine.
“I’m gonna get Nat and Kate to Georgia. With the kids,” he said finally.
“Want me to come with?” Isaac offered, making Zac start to worry with how calm he seemed to be.
“You get to Tay’s and check on them,” Zac insisted as he walked around the car to get in, “I’ll head home and get Kate ready.”
“Okay,” Isaac agreed, heading straight for his own car.
Without another word they tensely parted ways.
*
“That… was unwise,” Nate took Taylor’s jaw firmly in his grip, making him look him in the eye.
“Now you’ll spend the rest of your life not knowing who got to her first.”
Taylor’s eyes were welling up already, and the tears fell easily once Nate let go.
“Please, leave her alone,” he begged.
“Now, now, you brought this on yourself,” Nate tsked, “I was perfectly happy for you to have a verbal catch up with your brother, and you had to go and ruin it. Now whatever happens to Natalie will be on your head.”
“This has nothing to do with her,” Taylor insisted, shaking his head, “your gripe is with me. Please. Do whatever you want with me but leave my family alone.”
“But see, therein lies the problem,” Nate stepped closer making sure that he was in Taylor’s personal space, “because hurting your family hurts you.”
“I am begging you,” Taylor reiterated.
“I know, and I appreciate that,” Nate said softly, gently picking some hay out of Taylor’s hair, “but I’m afraid that’s not enough.”
Taylor closed his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself.
“Now, while you’re feeling unusually compliant…” Nate went on, “I do have a favour to ask. Well, really, another deal to strike with you.”
“What?” Taylor opened his eyes again.
“I don’t want your Mistress to know what happened here,” Nate insisted, “do you know what will happen if she finds out? Or rather, what I’ll have done?”
Taylor didn’t reply, so Nate just smiled.
“I’ll have them take your daughter.”