The Troubleshooter

11- New York

Nico POV

Nico: boarding my connecting flight. I'll call you when I land

Lili: Don't you dare! It'll be like one in the morning! 

Nico: ok, I'll call you in the morning?

Lili: ok, but not too early, I'm going out for dinner with Ben tonight. 

What?

She's going out for dinner with Ben? Like a date? Are they going out for dinner, or is he taking her out for dinner?  

Why would she go on a date? I asked her to wait for me… and she said ok. Did she not understand what I meant? 

Fuck! Why didn't I kiss her? 

No. I'm overthinking it, it's just two old friends catching up, right?

I want to ask but I don't want to look crazy. Maybe I could get Sophie to ask? No that's worse. I could just ask Ben. 

Nico: Did you ask Lili out on a date?

He'll laugh and say no, it'll be fine and I'll just feel a bit foolish.

Ben: Yeah, shit how many spies have you got dude? You find out stuff scary fast. 

I stare at the words on the screen until they go out of focus. My phone is in danger of being crushed in my palm. First class has never been so uncomfortable.

What the fuck Lili?! I've been gone less than six hours! My inner thoughts start to argue the case. 

'This is our thanks? After we stayed up all night to look after her'

'that doesn't mean she owes us anything'

'she agreed to wait for me' 

'we never said what she was waiting for. We made no promises' 

The debate goes around in circles in my head. I'm too tired to think straight right now, and there's fuck all I can do about it on this flight anyway.

I switch off my phone lounging back in my chair to sleep through the flight.

I wake up somewhere over the Atlantic. Not very specific given its size. 

Powering on my phone, I see it's only an hour til I'm due to land, I must have been tired. 

Suddenly I'm reminded why I had been so tired. Lili, hilariously drunk, Lili torturously grinding herself against me until I have to pry her off me and then passing out in my bed. Then going on a date with Ben the next day.

My mood feels like it has been doused with cold water. I have no idea where to direct my anger. 

Lili is free to see who she wants, I have no right to be annoyed with her.

Ben doesn't know I love Lili. Hell I didn't know that I loved Lili until recently. If anything this is my fault, I'm the first to admit Lili is amazing. She's smart, funny, kind and so, so beautiful. Of course other people can see that. 

I'm just pissed off at myself for waiting for so long to open my fucking eyes. 

I press the call bell to order a liquid breakfast. Connecting my cell to the WiFi to message Arty. 

As soon as my cell connects my phone starts buzzing with notifications Matt, Arty, Lili. 

Obviously I go for Lili's message first chuckling at a meme of a drunk girl passed out in a car.

Lili: This is me isn't it… I'm sorry. 

I check my other messages reminding Arty to have me picked up from JFK, the plan is to go straight to the club and get started. 

I spend the end of my flight checking my emails and nursing my drink. 

The moment we land I grab my carry-on and speed through the border checks and hurry out to where Arty said he'd be waiting. I want this handled so I can get back.

 "So? What exactly happened?" I ask Arty, the car speeding towards the club.

 "We busted a few cases of drug use in the club back in May, did the usual, threw them out, bar them. But then there were more, the drugs were harder. We got the cops in like you told us but they have done fuck all. So we're pretty sure they were paid off. We suspect it's this guy Damien." Arty explains

 "Never heard of him" 

 "New, or at least new to the area, we have already… retained some men tonight, they didn't feel like talking. Hopefully there tongues will have loosened up by the time we arrive…"

When we arrive we head to the beer cellar weaving through the rooms I can hear the music thumping from above. 

When Arty pushes open the last door I know that the tongues are not loosened, their joints however…

Yeah I know, a torture room in a club. So cliché. But hey, the noise makes excellent cover. Sometimes things are cliché for a reason. 

I stride into the room, the smell of damp, alcohol and blood burning my nose, seriously Lili's morning breath wasn't this bad! 

The minute I think of Lili I'm pissed off again. Did she go on the date with Ben? The thought of him being close to her, kissing her. My blood boils in my veins, the anger seeping through my pores. I aim a kick at the nearest guy's stomach, satisfied by his grunt of pain. It's his fucking fault I'm here. It could have been me out with Lili. It should be.

 "Well?" I ask one of Arty's men. 

 "We were right, it's Damien. They're not giving up any contact information though"

 "Pity," I sigh, squatting down for a closer look at one of them. "They obviously don't know that all I need is a name" 

I smile darkly at the panicked expression on his face.

 "Make it so they can never handle drugs in my establishments again" I order, My eyes not leaving the face of the man lay before me. 

I get to my feet turning to leave the room. Hoping that the stench doesn't cling to my skin. The men will live, but they won't be able to hold their own dicks for a while.