10 --- 3

Nate honked for the hundredth time as he wove the car through the midday Manhattan traffic. He had been driving for thirty minutes and he already had half a mind to start blasting cars out of the way.

"It's so strange to see you lose your patience." Susan said sweetly from his side.

"I am not losing my patience." He protested weakly. "I would just like to get to my destination faster."

"We could ditch the car and fly, I've always wanted to see what it's like."

Nate shook his head. "Not in broad daylight."

"I seem to remember you doing it that one time."

"Desperate times." He simply said.

"You've become a lot more boring since you became Baron."

"That is not true. You should check out my dancing moves tonight at the club."

Susan reacted like she had been stung. "You dance?!"

"I can be interesting if I want to."

"I would pay good money to see that."

"By the way, I never got to say what an amazing job you are doing at the club, it is going a lot smoother than I thought."

She beamed. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"So, how long have you guys been fucking each other?" Minx asked from the backseat.

Nate had to resist the ultimate urge to slam the brakes in surprise, he had momentarily forgot Minx was here. "What are you talking about, Minx?"

She snorted. "Don't even try to ignore it. I can see it clear as day."

He looked at Susan for help but she didn't seem ready to offer any.

"I haven't seen you guys together for a while so you must have been doing it under Victor's nose."

They both remained silent, a slight smile on Susan's face.

"Wow, and they called me crazy."

He wanted to tell her it only happened once but it would only make him seem guilty. "It is none of your business, Minx."

She shrugged. "Deny it all you want, I have an eye for these things." Nate suppressed a sigh. He hoped he wasn't going to regret bringing Minx, ever since she killed one of King's henchmen at the club's opening, he had made sure to keep an eye on her. Hence, bringing her on this trip. Turns out she was also keeping an eye on him.

"Where are we going?"

Nate was grateful for the change of subject but he didn't answer the question. "You will see when we get there.

She yawned wildly. *Uh oh.* A bored Minx is a dangerous one. He could see his thoughts reflected on Susan's face. She knew Minx could do about anything to keep things interesting.

"So Minx." Susan started. "What about you? Any love interests?"

"Well.." Nate could see her twirling her pink hair in the rearview mirror. "There is this boy I have my eye on."

Nate didn't know why but he was suddenly interested in knowing this boy. "Who is it?"

She smiled. "Well, you know him."

Nate sat up straighter, *what was she up to this time?*

Susan turned to face her. "Wow, now I'm interested. Who is it?"

Minx smiled silently for a while, slowly torturing them before finally spilling the beans. "It's Roger."

*Oh boy* Nate thought while Susan cooed in fake delight. "That is surprising and juicy."

"Yes Minx, that is surprising but I don't think it is a good idea."

Her eyes turned hard like pebbles. "Why not?"

"Because you work together with him."

"How the fuck can you say that after what I just saw between you and Susan."

He wanted to say there was nothing between him and Susan because he didn't know where she stood but decided not to to rock that boat at this moment.

"I don't have anything against relationships between my crew. The problem is you. I don't want you destabilizing the dynamics of the group."

Susan looked between them with concern. "Maybe it's too early to have this conversation, we don't even know if the boy is interested."

Nate snorted. "Does it matter? Whether he likes her or not, you can always trust Minx to make a mess of things."

Minx looked livid in the backseat. "If you think I am a problem, why did you have me as part of your team?"

"Because I didn't want to kill you and I couldn't trust you to stab me in the back if I set you free."

"Is that all?" She asked in a low voice.

He knew he was being hurtful but he couldn't stop, the mere possibility of Roger and Minx could destabilize everything he was trying to build.

He sighed. "I recruited you because you are a fighter not because of your dating skills. I am sure there are a lot of guys who would want to date the powerful and popular Minx."

She said nothing, Nate couldn't believe that he had rendered her speechless so he took her silence as agreement. They spent the rest of the trip in uncomfortable silence, Nate was grateful when they reached their destination.

"Where are we?" Minx asked as they alighted from the car.

"A willer bar, I have business here." He simply said and Minx asked no more.

Susan had discovered this place after he explained his problem to her. It only seemed fitting to bring her and to bring Minx for backup.

They walked to the small but modern bar, it looked closed but Susan had warned him of its exclusive privateness. He knocked twice heavily and the door swung open and a big and muscular, dark skinned man stepped out.

"Private bar." He muttered in a low but powerful voice.

"We are here to see Gerrard." He answered.

The man's eyes snapped up and Nate knew he was recognized. He stretched to full height and his eyes flickered between them.

"She can't enter." He gestured to Susan. "It's willers only."

Nate shifted uncomfortably. "I sure that can be rectified."

"I can't. It is the bar's policy."

It would have been easy to tell Susan to wait in the car but pride won over reason. He was Baron, they were in his territory, enforcing the rules on him showed how little they respected him.

"Minx." He called in a loud voice. "He is in my way."

The big guy might have been a good fighter but he had little time to react. Minx fired a strong beam of light straight at his face, even Nate would have struggled to stay on his feet after a blast from Minx's deadly fingers but the big guy just went down.

"Can you carry him?"

Minx didn't respond but she dragged him by the scruff of his shirt inside, Nate followed her and Susan closed the door behind them.

They walked into a dimly lit room, Minx effortlessly threw the unconscious man forward with one hand. He crashed into tables and chairs loudly.

The occupants of the room stood immediately, there were three of them previously seated including a middle aged man with a shock of silver hair behind a well stocked bar. Nate guessed easily that the man was Gerrard.

Nate scanned them, they were all willers. If a fight were to break out, they would be outnumbered, he hoped Susan had a gun in her purse.

Gerrard was the first to recover from their abrupt entry. "Mr Merlyn, this isn't a very good first impression."

Nate glanced at the unconscious man. "I found him very rude."

"He was following orders."

"Then you should be grateful it's him on the ground and not you."

The occupants of the room bristled at his words. They were one woman and two men, it looked they were just having a few drinks before he entered. "Are we going to have a problem?" He jerked his head towards them.

"Your Baron title has no meaning here and you are outnumbered."

Nate looked through the Gerrard's confidence and saw his tense posture, his eyes darting between Minx and him, his hand clutching something below his line of sight, obviously a weapon.

"You don't want a fight. Your friends look brave but I doubt they will last a minute against I and Minx and no offense, you don't look to be in top fighting form. Do you really want to take the chance of having your walls repainted."

There was a few tense seconds as Gerrard considered his words. Nate wondered if he had laid it on too thick.

Finally Gerrard jerked his head suggestively and he could see the occupants relax but warily take their seat, it looks like they didn't want a fight either.

He walked forward and took a seat opposite Gerrard, Susan took the next seat close to him but Minx sat at a table a bit far from them, she still didn't seem to be in a talking mood.

"What would you like to drink?" Gerrard offered with an insincere smile on his face.

"None for me, thanks" Nate politely turned it down.

"I will have a martini." Gerrard's lips turned downward in disgust at the sight of Susan but he still served her drink. Nate scanned her drink before she drank it but found it clean.

"I know why you are here." Gerrard said confidently.

Nate tried to hide the surprise from his voice. "Oh, please do tell."

"It's no secret King wants to take New York from you, I know for a fact he has been one upping you all this while but you have been lucky each time he has attacked, the night of the opening of your new club could have gone terribly wrong if not for the heroics of miss Pierce and the extremeness of Minx. You are here for information."

Nate was starting to regret rejecting the drink as he sighed. "You are only half right. I didn't just come for information, I came for a source of it."

Gerrard's brow creased in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"If I am ever going to keep up with King's attacks, I need someone on my team to be a constant hub of information and rumors of the willer world for me."

"Let me get this straight, you want to recruit me?"

Right on cue, Susan reached into her purse and removed a photo. She placed it down for Gerrard to see.

His features hardened when he recognized the image on the photo.

"Caleb? My son? You want to recruit my son?"

"I knew it a long shot to get you so I decided to go for the next best thing and don't bother lying, I know he has assess to the same contacts you have." The last part was a bit of a bluff but from the look in Gerrard's face showed that he was correct.

"What happens if I say no?"

"I know you don't respect me as Baron but it is within my power to make sure this little paradise doesn't exist anymore."

Slight anger etched his features. "This willer bar has survived a lot of barons before you."

Nate shrugged. "I'm sure it will be missed."

Horror replaced anger on his face when he realized Nate wasn't bluffing. "You are a power drunk monster."

Nate rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, you and your son will be heavily compensated for this arrangement."

Susan reached into her purse again and removed an envelope that she slid towards Gerrard.

He looked at both of skeptically before opening the envelope and withdrawing a check.

Nate could see him react to the numbers on the check. The hook was in, all he had to do was reel it in.

"This is a good thing Gerrard, don't fight. Think of the improvements you can make to this place with that kind of money."

"Not enough to sell my son."

"Then call him and let me convince him myself."

Gerrard hit a bell a few feet away. It took awhile but soon a boy came out from the back room.

Susan had done enough research about the boy for him.

His name was Caleb, he was about the same age as Nate maybe older, he was a struggling artist who worked part time at his father's bar. Nate could see the similarities between father and son except Caleb wore glasses, Nate suspected he was the true brains behind his father's information network but could say for sure.

He waited for his father to explain everything to him but he could see he was still wary.

Nate decided to go for the killing blow. "In addition to the money, I can arrange for you to showcase your art at the best art galleries in the city." He could see immediately that he had won him over.

"Can I also work at your new clubhouse?" Caleb asked.

Nate wasn't expecting that, he looked over at Susan.

She nodded. "If you are anywhere as good as your dad, I'm sure we won't have a problem."

Caleb smiled. "Then I guess we have a deal, Baron."

"You understand the risk you are attaining by working with me?"

"I know how to take care of myself, Mr Merlyn."

Polite but bold, Nate already liked him. "I guess I will have that drink after all, this calls for celebration."