I stepped into the Asiago Italian to see some of Zack’s boys.

All of the tables save one were stacked off to the side, Felix and Brent were using the remaining one for a game of cards.

Felix caught my eye as I approached.

“We weren’t expecting you here tonight Nicky,” he admitted while shuffling and dishing out cards.

“Zack wasn’t picking up and he wasn’t at his place either so, here I am,” I said and pulled out my phone to make as if I was checking my messages.

“He stepped out a while ago,” Brent said while placing a card down.

“With Zack?”

“Yeah, maybe…”

I let Jess, who was waiting near the restaurant that Zack wasn’t around so she should wait a bit.

“Well, that sucks,” I stated, “is there any chance either of you guys could get a hold of him?”

“I’m sure he’ll show up in a bit, why don’t you take a seat,” Felix offered.

“I really need to get a hold of him, it’s important,” I insisted.

Brent took his eye off the game to look at me and then back at his cards.

“I’ll call him, grab a chair,” said Brent.

I did as they said and grabbed a seat from off the side to join them. It didn’t look like they were playing for money so I just held my hand while we played a round. The game was Blackjack, I thought.

“You calling him?” I reminded Brent.

He stared at me and then his own eyes skirted to Felix, after a while, he put his cards down to pull out his phone and place it on the table.

It rang for a bit but Zack picked up the call eventually.

“Yo.”

“Niko’s here,” Brent announced, “he’s asking for you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“What should I tell him?”

“Tell him I’m on my way,” Zack informed.

The phone cut and Brent nodded.

“Satisfied?” he asked.

I shrugged and began to arrange my cards.

Nearly twenty minutes later Zack’s car pulled up in front of the restaurant. Zack wasn’t driving and was in the front passenger seat with Vince in the driver seat but I could see Sophie in the backseat. I sent a text I had saved earlier to tell Jess to start moving.

As Zack got up out of his car, I rose from my seat and took a few steps towards the entrance. Felix and Brent got up as well, I could hear them.

“How you been man?” Zack asked as he stepped in.

“Why is Sophie with you?” I demanded, ignoring his question.

Zack turned to look at Sophie in the car.

“We ran into each other,” he told me casually,” yeah she actually came to see me, we chatted a little about you actually. We were even planning to meet up with you before Brent rang.”

“Oh?” I challenged, “then why weren’t you picking up. As a matter of fact, Sophie wasn’t answering either.”

“I swear, I was planning on all three of us talking.”

He seemed to be telling the truth, I hated him so there was no bias in the observation.

Best get straight to it then.

“Were you giving me drugs so you could control me?” I demanded.

I took what I knew so far from what Sophie showed me and I was more than willing to press it.

Zack just looked at me like I was crazy. I had seen the look hundreds of times from him, usually when I did or said something stupid.

“I gave them to you because you needed them,” he said as he stepped to the bar, “you want to be strong. Drink?”.

“I’m good.”

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“Suit yourself.”

Zack reached over the counter to grab a glass and a bottle of whiskey. He took a long sip while we all stood there and I took this opportunity to plan what direction I could take this in.

“I don’t say it enough man, this guy is not the same guy I meet from way back when,” said Zack, reminiscing like some villain from a film.

“Everything I once knew about you is completely being flipped. Where you used to hesitate now you’re decisive, you were always outspoken but now you barely hold anything back.”

“Did you know there was a high chance I would get hooked,” I pressed. “Answer me for fucks sake.”

He nodded.

“Why?” I asked even as I thought ‘what was that point'.

“The point fam, is that I have to reassess how you and I are going to work together going forward,” he told me. “I’m going to need assurances that you won’t try to take advantage of us in the future.”

I looked from him then to my obviously kidnapped friend in his car like there was some joke I wasn’t aware of.

“It’s true,” Vince added, “we can do great things together but I just don’t want you to forget your position.”

“My position?”

“Yes yours, we all have one. There’s some real scary stories about how dragons treat others who mess with them and the ones who don’t.”

“Are you for real?” I asked, seething and containing my slightly raising anger. “You attempt to get me hooked on drugs and then you dare accuse me of needing to provide assurances to you. To prove to you that I need to be kept in line.”

Zack’s jaw tightened at my words but said nothing. He seemed to take that to heart, maybe I could use that.

“I have given you no reason to doubt me, Zack,” I told him, “nor will I.

“And how can I be sure?” Zack challenged. “How can we, be sure?

He gestured to all his thugs around and picked up his glass from the counter to down the rest.

“I’ve been doing a bit of research on dragons lately, Red Dragons in particular, like you,” Zack revealed. “Dragons are as arrogant but your type makes all the others look humble apparently. You’re only getting stronger, so it’s best to address this sooner than later before there are any misconceptions.”

He got up from his seat to approach me and stood a few feet away.

“The other night when we were talking shares, you were pretty insistent on what you wanted to take. Granted I did agree to it of my own volition but you felt extremely off yesterday. I don’t know whether that was your dragon instincts or you’re just a greedy mofo but that definitely caught my attention. Is that going to be a thing?”

“Bullshit,” I dismissed. “The job was a one-off, how many times are we going to go over this.”

“Yeah, and you all but demanded what you were getting,” Zack replied. “From here on out, you’re going to agree to what I set for you.”

“Why? I can just get one from the app you sent me.”

I looked at him like he was the biggest piece of shit I had ever laid eyes on. He was acting like I tried to steal money from him but what really set me off is that he still had not released Sophie.

“Yo get Sophie in here man,” I demanded.

It wasn’t a request and they knew that but Zack just settled for inspecting me closely. My jaw began to tense and I considered just sprinting to the car, taking my chances.

Zack took a short inhale and revealed his gun from under his jacket. I just moved in closer, met his eyes and he turned his head towards the window to nod.

Vince got out of the car and let Sophie out after. He gestured for her to come in and, her eyes were glued onto mine in an instant. If she was afraid, she was doing an excellent job hiding it.

My gaze then returned to Zack and so did my anger but I didn’t let it bleed into my expression. I moved towards Soph but Zack interceded when I was a few steps away.

“Hold up Niko.”

I could also feel someone rest their hand on my shoulder so I shook them both off me.

“I’m sorry,” Sophie apologised, “I tried to convince him that you wanted some distance. That you wanted to do your own thing.”

“Yeah,” Zack agreed, “she was pretty convincing as well with how she charmed me. She told me that a dragon had found out about you and that she wanted me to call you so you wouldn’t feel a type of way if I cut off communication.”

He started with a light laugh and the rest joined with chuckles.

“Now I did consider that as a possibility, that you might want to step back. Dragons are solitary creatures after all but she seems to be rusty with her magic. I threatened to call you there and then if she didn’t explain herself when I got lucid, later then you called.”

Zack looked at Sophie now and I deeply wanted to know what he had done while he was with her but I would find that out later.

Since Sophie was in front of me, I had to get her out of here as soon as possible or at least out of the restaurant before shit could go sideways.

I moved past Zack and walked up to Sophie to put my hand on the small of her back. This calmed her as she leaned into my touch.

“We’re going to talk about this more later Zack, this ain’t over,” I stated.

As we approached the exit, Vince stood in our way so I stared him down.

“Cool Niko, we can talk later, I’m cutting you off the gold rush,” Zack told me, “wouldn’t want you to get addicted.

“Okay,” I snickered more than accepted his condition.

He didn’t seem to find my reaction amusing and his face hardened.

“You got any gold rush on you?” Zack asked before he moved to search me so I wrapped my hand around his wrist. Zack decided to one up me and pull out the Desert Eagle from the back of his jeans.

Sophie gasped while I sucked in a shallow breath and allowed Zack to pull his hand free. He patted me down loosely while he held the barrel of his gun to where my heart was.

All illusions of coming to a compromise quickly began to evaporate, and my thoughts started to fill with images of things I would do to Zack when I got a chance for him treating me like this.

“I don’t need gold rush,” I sneered in his face.

He smirked and took a step back but kept his gun pointed at me. Zack then slowly aimed the pistol at my face, letting it linger before aiming it at Soph.

I forced myself not to move as I didn’t trust my ability to be able to disarm before he could do either myself or Sophie harm. She couldn’t help quickly, or at least I didn’t think she could.

I settled for growling and clenching my wrists in obvious irritation.

“Yeah that’s right, remember this feeling,” Zack mocked, “you don’t like it, then you stay in line. You may be bullet and stab-proof but she isn’t. Shit, I’d prefer not to threaten everyone but here we are.”

“Sophie and I are going to leave now Zack,” I added.

He nodded his head slowly and pulled the gun away similarly.

“Just to make it clear, we have a new understanding now.”

“Is that right?” I attested.

We both said nothing so I took Sophie’s hand and led her to the door to leave.

As I caught the door after Soph, I paused. She looked back at me in confusion but I didn’t respond.

Zack had said to my face that he would come for me if I didn’t do as he wanted. The last time someone threatened me I handled it personally. I went to Zack for the answer and now he’s the problem.

Time for that decision.

I spun around and charged for Zack as he started aiming for my head and the gun went off.