Chapter Thirty Six

Nathan walked into his father's house where Dan and Cooper were already there waiting for him. He had called both of them after he had ordered Lucas to tell him what he had to do for Daunte in order to get him off his back. His answer made him even more furious at his younger brother and more worried about his girlfriend.

Nathan didn't let either of them speak. "Please tell me you have a plan because I really don't want to allow those bastards out of jail." He could only imagine what would happen if they were allowed out. There was really no guarantee they would stay away from him or his family. All he had was the word of a loan shark who he didn't really trust. "Who knows what they will do after they're out?"

Before either of them could respond, there was a knock at the door. Dan answered it and Andy entered the foyer. "Thanks for coming," he said. Andy nodded as he joined the others in the kitchen. "But I thought Lucas was going to come with you."

"After Lucas heard about what happened to Ms. James, he wanted to make sure Brooke was okay," Andy explained. "He's going to join us after he makes sure Brooke is in a safe place. I advised him not to send her to Millie's house. So he is going to send her to Haley's parents' house."

Nathan groaned. He really didn't want to involve Haley's parents into this mess. Dan read his mind. "Don't worry. They're not going to get anywhere near Brooke or Haley's parents. Cooper and I will make sure of that."

"How? You're not going to break them out of jail, are you?" Nathan exclaimed. Dan shook his head. "Wait, does that mean you're going to drop the charges against them when it's clear they are guilty? Isn't that committing perjury or something?"

"No, we're not going to release Officer Jones or Officer Stevens," Cooper assured him, not answering the question about perjury. "They have every right to be in jail." Nathan was still confused to what the plan was. Cooper wasn't sure if he wanted to reveal the plan to Nathan, but he felt he should be informed. "We're going to arrest Daunte for his illegal activities." Nathan looked at him like he was crazy. That would be the biggest mistake that they could make. "We have no other options unless you want to end in jail or you want your girlfriend end up dead."

Nathan tried to come up with another plan – any plan that wouldn't have Daunte arrested and end up in jail like his brother, but there was only one he could come up with. "Maybe I can try and talk to him again."

Dan looked at him. "Do you really believe he will leave town without his brother?"

Nathan thought about his history with Daunte and what he knew about his family. "Daunte was never close to his brother. Yet, he is demanding for his release. Why? So he and his friend can get revenge on me and Haley or even Lucas and Brooke for putting them in jail. That has to be the reason behind it. Why else would he return to Tree Hill?"

"Nathan has a point," Dan told Cooper. "Maybe we should do some investigating before we go and think about arresting Mr. Jones."

"You'd better do it fast because Daunte only gave me until the State Championship to release his brother and his friend," Nathan reminded them.

"Don't worry about a thing," Cooper said as he showed him to the door. "We'll take care of it. You just focus on Haley, Lucas and your team."

Nathan nodded, but he was still skeptical. Even though he and Dan had helped put Victoria away, Daunte was different. He hoped his dad and Cooper could handle him and his bodyguard. Because it would be trouble for all of them if they didn't succeed in getting Daunte to back off. And he really didn't want anything to happen to his family especially Haley.

He debated on whether to wait for Lucas, but he still wasn't in the mood to talk to his brother. He just went on home, hoping nothing had gone wrong in his absence. When he arrived home, Haley was the only one who was there waiting for him. "Where's Quinn and Clay?" Nathan asked her. When Haley had called Quinn and told her about the situation, Clay had offered to come over and keep her company too. He saw the upset look on her face and immediately knew something was wrong. "Is everything okay?"

Haley let out a heavy sigh. "I just found out Brooke has moved out of the apartment. She told Lucas she wants a break from him for a little while. I can't say I blame her."

"Yeah, me either," Nathan agreed. He was still angry with Lucas for making a foolish mistake, but he knew this was the time to be a supportive older brother. "I should go and check on him. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

"Actually, I'm in the middle of packing. You see, Brooke didn't just leave the apartment. She left Tree Hill and she is staying with my parents in Wilmington." That was interesting to Nathan considering Lucas was planning to send her there anyway. However, Haley wasn't finished. "And she told my parents what was going on and they are insisting I come home until this whole thing with Daunte blows over."

"So you're going without discussing it with me again?" Nathan asked. Haley gave him a look. Was he really going to argue about this? He realized his mistake. "You're right. I'm sorry. You should go. I just wished you would have included me in your decision."

"I'm sorry too. I wanted to talk it over with you before I made this decision, but my parents really gave me no choice," Haley replied. Nathan didn't respond. Haley knew what he was feeling. "And it won't be like last time. I will be back."

"Maybe I should go with you," Nathan suggested. Haley wanted to protest, but he wasn't finished. "My dad and Cooper told me they would take care of Daunte."

"What about the team?" Haley reminded him. "Lucas is already struggling to concentrate on his studies and basketball. The team can't afford to lose their coach too. Besides, Lucas really needs you right now. And what if something happens to him?" Nathan began to realize his girlfriend was right. As much as it hurt him to be apart from Haley again, he needed to stay in town to make sure his brother stayed in one peace until Daunte was dealt with.

"I'll drive you there in the morning," Nathan offered.

Haley gave him a gentle smile. "That's nice of you, but Clay is planning to drive me. That's why he and Quinn went home. He wanted to help Quinn pack. She's coming with us. My parents want both of us out of town."

Nathan waited for her to say it, but there was nothing. "They're mad at me, aren't they?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer. "After all, I'm the one who put their daughters in danger. That's why you don't want me to drive you. You don't want me to face the wrath of your parents. I understand. They entrusted me with their daughter and I let them down."

"Hey, don't blame yourself. You had no idea Daunte had returned to Tree Hill. Or the reason why he came back."

Nathan didn't want to hide the truth from her. "Daunte only came back because his brother begged him to help him get out of jail," he told her. "It's his brother and friend who wants revenge on us, not him. At least, that's my theory. I should have seen it before, but I was thrown off by Lucas telling me he had borrowed money from Daunte. Speaking of Lucas, I should go and find him." Yet, he didn't want to leave Haley alone again. "Maybe I should wait until tomorrow."

"No, you should go," Haley encouraged. "I'll be fine. I have Jewel with me and Clay and Quinn are just next door if I really need help. Please go and check on Lucas. Make sure he is okay." Nathan nodded in agreement. He gave her a kiss good-bye before he left the house again.

Haley watched from the window as he climbed into his car. She was glad he was willing to stay in Tree Hill. As much as she wanted him to come with her, he needed to be here for Lucas and his team. And she felt he should be there to help Dan and Cooper with Daunte. After all, he knew him best. She could handle her parents. It was Brooke she was going to have a hard time getting through, but she was ready for the challenge.

The next morning, she, Quinn and Clay packed up the car. Nathan came over to say good-bye. Haley was curious to hear about what had happened with Lucas. By the look on his face, she could tell the conversation didn't go well. "Nate, what happened?"

Nathan recalled the previous night's events after he had gone looking for Lucas. "Grubbs, our new bartender at the club, called me last night right when I got in the car. He told me Lucas was there, trying to order some drinks, but Grubbs knew he was underage and wouldn't let him have any. Lucas then left the club and he didn't know where he went. I went all around town looking for him. I finally found Lucas at the café. He was destroying the place. I've never seen him so upset before. I tried talking to him, but he doesn't want to listen to me. So I just brought him home and let him sleep it off."

"Poor kid," Clay said, shaking his head. "I can't imagine what he is going through."

"I called Andy and told him what had happened. Of course, he isn't pressing charges against Lucas, but he is concerned about him. To be honest, so am I. Maybe you can talk to him," Nathan suggested to Haley. "After all, he went to you before. Maybe he needs his favorite teacher."

Nathan had a point and Haley knew she had to try. "I'll see what I can do. Where is he?"

A little while later, Nathan parked the car next to the River Court and Haley climbed out. It wasn't very hard to find Lucas. For once, he wasn't playing basketball. Instead, he was just sitting on the bleachers, staring out into space. However, he noticed Haley, but he didn't greet her as she sat down next to him. "If I didn't want to talk to Nathan, what made him think it would work on you?" he snapped.

Haley ignored his attitude. "Because we both wanted to do the right thing. Sometimes, that means going through the wrong people, but it was worth it in the end. We were able to get Brooke away from Victoria, right?"

Lucas knew that was true. "Yeah, but it was a mistake. I shouldn't have married her. That way, none of this would have happened." Haley could see major guilt was going on. "We wouldn't have gotten pregnant so soon and we wouldn't be worrying about financial problems. And we wouldn't have separated. And Daunte wouldn't be after you."

Haley wished she could find the right words to comfort him. "Lucas, don't do this to yourself," she told him. "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault." Lucas wasn't convinced. "None of this is your fault." Lucas kept quiet. "Okay, you've had some problems, but that's okay. You just need some time apart from each other. Right now, you need to focus on yourself and don't worry about everybody else. And that includes Daunte, okay?" Lucas let out a heavy sigh as he realized she was right. He nodded his head. "Everything is going to be okay."