Light the Fuse

by SpaceBounty

Four years have passed since the Green Flu and people are returning to their lives, but Ellis hasn't been the same since the day they were rescued. Now he finds himself engaged to a girl who wants to help him feel whole again. However, in order to do that she's gotta find that one missing piece in his life and when she finds it there's no easy way of extinguishing a newly lit fuse.

14. Over Confidence

Yesterday

Boston, Massachusetts

Tessa rolled her head to the side, eyeing where Russell stood in front of the windows with his hands on his hips and expensive tailored jacket swept back. He'd been standing there for some time since she got to his office, having given up his chair for her to sit in. She'd told him to stop brooding, but since telling her to shove it he hadn't said or done anything else. It was boring. She was bored. She couldn't help wondering what Nick could possibly be up to and if it was more fun than this.

Hell-she'd been wondering about Nick since he said he wasn't coming back. Where the fuck even was he? The last she'd been aware, he couldn't be gone this long without someone breathing down his neck. He owed one person money and another some favors, she couldn't be bothered to remember names but knew it was important he had tabs kept on him. At least, that's what she believed came from all of it and with him still being gone she could only assume that Russell was pulling strings.

Regardless, it didn't change the fact she was bored.

Tessa let out a sigh, lifting her legs up to cross her ankles on the desk. The black pumps she wore were more expensive than her skirt, but she wasn't one to pay for length. To top the outfit off she had on a low cut red top that left little to the imagination. It was a shirt Russell had gotten her a month back, one he'd told her to avoid wearing into the office because he was tired of having to tell his coworkers to quit talking about her. She'd teased him saying he'd fool her into thinking he cared.

She let out another sigh, this one lengthier and accompanied by a hand taking a brunette strand to twirl around a finger. She rolled her eyes, "Russ, can we please go get food or something? Maybe go home even?"

"If you're hungry," Russell didn't break his stare from the construction happening across the way, "then, by all means, go eat."

"I don't want to go alone," Tessa whined it softly, pouting. She drew a leg back, resting her foot on the edge of the desk as her other stayed extended. The action hiked her skirt up further than the short length it was already set at, "That's why I'm here."

Russell finally looked over at her, dragging his eyes along her long legs, "I have work to do."

"Oh, yeah," Tessa snorted, "Because you're really busy standing by your window there."

It was Russell's turn to roll his eyes, "I have a lot going on, Tessa."

"You're just saying that so you don't have to stop brooding over Nick being gone."

"I'm not-" he sighed, turning fully to face her with a set frown, "I'm not brooding over Nick. I'm just getting more annoyed by him being gone without so much as an explanation."

Tessa battled the smile which wanted to spread across her lips. Instead, she dropped her feet to the floor to layer her right leg over the left. She rested her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand, "Did he pick up yesterday?"

"No," Russel clicked his tongue, "He let me go to voicemail than had the audacity to text me that he was busy."

"Can't you just track his cards or something?" Tessa hummed.

"I know where he is."

The solid statement made Tessa frown. She dropped her hand and sat up in the chair, "And when did you figure that out?"

"Yesterday," Russell turned back to the window, pressing his hands into to it so to lean his weight there, "I got tired of him being an ass so I pulled the lawyer card and had his phone tracked."

"So," she dragged the word out, "When in the hell were you going to tell me?"

"When I felt like it," Russell answered simply.

"Okay," Tessa lifted her leg so to drop her foot back to the floor. She stood up in a huff, straightened her skirt then made her way over to him. She dipped under his arm and pushed her back against the window so she was between the two. Her hands lifted, grabbing his tie to hold him there so he didn't waltz off on her, "I'm getting tired of you treating me like a goddamn side piece rather than part of this relationship."

Russell frowned, eyebrows knitting together, "Stopped treating you like a side piece ever since Nick kept you around."

"Except," she yanked his tie with emphasis on the word, "ever since he decided to go on his little trip you've been a complete asshole."

"I'm stressed," Russell hissed, but he hadn't attempted to move yet and she could see it in his stare that he was already cracking. He acted tough, radiated with anger when he needed to do but deep down he was a submissive bitch with his lovers. It's why Nick liked him so much.

"Then use me, Russ," Tessa reached up to grab hold of his right wrist, dragging it down to settle onto her waist, "I'm here to help you, but you gotta start treating me like the girlfriend you tell your coworkers I am."

The hand on her hip tightened and the lawyer took a step forward, brushing his body against hers. She dropped her head back on the window, closing her eyes as his lips feathered along her chin, "He's still in Georgia."

Tessa let out a hum, tilting her head forward to where she could look up at the man. She moved both her hands to settle on his chest, pushing gently enough to where he was at a distance so their eyes could meet, "Where in Georgia?"

"Some shithole of a town called Rosendale," Russell responded, "He's been renting a motel room there, and before you ask why: I don't know." He tapped a finger against the glass above her head, "I've been debating flying down there and just getting answers."

"Why don't we?" Tessa mused it, smirking slowly to reveal white teeth behind red lips, "I mean-what better than to catch him red-handed doing whatever it is he's doing? We're both tired of him running off and fucking other people, yeah? So let's go to Georgia and bring him back home."

"Hm," Russell gave a tick of his head, thinking it over, "We could definitely do that."

"Then let's do that," Tessa agreed as she straightened out his tie, "We don't have anything better to do and we both know how much you're missing having Nick in our beds."

Russell rolled his eyes, but she could see that he was already teetering on just agreeing with her. He wet his lips and let out a short sigh before finally taking a step away from her, he made his way to his desk and pressed at the phone there. After a few seconds the voice of his assistant came through, " Yes, Mr. Madison ?"

"Cancel my meetings for the rest of the week," he flicked his gaze to where Tessa was still leaning against the window, "I'm taking a needed trip." He took his finger off the button, brow lifting towards the woman eyeing him like a cat, "You do realize, he probably won't want to come with us."

Tessa chuckled, pressing off the window to walk towards him. She gave a solid push of his shoulders, sending him into his chair so she could crawl onto his lap. Once again she was taking hold of his tie, grinning smugly at him as she rested on her knees, "Then we give him reason to come back."

"What do you propose?" The lawyer's hands had found her hips, slipping down them slowly until he was able to push them up under her skirt.

Tessa felt her skin heart up at the contact, a soft sound escaping her lips before she spoke, "You're the one with his cards still in your hands, are you not?"

"Technically," Russell had turned his head down, kissing along her collar bone, "But he's also smarter than that and knows what I can or can't do."

"Pity," Tessa let go of his tie, sighing as she gropped his shoulders instead, "What about your brother or his what the fuck ever?"

Russell chuckled, "You'll never care to remember a name will you?"

"Not at all."

He tilted his head back to look up at her, "I could think up something, but it still doesn't guarantee the asshole coming back with us."

"Yeah, well if he wants to keep this," she pointed a finger between them, "then he doesn't have much of a choice. He gets bored of his side pieces. He always does. But us-."

"Fair point," Russell muttered and she grinned, "We can fly out tomorrow."

"Good," Tessa let her grin grow wicked, "Now stop brooding and put that mouth to use. You've been neglecting me, baby."

{/}

Present Day

Rosendale, Georgia

It was worse than she thought it would be.

Granted, she'd been in the headspace that all of the South was like this but there was something even more podunk about this town. It was horrible and every street they turned down confirmed that all the more. Every person they passed either looked plain or boring, or both. None of them worth more than a second's glance. The opposite could be said about them.

They'd stopped at the local garage once found, bringing it up to one of the empty garage slots then both climbing out. Her heeled boots hit the ground, kicking up dust with the action. She sneered, the frown evident in dark eyes hidden by sunglasses. She slammed the door shut and stretched her arms, looking over at Russell who was shutting his door more carefully. They were both dressed like they didn't belong, each in an outfit that nearly matched the price of someone's one month salary here.

She adjusted the long peacoat she wore, brushing dust from the tight black skirt. Russell had made a comment about them looking as if they were about to enter New York's finest club rather than show up in some hick town, but she'd only laughed and mentioned that it'd just make everyone feel more intimidated by their presence. He'd disagreed.

"It's too damn quiet here, Russ," Tessa made her way to the front of the car where he stood, looping her arm through his to hold onto it. She lifted her sunglasses up, pressing them up into her hair as a sigh left her lips, "What are we doing here?"

"Chances are," he began as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, "Nick is driving something damn flashy and if anyone has seen it…"

"Ah," she hummed, looking back at the building, "Hopefully they've seen something." She looked down at her wrist, eyeing the silver watch there, "I don't want to spend the night in this shithole."

"We might have to," Russell mumbled just as someone peered out at them from the garage. The larger man eyed them for a few seconds then grabbed a rag from his coveralls pocket. He started wiping his hands as he walked towards them. Russell spoke first, "Hi, there. We were hoping you could help us."

The man eyed the two of them closely, coming to a stop as he glanced past them at the car, "It's gonna cost a bit to fix whatever might be wrong with her."

Russell chuckled, "Our car is fine." Tessa glanced over her shoulder at the rental as he spoke, admiring the way the setting sun glinted off the dark glass of the Porsche. She turned her stare back to the man, frown staying flat on her face as Russell continued, "We were wondering if you happened to see another car driving about."

"I see a lot of cars, Mister…"

"Madison," Russell filled in.

"Mr. Madison," he lifted a brow, pocketing the rag, "You'll have to be more specific than that."

Tessa sighed, "One like ours." She caught his stare as she spoke, "Something fancy and ridiculously out of place."

He frowned at the words, but gave a slow nod, "One of my employee's got a friend visitin' that's drivin' around in a black Corvette. Fancy suit kind of guy too. Don't really like him."

Tessa couldn't hold in the short chuckle. She glanced to Russell to see him smiling with slight amusement, "And do you happen to know where we can find him?"

"Sure," He stepped closer, lifting a hand to point it down the main street they drove in on, "You'll wanna take this up to the first set of lights, turn left and keep going until you hit Crestpoint. Hook a right and keep driving. You'll see a white farmhouse a bit down the road. Second house on the road to be exact. It'll have a red barn just a bit off from it. Can't miss it."

Tessa ticked her head to the side, humming softly. That was easier than she'd anticipated. She had for sure been convinced they'd have to wrangle it out of someone on whether or not they'd seen Nick. But by the tone of the man answering, it was obvious the guy didn't care at all who they were or what they wanted with Nick.

"Thank you," Russell gave a nod.

"Yep," he folded his arms across his chest, "Anythin' else you'll be needing?"

Russell shook his head, "Nope, that's all. Thanks again." He led Tessa to the passenger side, opening the door and helping her in. He shut the door then moved with swift steps to join her, shutting the door quickly to let out a sigh, "Was it just me or was it obvious he didn't like us?"

"From the way he mentioned Nick," Tessa pulled her sunglasses back down over her eyes, "I can only assume we're the last kind of people he'd want to speak with."

Russell snorted softly then fell silent, allowing Tessa to draw back into her thoughts. Not that she had many to share with even herself in the moment. There wasn't much to really think about in all honesty. She already had her plan of attack, so to say, on how she and Russell were going to convince Nick to come back with them. Of course there was an emphasis on the word convince . He wasn't just some schmooze who she could bat her eyelashes at. It would take more, much more...like Russell's briefcase full of secrets.

Her eyes snapped to the briefcase that sat against the backseat of the lavish car. She hummed to herself in wonder, curiosity sprouting up at just what laid in the locks of it. It had never been something she asked about or cared for and honestly knowing how Russell was, he'd never actually tell her what was in it. There was still so much about the two she didn't know and at this point she was learning to accept that. She'd been an outsider and only in the last month or so had Russell taken to her more than they'd started.

There was still a long way to go with their relationship and she was fine with that as long as it didn't end with her going back to the shitty lifestyle she'd had before meeting them. Well, meeting Nick. He'd been on a job for some deal of some sort. She hadn't known what and had never cared to ask further about it. Her job had been to entertain the guy he'd been meeting with and once they'd come to an agreement, Nick had stopped her with a quick grab of her wrist. He'd held up a few bills, but Tessa had already been teetering on crawling into his lap for free all night.

She'd jumped at the chance and hadn't left his lap until closing where he was quick to lead her into the alley behind the club. He showed her just how slick that silver tongue of his was and how talented those hands seemed to be at finding anyone's breaking point.

Tessa had gone home with him and met Russell the next day. Of course he hadn't been happy at first, but after some coaxing and Nick whispering something into his ear the lawyer was following them to bed. She'd been in threesomes before, but this was the tipping point that had her never wanting to leave their sides. Each had their quirks and their skills, but together-

Tessa let out a soft chuckle, glancing over at Russell, "The moment we get Nick home: we're taking him to bed."

Russell snorted, hand reaching over to rest on her fishnet laced knee. He pulled at it gently, prying her legs apart to slip his hand up along her inner thigh. She quivered under the touch and another bemused snort left his mouth, "You always did get in a mood when he was around."

"Can't help it," she gave a short shrug nearly pouting at him, "Whenever he's around he usually just wants to fuck, have his dick sucked or fool around in other ways."

Russell drew his hand away and she sighed. He echoed it and she could hear the eye roll in his tone, "And that would be why you came into the relationship. He was always trying to fuck his thoughts away and I was working."

"That why you and I only ever go to dinner together?" She snarked and he chuckled, "Seems like we find the domestic part of this relationship between it all where he can't."

"Because he doesn't want to," Russell responded, "He used to be into the idea of a dinner here or there, but he just stopped doing it. Unless he was going out on a job he wasn't going out. That's the Nick you know."

"So what's going on with this whole thing?" Tessa asked, choosing to stay more on the topic of a changed Nick rather than the idea of her being his fuck toy despite knowing the origin truth.

"You mean here?" Russell waited for her to nod, "I have no idea. It's out of character from what I've seen over the time I've known him. Sure he'll maybe be gone a day or two, here or there for a job and possibly find a plaything to fuck with-"

Tessa rolled her eyes. That was the part they needed to work on. If Nick wanted to keep them around he' have to take out his horny desires on them. That's just how it would have to be. She may have come in as that, but Russell and her have definitely connected further in a way Nick probably never thought would backfire on him.

"-but this is different. Usually he has the ego to say what he's doing and mention when he'll be back, but this time he rarely says shit to me about what he's doing and why. All I know is that he's here and that he just keeps renting out a motel room without an actual timeframe of how long."

"And of all places to be…" she trailed off and he nodded.

"Exactly," Russell slowed the car down as they hit the road the mechanic had spoke of, "It isn't like him and so I wanna know what the fuck is keeping him here. He's not going to stay, we'll make sure of it. But it'll be nice to have an answer sooner than later with us just waiting around for him to come back."

Tessa hummed in response, turning her gaze out the window. Between the two of them, Russell and her could find a good means of convincing the conman what was best for him. Or at least, what sounded best for him. They were going to try .

It wasn't long before they were pulling into what she assumed was a driveway. They came to a stop next to a car that stated beyond obvious reasons it was rented by someone who paid a high dollar. She glanced from the car to the two story farmhouse, frowning slightly, "What a...quaint place."

"Not my cup of tea either, but we won't be here long anyways," he shut the engine off and got out of the car, not waiting for Tessa to even try and form a response.

Tessa sighed but followed after him, catching up to him as he reached the steps. She looped her arm through his and forced back the scowl that was settling onto her face as he knocked on the doorframe. She shot a look back at their car then back to the door, sighing once more, "I can feel the bugs deciding to target me."

"Maybe you shouldn't have worn the fruity perfume," Russell commented quickly, only to clear his throat as a way to silence her at the sound of the front door unlocking. It pulled open to reveal a short brunette in a pair of faded jeans and red flannel. Her expression showed obvious confusion and a few short seconds later another girl was joining her at the door, this one dressed more like she came from the city with much shorter hair.

"Can we help you?" The city girl asked it with a sharp tone, obviously showing that there was tension in just seeing two random people.

"Sarah, please," the flannel shirted woman stepped in front of her, offering a soft smile despite the confusion, "Sorry, we just didn't expect any visitors."

"Well no shit," Tessa grumbled and Russell cleared his throat again forcing her eyes to roll in reaction. She brought a fake smile onto her face, looking at the two women as Russell spoke.

"My name is Russell and this is my girlfriend, Tessa," he continued quickly, "We're wondering if you can't help us find someone."

"Depends on who it is," Sarah, Tessa assumed, said it with her arms folding across her chest.

"Tall, well-dressed, kind of an asshole," Tessa piped in and Russell sighed only to find himself not needing to tag onto that.

"Nick?" Sarah lifted a brow.

"That'd be the one," Russell confirmed.

"Yeah, I'll go get him," Sarah turned without another word, disappearing down the hall leaving the two with the still nameless lookalike.

"Isn't she peachy," Tessa snorted and the woman on the other side let out a nervous laugh as she pushed open the screen door.

"My sister and manners don't really coincide at times," she stepped back as Russell took hold of the door, "Please, come in. She'll be right back with him."

"Thanks," Russell led Tessa in, keeping her on his arm as he followed the other woman into the house, "And what was your name?"

"Oh gosh," she let out that nervous laugh again, "Here I am scolding my sister about manners." She turned to face them once in the living room, holding her hand out politely, "Abigail Harrison."

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Harrison," Russell shook her hand kindly and Tessa had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything about how nice he was being. He always did this with clients or some random fools here or there, she couldn't even imagine why he'd be doing this for some random nobody.

"So, what brings you two here looking for Nick?" Abigail asked it gently, folding her arms in front of her with a curious gleam to her eye and God was Tessa more than ready to crush it.

"We're dating him," Tessa said it quickly and it was almost too amusing to watch the look that crossed the Southern woman's face.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow," Abigail said it as politely as she could, rocking on her feet showing just how uncomfortable she'd suddenly become, "Nick never mentioned there being anyone back home and even then he certainly never mentioned two ."

Russell opened his mouth to respond only to be cut off by the all to familiar voice of their, at times , favorite conman, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Tessa glanced around Russell to see Nick standing just inside the living room looking just as pissed off as ever. He was holding a scowl, a legendary one the two of them knew all too well and it made her vibrate with excitement. She let go of Russell's arm and made her way towards him, "Hello to you too, handsome."

Once she was close enough she reached out towards him, but he was quick to grab her wrists turning his glare away from her to land on Russell, "Answer the question, Russell."

"Would 'we missed you' work as a reason?" Tessa looked over her shoulder to see Russell standing with a hip popped, all weight on one leg. He slowly folded his arms across his chest and smirked in reflection to the glare, "Because we've definitely been a little lonely without you around."

"And bored," Tessa added, yanking her hands free to grab onto Nick's jacket. She let out a soft hum, "C'mon, Nicky, haven't you missed us?"

"I've told you not to call me that," Nick snatched her wrists away once again, pushing her slightly to the side so he could walk towards Russell, "You better have one damn better reason than that."

Tessa frowned, annoyance prickling her spine as she settled her hands onto her hips. She shot a look to Abigail who was doing her best to avoid eye contact with any of them. It couldn't be her that he was here for, right? There was no way Nick settled his dick into some Southern Bible thumper.

"Mr. Madison?"

Tessa snapped her head to the side, seeing another woman now standing there. One she faintly remembered, but couldn't put a finger on it. She came into the room with a man behind her, tall and fit with a baseball cap on. He had a set jaw, one that seemed to be holding steady as best it could in a room full of what felt like sudden strangers.

"Nick, what's goin' on?" That accent. Tessa had to bite her tongue once again from chuckling at how drawn out it was. He was cute, she'd give him that.

"Well isn't this a strange reunion," Russell chuckled as Nick turned to look at the three off to the side, Sarah coming in to place herself by her sister, "I had no idea you knew who Nick was…uh, forgive me. I can't place your name."

"Rochelle," she answered it deadpanned, flicking her stare between the two, "And yeah, we survived the outbreak together. How the hell do you know him?"

"Abrasive, but expected," Russell turned his smug grin to Nick, "I'm his lawyer."

" Was ," Nick hissed before looking at Rochelle, "The question is how you know him?"

"I interviewed him a while back about the Carriers that went to prison after being held by CEDA," Rochelle answered, "Needed to know a few things about it and he was the only who would talk."

"He would be," Nick snorted then let his gaze turn to the young man that was still standing just a bit off from Tessa, waiting to be addressed, "I'm here for Ellis's wedding."

"He's the Best Man," Abigail finally spoke up.

Tessa clicked her tongue and let out a short laugh, "That so?"

"Yes," Nick said it quickly with a glare that nearly dared her to speak again.

And she did because she wanted to push his buttons, she wanted him to admit something that would give them more than that, "Here we thought you were down here cheating."

"Cheating?" Rochelle was the one to ask it, catching the attention of the three Northerners, "On who? Nick doesn't have one loyal bone in his body."

"Fuck off, Cupcake," Nick snapped, eyes darting to Tessa after, "Not another word."

Tessa lifted a hand, covering her mouth in a mocking manner as she grinned widely behind it. They'd definitely disrupted something and it was growing more obvious by the second.

"As we told, Ms. Harrison," Russell spoke up, stepping around Nick to answer the reporter directly, "We're here for the man we're dating. You see, it's been a couple weeks and he keeps screening our calls."

Rochelle's eyes went wide and she held up a finger, snorting in near amusement, "Did you say dating?"

"Yes," Russell turned to face Nick, grabbing onto the front of his jacket to pull them together, "Isn't that right, Nick? I'm not your lawyer anymore because we've been dating for several months, right? And Tessa here is the bonus item that came along just a while back."

Nick had broken eye contact, had turned his gaze away from the man holding him. After a few seconds he pushed against Russell's chest, forcing him to step back. He straightened his jacket and looked between the two of them, "Outside, now."

There was no wait as he turned to leave without an expression at any of the others, after a few seconds Russell followed after. Tessa lingered longer, looking between everyone and it was her who broke the silence, "Lovely meeting you all." She let her gaze fall onto them all before finishing on Ellis, the one who had only spoken once and was now refusing to look up from the ground. She let that sit, let that image grow in her thoughts before she finally let out a soft laugh then made her way outside.

Tessa shut the doors behind her once out, quickly climbing down the steps to where the two men were stood already arguing. She didn't care what it was about or to join, but she was ready to break it with her realization, "You're fucking the groom, aren't you?"

Nick had stopped mid-sentence, turning his stare to look at the woman who stood a few feet off with her hands on her hips, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"C'mon, Nick," Tessa clicked her tongue, shifting her weight, "You really want us to believe you've been out here in this hicktown for some stupid wedding?"

"Yeah," Nick responded, "Because that's why I'm here."

Russell slid his arms around Nick's sides, ducking in to kiss his jaw while he was distracted, "She has a point, Nick. I've known you long enough to know you'd maybe show for the wedding."

Nick pulled from his arms with a shove to the younger's chest, "Stop fucking touching me."

Tessa chuckled bitterly, folding her arms then as she made her way to stand next to Russell, "You are in such a piss mood too like you've been caught in the act."

"You're talking bullshit," Nick dropped his hands to his hips, swiping his jacket back with the action, "I'm pissed because you two decided to show up in my personal business without fucking warning."

"Please," Russell sighed, "There was plenty of warning with how many times you didn't call back or answer the phone. You should have seen this coming."

"How did you even find me?"

"Cell tower ping," Russell folded his arms over his chest and gave a tilt of his head, "Might no be your lawyer, but I know the pratt who is."

Nick rolled his eyes, "Cute, thank you for stalking me."

"Don't flatter yourself," Russell snorted, "Curiosity got the better of us and we missed having you around."

"Well it's going to stay that way, I'm not coming back for awhile," Nick responded.

"Oh, I don't think you want to play that game with me," Russell licked his lips and Tessa hummed with amusement, but Nick was quick to shake his head.

"If you're about to bring up that fucking briefcase of yours, I swear to whatever the fuck there is: I'll shove my fist up your ass," Nick said it through a clenched jaw, nostrils flaring with the glare of anger in his stare.

"I shouldn't have to," Russell stated, "You know damn well I could put your ass back in jail faster than you could apologize."

Tessa sighed, taking a few steps back until she was able to sit down on the hood of their rental. She placed her hands behind her, leaning into them, "We're tired of being tossed aside whenever you feel like it, Nick. We aren't these fucking playthings you keep picking up."

"As truly compelling as you may think both those statements may be, they actually aren't and you're really just further proving why I haven't gone back to Boston."

"And that's supposed to mean what?" Tessa proded.

"That I never once said this was a commitment," Nick stated it so blandly, so assuringly that it was almost provoking enough to smack him right there.

"Are you fucking serious?" Tessa chose her voice over the prior, holding back that annoyance which was now bubbling up into her stomach.

"Wow," Russell snorted, shaking his head, "That's low even for you, Nick."

"Get over it," Nick tossed it at them like it was so easy to do so, "You two just happened to always be around and willing. It was easier than finding something new each time."

"Didn't stop you," Tessa muttered.

"Why should it?" Nick hissed quickly, "I just said there wasn't a commitment for me and therefore my loyalty always stood as it had. Me, myself and I."

"That's fucked," Tessa pointed at him, dismay and that ever present annoyance just bubbling through her, "You had us on leashes, leading us around like we were going to be more."

"Not my fault you thought that," Nick stated it quickly with a shrug, "What made you think there'd be more? The key Russell had to my place? The times you stayed the night? None of that fucking mattered when all we ever did was have sex."

"Oh please," Russell finally spoke again, "Would you stop? You know damn well that there was more to it than that. Just sex doesn't entail dinners and office visits when you're bored."

"Doesn't it?" Nick gave another shrug, his tone so flippant on the conversation that Tessa was once again feeling the urge to smack him.

Where did he come off like this? How could he think it was such an easy thing to say there was nothing truly there? Sure they were all assholes to one another, but there was a level of a relationship there that had Russell and her staying loyal to the conman. If it had just been sex they would've dipped long before. At least, she would have.

No. Nick took her in, took her away from a life she was living where money was fickle and her time was spent on a pole to gain that. He gave her a new meaning, a new life and money on a basis that made her finally feel alive. She wasn't a Sugar Baby. She swore to all that she believed in she would never be that and at the moment the conman was suggesting just that.

Tessa pushed off the hood of the car in one movement, standing quick only to start her fast approach back to the house.

Nick called after her, "Where are you going?"

"To tell Miss Holy Water that you're fucking her fiance."

There was almost no time to react as she found her arm being grabbed. She was pulled hard, stumbling back into the arms of Russell who was quick to catch her nearly falling form. It took a moment, but she gathered herself and stood straight to glare at Nick who was now stood between them and the house.

"If you so much as think to do something like that, I'll make damn sure it's the last thing you do," Nick spoke in a tone she didn't recognize. One that spoke from a cavern in his chest none of them knew existed. His eyes were a flare of color, lips curled in a near snarl as every inch of him radiated with the warning.

Tessa felt it to her core and for once her usual quick snark was swallowed back as the all too familiar memories of angry men in her life filtered back. She pressed into Russell's arms doing her best to hold her bold stance from before he spoke. For a moment there was silence between them all, but then she spoke in a harsh whisper, "You're a fucking asshole, Nick."

"Yeah, so I've heard," his tone had calmed considerably, but he was still stood with that heat coming off of him that she didn't dare move from her spot.

Russell moved for her, pushing her carefully behind him as he stood to Nick's height while closing the gap between them. He placed himself dangerously close to the older man and spoke in a tone almost similar to Nick's, "You don't want to play this game with me, Nick."

"What game?" Nick responded, "There is no game, Russell. We're done. I'm done. That's it. I'll go back to Boston, do what I have to for you brother and that'll be it. You'll never hear from me or about me again. I'm vanishing after I'm done and whatever you try to use against me in that briefcase isn't going to work."

"So that's it then?" Russell let his stance soften some, "You're throwing us aside?"

Nick frowned, "You were always on the side, Russell. Both of you. Neither of you were ever going to be more than that."

Tessa mirrored the frown, her own out of anger and frustration in thinking that they could convince someone like Nick to come back to Boston with them. They'd been so confident that he wanted them, so confident that he would be ready to take them both back to bed. Back to their life they'd gotten use to. He may have not seen it as a collective life, but her and Russell lived their lives around his profession and who he was.

It was nearly marveling that all of it was just some scam, some large lie they let themselves believe all because he could spin a pretty sentence. But then again, that's who he was right? Nick always had a silver tongue and when it wasn't pleasing them, it was teasing them with a world they could never touch.

She scoffed then, bitter anger touching through her broken confidence from prior, "Let's just get out of here, Russ. He's not going to budge. For some reason he likes the idea of being some hick's dick rather than what had been going on."

Nick shot her that glare again, snarling through a warning, "Leave him out of this."

Tessa went to comment about how she hadn't said anything specific about the guy, but fell short at the sound of the front door squeaking open followed quickly by the screen. The three Northerner's turned their attention, watching as the man in question came out the door only to shut it behind him. He made his was down the steps, calmly with an expression she couldn't pin.

He came to a stop just a few feet off, hands in the pockets of his jeans, "Y'all done fighting out here?"

There was no hesitation as Nick went to him, hand going to his arm and blocking their view of the hick. She could hear the sound of a whisper, but not what was being said. It made her eyes roll and she was quick to shoot her thoughts, "Tell your fuck toy this conversation isn't his business, Nick."

Nick's head whipped around, lip curled into what was probably going to be a snarl of insults but only for it to ease into something else as Ellis pushed him (with force) out of the way. He stepped around the older man, glare settled on his boyish features as he came to a stop just in front of her and Russell, "We both know that ain't true, ma'am. This conversation is as much my business as it's Nick's seeing as I'm his, as you said, fuck toy ."

The tone in which he said it made her jaw drop just slightly and she started forward, but Russell grabbed her arm to stop her movements. She glanced up at him, glaring hard only to find he was looking at Ellis with the calmest expressions he's had since they got here. She frowned at it, pulling her arm free, "You not gonna say anything, Russ?"

His eyes flicked to her, but he ignored saying anything to instead focus on the man in front of them, "Ellis, was it?"

"Yeah, and forgive me but I didn't catch yours."

"Russell," he said it lightly, taking a step forward then letting out a soft sigh, "So, you know Nick from…"

"The outbreak," Nick answered it, stepping up beside Ellis with that frown and the lines to match heavy on his face, "Why does it matter?"

"Because, Nick," Russell turned his gaze to the older man, "I want to know if you fuck him like the rest of us or if he's going to be your little pet."

"He's not my pet ," Nick spat, taking a step forward to where he was placed between the two men as if to protect Ellis from Russell's view altogether, "Stop being a bitch and go back to Boston."

"You really want to play that game with me?" Russell asked again, brow raised.

"There's no 'game' , Russell," Nick stated, "There's nothing. "

Tessa snorted, looking to Ellis who was still stood in his spot, "Hear that? You've got nothing to look forward to if you keep fucking this prick."

Nick side stepped, blocking Ellis entirely with the action. He looked down at her, "Stop comparing him with you two. There isn't a damn thing in common."

Tessa ignored the warning (was it that?) as she kept her eyes locked with his, speaking out towards Ellis, "He's a snake, kid. He'll win your trust and sex then drop you when he gets bored."

"Not Ellis," Nick said it lightly, not standing down from the tall stature he was holding, "You can think what the fuck you want, but you and every other person I've fucked have just been a fucking way to pass the time while I waited for the world to end and guess what, cupcake, it ended. It went up in flames and it gave me Ellis. The government fucked that to shit and you two were just another way to let time pass to keep me from being too bored. So thanks, but this is done and over."

"Nick-" Russell started.

"Go back home and leave me the fuck alone."

Tessa stared at him a little stunned by the reaction, the words coming off in a tone she hadn't fully expected from Nick. In a way, he made it sound like he actually cared about the hick. He made it sound like for once there was something in his life that wasn't just him and his money. It almost sounded like-"Oh my god."

Nick sighed, the clear annoyance settling there, " What ?"

"I didn't think it was possible for someone like you to actual be capable of love," Tessa scoffed.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Nick's tone showed he was done with this, showed that he was ready for them to get back into the car and go yet he still asked.

"You, being in love with some fucking hillbilly."

Nick seemed to tense in front of her before settling his expression with a glare, "You have two minutes to get your asses in that car before I shoot you both."

"You're going to regret doing this, Nick," Russell turned on a heel regardless of the comment, walking quickly to the driver's door, "You may not be afraid of some briefcase full of papers, but I can fucking assure you that your ass is as good as well done. You don't fuck me only to fuck me over."

"Don't be a dramatic bitch," Nick had already seemed to move on from what Tessa said, "You're never gonna see me again. So stop treating this like some Soap and leave already."

"Tessa."

The woman heard the door pop open behind her and she shook her head, turning to make her way to the passenger side. She glanced at Nick, eyeing Ellis who was looking back at her with an expression she couldn't read. She pulled the door open and smiled bitterly at him, "Should've stuck to with Sunday School teachers. At least they'll feel bad if they fuck you."

Tessa dropped into the seat, slamming the door shut after her. She stayed silent knowing neither of them had anything to really say in the moment. The confrontation they'd been planning on hadn't gone at all the way they'd thought. Granted, she wasn't entirely surprised by this but yet she kind of was. Part of her had been certain that Nick was going to be ready to come back with them to Boston, ready to return to the life they'd all been trying to live.

She was wrong, Russell was wrong.

Nick was set on something and there was no getting him to back down.

What a load of horse shit .