Chapter 30
Nate drove up to the gates of Dressers compound and stopped the car. A large man approached the car as he rolled down his window.
"Who are you, what do you want?" The man asked.
"Tell Mr Dresser that Nathan Ford is here to see him. He will want to see me."
The man looked at him and then stepped into the guardhouse and spoke on the phone. Then he stepped out and instructed Nate to get out of the car. Nate obeyed and was immediately searched for weapons. Then he was put into the back seat with one of the other men getting in behind the wheel and driving into the compound.
"We are ready to come in Nate." Eliot's voice came through the coms. "Just say the word."
Nate smiled to himself, his Hitter did not like being on the outside, none of them did, especially not in this situation but they would stay out unless he told them to come, or they determined he was in mortal danger. The car reached the house and Nate was ordered out of the car. He was then escorted into the house and taken to a room where he was told to wait. Nate looked around and saw a wet bar. He smiled and walked to it then poured himself a glass of whiskey before taking a seat on one of the comfortable chairs and waited for Nicoli to arrive.
"Sterling…"
"I'm ready Sophie and I have a team ready too. The Russian cops are also on hand thanks to you, but they won't make a move without my say so." Sterling assured her.
"Nate, what an unexpected, unpleasant surprise." Nicoli Dresser said as he walked into the room. "I see you have made yourself comfortable."
"Nicoli Dresser." Nate said raising his glass to the man. "So you decided to double cross your Dad and let my people know where I was, was that so that I could owe you a favour…that is your way of working isn't it?"
"Yes indeed, I thought you and of course your team would owe me a favour which I could call on when needed. But then your friend killed my father, so I had to use that favour for something else." Dresser said as he too poured himself a drink. "I take it this means that Sterling is also still alive?" Dresser said taking a seat opposite Nate. "Impressive to get everything together in only two days, and very convincing I must say."
"So what now Nicoli?"
"Why did you come here Nathan?" Nicoli countered.
"To end this."
"I see. But I did explain how it ends if you did not fulfil your obligation to me did I not?"
"You did."
"But you hope to change my mind on that score?" Dresser asked raising his eyebrows at Nate.
"Well you know now who I am and what I can do, so why not make a deal?"
"We had a deal."
"No Nicoli, one we can both live with." Nate said standing and pouring himself another drink.
"What do you have in mind Nathan?"
"I will owe you a favour and you can call on my…expertise when your need arises."
"Somehow I don't think that will work Nate. I do know you, you are not a criminal, no matter what others may think, you have a, how shall we say…a White Knight complex, and doing what I may ask of you, well I don't think you would no matter what it cost you or what I threatened you with. This situation is a case in point."
Nate said nothing, he had nothing to say to that. He was not a criminal, yes he stole, and he broke the law, but he would never step over the line, he had almost on a few occasions but had always stopped himself before he did. He would also not do anything to a person who did not deserve it, not for money or any other reason.
"So now what do you suggest Nathan?" Nicoli asked looking at the man. "I suppose we could revert back to our original deal. But you are not going to do that are you Nate, so that leaves only one course of action."
"Nate be careful this is not going the way you wanted it too." Eliot hissed into the coms.
Nate ignored the voice of his Hitter and smiled at the man seated before him. He was so young, with so much ahead of him, he could be something other than this, but what he had done to his grandfather, it had set his father and him on a course there was no escape from for either of them.
"You know I did not like my father, he was a mean drunk and an altogether horrible man, but then what he went through as a young man I suppose it shaped him. He was incredibly young when I was born a boy really, and I never knew my mother. But I did learn from him Nate, just as you did from your father. We both did not like our fathers but when you father was killed, when his death was your fault you sought revenge did you not? Why would I be any different from you?"
Again Nate did not reply he simply stared at the young man. He was right of course, although technically he had not killed the men responsible for his father's death they were both dead and he had orchestrated the situation that had led to their deaths.
"I presume your team is outside this compound, and of course Sterling." Nicoli said breaking through Nate's thoughts. "They would be too late to save you of course, but that I think is what you wanted, coming in here alone to face me."
"Nate stall him we are going to come in." Sophie said looking at Eliot.
"You can't Sophie, Nate has not got what he came for yet, he has to get it first."
"That man is going to kill him Sterling." Sophie said as she listened to the man.
"Maybe, but he is also right, if you four try to get in now, well he will kill Nate before you could stop him. No, we have to wait Sophie." Sterling said knowing that this was going to be extremely hard for them. He could not see how Nate was going to get what he came for, but he had to give the man time to get at least something on Nicoli before he could move in.
"I came in here to make a deal Nicoli. I want to make a deal. You are right, I was responsible for what happened to your grandfather, to your father and to you. I set your grandfather up and delivered him and his handlers to Brenner. So I do owe you." Nate said softly ignoring Sterling and his team. He locked eyes with the young man and smiled sadly. "You could have had a vastly different life, so could your father have if not for what I did. I don't regret taking your grandfather down, he was a traitor, but what Brenner did, that was…not acceptable…and I made it possible for him to do it."
"So you owe me, you owe me a life as I said." Nicoli said sipping his drink and watching the man closely.
"Correct. So I offer you mine." Nate said and heard the coms explode in his ear. He had changed the plan, this man was not going to give him anything and if he was going to get them all out safely including Sterling, it was going to cost him and he was willing to pay the price.
"Nate what the hell are you doing?" Eliot almost shouted into the coms.
"Nate don't do this, we are coming in, we are coming in now Nate." Sophie said opening the van door and climbing out with the others right behind her.
"Nate you are a damn fool." Sterling said indicating to his men they were going to breach. He knew none of them could prevent Nicoli from killing Nate and realised that was the plan on Nate's part. They would arrest the man for murder, and it would be over.
"Please Nate…" Sophie begged.
Nate ignored everything keeping his eyes locked on the young man before him. He knew they would never get to him on time, but Sterling could arrest the man for his murder and that would give the Russians what they needed, this was plan Z, the last resort he thought to himself.
"I accept." Nicoli said softly looking at his man who walked forward and handed him a gun. "It is a pity Nathan. You would have been an asset to me and my organisation." He said then smiled and pulled the trigger. He knew Nate's team was outside but even if they managed to get in his men would take care of them. Besides, he wanted Sterling as well as Nate he thought, one down one to go.
