724 Join Us
Day Seventy-Six...
"H-Hi..." Spade stammered as he greeted Jane and Nathan awkwardly. He had no choice. He couldn't leave because Cherry was gripping his elbow tightly. Now he regretted asking Cherry to go there. The restaurant was crowded so he asked her to go to the nearest Cafe since Hanabi and Alexander already left them.
Meanwhile, Nathan cast Spade a sharp deathly glare the moment he recognized him. 'He is one of the guys who took Jane before when she was still in a coma. A member of the Red Dragon Mafia!
"Why is he here with her?" Nathan queried aloud, seemingly disregarding Spade's presence. "He's affiliated with the opposing side, isn't he?" he continued, causing Spade to break out in a nervous sweat.
Jane and Cherry exchanged meaningful glances with one another before they burst out into a peal of laughter. "Yes, indeed."
'Damn?! Is this a set-up? Why do I feel like I am trapped here?' Spade didn't know what to do as he felt like prey being cornered by two big predators.
"Relax, Spade. We are not going to hurt you in public. Nice meeting you," Jane said teasingly as she extended her right hand for a handshake.
Feeling anxious, Spade reached out to accept Jane's hand however, before he could touch her, another strong hand grabbed his hand. Nathan prevented Spade from touching Jane's palm. His cold demeanor remained intact.
Spade emitted a faint groan when Nathan clasped his hand tightly. 'Ouch. Is he attempting to crush my fingers?' he wondered, feeling the pressure. Hastily, he pulled his hand away from Nathan's firm grip, trying to alleviate the discomfort.
"Let's go and grab some coffee inside," Jane said, pulling Nathan's hand as she gently dragged him toward the Cafe's counter.
"Are you mad?" Jane asked him in a low voice.
"Yes. My mood has been ruined upon seeing that guy." Nathan still held a grudge against Spade. They managed to take away Jane before because Spade broke their security system.
"Take it easy, Nate. Remember... our enemy today might become our strongest ally." Jane winked at him, trying to calm him down.
Nathan could only sigh in defeat. Jane managed to wash away his annoyance with just one charming smile from her.
"Are we joining them?" Nathan had a deep frown on his forehead when he raised that question.
"Yes, for the meantime. Besides, I want to check something on Spade. Did you know? He is your avid fan. Why don't you introduce yourself as Sizzling August? He might wag his tail once he learns your identity. Recruit him." Jane giggled at her own remarks.
Nathan scowled at that thought. "I don't need him. You and Black Rose are already on my side. And I'm more skillful than him."
"Hmm. Spade plays an important role in the Red Dragon Mafia. Why don't you try snatching their assets away?" Jane urged Nathan.
"But we are on a date. Just focus on me, not anyone else. You are leaving tomorrow." Nathan complained. He wanted to be alone with Jane.
"Just ten minutes of talking. Then I'm all yours." Jane pleaded with a gentle smile on her face.
"Okay. 10 minutes sharp. You can't extend, even just a second," Nathan strictly said.
"Aye, Boss!" Jane agreed, reassuring him.
a l l N O V E L N E X T . C O M
After taking their orders, the four of them settled down on one table. The atmosphere was a little bit awkward since Spade and Nathan were very silent. Spade tried his best to avoid meeting Nathan's gaze.
"So Spade... do you want to join us?" Jane broke the silence first.
"Huh? P-Pardon?" Spade asked her, confusion resurfacing in his eyes.
"Actually, I want to recruit you. I've heard you are very fond of Black Rose and Sizzling August. Why don't you team up with us?" Jane started to convince Spade.
Nathan and Cherry just stayed quiet, letting Jane do all the talk for the entire ten minutes. After that, Nathan would snatch her away from them.
Spade didn't know how he should react to her sudden offer. He smiled awkwardly and asked, "What do you mean by that? What team?"
"Work for us." Jane offered again with a determined look on her face.
Spade scratched his face anxiously before responding to her. "Is Sizzling August working under the Syphiruz Mafia?"
"No. He is not working under them," Jane paused for a moment.
Both Nathan and Cherry glanced at her skeptically at the same time. Was she trying to trick Spade again? Would she resort to lying just to convince Spade to join them?
"Because he is the leader of the Syphiruz Mafia," Jane added in the end. "He gives the command."
Nathan: "...
Cherry: "..."
Spade: "Cough! Cough!"
Spade choked on his drink when he heard her last remarks. He gave Jane an 'are-you-kidding-me' look.
"W-What did you say?" Spade stammered once again as he shifted his gaze from Jane to Nathan.
Jane shrugged her shoulders and pointed her forefinger at Nathan. "The man sitting with us today is the real Sizzling August. To spell it out, Nathan is Sizzling August."
"Eh? What?! I thought Sizzling August was a woman?!" Spade blurted out exasperatedly. He couldn't believe this.
"Nate, why don't you prove to him that you are Sizzling August?" Jane softly encouraged Nathan, asking for a little bit of his cooperation.
Without further ado, Nathan gave Spade some secret codes that he only knew just to prove his identity.
Spade was flabbergasted by this shocking revelation. Who would have thought that his idol was the leader of their opposing organization? He had been dying to meet him in person. He had a strong respect for Sizzling August.
"So Spade? Are you interested in joining our team?" Jane asked him again.
Her voice snapped him out of his deep stupor. He gazed at her hesitantly and shook his head. "I can't."
"Though I am fond of both Black Rose and Sizzling August... My answer is no. I will never betray my brothers." Spade was referring to Alexander and Jack.
"Go. You can kill me now." Spade closed his eyes. His loyalty remained to Alexander. No one could change his mind.
Nathan and Cherry cast a glance at Jane. He pointed his finger to his wristwatch, reminding Jane of the time.
"Sigh. I'm not asking you to betray your brothers. I'm just offering
you a collaboration to work with us. With my team... not the
Syphiruz Mafia. When I said my team... it's composed of Sizzling August, Black Rose, and me." Jane had a different plan for Spade. She saw his great potential. She didn't want the King Stallion Mafia to benefit from Spade's skills. As much as possible, they should cut down the connection of King Stallion with their possible allies.
"Eh? Are you serious?" Spade's expression suddenly changed when he heard that. His curiosity was piqued. "What kind of project?"bender
"An Operation to bring down the King," Jane meaningfully said. She was referring to the King Stallion Mafia.
"Times-up!" Nathan could no longer wait as he interjected. "Let's go!" He stood up and held Jane's hand.
"You can tell your answer to Black Rose later. We have to go now." Jane said goodbye to them.
They hadn't left the table yet when someone spoke from behind. "Nate!!!"
The four of them turned to the source of that voice only to see two familiar figures- Stephen and Aiden.
Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel