It isn't smart to fight fire with fire, but to take down Kade Lowrey, Nichole is ready to try anything.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that alone." Taehyun sits next to Nichole on the couch, holding her close while Ademar angrily paces the floor. "I wish you would have waited for me and Addy. We could have gone together and—"

"I know, I know. I was reckless and being rash. I should have waited until you guys got home, but I... I just didn't want to further drag you and Ademar into my mess," Nichole says. "I thought I could shoulder this all on my own, but Kade is clearly is out for blood. I underestimated him."

Nichole finally fessed up and told Ademar and Taehyun about the not-so-little incident that had taken place at her house this morning. She didn't leave out any details, told them both how she waited until they left for work so she could sneak out to retrieve more of her belongings. She even told them the part about how Kade had threatened to use their old sex tape against her if she didn't cough up the twenty-five grand he demanded.

Taehyun remained calm while listening to Nichole speak, not wanting to add to her stress by visibly getting enraged despite feeling it on the inside. As for Ademar... well, he's ready to kick ass and ask questions later.

"We can't let him get away with this," Ademar mutters. "Instead of trying to be the bigger person in this extremely fucked up situation, we should instead be trying to find out where this fucker lives. I know a few guys who wouldn't mind doing me a favor and getting their hands a little dirty..." Ademar pauses, looking over at Taehyun and Nichole with wide eyes as an idea suddenly hits him. "We wouldn't have to lift a finger. I could get a group of men to—"

"Ademar, stop. Do you even hear what you're saying right now?" Taehyun groans, shaking his head in frustration. "What if all that gets tied back to you somehow? Tied back to Nichole? Then what are you going to do? You could easily be charged with at least ten different crimes based on what you're suggesting. I don't think any of us should stoop to that assholes level. We should come up with another plan, preferably one that doesn't put us at risk of going to jail right alongside him."

Taehyun, ever the cautious one, admittedly has a point. Ademar's aggressive proposal is indeed on the radical side, Nichole is in agreement. However, the same can be said for Kade and what he's been doing ever since he left jail. He showed up to Nichole's home and place of work uninvited, barged in and started spewing threats. And when it came to him asking for the money, he didn't exactly do it nicely. If anyone is being extreme right now, it's most definitely Kade.

"Times like this is when I need you to not be as soft as you look," Ademar snaps, glaring at Taehyun. "This isn't some cliché schoolyard bully that we're dealing with, Taehyun! This guy is ruthless; he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Playing nice with him will only backfire. If we want to take him down and keep him there, we have no choice but to play dirty and beat him at his own game."

"For starters, this isn't a fucking game. Secondly, I'm not being soft, Ademar. I'm being smart. I like going over all options before immediately resorting to violence," Taehyun retorts. "You want to rush out there like some big bad superhero and eliminate the villain without even having a solid plan in mind. That's stupid! We're bound to fail if we act that impulsively. Surely you can agree with me on that."

"Fuck you." Ademar turns to storm out of the room. A door slams shut a few seconds later, causing Nichole to flinch in Taehyun's hold.

"See? This is what I feared. This is why I didn't want to bring you guys into my drama with Kade." Nichole sits up, pulling away from Taehyun. "Now you two are fighting because of me. I'm slowly destroying everything between us three..."

"No, baby, you're not." Taehyun grabs her hand, kisses her on the cheek. "Addy is just being Addy. He acts that way because he cares so much about you. We both do. And one way or another, we're going to get through this... just maybe not with more violence?" Taehyun jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Nichole smiles halfway. "We have to move smarter than your ex. That's how we'll bring him down, by working smarter not harder."

Nichole sighs while a million and one thoughts race through her tired mind. "Maybe there's one thing I can try... though, it might be kind of silly."

"Silly is better than having nothing on the table," Taehyun says. "What's on your mind?"

"It's not a what but a who," Nichole answers. "When Kade and I dated, I got pretty close with his sister, Caty. She'd been the only one in his family that didn't treat me like I was some gold-digging slut that was out to drain Kade of all his money." Nichole pauses, smirking dryly. "Which is funny to me now because he and his greed are to blame for the losses he's gained, not me."

"That's what happens when you're ungrateful and continually ask God for more despite Him already having blessed you with enough; He'll take it all away and give it to someone who's more deserving," Taehyun says, eyeing Nichole fondly. "So, Caty. Are you two not on speaking terms anymore?"

"No. I haven't spoken to any of his family since he and I split up," Nichole answers. "Even when we dated, I hadn't been on good terms with his parents. They knew that Kade treated me like shit behind closed doors, and not once did they ever step in and do anything about him. Always remained silent. Complicit. But not Caty. She was the only one who stood up to him and called him out on his shit time and time again."

"And you think she might be willing to help you with him now?" Taehyun asks.

"No one can truly handle Kade, so I don't know what she'll be able to do about him. But I still think it's worth a shot meeting with her." Nichole grabs her phone off the coffee table. "I think we're still friends on Facebook. I can reach out to her there."

"Good idea," Taehyun says before standing. "I'll let you handle that while I go make amends with our upset baby that's probably locked in his room plotting your ex's murder."

Nichole laughs. "Give him extra kisses for me!"

"Will do." Taehyun quietly makes his way down the hall, later pausing in front of Ademar's bedroom door. He taps on it gently before asking to come inside. "I just want to talk, Addy. No more yelling. I promise I'm not here to argue."

It's completely silent on the other side of the door; Taehyun presses his ear against it trying to check if Ademar is even inside. Maybe he locked himself in one of the guest rooms because he knew his bedroom would be the first place Taehyun would check when he'd come looking for him because of course he would come looking for him. For as long as they've known each other, a petty argument isn't enough to drive a wedge between them.

"Your feelings are valid, Addy. I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise," Taehyun speaks softly, resting his head against the door. He tried the knob but the door is locked. "All three of us are looking at this situation differently and I shouldn't have immediately turned your idea away because I wasn't in agreement with it. I shouldn't have..."

The door opens and Ademar promptly pulls Taehyun in for a hug.

"I'm sorry for calling you soft and making a scene in front of our girl," Ademar says after pulling back, his expression also apologetic. "I just care about you and Nichole so fucking much... sometimes my emotions get the better of me."

"That's okay, baby. None of us are perfect. Sometimes I get caught up in the moment too," Taehyun says. "But no matter how someone reacts, I want you to know I'll always have your back. Whether we play it safe or play it dirty, whether we have a solid plan or a flimsy one, I'll always have your back. We're a team, remember? All three of us." Taehyun rests his hands at Ademar's waist, slowly backing him into the bedroom. "Remind me, Addy. What usually happens after we fight?"

"We talk it out and make nice."

"Make nice?" Taehyun reaches for the hem of Ademar's shirt, yanking it off in a flash before pushing him onto the bed. "Stop being polite and speak plainly."

"We talk it out and then fuck." Ademar smirks while lifting his hips, allowing Taehyun to remove his pants and underwear. "That's why I can never stay mad at you for long... because I know we'll make up soon, typically by the same day, and when we do it's always so fucking magical. So fucking hot..."

"And it'll be even hotter now that we're a trio." Taehyun stands at the foot of the bed, taking his time admiring Ademar's fit physique. "Can you imagine what the look on our girl's face will be when she walks in here and sees me stretching you wide open? Talk about a surprise."

"I don't want to talk anymore, just want to feel..." Ademar begins to stroke himself, seductively biting down on his bottom lip while Taehyun chuckles in response.

"You're lucky I'm in the mood to give you what you want." Taehyun drops to his knees and has Ademar hook his legs over his shoulders. "Our baby girl deserves a break. Let's give her a reason to come back here and join us, shall we?"

"Y-Yes, please." Ademar closes his eyes and releases a loud moan after Taehyun takes his cock into his mouth.

They can always get back to business later.

. . .

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