The Fabulous Fours: Parisian Pursuit | Book 1

16:The Lavatory

"Joe, you hear me? Get yourself out of that room, right now!"

Joe clenched his jaw and stood up, taking the men and his father by surprise. They all looked up at him as he cleared his throat, "Erm... bathroom," he lied, jerking a finger at the door.

Mr. Jonas was suspiciously looking at him as he moved across the room, but he shook it off and turned to face his advisors once the door swung shut again.

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He ripped the little bandage from his scrawny neck and threw at the ground, he was fuming. He didn't know why, but he was. It had something to do with his father, but he wasn't sure that was all.

"Joe- woah, buddy, you're looking-" Joe smashed his shoulder past Nick and flung himself into the small room. "That was not nice."

"Hey, you okay? Did anyone see you?" Selena rushed up to Joe and took off his mask. "No, I'm fine," he muttered coldly as he turned to face Fred, "We could've gotten more information from my father- but YOU took things way personal!"

"Wha- hey, what're you talking about, man?" Zayn asked, pushing his shoulders softly.

"What I'm talking about is that that guy-" he pointed to Fred, "took things way too personal back in the meeting room there- we could've got him to tell us about Axel and the the hell secret there was!"

Fred didn't speak right away, he sighed and rubbed his temple. "You know why I wanted you out there, Joe?" he asked. Joe cringed, but shook his head. "He wouldn't have told you anything; even if it had got to the subject- no one knows it except him and Axel. So if you were to blame me for taking things too personal... that's fine," he finished, his left eyebrow twitching.

Joe calmed him self down and sighed, "Right, sorry... Now I really need the toilet- is there any way I could use one here?"

But Fred ignored the question, "About the three guys that were there tonight, what were their names? he asked, squinting at Joe as he paced around the small confined space, irritated Zayn Very much.

"Erm... Radcliffe, Bieber, and... I don't know the other guy's name, but it sounded something  like... Patt or something," Joe replied putting both hands on his hips.

"Pattinson!" Selena yelped, taking Zayn, who sat next to her, by surprise. "He didn't talk much," she added.

"It didn't matter, but those three-" Fred paused, "They're in for something, and I know so! Radcliffe's father owns a company-"

"Don't they all?" Zayn asked, rolling his eyes.

"Please do not interrupt me," Fred snapped, then continued, "His company was busted three years ago, when your father's company was also involved. They have connections-"

"But when I talked to Daniel, my father didn't really know him that much," Joe reasoned, "Radcliffe said he just heard about my dad through the internet. There were no interactions between the companies."

Fred took a deep breath and sighed, "I guess we'll have to confront Radcliffe for ourselves- now about that bathroom," he added, humorlessly, excepting chuckles from Selena and Zayn, "I really need to make sure you guys don't pee your pants or drop by a tree, so go on, into the bathroom, Matt will cover you."

Zayn nodded, "I need to go," he said. nick nodded, "Me, too, come on, Joe,' he said, wheeling out of the small room, partly glad to be leaving it.

"Where do you think the bathroom is?" Joe asked, looking to his left and right as he tugged uncomfortably at his tie, exceeding to take it off the minute before.

"I'm sure they'd put a sign... hold on, there," Zayn pointed at a sign hanging from the ceiling. "Hmph, this building is easier than I thought."

"Less complicated, you mean,' Nick corrected. Joe glanced eagerly at the two, "Don't you hate each other?" he asked in an undertone to Nick. Zayn heard as well, but he decided that Joe only wanted Nick to hear, so pretended not to.

"Well, he insists we become friends since I knocked out a dude who tried to stab him from behind. Wicked, that one," he added.

Joe chuckled, "Well, I'm glad you guys sorted out your priorities," he said, turning the corner into the bathroom, only stopping to see that no one was inside.

They each took a cubicle and the sound of pants being unzipped echoed around the marble glinted walls.

"Ugh..." moaned Joe as he looked up at the ceiling. "I actually thought my bladder was going to burst..."

Nick and Zayn chuckled at his joke as they, too, started to empty their bladders.

Something banged on the wall and Nick jerked his head around. Could it be that someone was also in the bathroom? They didn't check every single stall, maybe there was...

Nick zipped up his pants and turned around, inching towards the stall that made the noise. He pushed lightly on the door; it didn't budge. Gulping, he turned around to Joe, who was furrowing his eyebrow as he shrugged.

Zayn finished and zipped up as well and walked over quietly. He pointed his fingers down to the ground and Nick frowned, mouthing "What?"

"Did you check?" he mouthed back, crouching as he leaned on his knee. He lowered his head down onto the bathroom floor, hoping to see a pair of shoes, but nothing was under there. Not even a shadow or a silhouette.

"Nothing?" Nick asked in a hushed tone. Zayn shook his head.

"Well, why is is-" he tugged hard, but it was still rigidly held in its place, "not- MOVING!" Joe sniggered as he watched Zayn struggle with the door. Zayn glared.

"There was probably a dude in there who got stuck- he might've climbed over or under or something," Nick suggested in a dumb tone.

"That person must've had to be like- two feat tall to be able to crawl under," Joe cackled in amusement, making Zayn frown.

"Yeah, well," Nick sighed, "not everyone is tall these days..."

They turned around, but before they could leave, there was a rasping noise and Zayn rushed back inside, grabbing someone by the shoulder blades up with their suit.

"Argh, let me go!" the guy yelled with struggle as he tried to squirm out of Zayn's grip. "Seriously! Let me-"

"Radcliffe? What the hell!?"