John Wick - Chapter 109: Cassian? (Patreon)

Nate came out of the fitting room carrying his old clothes. Elena was still being measured, and her eyes immediately lit up when she saw him in the new outfit.

“You look... even better in that than you did before.”

“Really?”

Nate cockily lowered the brim of his hat over his eyes and instantly got into character.

In a deep voice, he said, “Too bad... I’m still missing a butcher’s knife.”

“You’d probably look even better if you weren’t wearing flip-flops,” Elena added.

Nate immediately broke character.

After thinking about what he had just said, Elena asked in confusion, “A butcher’s knife? What do you need that for?”

“To cut bullets in half. Can’t let a traditional skill die out.”

“Are you crazy? First you’re talking about curving bullets, and now you’re going to cut them with a knife. Do you seriously think you’re Superman?”

Nate just chuckled without answering.

Angelo stopped what he was doing.

“Miss Elena, your measurements are complete. We’ll rush the order, so the clothes can be delivered to your room tomorrow.”

With the attendant’s help, Elena changed out of the fitting clothes.

“All right. Thank you.”

After taking Elena back to her room and returning Cassian’s and John’s guns to them, Nate finally collapsed onto his bed.

It had been another exhausting day.

Ever since entering the assassin world, aside from the day he spent at John’s house, he hadn’t had a single quiet day.

Nate fell asleep with the Barrett in his arms.

He slept extremely well that night.

At six the next morning, Nate woke up.

Henry must have trained the habit into him. Before becoming an assassin, Nate had never gotten up this early.

He considered making breakfast, then immediately thought better of it.

He had [Poisoning].

Why bother going through all that trouble? He could just let the hotel chefs prepare everything and check the food afterward.

He knocked on Elena’s door.

Her ankle had almost completely recovered.

Being young really did make healing faster.

Nate took Elena down to the restaurant, ordered a huge amount of breakfast, and brought it all upstairs.

Elena looked disappointed.

“You’re not cooking anymore?”

“Cooking three meals a day for this many people is exhausting. There’s no need. If there’s something you really want, I can make it just for you.”

“Really?”

The moment Nate nodded, a smile returned to Elena’s face.

They laid out the breakfast dishes one by one on the table.

Gianna was still getting ready, while John and Cassian arrived first.

John sat down without hesitation, picked up some toast with a fried egg, and started eating.

Cassian, however, looked at the food suspiciously.

“Is this safe?”

Nate activated [Poisoning] and checked everything once more.

“Relax. I already checked it. I know my way around poisons too. If there were anything in the food, I’d notice.”

Cassian slowly nodded.

He wasn’t picky either. He sat down, grabbed something at random, and began eating.

“How much longer are we staying at the hotel?” Nate asked.

“Two and a half days. We need to arrive at the venue one day early to prepare.”

Nate took a bite of a steamed bun.

“Where’s the venue?”

“The ruins of the Baths of Caracalla. Security and the facilities are still being set up.”

John frowned when he heard the location.

“That place is huge, and the terrain is complicated. Setting up security there won’t be easy. Why would they choose it for the coronation?”

Gianna finished getting ready and sat down beside John.

“The location of every new High Table member’s coronation is now chosen by the High Table. It’s a requirement.”

She paused.

“And a test. If I survive it, then I’ll have earned the right to take my seat at the High Table.”

“I don’t remember that rule existing before. Didn’t people used to choose their own venue?”

“Times have changed, John,” Gianna said with some emotion.

“Has security been arranged for the catacombs?” Nate asked Cassian.

In the original movie, John had entered the ruins through the catacombs and killed Gianna.

Cassian went silent.

“Then get on it. Put guards at the entrance. Disable the locks on the important doors inside the catacombs, then have people physically barricade them. Station several guards at each door and have them confirm the situation every fifteen minutes.”

Nate quickly laid out the security plan.

“I’ll arrange it right now.”

Cassian stuffed the rest of his food into his mouth in a few bites, grabbed his phone, and hurried out of the room.

John watched him leave with a smile.

“Nate, how do you know the place that well?”

Nate rolled his eyes at him.

“I’m doing all this for you. Once this is over, you’re the one who’ll be helping me.”

“Okay.”

John smiled.

Nate stood up.

Before leaving, he gave John a meaningful look. John picked up his phone and nodded in response.

They had already agreed on the arrangement yesterday.

During the day, John would stay inside the room protecting Gianna. Cassian would handle security outside, while Nate would stay in the lobby and watch for anyone suspicious entering the hotel.

After all, this world wasn’t just John Wick.

There was always a chance some familiar face might show up.

If Nate spotted them early, he could prepare early.

“I’m coming with you,” Elena said.

Before leaving, she grabbed a steamed bun, held it between her teeth, and jogged after Nate.

Nate found a seat in the hotel lobby with a clear view of the front desk.

Elena followed closely behind and sat beside him.

At this hour, there weren’t many people in the lobby. Only a handful were scattered around.

“So what do we do now? Just sit here?”

Elena looked at Nate, who was sprawled across the sofa like he had no bones.

“What else would we do? Being a bodyguard is actually pretty rough. It’s dangerous, and you have to stay alert every second. Compared to this, being an assassin is way more relaxing.”

“True.”

Elena nodded.

“So we’re basically just waiting and hoping something happens?”

Nate showed her the text message on his phone.

Elena immediately understood.

“So how do I help?”

“Watch the entrance. If you see a bald guy with a barcode tattooed on the back of his head, or a beautiful woman, let me know.”

Nate said it jokingly.

“Got it.”

Two hours passed.

It was already after nine in the morning.

Nate had been watching the entrance for so long that he couldn’t stop yawning, and Elena soon caught it from him.

The two of them kept setting each other off.

Before long, even the people at the next table discussing business had started yawning.

Nate slapped his cheeks.

“Nope. I need to go wash my face. If you see anyone suspicious, take a picture and send it to me.”

“Okay, go ahead. I’ll watch things for a while.”

Elena yawned again as she spoke.

Nate had barely taken two steps when Elena called out from behind him.

“Wait, Nate. Look at that guy.”

She pointed toward the entrance.

Nate turned and followed her finger.

A man wearing a blue denim jacket had just walked into the hotel.

He looked almost exactly like Cassian.

Behind him was a tall, beautiful woman with delicate features and sharply defined facial lines.

The two headed straight for the front desk.

Elena stared at the man in confusion.

“Why does that guy look so much like Cassian? Isn’t Cassian upstairs? I never saw him come down.”

“Holy shit... I actually ran into him.”

“Come on. Let’s take a look.”

Nate’s sleepiness disappeared instantly.

He strode toward the front desk.