Page 17 of Broken Promises (Soho Knights #5)

PATRICK

Patrick was nervous. It had been months since he’d seen Jason, after he’d completely cut Patrick off.

He didn’t know what had happened. Arriving back at his flat to find him gone had made Patrick anxious at first because Jason had been in a vulnerable state when he’d arrived.

Had Patrick taken advantage of him? Jason had been the one pushing for more, but perhaps he should have been more restrained.

He’d tried to call Jason, and that was when he realised his number had been blocked.

It had been a blow to the heart. Had Jason played him all this time?

He didn’t want to believe it, but nothing else could explain his behaviour.

At least they hadn’t gone all the way. If Patrick had been inside Jason, he knew the pain would be even worse.

He hadn’t spoken to Sebastian about it, because he didn’t want to put his friend in the middle.

Charlie was Jason’s best friend and was now Sebastian’s fiancé.

That was something else he’d need to discuss with Sebastian.

The wedding in March. Patrick was Sebastian’s best man, and of course Charlie was having four best men.

It would put them together in the main wedding party, and he still didn’t have an explanation for what had happened .

“What’s the plan for Christmas Day?” he asked Sebastian.

“We’re going to KC’s for breakfast, which you’re welcome to join. Then lunch is at our place.”

“What time?”

“Probably serve just after three o’clock.”

“Remind me who’s coming again.”

“Charlie’s mum, his brothers, Eric – who is Langdon’s fiancé – and Max.”

“Who’s Max?”

“Are you alright? Max, my friend from New York. The lawyer. I told you about him and Paolo, didn’t I?”

“Oh yeah, sorry. Yes, you did. It’s been busy. Will Jason be there?”

“Of course he’ll . . . Why are you asking?”

“No reason. Just wondering who’ll be there that I know.”

“You’re a terrible liar. Are you going to tell me anything about what happened between you two? I thought things were getting serious in the summer, and then nothing. Jason’s not saying anything to Charlie either.”

“I suspect Jason has told him not to say anything.”

“I have ways of making Charlie talk.”

Patrick chuckled. “I’m sure you do.”

“So, what happened?”

“We hooked up, and then he ghosted me.”

“What? But I thought you were just getting to know each other.”

“We were, but I was keeping things out of the bedroom. Once that changed, he was done with me.”

Patrick didn’t mention what had happened on Pride weekend, as that was why things didn’t add up. It was also giving him false hope that it could all just be a misunderstanding.

“I think there’s probably more to it. He’s had a lot going on these last few months with his ex being back on the scene.”

“I’m sorry, his what? ”

“I don’t know all the details. Charlie’s very cagey about it, because it’s Jason’s business, but from what I could put together, he had an abusive ex. That’s why he left Liverpool, and now he’s back on the scene.”

“Is he okay?”

“I haven’t seen him for a while, but Charlie sees him a lot still and hasn’t said anything. I know he had a tough time when he withdrew from that promotion opportunity, but Charlie said he got over it quickly.”

Patrick’s head was spinning. Jason had dropped out of the job he was going for, no doubt because of what his boss had said to him.

She was supposed to have been a friend, and that’s how she dealt with someone who suffered from rejection sensitivity.

And his ex? What was that all about? He’d never mentioned an ex, and Patrick had talked about George.

Jason had asked a lot of questions and seemed genuinely interested.

Why hadn’t he shared anything? Had he thought Patrick would judge him?

“I can hear your brain spinning from here,” said Sebastian,

They were in his gentlemen’s club, which was in his house. It wasn’t a club, really, it was just a lounge room with a bar in the corner, but it had that vibe to it.

“Sebastian, what’s the best bar to get a delicious piece of ass to fuck?” said a tall and handsome black man. He looked vaguely familiar.

“Ryder, you always know how to make a first impression. This is my friend Patrick.”

Ryder strode over and shook Patrick’s hand. There was a firmness to it, but he wasn’t being a dick and trying to crush his fingers.

“Heard a lot about you,” said Ryder.

“This is the fitness model. The Blanche of the group.”

Patrick snorted. He remembered now. Ryder was a social media fitness influencer and was part of Sebastian’s New York friends group.

The guy was stunningly handsome, even if he wasn’t Patrick’s type.

He knew another alpha when he saw one. The guy didn’t give off daddy vibes, but it was clear he was someone who liked to be in control.

“So, where can I go? I need some British booty to sink my meat into.”

Patrick cracked up laughing. “Please tell me you don’t use that as a line on people?”

“Nah. I’m just fucking with ya, but I need to get laid. Where’s good?”

“What are you looking for tonight?”

“Don’t mind, but guys need less effort from me to jump on board.”

“Try Mickey’s. It’s where I met Charlie.”

“No offence, big guy. I’m not looking for that kind of thing.”

“We were the exception, trust me. You want to get laid, go to Mickey’s.”

“Fantastic. I’ll see you in the morning, then. Nice to meet you, Patrick.”

He turned and left. Patrick couldn’t help but chuckle.

“He’s something, isn’t he?” said Patrick.

“Yeah. Charlie says he’s the Jason of our group.”

Patrick growled without thinking.

Sebastian burst out laughing. “Oh, my friend. You’ve got it bad for him, haven’t you?”

Patrick scowled at Sebastian, which just made him laugh more. Patrick needed to talk to Jason to check he was okay.

The office was crazy busy, which was unusual at Christmas.

Parliament was in recess, which meant fewer political scandals.

The royals were at Balmoral, and celebrities were typically quieter over Christmas.

You got the odd juicy story, but if you could sit on something over the holidays, you would.

Readers were busy with their families too, so were less interested in reading the news.

By January, though, they had no money left, their diets and other resolutions had been abandoned, and they were more inclined to lap up other people’s misery.

“Boss, we’ve got something on the Grant Kincaid story,” said Milo, walking in with a file.

He hadn’t touched the Kincaid story for months after the trail had gone dead. Patrick was aware he’d moved to London and was building his empire in the south, having monopolised the north.

“What have you got for me?”

“His husband.”

“His what?”

“Yeah, apparently he’s married and has been for five years, although the husband did a runner two years ago. There was an incident and Kincaid ended up in the hospital.”

He was aware Kincaid was bisexual and had been married before, but that had been to a woman who’d died. He wasn’t aware of a second marriage. How had he missed that?”

“Do we have a name for the husband?”

“Jason Morris.”

Patrick was sure he’d misheard. “Did you say Jason Morris?”

“Do you know him?”

“Common name, isn’t it? Have we got a picture?”

“Yeah, here you go,” he said, passing the file over.

“Thanks. I’ll have a look through this and let you know if I need anything.”

If it was his Jason, he didn’t want an audience when it was confirmed. Milo looked like he was miles away.

“Are you okay, Milo?”

“Yeah, fine. Just this guy I’ve been seeing, it’s . . . complicated.”

“Isn’t it always? You know where I am if you need to talk. ”

Milo nodded with a smile and left him to it. Patrick took a deep breath and opened the file. Staring straight back at him was Grant Kincaid on his wedding day – the guy was objectively handsome – and on his arm, beaming at the camera, was a face that still made Patrick’s heart race. Jason.

Waiting outside Jason’s flat was borderline stalker behaviour, but what was he supposed to do?

He couldn’t call him, as he’d been blocked, and he wasn’t going to put Sebastian in the middle.

Besides, he didn’t know if his friends even knew about Grant – they probably did; those guys were closer than anyone Patrick had ever known – so he couldn’t knock on the door either.

He’d considered going to Jason’s work, but he might be with a colleague and Patrick didn’t want to put him in an awkward position.

He kept himself hidden as best he could. It had been a long time since he’d done something like this, not since his days on the crime desk. He’d been such an eager rookie, but had worked with some amazing people, who’d supported him as he worked his way to the top.

It was almost an hour before Jason appeared, walking towards his flat. He had a woolly hat on, which had a bobble on it. He looked adorably cute, but that wasn’t why Patrick was here.

“Jason,” he shouted.

He watched his shoulders stiffen before he turned and looked at Patrick. He hated seeing the look of panic in his eyes. What had made him look almost fearful of Patrick?

“I just want to talk, Jason.”

“Is it about Grant?”

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m surprised it took you this long.”

“I’m not sure what you’re thinking, Jason, but I only found out today. ”

“But I saw your files. You were looking into him.”

Suddenly everything made sense. He must have seen his file on Grant in his home office and made some incorrect assumptions.

“I’ve been looking into a story on Grant for a while, but I had no idea about you, Jason. Is that why you left that day and never called again?”