“TOBIAS?”IPACED BACKand forth in the bedroom I shared with Mark. He sat in the middle of the bed watching me. “Are you sure?”
“Positively sure?” Mark asked. “No. We didn’t find a gun - smoking or otherwise - nor was there any kind of paper trail that connected them or a journal that outlined his nefarious plot.”
I stopped pacing and leveled a steady gaze at Mark. “So, you’re basing your theory on an envelope filled with pictures of me, some diamonds, and cash in his private safe that you broke into?”
“There were a lot of pictures of you, Mitch.” His jaw was clenched tightly and his tone of voice told me that he didn’t like me questioning his and Vic’s theory. “Let’s not forget his husband owns the alarm company that turned a blind eye when Timothy was leaving a cut up critter on your front porch and writing a message with its blood.”
“Look, I haven’t talked to Tobias since the Heston’s Christmas party last year. There wasn’t a hint that Tobias was carrying a torch for me, Mark. There were no sly glances or touches to let me know he was interested. He was completely attentive to his husband. Pictures from our childhood…”
“There were recent photos taken of you, including photos of you having sex with other men in your private suite,” Mark said, cutting me off. I finally understood the reason for the clenched jaw and chilly demeanor since he and Vic returned. “Vic sent Iron over to sweep both your corporate office and your fuck pad for cameras and bugs. At least we know your house is clean.” Vic had it swept daily just in case one of my domestic employees had been compromised.
“You’re mad at me for having sex with other men?” I couldn’t help but think his anger had more to do with seeing the photos than anything. Well, fuck him! I was the one whose privacy was violated, not his. “Is that fair to me, Mark?” His rigid expression and posture softened fractionally, but not enough to remove the sting of his scorn. “Yes, I’ve had a lot of meaningless sex with a lot of faceless men. I am not proud of the way I behaved, but I can’t change it. You knew who I used to be and I thought you accepted me, warts and all.”
“I did,” he replied and then immediately corrected himself with, “I do, Mitch. It’s just that knowing it and seeing it are different. I told you about my past with Vic, which you readily accepted, but how would you feel if photos of us were suddenly pushed in front of your face?”
“I wouldn’t like it,” I admitted. “I’d probably pick a fight so we could have great make up sex.” I smiled at him uncertainly, not knowing where things stood between us. I couldn’t imagine that this stupid disagreement would end us, but things were so new to us and our relationship had formed under extraordinary circumstances.
“Come here.” Mark’s voice lost its bite and in its place was the tenderness of someone who loved me. He rose from the bed and opened his arms to me.
I went to him without hesitation and my world felt right once his arms were around me again. “I’m sorry you had to see those photos, babe. I don’t have an explanation for them, but I might have a possible one for the cash and the diamonds you found.”
“I’m listening,” Mark replied. His willingness to hear me out and not discard my ideas meant almost as much to me as the tight embrace he still held me in.
“Todd’s wife, Lydia, died a few years ago and she was very wealthy in her own right. She might have left the diamonds and money to Tobias, who’s her only child.”
“Why does it sound like you’re making excuses or defending Tobias after what I found in his safe?” Some of Mark’s anger had returned and he dropped his arms from around me to look into my eyes.
“That’s not at all what I’m trying to do here, Mark.” I placed my arms on his shoulders and kept him from walking away from me. “The pictures make me fucking angry, but I don’t know how or why he has them. Yes, on the surface it looks like Tobias is obsessed with me and has his own personal Mitch porn.” I visibly shuddered at the thought. “I guess I just don’t want to believe that about Tobias. Who in my shoes would want to believe that an old friend was fixated on them to the point that they wanted them dead?”
“I understand your reluctance, babe,” Mark replied. At least I was “babe” again. “There are too many things that don’t add up and too many questions that need to be answered.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked him. “You said yourself that the information you found was obtained illegally and we can’t give it to the cops. So what’s the plan?”
Mark grimaced and looked away. I could tell that whatever he was about to say wasn’t sitting well with him or wouldn’t be well received by me – or possibly both. “Vic thinks,” he began and then cleared his throat before he continued with, “wethink that you should call Tobias and invite him to dinner.”
“You guys both think that Tobias wants me dead so you want me to call him up out of the blue and invite him to dinner. Just the two of us?” I couldn’t wrap my head around the notion. “Are you going to wire me for sound? Will you have a team in place at the restaurant in case he decides he wants to ravish me on the spot? What if he spikes my drink?” As much as I thought Tobias being a threat was ludicrous, Mark and Vic had a lot more experience with deviant behavior than me.
Mark blew out a frustrated breath that ruffled the hair at my temples. “Look, you know fucking well that I don’t like this one bit, but I agree with Vic that something has to trigger our guy out into the open. Dinner with an old friend where you happen to bring up the recent terrors you’d been through, followed by the relief that it was over, isn’t out of the norm.”
What he said made sense, but I thought of a better solution. “Make it a double date and we’re on.”
“What?” Mark acted like he didn’t hear or understand what I said.
“You and I will have dinner with Tobias and Garrett or it’s not going to happen,” I told him.
“How would you explain my presence?” Mark asked.
“Easily,” I replied with a scoff. “It’s a well-known fact that you’re my boyfriend. It would be completely appropriate if I invited you, and Garrett were to attend also. I could make it about business and then it can bleed – no pun intended – into personal talk toward the end of the evening.”
“What business?” Mark asked.
“Tobias is a pediatrician at Cedars and I can talk to him about making a large corporate contribution or establishing another fundraiser for his wing.”
“Okay.” Mark was clearly confused by my suggestion and took a step back. “This guy could be stalking you and wanting you dead, but you want to talk to him about giving money to his hospital?” He shook his head like he just couldn’t follow me.
“Would it be the kids’ fault if Tobias is behind the threats against me?” I cocked my eyebrow at him and dared him to tell me I was wrong. “Look, to me it makes more sense than me calling him up out of the blue and inviting him to dinner to chat. I can talk to him about charity stuff and then I’ll follow-up with his dad so he can take it to the board for a vote.”
“How fancy will this dinner be?” I found his grumbled compliance to be quite adorable.
