CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Patrick
“I’d like tojoin you. Is that okay?”
“You want to learn to box?” Simon looked up from where he was crouched in front of his gym bag.
Patrick nodded and prayed Simon would just go with the flow. “Sure. It’d be a great way to spend some extra time together. Between me being at the school all day and your long shifts, plus all the other stuff that we both have going on, I miss you. But if you don’t want me to….”
“Hey, it’s not that.” Simon zipped the bag, grabbed it by its handles, and stood. His smile was tentative. “I’d love to have you come along. I’d have to check with Darren, but I can’t see that it’d be a problem.”
“But…?” Patrick could sense there was a “but” in there somewhere.
Simon tilted his head to the side as he studied Patrick. “But I’m not sure if spending time with me is the real reason you want to join us in the lesson.”
Damn!
“How about exercise? Perils of a desk job. I spend all day sitting on my ass, so it’s about time I did something a bit more active than just taking the occasional run.”
“Patrick.” Simon’s tone held a note of warning.
Patrick swallowed hard. He hated to admit to Simon just how vulnerable he felt. He’d tried to put the letters behind him, but since the graffiti episode—the second break-in to the house—his confidence was shot to pieces. He just wished the police had been able make some more concrete progress. They were confirming Dion’s story, most likely were ruling Dion out as a suspect because he’d provided an alibi, but he’d heard nothing about Ian and his potential involvement. Not that Patrick had really ever thought Dion would have either the motive or the personality to be the culprit.
What if he’d disturbed the guy while he’d been trashing their bedroom? There’d been no one else home, and Patrick would have been all by himself—but even if there’d been anyone else home, he couldn’t depend on them. Hell, he didn’t want to involve anyone else in this mess. What if someone else had been hurt and he hadn’t been able to help them?
“I need to feel safe,” Patrick finally said. He looked up and met Simon’s concerned gaze. “When I’m in the house alone I feel nervous. I can’t relax, and I think learning some self-defense will be beneficial. I’ll at least feel like I’m doing something to help myself rather than sitting around doing nothing.”
Simon dropped the bag to the floor and took Patrick’s hands. Patrick hadn’t realized he was trembling until his hands shook in Simon’s strong, sure grasp. “It seems like you and Darren might have a lot more in common than you think.” Simon pulled him down on the edge of the bed and sat beside him. “I hate the idea of you feeling unsafe and vulnerable. Self-defense might be something that will help your confidence, but I think it’s time we looked at some other options, too.”
“What?”
“We’ve been following the advice of the cops about safely precautions—always locking up and that sort of thing—but maybe we should take some extra steps. I’ll arrange to get the locks changed again. Maybe we can check out a security system, cameras with movement detectors and sensors for all the window. I think you can get fairly cheap wireless ones these days. And I’ll talk to the landlord about security bars on the ground floor windows.”
“Si, stop. I don’t want to feel like I’m living in a prison, and I don’t want you and the other guys to feel like that either. I reckon it’s time I looked at moving out.”
“What? No!” Simon’s eyes widened, and he shook his head.
Patrick stood and paced the carpet, frustration coursing through his veins. “You don’t understand. I feel so helpless and I hate thatI’mthe cause of you all having to live with this hanging over your head. If I wasn’t here it would all go away.”
Simon gripped his hands. “Listen to me. Idounderstand. But I also understand that none of this is your fault. We’re big boys and can look after ourselves. If it’s really worrying you, then we can talk to Mike and Bruce and ask them what they think, but I’m almost positive they’ll agree with me.”
“Yeah? You honestly think they aren’t pissed with me?” He hoped he wasn’t clutching at straws.
“I’m pretty sure. We’ll talk to them later; you don’t have to take my word for it. In the meantime, maybe the boxing will do you good. And it’ll probably help Darren to have someone to learn with him. Plus, it’ll help you guys get to know each other more, build trust. Maybe you can help Darren with whatever he’s going through.”
Patrick had no doubt that Simon was trying to distract him from his own problems by giving him something else to think about. It was another reason he loved him. He flushed at the warmth in Simon’s gaze; it was amazing how Simon’s unconditional support bolstered his spirits and made him feel safe. “You’re right. Thanks, Si.”
Simon smiled, and Patrick was relieved to see the tension had left his eyes. “Well, no time like the present then. C’mon, get changed and you can come with me. I’m meeting Darren in half an hour, so hop to it.”
Patrick saluted. “Yes, sir.”
He felt like the weight of the world had been taken from his shoulders as he changed out of his work gear into shorts and T-shirt, and was surprised to find he was actually happy as he bounded down the stairs to meet up with Simon.
Patrick and Simonmet with Darren in the park. It was a perfect evening for making the most of the daylight and warm weather, much better than being stuck indoors at the gym. Plus, Darren still had a thing about crowds so the open park was ideal. There were others with the same idea—people walking dogs and jogging—and the sound of children shrieking as they played on the playground equipment carried across the open space.
Patrick did some stretches as he listened to Simon recap what he’d already told Darren the previous week. Simon had already met with Darren and explained the approach he wanted to take, but he spent a few minutes bringing Patrick up to speed. Basically, Simon explained, boxing wasn’t the be-all and end-all solution for self-defense, but could provide some basics that would be beneficial. In general, Simon recommended Darren and Patrick both work on improving their overall fitness and building core strength. Boxing would help with throwing punches and increased agility. He recommended that Darren investigate cross-training in other styles of martial arts if he was interested in pursuing things further and broadening his skills. This included jujitsu and judo, which were great for learning holds and other maneuvers. For now, Patrick was happy to stick with his usual run, a bit of time on the equipment at the gym a couple of times a week, and a weekly session with Simon.
They used the seat of the picnic table to do some final stretches, Patrick wincing at the pull in his hamstrings. He glanced up at Darren to see him smirking, probably the first time he’d seen the guy smile. Patrick held his finger to his lips and winked, getting a nod in return. The last thing he wanted was for Simon to think he was out of shape.
