Grant nodded, so Patrick picked up his bag. He made a point of opening the pocket in clear view. He’d spotted a bodyguard earlier and knew he’d be armed. Patrick pulled out an A4 sized brown envelope and passed it to Grant.
“That’s not the only copy.”
“I assumed not, Mr Editor,” said Grant, taking it from Patrick and opening it.
Patrick tried to act casual and carry on with his breakfast as Grant read what Patrick had compiled over the last month. He heard a few chuckles from Grant, knowing he’d left the juicy stuff until the end. Most of what he’d compiled was conjecture and hearsay. No doubt accurate, but difficult to prove.
The moment Grant’s chuckling stopped, Patrick knewhe’d gotten to the punchline. He carried on eating his breakfast. It really was delicious.
“What the fuck is this?” Grant snarled.
Patrick chewed the last mouthful of his breakfast before putting his cutlery down. He locked eyes with Grant and knew why he was feared by so many people. He looked like he wanted to rip Patrick apart.
“Like I said, that’s not the only copy.”
“What do you want?”
“Leave Jason alone.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes. That’s it. You leave him alone, and let him live his life with whoever he wants, then that stays between us.”
“How do I know you won’t still use it?”
“Would you let me live if I did?”
“No. You’re lucky you’re still breathing now.”
“Then we’ve reached an impasse, haven’t we? You kill me, that goes to the police. It goes to the police, and you kill me. The only one with nothing on the line here is Jason, which is how it should be.”
“He’s got you wrapped around his little finger, doesn’t he?”
“Didn’t he have you just as wrapped once upon a time?”
Grant chuckled. “Yes, he did. I’d have done anything for him.”
“Based on that, you did. But you need to let him go now. It’s clear that you’ve never really wanted to hurt him.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He’d be dead, wouldn’t he, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation? I know he hurt you, but he wouldn’t have done it intentionally. You know what he’s been through. Whattheyput him through. He hasn’t got a nasty bone in his body. He just needs someone to keep him balanced.”
“And that’s you, is it?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to still be around, you know. I want Langdon in my life.”
“I’m not asking you to go anywhere. We all have history and past pain. It’s what makes us human.”
“We’re done here,” said Grant, standing up.
Patrick was being dismissed, and he knew why. Either Grant didn’t want to show any emotions in front of him, or Patrick was going to get a bullet in the back of the head. If that happened, Sebastian would get a delivery, and he would make sure Grant never saw the outside of a prison again.
Grant extended his hand for Patrick to shake, which he did. It was firm, but there was nothing in it, which implied pending doom. He turned to walk out.
“Patrick, one more thing.”
