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He walked out before Zeb could respond, closing the door behind him. He’d gotten what he wanted, so why did Mason giving in so easily hurt his heart so much?

CHAPTER 5

MASON

Thanksgiving

Mason didn’t even want to get out of bed today, let alone spend the whole day in the kitchen and then have to entertain his own guests as well. The only positive about today was that he’d see his brother, Leo, for the first time in two months, and he was bringing his boyfriend. How had that happened? Leo had left for his usual two-month hideaway in his writing cave, or cabin in this instance, and not only come back with a boyfriend, but he was in love. Mason had never heard his brother sound so besotted about anything, let alone another person. He was delighted for him, but it also reminded Mason that the man who had his heart had walked out four weeks ago, and nobody had heard from him since.

That was what kept Mason awake at night, and he’d tried everything. All the guys had helped. They’d been to the police, Sebastian had paid for a top-flight PI firm, and Ethan had used his inside knowledge in the wealth management industry to try to locate Kaden, but nothing had shown up. Zeb’s phone had been disconnected, and they had no way of getting hold of him. The last place the phone had been located was at the restaurant. They hadn’t found it, so the assumption was that he’d turned it off as he’d left. Why had Mason let him walk out so easily? It was his own stupid pride that had done it. Zeb’s quitting had felt like a personal rejection, and even though he was right to be concerned about Kaden, his own feelings toward Zeb had clouded his judgement. If he’d kept his mouth shut, Zeb would still be here. Yes, he would have been working his notice, but they would have had time to dig into Kaden. The fact that Zeb had completely dropped off the grid was enough for Mason to know he’d been right to have suspicions.

Within an hour of waking up, he was in the restaurant. Nobody else had arrived yet, not even the cleaners. The only other person who would usually be here this early was Zeb. His heart ached. What had happened to him? That’s what he wanted to know. Could it all just be a misunderstanding and he was living happily somewhere? A part of Mason wanted to believe that, but for Zeb to cut everyone off, especially Hunter . . . he doubted it.

Mason didn’t know the full story of Zeb living on the streets for five years. He knew his family had kicked him out at fourteen when they discovered he was gay, and he’d resorted to hustling to survive. Mason smiled at the memory of Zeb asking him if his past was a problem for working here. He’d stuck his chin out, like he was ready for a fight. That was probably the first time Mason had felt something more between them, but Zeb had spent his formative years being taken advantage of by older men. He wasn’t about to become another, so he’d drawn a line by giving him a job, meaning that Mason would never cross it.

Relationships between staff weren’t against the rules. Inevitably, people in close proximity would hook up, or even get married as had happened in the past. The rule was only for Mason. He was the boss and in a position of power, and he would never want anyone to feel pressured into anything because of it.

“Morning, Chef,” said Hunter, standing in the doorway to his office.

“Hunter, what are you doing here so early?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Even with Deacon next to you?”

Hunter blushed and tried to hide a smile. “I left him asleep. He’s been busy at work lately.”

Mason knew his friend would worry when he woke up and Hunter wasn’t there. Hunter hadn’t had an easy time after rejection from his family either, and Deacon was extremely protective of him.

“Did you leave him a message, so he knows where you are?” asked Mason.

“Of course. I don’t need him in the kitchen fussing during prep.”

Mason chuckled. All his friends had turned into gooey marshmallows over their men in the past three years. Sebastian, Deacon, Max, and Ryder—who all might be considered “alphas” to an outsider—would do anything their men asked without question.

“Have you heard anything?” asked Hunter.

Mason shook his head. Hunter asked every day if the PI had found anything. The guy was being paid a fortune by Sebastian, who had said money was no object. Mason was financially comfortable himself, but Sebastian was something else. Spending a million bucks wouldn’t even make a dent in his net worth. Not that he was spending anywhere near that, but the bill had to be in the tens of thousands by now.

“Maybe we’ll hear from him today,” said Hunter, with hope in his tone.

Mason smiled. He doubted they would, but he couldn’t help but hope as well. Their group often had a Thanksgiving dinner on the Friday, given the restaurant was busy, but last year, three of the couples had gone away on a cruise, causing Ryder to throw a tantrum. This year, Mason had offered to host them here, on the day, in his private dining room. The original plan was to host at Sebastian’s penthouse, but given Zeb’s disappearance, Mason wanted everyone here. Nobody would turn down his food, so it hadn’t taken any persuasion.

The restaurant closed earlier today so that staff could be with their families. It was a set menu, and they had two seatings. The first was at noon, and the second at three o’clock. Dinner would be at six o’clock for his friends and go on until who knew when. Some staff who had volunteered to work would stay on to serve, and were being paid three times their usual rate. It wasn’t ever a challenge to get volunteers when he did things like this. The meal he was serving his friends would be different from the fine-dining experience in the restaurant. They were getting a more traditional home-cooked meal, which Mason was preparing personally.

“I’m gonna make a start on prep,” said Hunter.

Mason nodded and said he’d join Hunter soon. His team had handled today, but he needed to do some prep for the meal with his family later on. Mason would lead the first sitting for the restaurant, and then Hunter would take the second. He was ready for more responsibility, and despite the fact he was only twenty-four, he commanded the respect of everyone in the kitchen, even those who had two decades of experience over him.

Once he had finished culinary school, Mason intended to make Hunter head chef. He didn’t currently have one, as he assumed that role himself, but Mason knew working seven days a week wouldn’t be sustainable as he got older. Seeing his friends settle down, and now his brother was in love as well, it was hard not to think about the same for himself. Every guy he’d ever dated had always complained that he put the restaurant first, and they were right. If he were to meet someone, he’d have to be different next time. The problem was that the only man he could think about in that way had disappeared.

The service had been busy, but everyone had left with a smile on their face. Mason had done a few rounds in the restaurant. It wasn’t his favorite thing to do, as he preferred being in the kitchen, but many of today’s customers were loyal regulars, and with him charging five hundred dollars per person, he needed to make an appearance.

“Cheer up, you miserable bastard,” said Ryder.

“Why are you in my kitchen?”

Some of his staff were looking at Ryder and practically panting. Although the man only had eyes for Felix, that didn’t stop people staring at him.