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“You’re both idiots!”

CHAPTER 8

MASON

1st December

Zeb was back where he belonged, at Epicure. He still hadn’t decided whether to involve the police, and that was up to him, although he knew Hunter was on his back about it. There had been no sign of Kaden Phillips looking for Zeb, so that was something. Mason wasn’t sure he’d be able to control himself if he ever met the man. They now had his full name and address, so Sebastian and Ethan were on that. Nothing would be actioned without the go-ahead from Zeb, but they could gather intelligence on him so it was ready.

Seeing Zeb vulnerable and clearly feeling like he was the one who’d done something wrong had broken Mason’s heart. It also made him want to hunt Kaden down and beat him to death. He had never been violent in his life, but with Zeb, it brought something out in him. Which was the last thing Zeb needed. He’d had man after man treat him like a thing and not a person. Mason would never do that, but he couldn’t help being the control freak he was, and had this overwhelming instinct to keep Zeb safe. In an ideal world, he’d keep Zeb at home until they knew Kaden had been dealt with, but that wouldn’t support his recovery.

Mason’s feelings for Zeb had only deepened over the past week, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. He was doing all he could to remind Zeb that he wasn’t at fault here. He just wanted to pull him into his arms and keep him safe.

“You look deeper in thought than usual.”

Mason looked up and saw his brother. “What are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed to visit my brother?”

“Did you leave Jacob tied to the bed?”

“No. He’s meeting some of his old friends. I wanted to see how you were doing.”

Mason looked at him. What was his brother up to? Mason loved the man dearly, but he was not big on emotions. Leo wasn’t the best at reading people.

“Jacob told you to come here, didn’t he?”

“No comment.”

Mason laughed and gestured for his brother to sit down in front of his desk. There was a fridge in his office, so he grabbed a couple of sodas and passed one to him.

“We need to find time for me to meet Jacob properly before you go back.”

“You can make us dinner tomorrow night. Jacob’s always wanted to eat here, but he said he probably wouldn’t have got through the front door.”

“I hope you set him straight.”

“Of course,” he chuckled.

Epicure might be fine dining, but it wasn’t exclusive. Mason knew his prices would make it impossible for some, but if they had the means, they wouldn’t be turned away. Some restaurants demanded a particular dress code, or a certain level of status or wealth, but they were not things that were practiced here.

“It was probably out of his price range as well,” said Leo, as if reading his mind.

“Well, he has you to pay for his meal now, doesn’t he?”

Leo glared at him. Not over him being made to pay, although he would never charge his brother, but because any negative comment about Jacob, even in jest, was clearly off limits.

“You’re in deep with this one, aren’t you?” asked Mason.

“I love him. I just want to be with him all the time.”

Mason smiled. He had never seen his brother like this before. It was wonderful to see.

“Have you started looking for a new assistant yet?” asked Mason.

“Why would I do that? I have Jacob.”

“Because he’s your boyfriend.”