Page 96 of Broken Promises

“Hello?” Jo says, putting the call on speaker.

“You know my secret,” Jon says.

“You sound pretty good for a dead man,” Jo answers.

“Why, Jon? Or whatever the fuck your name is,” Belle asks.

“My name is Patrick. And you haven’t figured out the why?” He chuckles, and it sounds dark.

Harlow is typing furiously on her phone. I’m assuming she’s talking to her dad right now to update him and hopefully get the police after this asshole.

I knew something was off with him. I just thought he was into really weird porn or liked to collect dirty socks. Murder wasn’t on my list.

“Dean wouldn’t let Eva in and probably threatened to call the police. James was actively a threat against her. If he flipped on her, it would be over. But why Nate?” Jo asks.

Patrick chuckles again. “Nate has been in this business a long time. I did a good job avoiding him at your shows for the most part. Unfortunately, I didn’t do a good enough job, and he realized I wasn’t who I said I was. He cornered me at your last show, said he was going to tell you. Couldn’t have that, now could we?”

I watch all the color drain from Harlow’s face as she realizes something. “You’re a plant. Eva planted you here. You’ve been listening to our meetings,” she says.

“And I know Ezra’s alive. Thanks for that little tidbit. I’ve been funneling all that to Eva. She’s very impressed with you, Harlow.”

“Fuck you,” Cal growls.

Patrick laughs again. “I tell you what, you find him first and you can keep him. If I find him first, I get to slit his pretty little throat in front of you. Happy hunting.” The line goes dead, and we all just stare at each other. I hug Willa tighter to my chest.

“We can’t,” Harlow says, answering the question we were all thinking. Do we call the number James left?

“Calling it would lure Ezra to us. Jon,” Jo stops and shakes her head. “Patrick, would be waiting.”

“We could call it and warn him,” Willa says.

“Then we would have no other way to contact him after that. It’s probably a one and done number. Using it will burn it,” Harlow says.

“I think we leave it for now,” I say. “No one knows where he is still. That keeps him safe. If we get even a hint Patrick knows where he is, we’ll have to call.”

“He said if we find him first, we can keep him,” Maverick says, his voice so low I barely hear him.

“He probably meant his body,” Kai says, his face filled with grief.

“Fuck!” Mav yells, jumping up from the table and storming off.

“I’ve got him,” Jo says, running after him.

“I recorded that conversation on Cal’s phone and just sent it to my dad. He’s turning over everything he knows plus the video to the police,” Harlow says. Cal looks down to where his wife is holding both phones and pats his pockets.

“How did you do that?” he whispers. She just shakes her head and kisses his cheek.

“Did he say how close authorities were to getting Eva?” Willa asks.

Harlow sighs. “They’re close to an arrest, but they need something ironclad that will put her away for good. If she’s out, she’s a threat to Maverick.”

Cal’s phone rings in Harlow’s hand. “It’s Logan,” Cal says, taking his phone from her and answering. He quickly puts it on speaker.

“I’m with my brother, Theo,” Logan says. “I think he can help you guys out.”

“Hey,” a deeper voice says through the phone. “Logan caught me up on what’s going on, and I’m going to do my best to help you out.”

“How?” Harlow asks.

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