Page 28 of Nothing But the Night (Basic Instincts 2)

“Nah. I left my contact details. If they’d made a mistake and wanted to be helpful, one of them could have got in touch. Instead, they waited until you made the next move. They’re hiding something.” Jason finished his pint of ale. It had only lasted a few minutes. Marc had barely touched his own drink. “I’ll just get a top up and I’ll fill you in on what I’ve found out.”

As he waited at the bar, he glanced in Marc’s direction. It was like the other night had never happened. That they hadn’t slept together. Marc acted like they were a client and detective, just like before. It surprised Jason to find he was so wounded by the rejection. It was the right thing to do, he knew that. He’d crossed a professional line by having sex with Marc, and it could never happen again, but still, he couldn’t pretend it hadn’t happened.

He’d been thinking about it too much.

He hadn’t even washed the bed sheets because he didn’t want to lose Marc’s scent from them.

Maybe when the case is over. For now, he had to focus on doing a good job.

He returned to the table. The place was filling up, but they still had a private corner to themselves.

“What’s the big news then?” Marc asked.

Jason told him about Roaul Bhatt. “Did you know him?”

“No. I feel terrible that I don’t. I don’t know any of Theo’s friends.”

“He was at the funeral but didn’t feel up to saying hello. He sends his best wishes.” Jason told him aboutRoaul’s relationship with Theo. “They were together for six months or so, but even after they broke up, it sounds like they remained on good terms.”

“Shit. I wish I’d known. Do you think he’ll mind if I reach out to him?”

“Not at all. He contacted me, after all. He seems like a nice guy. But I got three very useful pieces of information from Roaul. The first—he confirmed that Theo was escorting for Soloman Archer. It wasn’t a regular thing, but they got together more than once.”

Marc’s mouth dropped open. “Part of me hoped that Theo had been exaggerating when he told me that.”

“No, it’s true. Which makes Soloman’s sudden willingness to talk even more suspicious, wouldn’t you say. I think he’s got no other motive than to find out how much you know.”

Marc took a long, considered drink. “It’s plausible.”

“The other thing I discovered is that Theo had some kind of incident with one of the photographers he hired. Some guy he used on a regular basis overstepped the boundaries. He tried to tell Theo what to do. Dictate the kind of content he should be making and the guys he collaborated with. Exclusively white, by all accounts.”

“Theo won’t have liked that.”

“According to Roaul, he didn’t. He fired this guy, which makes him another person of interest. Unfortunately, Roaul didn’t know his name, only that he’s based in Blyham.”

“Why didn’t the police look into any of this?”

“They treated the case as a random hit-and-run. They didn’t look any deeper.”

Marc huffed and took another drink. “Do you think you can find him?”

Jason gave him a reassuring smile. “That’s what you hired me for. Now, the third piece of information Roaul provided might make that easier than I thought. One of the models who frequently worked with Theo also had a disagreement with him over money. It doesn’t sound too serious. Roaul couldn’t tell me anything other than the model’s professional name, Trace Grey. But I’ve had a friend of mine looking into that and he’s come up with the guy’s real name. Tyrone Lucas.”

Marc leaned forward. “Have you spoken to him?”

“Not yet, but I’m hoping to. Roaul thinks this guy works at a club right here in Blyham. I’m going to visit the place later to see what I can find out.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Jason raised his hands. “Whoa. Steady on. Remember what happened last time you insisted on doing that?”

“This is different. You just said it’s a club. What could go wrong in a place like that? It’s going to be full of people anyway.”

Jason gritted his teeth. “Marc, this is not the kind of club you want to visit. Trust me. I can do this on my own and fill you in on what I find. I’ll even call you when I come out, whatever the time.”

Marc shook his head stubbornly. “No. I’ll come with you. You can talk to him, I won’t say anything. I just want to be there.”

“Believe me you don’t. Not in this place.”

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