Page 40 of Nothing But the Night (Basic Instincts 2)

Of course. Phil had been one of the last victims of the Blyham Strangler. Because he had been a stranger to the LTBTQIA community, Marc was only beginning to realise the devastating effect the murders had had on the people here. He gazed at Phil’s picture and another wave of sadness washed through him. Such a tragic waste of another young life.

Then he started to see all the community posters and notifications that adorned the walls around the pub. Helplines, support meetings, crisis centres. Free personal alarms were available for anyone who needed them. Though the Blyham Strangler had been captured, his legacy of violence would haunt the city for a long time.

And now there had been another death. Dan Blumel’s name could be added to the catalogue of tragedy.

Marc took his drink and found a table. It was on the inside but close enough to the wide doors of the heated beer garden. The outdoor area was well covered and there were a lot of people taking advantage of it.

Jack would have loved it here.

If his husband had been alive at the time of the Strangler murders, he would have been galvanised to take action himself. Jack had been far more community minded than Marc ever was. When they were younger, Marc had focused all his energy on making his business a success, while Jack had always been more people focused. If it hadn’t been for Jack, Marc would never have taken time for holidays or leisure pursuits.

Had Marc wasted the time they’d had together? He’d spent so long in the office when he could have been with his husband, making memories. They’d had no idea how short their life together would be.

Nobody did.

Would Theo have done things differently too, if he’d known what little future he had? Or Dan Blumel? Or any of the other young men who had lost their lives in this vibrant community?

The memorial behind the bar had triggered something. It was unfair that his brother’s life should be forgotten. And what was he doing now, if not trying to cover up Theo’s lifestyle? To stop it from coming to the attention of their parents. When Nadine Smythe had approached him with her intention to investigate Theo’s death, Marc’s initial reaction had been panic. Fear that his mother would discover the truth.

Would she even be shocked? Theo was her baby, but she couldn’t be so naïve to think he was an angel. Had Theo even made much of an effort to conceal what he did? He’d been proud of his adult content creation when he’d talked to Marc. Had he also confided in their mother? Marc had never asked. He’d been too scared to face the facts.

Shit. What the hell am I doing?

He was coming at this from the wrong direction. Hiring Jason to discover the truth about Theo before Nadine could expose it, when what they should really focus on was finding out who killed him and celebrating his life.

Marc sighed wearily and tasted the wine.

Not bad.

An exceptionally handsome couple came into the bar. They both had dark-brown hair. The younger of the two, in his mid to late twenties, was tall with large eyes and a strong jawline. The older partner looked to be in his late thirties. He was very serious-looking with startlingly pale grey eyes. They held hands. From their body language, and the way they moved together, they were so obviously in love.

When she spotted them, the bartender who had served him hurried out from behind the bar and rushed over to them. She embraced the younger man first, hugging him tight. It was a display of touching and raw affection. She wrapped her arms around the older man more carefully.

“Is this okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he replied. “Really. It doesn’t hurt much at all now.” His accent sounded French.

Another song started on the jukebox and Marc couldn’t hear what else they said. The woman returned to her position behind the bar and served their drinks.

Jason came through the door a moment later. His face was serious as he scanned the room, until he spotted Marc and broke into that staggeringly sexy smile. He had come direct from work, and still managed to look incredible in chinos, a navy jersey and bomber jacket. He walked straight over to Marc.

“Hey, I didn’t expect you to be here already.”

Marc’s melancholia evaporated with his arrival. “I walked from the hotel. I had no idea how long it would take.”

“You should have got a cab up. This city still isn’t the safest place to be walking the streets.” Noticing Marc’s puzzled expression, he continued, “A fella was queer bashed earlier in the week on Broad Street. The Strangler might have been caught, but there’s still a lot of people about who hate us.”

“Noted.”

“Can I get you something?” Jason gestured to the bar.

Marc shook his head. “I’ve barely touched this. Just see to yourself.”

When Jason went off for his drink, Marc couldn’t resist checking him out. His beefy butt filled the seat of his pants. Until last night, Marc had fought against his attraction to Jason. Now he didn’t want to resist. So what if they were breaching professional boundaries. They owed it to themselves to seize a few moments of happiness when they were presented.

Jason returned with a pint of bitter. He took off his jacket and hung it over the rear of the chair. His nipples were hard, poking against the material of his jersey.

“Good day?” Marc asked.

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