Page 56 of Knight

“What do I mean?” I’m getting mad. “You go radio silent for two days. I come here to see that you’ve gone through enough whiskey to service Cover Me for the next year. You’re passed out cold on the floor, in the middle of the day, rambling about how I’m going to leave you when I find out.”

He covers his mouth with his hand. “Is that what I said? Did I say anything else?”

“Nothing else that matters right this minute.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? That’s all you have to say? Jackson, if you slept with someone else you need to tell me.”

“What? No. I would never cheat on you. I have no interest in any other women.”

“Then what’s going on? Why would I leave you?”

He runs his hands through his hair. “Please hear me out before you go crazy.” I nod. I’m scared about whatever he’s going to say.

He swallows. “Do you remember that jerk that hit on you a few months ago, at the Children’s Hospital event?”

“I think so. Ryan?”

“Bryan. Well, he and I kind of have a lot of bad blood between us.”

“So I gathered.”

“It started when we were both young in this business, and I was having success where he wasn’t. His own father picked me over him to be his successor, and even though I turned him down, Bryan has never forgotten it. We’ve crossed paths a few times over the years, and it’s always rather ugly.”

“What does this have to do with me and leaving you?”

“I’m getting there. Anyway, he has a property in West Philly that he’s been developing. I own several of the properties surrounding it. I ended up deciding to donate all of those particular properties to the government for them to turn into low-income housing.”

“Why would I be upset about that? That’s a wonderful thing to do, Jackson.”

“Yes, it’s great for the community, and I actually receive a lot of tax incentives for doing it. It’s a win-win. It is, however, really bad for Bryan’s property value, and the businesses he has as tenants. He threatened me a few months ago, and his son even threatened Trevor, but I’ve never taken his threats seriously.”

“Until now.” I nod in understanding. He’s obviously holding something substantial over Jackson’s head.

“Yes, until now.” He takes a deep breath. “He developed Club Yeur and maintained an ownership stake. He saw us there on Saturday night.”

“Oh. Well, so what? We’re entitled to be there. Who cares if he knows we went there? We’re two consenting adults.”

Jackson closes his eyes like he’s bracing for impact. “He has access to the cameras. He turned them on in our room and recorded us.”

All of the blood drains from my face. I cover my head with my hand. “Oh. My. God.” I know where this is headed now. “What exactly has he threatened?”

“That if I don’t redirect the sale of those properties, he’ll release the video online. I’m so sorry, Darian. This is all my fault. I’m constantly poking the bear. It was only a matter of time before he broke and did something like this. It’s all my fault.” His head is in his hands, and he keeps repeating that it’s all his fault.

I try to remain calm. “Can you redirect the sale?”

“I suppose I can call and ask, but the paperwork is already filed and ….”

“And hundreds of people will lose their subsidized housing. We can’t do that.” This is a disaster.

“Not hundreds, Darian. Thousands. I don’t know what to do.”

“So, your answer was to drink yourself into an oblivion?”

“I’m sorry. I freaked out. I don’t want you to hate me. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. My head immediately went to losing you. I’ve never had so much to lose.”

“I don’t hate you. I’m certainly not thrilled with this situation, or how you’ve handled it, but I don’t hate you. As for losing me, let’s get through this and talk further about us when we’re through it.”

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