“Just go, Derek,” said Kieran. “I’ll call you later.”
Derek didn’t look too happy about it, but he reluctantly left.
“So, Kieran, how are you going to thank me for sorting that little problem out for you?” asked Grant.
He didn’t feel as though he had much of a choice in the matter. It looked like Kieran was going to dinner with a mobster.
CHAPTER 6
DEREK
“Are you serious?” asked Edward.
“I’m hardly going to make something like that up, am I?” said Derek.
“Maybe it’s just dinner, rather than a date.”
“I don’t give a fuck what it is. Kieran is not going anywhere with Grant Kincaid.”
“That’s not really up to you, is it?”
Derek glared at his friend. He was right, of course, but that would not prevent Derek from putting a stop to this.
“Why don’t you talk to Daniel?” suggested Edward.
“Daniel Harper? What will he do?”
“He knows people, and everything. I understand a friend of his had some unpleasant business with Grant recently. He might give us some insight into how to tackle this.”
“Nous,Eddie. You can’t get involved in this. If the press found out, you’d be fucked.”
“I’m well aware of that, which is why I suggested Daniel. There isn’t a problem that guy can’t fix.”
Edward was right. Daniel Harper was a brilliant lawyer, who had tried to poach Derek and Edward for his own firm years ago. They’d met at industry events and becomefriends, although it had to be about a year since Derek had last seen him. That was London for you. It could be ages between seeing a friend, although it didn’t diminish the relationship.
“I don’t really want to involve other people in this. It’s not like he’s a business associate we can swat like a fly. He’s a fucking mob boss, and one who seems untouchable to the police.”
“What if Kieran wants to date him?” asked Edward.
“Are you for real?”
“I’m just throwing out possibilities. Kieran is a grown man who can do what he wants.”
“Kieran doesn’t know what he wants.”
“That’s presumptuous of you, given you haven’t seen him in ten years. Maybe he likes his men to be a bit dangerous.”
“Abitdangerous?”
“Talk to Daniel, please. Before you rush in and do something that could get you hurt, or worse.”
“Yeah, you’re right . . . I’ll call him.”
It was the weekend, and Kieran hadn’t called Derek. Had he been out on his date with Grant yet? Had something more happened between them? The last thing he wanted was for Kieran to become some plaything for a mob boss. He didn’t know how Grant treated his sexual partners. The guy gave off major alpha energy, although Derek didn’t get dom vibes from him, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. If Grant liked to dominate his partners but wasn’t part of the lifestyle, he’d be less likely to work within boundaries or respect things like safe words.
He was meeting Daniel Harper for lunch. The venue was, of course, Knights Corner. What had every queer person in the city done before this place opened? Derek wished a place like this had existed during his city days.
“Hello stranger,” said Daniel, standing up and giving Derek a hug.
