Page 9 of Out of Reach
“Not long. It was more a convenience thing than anything else. He’s a busy man, and I had a lot of shoots. If we wanted to see each other, living together made sense.”
“Ricci and Prescott are friends?” Jase asked. “Or just acquaintances?”
“I wouldn’t call them friends, exactly, but…I guess business associates.”
“You worked at Utopia, didn’t you?” Logan asked Jase.
Jase nodded. “For a couple of years. I don’t remember seeing Prescott around back then.”
Jude snapped his fingers, his face lighting up. “That’s where I’ve seen you! Your picture’s on the wall at Utopia Studios.”
Jase smiled. “Is it? Seems like a million years ago.”
“Were you aware that Prescott runs an escort service?” West asked, redirecting the conversation.
“Yes, but he assured me it wasn’t prostitution. He said a lot of important people liked to have arm candy when they went to events in the city.”
“Do you mind if I ask why you broke up with Prescott?” Logan asked.
Jude flicked his tongue over his lips. “I just got…uncomfortable.”
“In what way?” West asked, leaning forward.
Until that moment, Hawk had been content to let his bosses take the lead, figuring they’d get more information out of Jude than he could, but the way Jude lowered his eyes at West’s question and stared at his clasped hands in his lap, had him on instant alert.
“Did he hurt you?” Logan asked the question before Hawk could.
When Jude didn’t answer immediately, Hawk jumped to his feet. “I swear to God, I’ll kill the bastard!”
“Hawk.” Jase grabbed him by the arm. “What the fuck, man?”
Damn.But Hawk couldn’t bring himself to care that he’d let the cat out of the bag.
“If that fucker laid a hand on you, I’ll end him,” he growled at Jude, who quickly got to his feet.
Resting his hand on Hawk’s heaving chest, he said, “He didn’t hurt me. I swear.”
They stared into each others eyes until Hawk calmed down.
“Why do I get the feeling there’s something going on here we don’t know about?” Jase looked at West and Logan. “Is there something you want to tell us, Hawk?”
“Not especially,” Hawk mumbled.
“Hawk and I used to date,” Jude said.
“We lived together for three years,” Hawk couldn’t help correcting, even though he was digging his own grave.
“And you didn’t think to tell us this when we gave you the case?” Jase sat back, crossing his arms over his chest.
“It was four years ago.”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize him as the same Jude English that you knew.” The disbelief in Logan’s tone was clear.
“I recognized him,” Hawk said impatiently. “I wanted to be the one to get him out of there, and I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t let me.” His eyes moved from West’s face to Logan’s and back again. “Wouldn’t you two do the same?”
Glancing at each other, West and Logan reluctantly backed down.
“All this is moot because there’s no way Sam’s out to kill me. I’m going back to New York,” Jude said, looking from one of us to the other. “I don’t need you guys to protect me.”