Page 65 of Heist

Patrick gave her a gentle squeeze and they spent the rest of the ride in comfortable silence. When they pulled up to the restaurant, the press was insane. He immediately saw why when the driver opened the door. Hunter had already arrived with his popstar friend and they were posing for the camera. Bless him, he may not have done it on purpose, but it would detract some of the attention from Patrick. He may be a well-known billionaire, but the pop star would get more clicks than he would so their focus would stay on her.

He started to put sunglasses on, but Austin stopped him. “The sun isn’t out. We’re acting normal, remember?”

Patrick gave her a tight smile but set the shades aside and stepped out of the car. He extended his hand to help her out of the car but kept his distance once she was standing. A few cameras turned their attention to Austin and Patrick, but most stayed glued to Hunter and his entourage.

“Mr. Sutton!” one reporter shouted as they pushed through the crowd. “Are you happy to be out of jail?”

Austin turned and smiled at the reporter. “My client was arrested for all of two hours before a judge released him.”

Patrick tensed, but kept his expression neutral as Austin pushed forward again. When they got to Hunter, Patrick quietly prayed he wouldn’t acknowledge them. He thought briefly that there must be no God because Hunter called his name.

“Good to see you, man,” Hunter said as if it weren’t planned for them to be at the same restaurant. Patrick plastered a fake smile on his face and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Fancy meeting you here, friend. I’m just having dinner with my attorney.”

Hunter waved a hand. “Nonsense. Tonight, is no night for business. Join us. We’ve got room at our table.”

“Mr. Novak, how long have you known Mr. Sutton?” a reporter called out.

Hunter turned and flashed one of his award-winning smiles at the woman. “Long enough to know that the allegations against him are bullshit. And you can quote me on that. That’s enough questions for now folks. We’re going to go in and enjoy a nice dinner, but you should all come on down to Illusion and see Skylar Cameron perform. Just leave your cameras at home and the first drink is on me.”

With that, Hunter snapped his fingers and a team of bodyguards stepped between him and the press. Patrick and Austin followed them inside.

He would never not be impressed with the way Hunter handled being in the public eye. He was a God in the entertainment world, and people listened when he spoke. Patrick may not have liked it but having him speak to the press on his behalf might have been good for him. Now he just needed to put it out of his mind for a little while.

As they walked through the restaurant, he noticed Austin staring at her phone.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as they walked into the private dining room.

“First trial date was put on the docket just before close of business today. We have four weeks.”

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