“Hey Axel, what’s up?” Malachi walked into his brother’s kitchen to find Malek’s mate with their son in his arms.
Malek came in a minute after with a feeding bottle in his hand.
“Here you go babe, remind me to order another bottle warmer for the kitchen,” Malek said. His brother finally met his gaze, “Thanks for coming, Chi. Alfie needs some help.”
Chi raised his brow. “Am I supposed to know who that is?”
“Don’t mind him.” Axel rolled his eyes at Malek, although the look in his eyes was full of adoration.
“Alfie’s my younger brother and he needs help. Since Mason isn’t feeling so good, I would prefer if Malek…” Alfie glanced over at his brother.
“You would prefer if he was here… it’s okay. Where is he?” Malachi didn’t have anything at work he couldn’t move and it wasn’t like he had a mate… so he was happy to help his brother and Axel anytime.
Two
Alfie
Alfie groaned as he stood up from the bed in the Premier Inn room he’d booked after legging it out of the flat Rupert had stowed him in. Evidently, the man had hidden Alfie away like the dirty little secret he had clearly been.
He should have listened to his instincts that said dating someone like Rupert would be a bad idea, but the man had worn him down.
Rupert was older, charming, and some sort of nobility.Fuck!Alfie felt like such a fool for believing someone likethatwouldevertake someone like him seriously. They were from different worlds… Rupert was bespoke Savile Row, and he was High Street all the way, but Alfie had never thought the man could… would be violent.
Alfie stood in front of the mirror and assessed the damage—thankfully it wasn’t that bad, but still, who would have thought a man like Rupert would react the way he had. Alfie had always thought of Rupert as super proper, but the day before proved that looks could be deceiving.
Alfie could feel the bruises without even having to look at them. Thankfully, the man had only slapped his face, so everything else could be hidden, but it was summer and wearing as many clothes as he was sucked.
When he’d left the flat, he knew he couldn’t go home. His mum would be off in a tizzy, wanting to confront Rupert, or worse, report him, and there wasn’t anything that could be done. She would want the man to pay for hurting him, and Alfie didn’t see that ending well.
Powerful people were rarely punished. Alfie knew that someone like Rupert could get away with stuff like this… it was just how the world worked.
It was all his fault anyway for thinking he could surprise Rupert. He’d gone up to the man’s country home, having found the address on a letter Rupert had left in the office he kept in the flat he rented for Alfie, and found a whole family he hadn’t even known existed.
He wasn’t sure who’d been more surprised, himself or Rupert… even though the man had recovered quickly and introduced Alfie as an intern there to deliver documents and then had practically carried Alfie out of the house.
He sighed as he recalled the coldness in Rupert’s eyes as he’d told him to “know his place.”
Who the fuck doesn’t check on social media to see if their boyfriend is married?
Apparently, him.
Not that it would have helped since he’d found out that Rupert was justoneof many in the man’s long ass name.
Alfie had been made a fool out of, and his mistake was waiting for Rupert in the flat the man had stuck him in. Rupert, apparently, had the best of both worlds—a wife for the public and a whore for private.
You’re the whore, Alfie…yup, he was the home-wrecking bit on the side,hidden away in London, away from the man’s country home and his perfect jodhpur-wearing wife.
Alfie realised there had been signs—the fact that Rupert refused to let him tell his siblings. Alfie wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to that since they practically told each other everything. Maybe it was because the few people that had seen him and Rupert together had told him how lucky he was to have the man as his boyfriend. Granted they were all Rupert's friends. Lying assholes the lot of them.
If only they could see him now.
Alfie turned so he could check out the damage on his back, but even trying to do that was more energy than he had. He sighed and crawled back into bed defeated.
He couldn’t believe he’d taken a year off Uni because of a guy… and now, here he was.
He’d legged it out of London on a coach, not wanting to go through Euston Station—especially looking the way he did. He could have called Rowan since his oldest brother was a nurse, but that would mean he’d have to go home. And Ro woulddefinitelyhave a lecture for him, not to mention his brother still lived with their mum.
Besides, he’d already been to A&E for some pain meds… they’d tried getting the cops involved, but he’d legged it before they could make the call.
