CHAPTER 14

“My darling husband’s coffee pot broke.” Bart flashed an amused grin to the librarian, who smiled sheepishly. “Well, it was quite old, but he loved it anyway.”

“Fuck, no!” Lawrence gave his friend a sympathetic look. “Man, how did you survive the loss?”

Brian shook his head. “I almost didn’t. As you can imagine, I ran to the kitchen right away, only to see coffee brewing.”

“That’s because you didn’t let me finish my sentence and instead ran to the kitchen. I was going to tell you I bought a new one so my sexy librarian has his coffee.” Bart winked at his husband.

“You’re the absolute best, babe.” Brian tenderly kissed his beloved’s lips and ran a hand through his blond, wavy hair.

“I married the best.” Bart put his head on his husband’s chest and blushed when the man kissed his temple. “He loves me,” he whispered to no one in particular.

“Yes, he really does.” Albert smiled at the sight Brian and his husband were offering. “You and Night are made for each other.”

“Truer words were never spoken.” Lawrence nodded his approval, then turned to the baker. “Night and Light… I always wanted to ask you how my librarian friend here and you got your nicknames.He might have mentioned it to me before, but I’m older than dirt, so most likely forgot the explanation.”

Albert smiled fondly at the good memory. “It's a funny story; Night’s mom used to say we were as different as night, and day but at the same time so much alike, so Brian called me light and I called him night. Edward was nicknamed Shadow, because he followed his older brother everywhere. At school, everyone knew us as the inseparable two.” He gave a worried look to Julien, who was staring at the screen of his laptop “Hey, kid, don't you ever take a break?”

The young man raised his head, a confused, almost painful expression in his sky-blue eyes. “Do I need it? Brian, do I need a break?”

“Yes, T-Ball, you do.” The librarian answered in a soft voice, using his brother-in-law’s hacker persona’s name instead of his given one, because it was that part of him who needed to rest. “Would you like something to read?”

Julien gave the librarian a gratitude-filled look. “A book would be nice.” He smiled. “You are the best, that’s why Papa Daniel and cousin Elyan love you so much.”

“Thanks, T-Ball, man, you’re the best too, you know that, right?” Brian smiled tenderly. “I have a great respect for your fathers and I like your brothers and Elyan a lot. You all are the coolest dudes in all the lands.”

“Do you really think so?” Julien stared blankly in space for a while. “I’m not really tired, I was just trying to figure out if we’ll have a Christmas wedding this year.”

“Christmas wedding?” Albert turned to the librarian. “Is there such a thing? Isn’t this the time of the year when families get together, exchange presents, and enjoy good food and pleasant company, while they are listening to carols?”

Julien nodded solemnly. “It’s a tradition in my family, and it extended over the years to other founders of The Base.” His beautiful face was lit by a smile. “Eighteen years ago, Ardan asked Alasdair’s hand in marriage on Christmas Eve, and a day later, Peyton and Ezra got married. Ten years ago, my cousin Gerrard proposed to his fiancé, and Uncle Thaddeus got married to his first love, Rhett.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Lawrence also confirmed. “Ardan and Alasdair renewing their vows here, at The Base, also happened on a Christmas day. I wasn’t here when the happy event happened, but I heard Lothier, Seymour, and others from the original crew talking about it many times.”

Julien turned to Albert. “First, I thought about your sister-in-law, Brei-Ayn and Wheeler, but then, I reconsidered; neither of them seems the type who would rush things.” A small frown creased the young man’s forehead. “I don’t know who else it could be.”

Lawrence scratched the back of his head. “I don’t have any idea either, man, but, if I was to bet, I’d put my money on a couple who have been together for quite some time and finally decided to tie the knot.”

“Sometimes, it doesn’t take long to realize the guy or girl you’re with is your soulmate.” Brian smiled dreamily, looking at his husband. “Who knows, maybe this year’s Christmas wedding would be provided by one of the newly formed couples.”

The librarian’s words sparked a heated, but friendly debate, each participant suggesting a couple or another and bringing solid arguments to support his choice. Albert was the only one who didn’t get engaged in the conversation; although almost six months passed since he came to The Base, he only knew a handful of people well enough to form an opinion on them.

, Albert enjoyed the playful banter between his childhood friend, the man’s husband, brother, brother-in-law, on one hand, and Lawrence, on the other hand. Alone against all the others, the biker firmly defended his opinion, offering illustrative examples for every scenario brought into discussion.

Lawrence’s voice was smooth, warm, and a bit guttural, adding sexiness to the combination of protectiveness, confidence, strength, and tenderness radiating from the man. Since the day the biker took him on that memorable ride and then made love to him, so passionately and gently, Albert felt safe in his presence, a sensation he didn’t experience since Clayton’s death, almost six years earlier.

The night he and Lawrence were together in all senses of the word changed him; it was like a window opened, letting the light into his mind and bringing to the surface details of his past he buried twenty years earlier, almost without realizing. Reliving that moment of his existence was a revelation that shook him to the core.

It offered Albert a new perspective on his ill-fated relationship with Rick, and, at the same time, it helped him understand the real reason why he entered it and didn’t leave even when it was clear things would never get better, on the contrary. If it wasn’t for Old Jim, the only one who knew his story, besides Clayton, he would’ve been dead and buried, and not in a metaphorical manner.

It also made Albert understand the necessity of making new friends and keeping the ones he already had close, so he could have them to turn to in times of need. With this, came the realization he could also help others in his situation, if not by physically defending them, then by offering them a paid job that would help them provide for themselves and those in their care.

From that moment on, Albert accepted Brian’s and Bart’s invitations of having breakfast or lunch at their house on weekends. Edward and his cute, very intelligent, and workaholic husband Julien were always present, and of course, Lawrence was a permanent fixture at the librarian’s house.

Albert also brought Chad and Monica, who loved to fill the role of older brother and sister for all the other, younger children. They were always affectionate, protective, and patient with the little ones, but gave extra attention to Tracy, Terry, and Ben, who just like them, were adopted and raised by a single parent, who did everything in his power to offer them all the love they were deprived of.

Although deeply lost in his thoughts, Albert felt he was someone’s center of attention. He lifted his gaze and met Lawrence’s eyes examining him with worry, concern, and something else he couldn’t put the finger on. The baker gave the biker a smile, and then, completely relaxed under that protective stare, got back into the conversation.

Maybe I should invite him over to my place again, Lawrence thought, continuing to examine the baker. Probably the poor guy thinks I got what I wanted and then I wasn’t interested in him anymore. I have to prove to him it’s not like that, show him how much I want him, mind, body, and soul, for as long as he wants me.

It’s about time you come clean to Lawrence, Albert said to himself, locking eyes with the man sitting in front of him. Tonight, if he invites you to his place, you’ll accept and will open up about your past. He wants you as you are, with flaws, fears, nightmares, and everything in between, wants you to be happy, the baker concluded his internal monologue. Closing his eyes, he promised himself to let himself go; this biker won’t hurt him.

*************

Yelling curses, Rick slammed the door of the dilapidated farmhouse that served as shelter for the biker gang after Old Jim’s heir kicked them out of the trailer. He went upstairs, the staircase and rail creaking under his heavy steps. Once in the room he proudly called his own, the man plopped down on the bed, then climbed on it.

Laying on his back, Rick made efforts to cool off after the fight he had with the President of the motorcycle club and his two main minions. All three of them were ungrateful bastards and blood-sucking leeches, but he couldn’t afford to be offended right now. Having his own room and getting a bigger cut of the gang’s drug dealing business were privileges only a few members could brag about having.

The old, springy mattress protested under Rick’s weight when he rolled on one side, and his nostrils were hit by the pungent odor of sweat coming from under him. The floor offered an unpleasant sight, covered as it was in all kinds of stains, from wine and ketchup to beer, coffee and even cum.

The stench in the room made Rick scrunch his nose in disgust. This place looks and smells like a fucking pig stall, he thought. Usually, the mess and foulness in the air didn’t bother him at all, but the fight from earlier made him more irritable than usual. If that fucking useless Albert bitch would be here, the fucking place would be sparkling clean and smelling like roses.

But the pathetic little whore took advantage of Rick’s absence from the camp and vanished into thin air, taking those snotty brats and the cop woman with him. The man on the bed mentally cursed his bad luck: just when he thought the little loser was left unprotected, now that Old Jim kicked the bucket, he proved everyone wrong.

From what Rick heard, the whiny little bitch was now at The Base, where he was playing the baker and making lots and lots of money out of that. If only my fucking so-called friends who were supposed to keep an eye on that pathetic form of life would have done their job well, he thought, anger starting to boil inside him again.

But of course the fuckers didn’t give a damn, and why would they, Rick continued his internal monologue, balling his fists in frustration. None of them were yelled at by the Prez and his cronies to bring more money to the table if he wanted a bigger share of profits. As if the whole thing wasn’t my idea in the first place and my ass isn’t in the greatest danger if the cops or the feds catch wind of it.

That Albert bitch was quite loaded when Rick met him for the first time, three years earlier, but now, since Old Jim and his successor pardoned all his debts to Bratva, he was filthy rich. Rumors had it his old man stole a few million dollars from the Russians, and hid that fortune so well, no one found it in thirty-five years.

The guy must’ve left something behind, though, a clue of sorts, for his son and heir to use when time came, Rick thought, frowning. Of course, the worthless piece of trash won’t share that knowledge or the treasure itself willingly, unless he would find a way to make him. I almost fucking broke him once, I can do it again, and this time, it will be for good, the man on the bed said to himself, his lips twisted in a cruel, ugly smile.