Chapter Eighteen #5
This was their home now.
Slowly getting out of bed, he left his phone in case Michael woke up, and he needed to find him. It wasn’t that he wanted to hide this, but instead, he was going to handle it.
It was clean up in the alley time, and that was his job.
Pulling on his jeans and shoes, he stared down at the man he loved.
Oh, this wasn’t going to end well for the man who opted to blackmail him.
He wasn’t going to cower.
He was going to break someone’s face. There would be no payout. There would be no hiding. Graham wasn’t scared or willing to die.
What he was willing to do was fight for his marriage. Michael was worth it.
After his things were on, he crept out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. It was dim in there. Glancing around, he saw no one, so the coast was clear.
Graham pulled on his shoes, and walked out the door to enter the garage from the outside.
When he was gone, he hadn’t been paying attention. Because he missed him.
Gryphen was in the kitchen, tucked back into the shadows. He’d come down for a snack while Ian was all tied up.
Literally.
Lord Carter needed to replenish his energy before the next round of fuckery.
Well, it looked like it would have to wait. Apparently. Graham was sneaking out, and he didn’t like that at all.
Why?
His friend would be hurt.
And that wasn’t happening on his watch. Putting the sandwich down, he headed up.
He really hoped this wasn’t what it looked like. If it was, Michael would be heartbroken.
And Graham Lainey?
HE’D.
BE.
DEAD.
* * * The Ravensmire Castle * * *
Upstairs
The Master’s Suite
When he walked into his friend’s room, Gryphen had already untied Ian, and told him to stay put. He had to do a little nightwork, and after he told him why, Ian didn’t argue.
But his mind went there too.
Oh, and they hated that they all thought that Graham would be sneaking out to fuck some stranger on his wedding night.
But what else could it be?
When Michael heard the telltale whistle, one that the security that worked for the Blackhawks used all of the time when they were on patrol, it did what it needed to do.
Michael sat up in bed.
“What is going on?” he asked, snapping awake.
“I just watched your husband sneak out of the castle,” he stated.
Michael’s heart thumped in his chest.
“That can’t be. He wouldn’t…”
Gryphen stopped him.
“Why else is he leaving at one in the morning when the bars close soon?” he asked.
Michael shook his head, and only one thing popped into his mind.
And it scared him.
As Gryphen stared at him, he defended him. They had to be missing something.
“No way. My husband wouldn’t do that to me. There has to be a reason,” he said, looking around.
Picking up his phone, Michael began calling his husband.
When it rang beside the bed on the other nightstand, both men looked over.
Oh, shit.
Immediately, Michael wanted to freak out, but he knew in his heart that Graham wouldn’t do him dirty like this. There had to be a reason.
Right?
Picking up his phone, he opened it, since he knew the man didn’t have it password-protected.
That’s when he saw the text that was on the screen when he opened the phone.
“Oh, shit!” he said, his heart racing.
“What?” Gryphen asked, already dressed and ready to do battle with his fellow Marine.
He tossed the man his phone and began pulling on his things. When Gryphen read it, it caught him off guard.
He’d been wrong.
Oh, the man was meeting someone, but not for sex. He was meeting someone to clean up a mess.
A dangerous mess.
Who knew how many people were waiting for him?
“Why wouldn’t he wake us? We would have gone with him to pay this dude off or rough him up.”
Michael zipped up his fly, and stared at his friend like he was insane.
“What?” the man asked.
Oh, he clued him in.
“Gryph, he’s Black Watch. He’s not going to pay the bribe. He left me his phone because I’m about to be the alibi. Get Finn. We have to get to that alley before my husband ends up in jail for homicide. Get him to move ASAP. We need backup.”
He sighed.
Why couldn’t their lives be easy?
Clearly at one in the morning…
They.
Were.
Not.
* * * The Ravensmire Castle * * *
Behind The Bar
The Alley
Oh, he knew it well. This was the place he’d wanted to die, and he’d tried to.
Only now, he wasn’t here to die.
But someone might.
There was no freaking way he was going to let some asshole blackmail him, and destroy the best thing that had ever happened to him in his life.
Yeah, Graham was pissed off.
Whoever this was had crossed a line. Whoever this was had now made him angry.
He wasn’t willing to die, and they’d never seen this side of him.
Oh, Graham was willing to fight.
It wasn’t often he let that side out of him, but he wasn’t a Major in the Black Watch because he was timid.
He was lethal.
As he walked into the alley, he saw a man standing there, and the funniest part of this was he didn’t recognize him.
Not.
At.
All.
What he did know was he didn’t get fucked by this dude. He’d been lost in the misery, but he could remember a face.
Now, he was confused.
“What’s this about?” he asked.
The man glared at him.
“I see you had the balls to come here.”
It was an American, and that confused him further. Oh, he’d served with a few, but all of them Marines. This was definitely not a soldier.
This was a twink with a death wish.
“Should I know you, Lad? You’re pretty stupid to threaten me with blackmail. It’s clear you don’t know me.”
Oh, he knew him.
This was the man his fiancé ran away to hook up with? This was what he’d replaced him with? Granted, he’d been his boyfriend all of those years ago, but still.
This was foul.
After meeting the guy in the bar, and setting this up, he researched the man. He was nothing more than some groundskeeper at a rundown castle.
He would have confronted his man there, but the Blackhawks were good about having top of the line security, and he couldn’t risk it.
He introduced himself.
“I’m Riley Cunningham. You’re currently with my man. I’ve come to get him back and bring him home. Does he know you’re a whore?” he asked. “Does he know you fucked half of the village men?”
Oh, boy.
Clearly, this was the nut who Michael was going to marry.
And he was in town, trying to scare him away. Well, he had news for him. Michael knew, and they were married. This man had a better chance of dying than Michael did of going back with him.
“Is that so, Laddie? Well, you have a few issues,” he said. “He’s not leaving with you. I can bet my life on that.”
Riley didn’t like him.
The man was the same height as him, but had about fifty pounds on him. Riley was slim, and this man wasn’t.
It was a good thing he didn’t come alone.
The other thing that bothered him was the man was good looking—probably better looking than him—and that was annoying.
Honestly, he hoped the thugs he’d paid off ended up destroying this man. He’d touched what wasn’t his.
MICHAEL.
“Where is he?”
Graham wasn’t saying shit. Honestly, he didn’t have to talk to this man. He didn’t owe him anything. Michael had told him they’d broken up over betrayal.
This man was NOTHING to his husband.
“Answer me,” Riley ordered. “Do you think he’ll stay with you when he finds out what you are?” he asked. “Because you’re nothing to him. Once he sees I came for him, we’re leaving.”
Oh, well, he’d bet his marriage license that wasn’t going to happen. Michael might be pissed he left without telling him, but he wouldn’t divorce him.
It was until death did them part.
“Yeah, except he knows. I told him everything. That’s why he’s staying.”
Riley didn’t like that.
Oh, he wanted to put holes in this smug asshole. He wanted to make him bleed out in this alley. There was no way he was letting him have Michael and his money.
He.
Was.
His.
So, he pulled out a knife that he had no business having. All he could hope was the man got intimidated.
And fast.
“Tell me where to find my fiancé!”
Oh, he’s got bad news for him.
“You mean my husband? I married Michael almost twelve hours ago. That’s why I’m pretty sure he’s not leaving with you. I left him in our bed.”
Riley gasped.
There was no way.
Michael had only been here a day and a half.
There was no fucking way.
“Liar.”
As if the man needed proof, Graham held up his left hand, showing him his fingers.
On his hand sat a gold ring.
“It’s a matching set. Guess where the other one is, Laddie. Think hard. Where would I put a second ring if I were to marry him?” he asked.
Riley pulled on his hair and screamed in rage.
Only, Graham wasn’t fazed.
“Now, Laddie, it’s best you head out. I don’t know what you think you’re doing here, but it’s best you back away from me, and put that pig sticker away. I’ll break your arms and bury it in your liver before you even see me move,” he said, the Scottish accent coming out thicker.
Oh, and Riley was furious.
Instead of listening, Riley did something stupid. He moved at Graham and swung at him.
What happened next was shock and awe for Riley Cunningham.
With one move, Graham knocked the knife out of his hand, and put him into the wall so fast it stole Riley’s breath. Then, he did what he promised.
He easily broke his arm.
Well, his wrist.
The sickening snap told the tale, and the whimper of Riley before hitting the ground beside the dumpster only added to the alleyway ambiance.
Only, he knew he wasn’t alone.
The hair on the back of his neck stood, and he knew this arsehole brought friends.
And he’d venture a guess he knew who.
Two shadows came around the corner, likely exiting from the bar.
Now, that was two men that Graham had fucked. It explained how the cuck on the ground got his cell number when Michael scraped it off of the wall.
Graham turned so they couldn’t come at his back.
“Oh, look, Lad, he’s back for more. I guess it’s our lucky night. Time to have some fun with his ass like last time.”
Graham warned them again.