Page 52 of Excess

“Was it, though?” I asked quietly. “Or have I just enabled him? Because I can’t help but wonder if living here has just been a convenient excuse for Leo to never get his shit together. But I’m not willing to gamble with Freya’s health and happiness to find out.”

Dad nodded, resigned. “You’re a good son, Blake. A good uncle. A good brother, even when the chips are stacked against you. I’ll talk to Leo again. We’re putting too much of a burden on you, I can see that now. Your life has to be more than just us and work.”

“I don’t care about that,” I lied. “I just want Leo to get it together for Freya’s sake. That’s all I’m worried about.”

Blake: Is the car fixed?

Leo: Yup.

Blake: Can you drop off the wet-dry vac I left in the shed to the place I’m working on in Mayfair?

He didn’t reply for several minutes, probably cursing me out for daring to make him get out of bed.

Leo: Fine. Send me the address.

I did, before instructing him to turn on his location so I could see with my own eyes that he was actually doing what I asked. Also, I wanted to intercept him out on the street. The last thing I needed was my bruised and beaten-up brother to show up on Inika’s doorstep.

Honestly, she probably wouldn’t care. If anything, she’d just be curious to meet Freya’s dad. Graeme the butler might have a heart attack though, and I didn’t need his death on my conscience.

Once I could see Leo moving closer on the map, I headed out through the staff entrance using my access card and crossed the quiet, elegant street to wait in front of the private green space that all these wanky houses have access to.

A sleek black car pulled up in front of the house that definitely didn’t belong to my brother. I watched as a woman in a flashy-looking suit climbed out of the driver’s seat, followed by three burly men who were too large to be anything but alphas.

They knocked on the door and were immediately ushered in by a blushing Graeme.

What the fuck was that about?

Leo rounded the corner in the rusty old beater that he and Dad shared, pulling up to the curb and winding down the passenger window. His face was still swollen and yellow with bruising. He looked a fucking state.

“Do you want this or not?” he asked loudly, gesturing at the vacuum and not bothering to turn down his music.

“Can you keep your voice down?” I hissed, opening the door to grab it before closing it again. “Try not to embarrass me in front of the client, will you?”

“What poncy asshole lives here?” he asked, squinting up at Inika’s house. “Is this the place Freya was banging on about yesterday?”

“Yes. My client kindly helped with your childcare.”

Leo scowled. “Well, it’s not like I asked her to. Look after your own niece.”

I had to walk away from this interaction before I burst a blood vessel.

“Come to that new club with me tonight,” Leo called as I took a step away from the vehicle. “You’ll like it. It’s a way more interesting crowd than Leviathan. Deeper pockets. Fuck Ronnie anyway, right?”

“Sure, fuck Ronnie. But fuck you too, Leo. I’m not enabling your bullshit anymore. Every time you fight, you spend days recovering and sulking in bed. You’re absolutely useless to Freya. Get your fucking life together, she doesn’t need this shit.”

He slammed down the accelerator so hard that I had to jump back before he ran over my foot, the prick. I rolled my shoulders, releasing the tension that came with every interaction with my brother recently. He’d get over it—by the time I got home, he’d probably be nagging me about going to that club again—but I was going to hold my ground this time.

I’d followed Dad’s advice. I’d taken it easy on Leo. I’d given him the benefit of the doubt. It didn’t seem to be working.

By the time I made my way back inside Inika’s house, my source of frustration had shifted back to the three alphas who Graeme had ushered into the house. The soundproofing in this place was top-notch, but I hazarded a guess based on all the open doors I could see that they were in Inika’s office. Was she alone in there with them except for the one beta woman they’d arrived with? For once, I hoped that Graeme was being a nosy prick and not giving Inika any space. He wasn’t much, but he was something.

The rest of the day was an absolute write-off. As the clock ticked down to three pm, I got progressively less done, wondering what that meeting had been about.

Though not entirely wondering. I had my suspicions. And I didn’t have any right to feel any kind of way about them.

By the time Inika made her way upstairs, I hadn’t even showered yet. I was filthy, agitated, and in no state to fuck her the way she deserved. Yes, there was an element of degradation to how we played, but there was care behind it too. I couldn’t give her the consideration that was needed when my head was like this.

“Oh,” Inika said, coming to a halt as she rounded the corner, brow furrowing. “Did I get the time wrong?”

---