Page 20 of The Biker & the Baker

“I know, but I want to do this.” Albert’s reply came in the same whispered voice from earlier. “I want you to understand what really happened and why, and I also want to free myself from the chains holding me captive.”

“Go ahead, then.” Lawrence caressed the other man’s face. “I’ll listen to you and be there to hold you if the memories become too much.”

Albert swallowed hard a few times, then started to talk in a flat voice. “I was raised by who I thought was my mother. She was always super-protective of me, almost never allowing me to socialize with children my age. Brian was an exception, because the other kids kinda avoided him. You know, because of his eyes.” The last part was spoken in a half-sad, half-apologetic voice.

Lawrence nodded. “Yes, he told me. In a way, I can’t blame the lady for not letting you mingle with those children. They were bad company, anyway.”

“Maybe, I didn’t have the opportunity to find out.” Albert cleared his throat. “One day, when I came home from school, the woman who raised me was talking on the phone in a language I didn’t understand. I had a lot of homework, so I went straight into my room and started to write the essay for English class that was due the next day. I just finished it when she barged inside and told me to pack my things, because we were going to leave the house in a couple of hours and never come back.”

“Damn!” Lawrence balled his hands into fists. “Did she at least offer you any explanation? Did she tell you why that was necessary?”

“Yes, but that was four years later, when she was on her deathbed, in what both of us knew were her final moments.” Albert’s eyes filled with tears threatening to spill, his voice became heavy with sadness. “A few days after we moved out from Brian’s neighborhood, she asked me to call her Miss Julia instead of mom, which I did, although it hurt.I had no idea thiswas only the beginning. Every day that passed she became more and more distant, colder, yelled at me more often.”

“Damn woman!” Lawrence was making great efforts to keep his anger under control. “What made her change, and, if she wasn’t your mother, who was she?”

“My aunt, dad’s sister.” Albert’s voice became emotionless. “He was an accountant working for the Russian Mafia, who got greedy and took a few million dollars of their money. He thought the mobsters didn’t figure it out, but they did, and so dad and mom had to go in hiding. I was only two years old, so they gave me to my unmarried aunt Julia, who agreed to pass me off as her own son and raise me, thinking she’d get a part of the stolen money as reward for her efforts.”

“And?” Lawrence raised an eyebrow, curiosity dripping from his voice. “Why did she become distant, didn’t she get any money?”

“She did get a couple hundred thousand dollars, much less than what she thought she deserved for giving up on her life to raise a kid who wasn’t hers.” Albert took a sharp inhale and closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. “The rest of it went into a locked account in a bank in Switzerland. I was the only one who had access to it, on the day I turned twenty-one.” He stopped again for a few moments. “That day, the last of her life, my aunt told me how much she hates me for ruining her life and that she hoped the Bratva would get me before I turn twenty-one, so I can’t enjoy the fruits of her sacrifice.”

“How could she?” Lawrence wrapped the man next to him in a warm, compassionate gaze. “It wasn’t your fault, and, anyway, she shouldn’t have taken care of you just because your dad promised her a part of what he’d stolen. You were hernephew, it was her duty to protect you, as your only living relative.”

Albert seemed to ignore the biker’s words; once the memories flooded his mind, he couldn’t keep them at bay anymore. “It was after she died when I met Clayton, a lawyer who worked for Child Protective Services. I was seventeen, a year away from being of age, and he, who was twenty-eight, took me into his care. He, Brei-Ayn, and Michael were my family in every sense of the word, and stayed like that.”

“Thanks to all the gods for them.” Lawrence exclaimed in an enthusiastic voice, sighing in relief. “I’m happy you didn’t end up in an orphanage or foster home; from what I’ve heard from our residents who went through the system, both options were horrible.”

Albert nodded. “Clayton said the same, too. He pulled some strings and talked to some important people, and I was erased from the Children Protective Services’ database.” He reflected for a moment before continuing. “I think that’s why the Russian Mafia couldn’t find me for so many years.”

Lawrence thought for a bit before talking, and when he did, his words were carefully chosen. “So, your husband protected you all your life together, plus a few years before that, and, when he died, you didn’t feel safe anymore.”

“Exactly.” Albert’s reply came right away. “When Clayton died, all his friends turned their back on me and the kids, so I spent the next three years looking over my shoulder and trying to keep my children out of harm’s way. When Rick showed up in my life, I thought the gang would accept me like one of them, and, even when things got worse, I stayed, hoping the bikers would protect me.”

“I’ll do that.” Lawrence’s voice was a mix of warmth and solemnity, and it carried a promise the other man knew he'd keep at all costs. “I’ll stand between you, Chad, and Monica, and all those who want to harm you. I’ll fight and vanquish all the monsters, be them in human or otherworldly forms.”

CHAPTER 16

Next morning, Albert woke up first, completely refreshed, although he only managed to sleep for a couple of hours. His confession was followed by a hot, intense make out session, and even after that, he stayed awake for a while, thinking about his past, present, and above all,the future he and Lawrence were going to have together.

Because yes, Albert couldn’t imagine his life without the biker at his side, especially after telling him about that part of his life no one, except Clayton, knew about. The man didn’t find neither the courage, nor the time to talk to Brian about that, explain to him why he left so suddenly, and he felt guilty about that.

Albert went into the bathroom for his morning ritual, and when he went back, the bed was empty, which made him smile, knowing Lawrence was in the kitchen, making breakfast. Just when he was about to walk out of the room, he heard his phone buzzing on the nightstand, went back, picked it on and looked at the screen, frowning, as he didn’t recognize the number.

More likely, a client with an order for the bakery, Albert said to himself, I’ll deal with it later, at the bakery. There, he had a list with all the names and numbers of the suppliers, clients and employees, but it didn’t make it into his phone. As he headed to the kitchen, the man made a mental note to do that as soon as he would have a bit of spare time.

Albert was greeted by a fully clothed, apron-wearing, smiling Lawrence, who captured his lips in an equally hot and tender kiss. The aroma of fried bacon and scrambled eggs tickled his nostrils and made his mouth water. Humming a happy tune, the baker started setting the table, which earned him a smile from the other man.

Lawrence and Albert attacked the breakfast with the appetite of two hungry wolves, and, for a while, silence overtook the room, interrupted from time to time by the soft moans of appreciation and delight coming from one or another of them. However, as their bellies started to fill, the two of them began to talk about their plans for the day.

Albert’s first stop was at the location where he intended to open the second bakery and cake shop. Leon and his team were there a day before to install the shelves, counters, and a few other pieces of furniture. The baker, caught in errands, phone conversations with the customers, and a million other little things, didn’t find the time to see how everything turned out, relying only on the pictures Leon sent him.

Then, Albert intended to spend the whole day at the already running bakery, actively helping Stacy, Steve, and Billy-Bob with whatever they might need. Miss Pat had an efficient, trusting help in Anna, a lady in her early fifties, with an orange cat named Dragon, who moved at The Base after losing her home to the catastrophic floods that hit her region three months earlier.

Brei-Ayn, Bianca, and Martha were supervising the children from the arts and crafts class who were decorating the cookies for the fair, so Albert, who had to stay at the bakery until later that evening, didn’t know what to do with Chad and Monica. That was until Brian and Bart kindly offered to take them their place, for a sleepover.

Lawrence also had a long, busy day ahead, that started with a regular shift, followed by a few hours of sleep at the guards’ headquarter, because he needed to be well-rested for the graveyard shift and the one the next day. He wouldn’t be able to see his beloved for more than a few minutes at the time, the man said, adding he would miss him.

Albert softly caressed Lawrence’s big hand resting on the table and told him the feeling was mutual. The good part, the baker reminded his boyfriend-not-boyfriend-yet, was that they could catch up during the three days off the guard had every time after a regular shift followed by a double one.

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