Chapter 5: Breaking Bread

*Seraphina*

Streams of broken conversation came through from the patron area. It was hard to hear everything above the background din of the bar, but from the little my ears could pick up, I knew that these men were looking for Alfred and willing to pay an exorbitant amount to find him.

Unease and fear eddied in the pit of my gut, a garish concoction that made me feel like I needed to throw up.

The feeling took me by surprise because I should’ve been relieved that the men were not here for me. Instead, my instinct was to call the cops. Nothing about these men seemed safe, and even amongst the rough and rowdy crowd that frequented Archeron, these men stood out above the rest as being particularly worthy of wariness.

I took a breath, planning out in my head how I’d go back to the bar for my phone and excuse myself to somewhere in the kitchen when the boss swaggered out to greet the men, arms spread as wide as his grin.

“Been a long time, fellas. Tell me, can I get you boys anything? We’ve just got a new batch of Devil’s Springs waiting to be opened in the back.” He clapped his hands on the arms of the apparent leader of the group.

The man shook his head, all business.

“No time for any of that. We’re looking for someone and had a tip-off that he could be lurking around here somewhere. See anything suspicious?” he asks, and the boss squints at the photo held out to him. His eyes widened as though he recognized Alfred.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Imagine having the likes of him hanging around my place, huh? No, I haven't seen him. But feel free to look. If any of us find him, you’ll know immediately,” he said.

Blood turned to ice in my veins, my heart thundering against my rib cage.

My thoughts were a cacophony of realizations and questions, all vying for my attention, the first of which was that something was going on with Alfred that he was not telling me. He was important, and whether that’d prove to be a good or bad thing depended largely on whether or not I could keep him alive long enough to find out.

The second realization was that the friendliness between the boss and these men hinted that what it was might have something to do with Underground dealings… which could only serve to complicate things if the cops get involved.

If they ended up snooping around here, it would be more than likely to turn into a bloodbath. At the very least, Archeron would be shut down and, with it, my only source of board and income. I grit my teeth. I couldn’t involve the authorities, not unless I was willing to throw myself out onto the streets or endanger Caroline once again.

The looming threat of those stalkers hadn’t left my mind for all the insanity of the past few days, and I knew better than to risk running into them again, not when I was still so vulnerable. That knowledge dwindled my options down to one.

I didn’t want to hand Alfred over to these people.

I remembered the way the boss looked at me when I was first introduced to him, the scent of depravity thick in the air of the kitchen where men whose scraps of morality were only held together with threads of gold. They’d eyed me up like I was fresh meat.

The primal fear that had shivered down my spine still resided there, and only knowing that I was a moneymaker for Archeron gave me any bit of security. I knew very well the kind of people I worked for and that anyone they were associated with would be at least as dangerous.

I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing I was responsible for another person landing in their hands. Yet, I still needed to think of my own survival. I needed the money that came with the job. I needed this place to be around still.

That was when the solution presented itself, a perfect compromise that should, in theory, solve my dilemma. I took another deep, shuddering breath, building up all the courage I had, and plastered my fear behind a professional smile. Then I walked back, rounding the corner and taking up my place behind the bar as though I never left.

The rest of my shift was spent taking orders and pouring drinks, some of the best acting work I’d ever done because inside, I was a tangle of raw nerves. I knew that they wouldn’t have any reason to look in the dorm rooms, not when they believed the boss to be loyal and not intentionally hiding Alfred.

I couldn’t wait for the night to end, and when it did, I grabbed the lunch bag I’d kept cooling in the fridge and made my way back to my dorm when I was certain there was not a single soul left in the bar to follow me.

I was extra cautious, waiting for a while longer before finally unlocking the door. Alfred frowned at me the second I walked inside, and I shut the door hastily behind me. He sat on my bed where I left him, his back pressed against the headboard and wrists still bound to the posts. I went over to the nearest end table and put my things down, trying to exude the aura of someone who knew what they were doing.

“You have friends looking for you,” I told him breezily, and I could hear him shift uncomfortably on the mattress behind me.

“What?” he asked, the slip of a genuine approximation of nervousness in his voice.

Bingo.

This was something I could work with.

“They came into the bar today. A group of scary-looking men held your picture and asked permission to search the whole joint.” I carried on, turning around and folding my arms. “My boss seems to know them pretty well. Practically offered your head on a platter if any of us managed to find you.”

Alfred’s eyes glinted with silent rage, a predatorial assessment that reminded me of a cornered wild animal. He wasn't hasty or brash. That was what made him all the more dangerous, and the fact was not lost on me.

“You didn’t rat me out,” he said simply, his voice level. “Why not?”

“I’m not really someone who enjoys selling people out, especially to a crowd like that,” I said, nodding my head in the direction of the door. Something flickered behind the wall he’d built up, but I didn't take the time to try and decipher it. “I don’t want to have to turn you in. But I’m also putting myself in quite the predicament if it comes out that I’ve been helping you. Your burden has just become mine and if you want to make sure it stays between the two of us, I’ll need some form of compensation for the trouble.”

“Name your price,” Alfred said, the words easy and without hesitation.

I blinked. My mind went back to my little scuffle with James. Eric was rich, especially now that he was engaged to an heiress. But even he had a tighter grip on his wealth than this stranger seemed to. An unsatisfied curiosity burned at the heels of my proposition, but I didn’t want to annoy Alfred into stinginess. Instead, I cleared my throat lightly.

“Five million.”

It was the exact same outrageous amount I’d requested of Eric’s lawyer and less of a sincere bid than it was me trying to be smart about my negotiation. I figured if I dangled his safety in front of him and then started the opening amount as high as possible, we could come to a generous settlement without too much fuss.

But instead of the argument I thought would ensue, Alfred just nodded. “Done. You have your five million.”

I’m stunned into silence. I’d thought earlier that he must be of greater importance than I’d initially assumed, but his indifference to a life-changing amount of money threw me for a loop. I watched him, more relaxed than he’d been earlier, with not a trace of worry or uncertainty in those dark features.

“Well… alright, then,” I said, trying my best not to give away my intrigue. There was a beat of silence between us, half awkward, half expectant. I didn’t know why I felt the faintest flutter of nerves, an unease that differed so greatly from the stomach-churning I’d felt earlier. “So… you must be rich.”

Alfred grunted, not leaving me with much of an answer.

“I mean, you’d have to be if you have five million lying around for blackmail. And you’re clearly a man of influence if anyone’s going through this much effort to find you. Whatever your name was, it must be one worth forking out five million dollars to protect.”

It wasn’t a question as much as a poorly-veiled attempt at prying. I couldn’t help it.

“It’s Alfred,” was all he said, his tone curt and final. “That’s the only name of mine you need to worry about. And I assure you that you’ll get your money’s worth for your help. You have my word.”

I’d been promised things before and had them ripped out from where I’d buried the words in my heart. But while I had no intention of believing anyone as easily again, there was a conviction in his voice that smoothed out the mirthless smile that danced on my lips.

Another beat of pregnant silence followed. Something in the air pulled taught, like a string. Finally, Alfred was the one to break it.

“If you have anything to eat, I’d really appreciate it,” he said.

“Oh, yeah, right.” I hadn’t even thought of how hungry he must be. I took out one of the two plain sandwiches I’d packed into the lunch bag and handed it to him. It was a pitiful dinner, but given the fact I earned little more than pennies, I was grateful to be able to scrounge up anything at all that wasn’t alcohol from the inventory. I freed one of his hands, and he rolled the stiffness from the wrist.

When he took the bread from me, I could tell he wasn’t too happy about it. He took a bite, visibly struggling with the stale texture. I could only imagine what a travesty this would have to be to someone of his manner of living.

“I’m sorry,” I said sheepishly, more embarrassed than angry. “I can’t really afford anything else right now. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I have.”

When he heard this, he paused mid-chew, his blue eyes pensive. He said nothing, but I did notice that he made a more concerted effort to chew less arduously. He managed to finish it all. A small smile nested in the corner of my mouth.

Before I could even get to my own slices, a series of knocks at the door sent my heart careening against my rib cage. In my haste to get back to the dorm, I hadn’t locked the door. Someone called my name from the other side. Alfred’s face mirrored the tizzy I imagined on my own.

Thinking quickly, I rushed over to him and immediately tugged off his shirt, careful not to aggravate the wound. His eyes flew open in shock as I pressed him back down onto the pillow.

“Please just trust me,” I begged, moving to cover as much of his body and face as I could with my own just as the door behind us flew open.