Page 46 of A Mistake of Identity
Jean flinched at the name. Lucas pulled him closer.
“Why did he run, Lucas?” Gabriel asked.
“Please.” Lucas’s voice was uncharacteristically serious. “Trust me when I say Jean doesn’t want to go home and shouldn’t. Leave it at that.”
Gabriel studied his old friend’s face, then nodded once.
“Though next time,” Gabriel said dryly, “perhaps fuck in your room instead of on the entertainment room couch. We all have to sit there.” He paused. “Or I suppose I could just buy a new one.”
The attempt at humor fell flat. Gabriel was never good at diffusing situations. That was Lucas’ talent.
Jean remained pressed against Lucas, clearly shaken, while Lucas’ worried gaze never left the boy in his arms. A sob caught in Jean’s throat, and Gabriel recognized the signs of the imminent breakdown.
“Come on, petit oiseau,” Gabriel murmured, placing a gentle but firm hand on Ellis’ lower back. “Let’s go back upstairs.” Behind them, Jean’s composure finally shattered, his muffled cries echoing in the hallway. Ellis tried to turn back, but Gabriel’s steady pressure kept him moving.
Gabriel settled Ellis in his lap on the leather sofa in the study. “Do you know why he ran?”
Ellis curled closer. “Not really. Just that he hates his father and oldest brother. When he first came to Heart Court, he had these marks around his wrists and ankles—rope burns, I think. At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it.” Ellis shrugged. “I’d seen worse. Had worse.”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched at the casual way Ellis referenced his past trauma, but his mind was spinning with darker implications.
What exactly were Olivier and Marc Saint-Clair doing to Jean?
And Henri... what did he know? What had Jean seen Marc do to his brother?
He’d been so wrapped up in his own world that he’d missed something terrible happening right under his nose. To his own brother. And he didn’t even know what that terrible thing was.
Though, the darker part of his mind was running wild with speculations.
Ellis had started to drift, head on Gabriel’s shoulder, relaxed and pliant, when Gabriel’s phone buzzed. Two images from Alain - a familiar limousine outside the aquatic club, and a security camera still of Ellis being roughly pushed inside.
Gabriel’s blood ran cold. His father. Of course.
Ellis saw the images and pressed closer.
“What did he say to you, mon coeur?” Gabriel carded his fingers through Ellis’ hair in what he hoped was soothing.
“He offered me a million dollars,” Ellis said quietly. A bitter laugh escaped him. “Told me you never keep anyone around long, and that I could take the money and start a new life anywhere else. Far from you.”
Gabriel caught Ellis’ chin, turning his face up. “You chose me over money?”
Ellis nodded, not meeting his eyes.
“Mon coeur.” Gabriel kissed him softly. “He’s right that I never wanted a long-term partner before. But you...” He traced Ellis’ lower lip with his thumb. “You appeal to me greatly. I plan to keep you, Ellis. And do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Ellis’ eyes welled with tears. “Fuck,” he muttered. “I never used to cry so easily.”
Gabriel laughed, drawing him into a deep kiss. “Only with me, petit oiseau. Only with me.”
Ellis
Ellis padded down the hallway, leaving behind the increasingly heated sounds coming from the entertainment room. There were only so many times he could watch Jean “accidentally” drop things and bend over to retrieve them while Lucas pretended not to notice. Then they got shandy on the couch, and Ellis had given up trying to play video games altogether.
He was happy for Jean and Lucas. He was, he just also wished they would stop it with public displays.
Ellis decided to check on Gabriel. He had been working for hours since breakfast; maybe he could convince him to take a break and have lunch with him.
The doorbell’s chime echoed through the empty foyer. Ellis hesitated—usually Jacob or Annabelle handled visitors, but they were out shopping for the week’s groceries. With the influx of people, the quantity of things Annabelle needed required a second pair of hands. When the bell rang again, more insistently, Ellis sighed and changed course.
