The Guy With the Suitcase (Once Upon a Guy #1) by Chris Ethan Read Free Book Online Page B

brought the guy on the ground with a thud. The cholo groaned. Pierce punched him in the face several times until he lost the strength to fight back.
    “ Hijo de puta ,” said the guy pinning Rafe’s legs and he felt the release of the pressure in his ankles as he stood to confront Pierce.  
    He raised his palms in front of him, protecting his face and called to Pierce, provoking him. He didn’t take long to catch the bait. He left the short guy to lick his wounds and walked towards the other attacker, who stood almost as tall as Pierce himself. But he didn’t attack him. He waited, jumping left and right, waiting.
    Not too many seconds later, Rafe heard the second guy roar as he aimed a punch towards Pierce. Pierce ducked and pushed the arm away from him. Then kicked the guy’s groins, which had been left wide open and unprotected.
    Rafe decided to help the situation. He was sure once Pierce knocked the second guy down, the third one would go looking for the same kind of fate his friends were suffering. But not if he could help himself. Since his legs were free now and the third guy was holding his hands above him with such strength, it only took a clumsy somersault for Rafe to place his foot straight into the guy’s face and land on his feet like a feline male version of Catwoman. He pushed his knee up the guy’s stomach to knock him senseless, and when that didn’t do much, he imitated his savior and melted the man’s balls with his foot.  
    “I told ya I had a feeling, guys,” Pierce commented as he dusted his hands.
    Rafe looked on the floor where the second man was lying, lamenting his new-found impotence. Chuckling loud, Pierce approached Rafe. He was suddenly overwhelmed with the cold and his knees trembled. His legs gave up on him when Pierce took him in his arms.
    “Are you okay, Rafe?” he asked him. Rafe nodded. “Can you walk?” Rafe nodded again. “Okay, let’s go, buddy. Before they try anything foolish again”.
    Pierce put Rafe’s arm around his neck and his own arm around Rafe’s back and grabbed his suitcase with his free hand.
    He carried Rafe back to the main street and then led him to the closest avenue. Rafe felt Pierce’s fingertips massaging the back of his palm of the arm that was around his neck. He didn’t say anything, however. He kept quiet and kept looking back to make sure the assholes weren’t following.
    They were on Frederick Douglass Avenue in no time. When they were hit by the bright city lights he asked Rafe if he was okay to walk on his own. Rafe replied positively and lifted whatever wait he had leaned on Pierce to support himself. They headed south, walking at a slow pace, passing by closing stores and underlit side streets.
    “How are you feeling? Did those bastards manage to hurt you before I got there?” Pierce whispered next to him.
    “No,” Rafe shook his head. “Not really. You were there just in time. My savior,” Rafe smiled at Pierce. Pierce avoided his gaze.
    “What happened back there?” he said instead.
    Rafe calculated his words before he spoke them. He was too embarrassed to admit to Pierce that he was a rentboy, a prostitute. He already thought low of him. He didn’t want to sink the bar even lower.
    “Nothing. They saw me walking down the street and started catcalling me and following me. Then they pushed me into the alley. The rest, you know,” he said.
    “I hate people. On most days,” Pierce commented and he halted his pacing in front of a 24/7 cafe just a block away from Central Park. “Come,” he said, “I’ll buy you coffee”.
    Rafe didn’t hesitate to follow him inside the orange tinted place and take a seat by the window display. Not only had he saved him from rape, he was buying him coffee too. The more times he encountered Pierce, the more gentlemanly he seemed to be.
    “So...how are things?” Rafe asked putting an end to the uncomfortable silence that had been lingering between them since they’d taken a