The Long Road Home

Chapter Eleven

Fin pulled into the driveway of the address his brother had given him. He looked up at what amounted to a large farmhouse with a confused frown. Several houses in the neighborhood had a similar appearance, along with large, manicured lawns and gardens. It was a nice community, but it was far from the upscale estates they were used to.

Was this really the place Gus had been living? Why would he choose to live here? Gus didn’t exactly scream domestic.

Fin ran a hand through his hair. He hadn’t slept at all, and it had nothing to do with the uncomfortable hotel bed. His mind was a riot with everything he had learned in such a short time. Gus wasn’t just a member of a motorcycle club, he was the founder, the leader. And he was a father!

Fin wasn’t sure which fact surprised him more, but he couldn’t get over it. Gus had married a woman over a decade younger than himself, and they had a son! A son! And not one word back to their parents. They hadn’t been invited to the wedding and had missed the birth of their first grandson completely. Why wouldn’t he share his good news?

Gus had always been the perfect son, the one who followed in their father’s footsteps and took over the family company. How many times did Gus and their father play chess and talk about business, leaving Fin out completely? Fin had always felt like an outsider, unable to follow along with their conversations. It just wasn’t fair. He wanted some attention too.

Was that why he accepted Bianca’s advances even though he knew he was driving a wedge between himself and his brother? Just what did he expect from getting too close to his sister-in-law? It was bound to end in disaster, and it did. Gus disappeared and Fin was left to pick up the pieces of what he had broken, but the final piece was always out of reach since his brother was gone without a trace.

But this was his chance. Somehow, he had to repair his relationship with his brother. Once they were close again, everything would finally work out as he hoped. First, he had to find out if he was in the right place. He didn’t have Gus’s number, so hopefully the people here could give him directions if he had taken a wrong turn.

Fin stepped out, heading for the wide porch and knocked on the door. From inside, he heard a dog bark followed by small feet. Suddenly, the door was flung open and Jacob stood in front of him.

“Hello, Uncle Fin! Mommy is in the kitchen!” Jake greeted. Beside him, the friendly golden retriever looked at the newcomer.

“Jake! Honey, you shouldn’t be opening doors,” Nailah appeared. “Oh, come in Fin. Gus is in the shower. He’ll be down shortly. Come on, Jake.”

“Kay, mommy!”

Fin watched his nephew, his throat dry. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to being called uncle or watching his brother’s mini clone.

“Coming in?” Nailah prompted when he remained rooted in place. “Or are you staying on the porch?”

“Oh, ah, yeah,” Fin cleared his throat and stepped in.

Nailah closed the door and ushered him inside. Fin followed her through the open-plan first floor to the large kitchen. There, they had a clear view of the living room. Fin watched Jacob settle in the middle of the floor with his blocks. The television played an episode of some sort of animated dog show. With a yawn, the golden retriever lay on the rug beside its young ward.

Fin’s gaze drifted, taking in the organized space. It was as he expected from his brother. Gus had always insisted on a clean work and living space. He hated clutter. Nothing was allowed to be out of place. There were a few things that left him confused. There were several crystals of different shapes, sizes and colors. In addition, there were ceramic pieces, Buddhas and other small sculptures of varying materials and designs, all seemingly collected from around the world. Fin had never known his brother to be interested in such things.

When he was with Bianca, Gus gave her free rein to decorate his condo, but he had a limit to how many knick-knacks she could place. She often complained to Fin that the condo was still so sparse. When did his brother become interested in crystals? They had to be from Nailah and yet Gus allowed so many of them.

The artwork on display was less of a surprise. Most featured motorcycles and all by the same artist and style of the one Gus used to keep in his closet. In fact, the one above the mantle was the exact painting Gus had kept for so long. But there were other pieces that were more ethereal. The subject matter ranged from chakras to dreamcatchers.

Nailah returned to the counter where she was chopping vegetables. She seemed perfectly at home. It was clear this space was as much her domain as it was Gus’s, something Bianca complained about when she was with Fin. Despite the fact she practically lived with him, Bianca said she felt like a guest in his home.

“So, ah, you live here long?” Fin asked, sitting on a barstool to watch her work.

“I moved in after Gus proposed,” Nailah said, “so, almost eight years.”

“So, this is Gus’s house?”

“Yes. I’m pretty sure he bought it shortly after he came to town. At least, I never heard of him living anywhere else.”

Fin nodded, looking at the art on the walls and even a few of the statues, one of which was a motorcycle made from nuts, bolts and assorted metal bits welded together. He supposed those were probably Gus’s idea of decorating, though their value was considerably less than what they grew up around. Perhaps such items were gifts from the other Club members.

He had done further research last night about the Hell Hounds, even finding its social media and official websites. They seemed to do a lot of charity work and sponsored local events, giving them quite the reputation. He had called a friend that was in law enforcement to check deeper into the Club. He felt he might need some sort of leverage over his brother and was still waiting for an answer.

Heavy footsteps drew his attention to the stairs as Gus descended. Fin blinked in disbelief as his gaze fell on his brother. Gus was trim and his muscles decently defined. It was clear he was taking care of his body, which impressed Fin since he had never known his brother to work out. But even more surprising was the fact he wore only a pair of gray sweatpants. Since when did his brother ever wear casual clothes?

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Gus pulled on a plain T-shirt, but not before Fin saw the tattoo on his chest. It was a heart and crown with Nailah’s name clearly displayed, just as Rubble had implied. On his left bicep, he had another tattoo that looked like a tribal band with Jacob’s name and birthday. So, he actually did have tattoos.

“Daddy!” Jake happily squealed, running up to him.

Gus chuckled, catching his son and lifting him up to kiss him on the cheek. Jacob giggled as his father’s stubble tickled him. Gus set him back on his feet and shooed him back to the living room before turning his attention to Nailah. Sliding up behind her, he slipped an arm around her waist and buried his face in her neck. Nailah laughed.

“Gus! We have a guest!”

“You mean an unwelcome visitor,” Gus muttered, finally looking at his brother. “Come on, Fin. Let’s talk in the office.”

Gus sighed, pulling away from Nailah and leading his brother further into the house to a door under the stairs. Beyond was a cozy and organized office as Fin expected. But there were also several crystals and other knick-knacks and even a rather large salt-crystal lamp.

“So, how long have you been interested in crystals?” Fin asked, noticing the bracelet of stones his brother wore.

Gus sat in his office chair with a grunt, “I’m not. They are Nailah’s thing. She believes in feng shui and all of that too.”

“And you’re okay with all of this?” Fin gestured to a side table with a particularly large geode on it.

“It makes her happy,” Gus shrugged. “And it’s harmless.”

Fin stared at his brother, finally sitting down. Gus really had changed. This definitely wasn’t the same person he knew. Just what had happened to his brother over the years since he disappeared? Was there something in the water?

“Well,” Fin cleared his throat, “it seems you are doing well? Must be nice not to have any responsibilities.”

Gus scowled, glaring at him, “The Club has over two hundred members, a construction company, several garages, a bar and numerous other businesses that all have payroll, taxes and employee medical care to figure out. And that doesn’t include our other investments, charities and community service. You really think you are prepared for this d**k measuring contest?”

Fin shifted in his seat.

“How about we cut to the chase, Fin? Why are you really here?”

“I told you…I’ve been looking for you.”

“Bullshit. You want to walk that line, I’ll throw you out of my town right now. So, how about the truth? For once in your goddamn life, be honest. Why the f**k are you here?”