The Long Road Home

Chapter Fourteen

“I got you, princess,” Caine said as he reached the little girl.

He chuckled as he gripped the handlebars and helped her back onto the patio. Kissing the top of her head, Caine released her and watched as she started pedaling away.

“Thank you, daddy!” she chirped.

Caine straightened with a grin as he watched her. He never thought his life would bring him to this point, and he often had to pause and soak it in. It was the only way he knew how to reassure himself it was all real. There were times he found himself mesmerized by his little girl. When she fell asleep on him, he seldom laid her down in her bed. Instead, he held her close, breathing in the fresh scent of her hair and studied her little fingers in awe.

“Uncle Caine, watch me!” Jake exclaimed.

Caine chuckled. He turned his attention to the young boy, who rode circles around him. Every day, he watched his Club Prez shower attention on his son. Caine was happy for the man he greatly revered, but he realized that if he hadn’t met Eleanor, he would also be insanely jealous. Now, he could simply enjoy it without reservations.

Since the kids were fine, he returned to the table. He leaned over to kiss Eleanor, whispering, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about tonight.”

She smiled, feigning innocence. In actuality, she was looking forward to it. Caine’s desire for her was as insatiable as ever and he never left her disappointed.

“You two done eye-fuckin’?” Rubble asked, keeping his voice low, so the kids wouldn’t hear.

Eleanor’s cheeks turned pink, but after spending several years at the Club, she wasn’t easy to rattle. Besides, she enjoyed looking at her husband and admiring the body he maintained for her. Watching him take care of their daughter only made him more attractive. Even so, she did manage to peel her eyes away from Caine to turn her attention back to the others.

“I can eye-f**k my wife and still pay attention to the conversation,” Caine argued.

Rubble grunted. He wasn’t sure how capable Caine was at multitasking, but decided not to push the matter out of respect for the women present. Besides, it was good to see Caine being so domestic. Having Eleanor and Emily in his life was definitely the best thing that ever happened to him.

“Well, I think we should get down to business,” Nailah said. “Fin, you came here for a reason, didn’t you? It wasn’t just because you missed your brother, was it?”

Fin snapped to attention, staring at her. His gaze flitted towards Gus and back again. Clearly, he was weighing his options on how to answer. His brother had made his stance clear, but Fin was desperate for his help.

Nailah calmly studied him before reaching over to smack Gus’s shoulder. He grunted, shooting her a look she ignored.

“So, Gus was right,” Nailah sighed. “How bad is it?”

“Well,” Fin hesitated. “I’m not really sure. I—I actually don’t know the full extent of the issues.”

Eleanor raised a brow at that, asking, “But you are in charge, right? Isn’t it your job to keep up with that?”

She glanced at Gus, who grunted. That made Eleanor pause. While she didn’t know the story between the brothers, it wasn’t difficult to feel the tension between them. She had gotten used to Gus’s leadership style, and while he was not a micromanager, he stayed on top of the Club’s businesses as well as their investments. He was more than capable of handling most things completely on his own and only asked her to check his work. It made her job easier. Eleanor couldn’t imagine Gus not knowing exactly how the Club’s finances were sitting.

Eleanor looked at Gus. He didn’t seem surprised by his brother’s lack of knowledge. It was clear they were not close and their approaches were very different. Eleanor looked at Fin again, waiting for him to continue, but it was Gus who spoke first.

“If Fin has noticed there is a problem, then the company is on the brink of bankruptcy.”

“Really?” Eleanor couldn’t help but be surprised. Was this really a break glass in case of an emergency situation?

“It’s not…” Fin fell silent as Gus’s gaze slid toward him. “Well, maybe?”

Eleanor sighed. It was a lot worse than she expected, but somehow Gus didn’t seem surprised at all. Had he expected this news from the moment Fin showed up?

“So, how long do you think it will take to fix it?” Nailah asked, looking at her husband.

“What?” Gus asked. “What makes you think I am going to touch this with a ten-foot pole?”

“Because you are a good man,” Nailah said. “You do the right thing even when you are holding a grudge.”

Gus sighed. The truth was he didn’t give a damn about his family’s company or how his parents would fair once it fell. He was content to sit back and watch it burn, but he knew Nailah would not let the matter go. For her, it was important that family should always come to each other’s aid. If it was one of his Club Brothers, he would agree to help no question, but this was his twin and he owed no such loyalty. However, he knew better than to argue with his wife.

“So, when are you leaving?” Nailah asked, still looking at Gus.

“Why am I leaving?” Gus asked.

“Well, I assume you can’t do anything from here, and you have to go to New York to fix it,” Nailah answered.

Gus sighed. Of course, she thought he could fix it. Out loud, he said, “You are assuming that it’s even possible to fix it.”

“Well, you won’t know until you go find out,” Nailah said. “Rubble is here to keep the Club running and Elle manages the payroll already. You can leave for a few days.”

“…If this is fixable, it’s going to take more than a couple of days.”

“So, take a month.”

Gus swallowed back a protest. It wouldn’t do any good, knowing Nailah wasn’t going to let this go. She didn’t often show her stubbornness, but when it did surface it was insurmountable.

“Well, in that case, you should take Caine with you,” Rubble said.

“Me? Why me?” Caine scowled. “I don’t know anything about business…or math.”

“You aren’t there to do math,” Rubble snorted. “You’re there to watch his back. New York ain’t a place to take lightly.”

“Why are you talking like the decision is made?” Gus demanded. “I haven’t agreed to go.”

Rubble and Caine gave him incredulous looks. Gus was ready to snap at both of them, but held himself back in front of the women. This definitely wasn’t something to discuss in his backyard. At the same time, Gus also knew he couldn’t simply say no to Nailah. She was used to getting her own way, and he never wanted to disappoint her. Yet, he also wasn’t certain the situation was salvageable. That was something he wouldn’t know unless he agreed to go.

“So, it’s settled,” Nailah declared. “Gus and Caine will go to New York and Rubble will stay here to hold down the fort.”

“Jesus Christ,” Gus muttered. “Nothing has been decided.”

“Sure, it has,” Nailah answered. “You just refuse to admit it.”

Gus glared at Fin. If only his brother hadn’t shown up. Why did he have to come back to disturb the status quo? Why couldn’t he have been left alone to live his life? Ironic that he had worried Eleanor’s past would bring back his own when he should have been more worried that his bumbling brother would somehow manage to do it himself.

It was the last thing he expected, maybe that was why he was feeling blindsided. As much as he wanted to forget everything, Gus knew Nailah would not let it go so easily. She still believed in happy endings. But there was no such thing when it came to his family.

They were leeches, and he wouldn’t let them suck him dry. He had a life: a good one. He had a wife and a son. He had his Club and Brothers. He would protect them with his life.