“What about Ian?”
“He drinks coffee. Creamer and two sugars.” Graham pulled a face. “He never puts on an ounce of weight.”
Craig smiled wryly. He remembered those days. “The joys of being young.”
He poured Ian’s coffee and took it, and a piece of cake, through to the den. Ian was curled up on the large leather chair, reading an old motorcycle magazine. His eyes brightened at the sight of the cake and he mouthed his thanks. Louis was still fast asleep, his hair partially obscuring his face.
Craig went back into the kitchen and sat down with Graham who smiled at him. Craig had always been wary about that smile; benevolent, with a hint of shark.
“Have they caught the men who assaulted Louis?”
“Yes, they were his security guards. Part of Monaghan’s crew.”
Graham looked shocked. “Monaghan wasn’t involved, was he?”
Craig shook his head. “No. According to Liam Quick, Monaghan swears he knows nothing about it. These were new hires. They got greedy. They were paid extra to take out Louis.”
“But why?”
“That’s what we don’t know. The men don’t know and didn’t care. They just needed the money.”
Graham nodded but he didn’t say anything more.
Craig decided they'd had enough of the formalities. He fixed Graham with a glare. "Why don't you tell me why you’re really here?"
Graham scowled as if he didn’t appreciate Craig’s tone, but Craig didn’t back down, and it was Graham who looked away first, sighing. Craig studied him. Now he was worried. The Granddaddy of their Daddies never looked this troubled.
Craig leaned forward and touched Graham’s hand. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
"I think it’s time I stepped back from the community.” Graham gave a wry smile as Craig’s jaw dropped. “I know. I never thought it would come to this. But after what happened to Cade, and now Louis being assaulted, I'm starting to feel I’m losing my touch."
Craig furrowed his brow. "You weren’t responsible for Eric Strada. He’s had a long history of abusing boys, and no one knew because he’d frightened the boys into silence. Cade didn't tell anyone there was a problem until Eric attacked him in public. You couldn’t have known.”
“But I should have,” Graham said fiercely. “That’s my job.”
“No one knew,” Craig emphasized again.
“It doesn’t make it right.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Craig agreed. “But now you do, and you’ve put extra measures in place to ensure someone is mentoring our boys.”
Graham inclined his head.
“And what happened to Louis has nothing to do with him being a boy."
Graham was silent for a long moment. "Are you sure about that? It seems strange that he was assaulted after he very publicly supported Cade."
"But you know he was one of their earliest promoters. He always asked them to play at events. Promoting Cade is nothing new."
"There’s something else you should know," Graham continued. "Ian, the dear boy, told me that Louis has been getting hassled by one of our community."
A light went on in Craig’s head. "Joseph Holden."
“So you do know about him." Graham looked relieved. "Mr. Holden has somewhat of a reputation. He also pursued young Cade. He thinks he's a daddy." The sneer on Graham's face was plain to see. He didn't have time for wannabes.
Craig had his own issues with men who toyed with the idea of being daddies, but Louis’s issue had been about business. "Louis thought Joseph was trying to negotiate a higher price for supplies. It wasn’t personal."
"With Cade it was definitely personal," Graham said. "And Holden’s tried it on with every boy in the district. Even Ian."
Craig nearly choked on a mouthful of cake. Holden was really asking for trouble, trying to muscle in on Graham’s boy. "What did you do to him?" He laughed at Graham's sour expression.
Graham shook his head. "I should have put him over my knee and spanked him, but Ian said he would deal with Joseph."
Craig would have loved to have seen Graham in action, but the idea of sweet little Ian handling Joseph had its own appeal. "What did he do?"
"He wouldn't tell me, but Holden hasn't been near a single boy in the community for weeks."
Craig decided he would try and wriggle that piece of information out of Louis. Craig understood that Graham was feeling guilty, but there was nothing he could have done about the assault on Louis. They were still no closer to knowing who had arranged the attack, but Joseph Holden had been added to the short list of suspects. He would talk to Dominic and get more information on the man. But first he needed to reassure Graham.
"I'm not worried about Holden. And the idea of you stepping back from the community is a ridiculous one, and you should know better."
Graham’s eyes widened at Craig's forceful tone. "I beg your pardon."
Craig leaned forward again and stared directly at Graham. "You are the glue that holds this community together. If it wasn't for you, there wouldn't be a community like ours. Many of us aren't around a lot. We move in and out, but you are always there. We need you. Not just the boys, but the daddies too. We need our mentor and that is you. Give me the name of one man who could take your place.”
There was silence for a long moment and Craig nodded his head. "Exactly."
"I’m getting older," Graham said, but Craig glared at him fiercely.
"If you want to retire, then train someone up to take your place. Because at the moment there isn't anyone. The only person I can think of is Quinn, and that's only if he stays with Cade. In fact, if he’s touring with Cade, that means he's not here either. You need somebody as your backup."
"What about you?" Graham said.
Craig gave a wry smile. "Once upon a time I'd have bitten your hand off for an offer like that."
"And now?" Graham asked.
"I couldn't stay here, if Louis was here too,” Craig said regretfully. “I couldn't watch him be with anybody else."
Graham closed his eyes. "Lord, save me from the oblivious."
Craig blinked at him. "What?"
“The only man your dear boy wants is you. No one else. When you're in the room, he doesn't notice anyone else. He loves you. Don't you realize that?"
"Yes," Louis said from the doorway. “Don’t you realize that?”
Craig looked over to see Louis resting against the doorframe, Ian at his side. Ian looked as if he was trying to hold back a smirk. “Louis.”
Louis ignored him and focused his attention on Graham. “Thank you for coming over, Daddy Graham. I’m sorry I was asleep. Someone was supposed to wake me up.”
Graham stood, holding out his arms, and Louis went into them for a hug. Craig gritted his teeth. If Louis had been his, Graham would have asked permission to hug him. But Louis wasn’t, and anyone could touch him. He felt a light touch on his arm and looked down at Ian who still wore a smirk.
Craig forced himself to smile, and Ian gave him a far-too-knowing smile in return. He would have to watch this boy.