AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As the months stretched out, though, I started to feel a tug to come home. I missed my brothers and my work. I even missed my little office at the front of the house. Chessy understood, and she agreed it was time to set down roots. Sitting in front of the house, ready to plant those roots, seems daunting somehow. The adventure is over, and it’s just beginning. Funny how life is.
“So, this is home now,” she breathes, getting out of the cab and heading toward the trunk. “It’s nice to be back.
I meet her there and start pulling out our suitcases. They feel heavier than when we left, filled to the brim with gifts we’ve brought home for my brothers. If I know them at all, they’re going to roll their eyes and pretend they hate them, but they’ll display them prominently in their rooms. That’s just the way we show our love.
We walk up to the house hand in hand, and I feel a tightness in my chest. I can’t believe how much I’ve missed being here. And now Francesca and I get to truly begin our lives together. Returning from Europe feels like stepping from one world into another, but there’s little fanfare to mark our homecoming. As we enter the house, there’s an eerie silence that falls over us. Where is everyone?
We make our way through the clubhouse, passing brothers who seem engrossed in their own affairs. A few offer nods of acknowledgment, but most don’t spare us a second glance. It’s as if we’ve been gone for a day, not for months. And considering how few of the men really know Francesca, I’m surprised by their amount of nonchalance toward her. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something really off about the whole club.
We make our way to my room, which has remained untouched since I left all those months ago. There’s a stagnant air inside, another unwelcome reaction to my return. For a second, I wonder if we should have come back at all. Even the house doesn’t seem like it cares that we’ve come home.
“It’s always hard after being away so long,” Francesca murmurs, noting my disappointment. It’s not like I expected a parade when we returned home, but I at least thought my brothers would be happy to see me.
“It’s fine,” I assure her, though I don’t feel fine. I feel like I should’ve stayed in Europe for another month.
We unpack in silence, moving things around to accommodate her belongings. For the first time, I consider that maybe we should start apartment hunting. This room isn’t very large, at most half the size of our hotel rooms in Europe. We have the money to move out, and I want Francesca to feel like she can make her own mark on a place. This room is entirely too much of me, and there’s no real room to expand.
“I’m really tired,” she says with an exaggerated yawn, flopping herself onto my bed. Our bed. “Do you mind if I nap for a while?”
“Not at all,” I tell her, kissing her on her forehead. “I’m going to check out my office.”
I leave her to rest, padding down the stairs to my sanctuary. Of everything in the house, it’s the place I missed the most. The computers are all off, the room completely silent. I sit down and turn them on, hearing them whir to life for what’s probably the first time since I left. Their hum is like a lullaby, serenading me back to my comfort zone. As much as I loved traveling the world with my wife, this is the place where I feel most like myself.
Immediately, I take the time to run new updates and get my babies up to speed. I can’t imagine how behind they are after not being on for months. They run at full speed, the software dusting off the cobwebs so to speak. I’m itching for something to do. This room, these computers, these are home for me. I get up and let them do their thing, seeing if I can’t catch Seer somewhere.
He’s not in the bar or in the room where we call church. He’s not in his office. I check the garage and see his bike is parked inside, right next to mine, which has been covered up since I left. I walk over to it and shake off the dust that’s collected on the vinyl. When I pull off the cover, I’m pleased with what I see. She’s in pristine condition, just the way I left her. I’m already itching to hop on and take her for a spin, but that will have to wait.
I turn to head back in the house, and inadvertently run into Seer, finally. His chilly blue eyes meet mine, and I finally see the welcome in them that I’ve been hoping for. He glides over to me and pulls me into a tight, one-armed embrace.
“Snake,” he says, pulling away. “Welcome back, we’ve missed you! How was the trip? How’s Francesca? Is she here?”
I laugh at his enthusiasm, gratitude filling my body. Any doubts I may have had about returning home vanish away as I see that I’m needed and wanted here. The fact that he asks about Francesca is the icing on the cake. She’s never had a place to call home, and I really want it to be here. I want her to see that there’s comradery and family in these walls.
“The trip was amazing, Francesca is even better, she’s upstairs sleeping,” I say with a relieved laugh, answering all of his questions as we walk back into the house. “Catch me up. What’s been happening while we were away?”
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “A lot, mon frère. A lot.”
He fills me in on everything that’s been going on in since I left. The club has built upon the relationship with the Houston Kings, and Knix and Evanesce are in Houston acting as ambassadors for the New Orleans Kings. There are two Houston Kings staying here in exchange, and they’re working to smuggle our supply out of the city because, apparently, Mayor Prudent has decided to crack down on crime.
“Not to put pressure on you right after you’ve returned, but I’m really glad you’re back,” Seer says with a relieved sigh. “Without you, we’ve been running blind. The police took down the Bayou Reapers a few weeks ago and we have no idea if they have anything on us.”
“You will in an hour,” I promise, ready to jump back into work. “I’ll get into their database and flag any chatter about us. If it looks like they have anything significant, I’ll make sure it magically goes missing.”
“You’re the best,” he says with a smile. He looks like I’ve just given him a year of his life back, and I’m grateful for the feeling of usefulness. He’s shown me that I have nothing to prove to belong here, but he’s grateful for my help, nonetheless. “There’s one other matter I could use your help with, but it requires the utmost of discretion.”
We’ve walked back through the house and ended up in front of my office door. I can see the computers are already finished with their updates and ready for me to start my investigations. Perfect timing. And now my interest is completely piqued.
“Of course,” I tell Seer. “Anything you need, you know I’ll keep it to myself.”
We walk into my office and he sits down, closing the door. It’s a little crowded with both of us in the small space, and I can’t remember a time that he’s felt the need to shut the door when he’s given me a task. We don’t have many secrets in this organization. If we were in church, he’d just tell me in front of everyone. This must be huge.
“There’s a young lady who works at the youth center,” he says, with a mirth in his eye I can’t quite place. “She’s the dance teacher, and lately she’s been having some unfortunate run-ins with some dangerous people. There’s a vested interest in her safety and I’d like your help in finding out more about her and who might want to hurt her.”
“A vested interest,” I say slowly, processing his meaning. “Whose vested interest, exactly?”
“It’s strictly on a need-to-know basis,” he says, the glint in his eye getting brighter. “But, what the hell, I’m dying to tell you anyway. It’s Bones.”
“You’re joking,” I say, laughter bubbling up in my chest. “Bones, who said he’d rather be put in a body bag than walk down the aisle?”
