Hold Close (Biker Daddy Bodyguards #2) - Sue Brown Page 0,18

soft for him to eat it if his jaw still hurts.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.”

Craig took his time pouring Graham a cup of black tea, adding a slice of lemon, and cutting him a generous slice of cake.

“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.