4. Caleph
4
CALEPH
D ante folds me into a brotherly hug, then pulls away and holds me at arm’s length, searching my face.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” he tells me.
“It’s Durian. How could I not come?”
Dante’s wife clears her throat, reminding us that she’s still in the room. Dante moves her toward him and introduces us.
“My wife, Kingsley. This is my brother, Caleph.” She looks from me to Dante, giving him a confused look. She appears to rush through her mind to a conversation regarding a brother she’s forgotten about.
“Brother from another mother,” I say, helping her out. I know better than to offer her my hand. If the look on Dante’s face is anything to go by, I don’t think he’d appreciate anyone touching his wife, even if only a handshake.
“Caleph and I practically grew up together,” Dante explains, looking at his wife. She’s beautiful, but she belongs to Dante. I don’t go there. But I can’t help but watch the way their eyes find each other. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“Well, it looks like there’s plenty I still don’t know about my husband,” she says, smiling up at him as her arm snakes up his chest and settles there.
“It’s good to have you here,” Dante says, turning back to his father. “He’s been asking about you.”
We move to Durian’s bedside, watching him quietly as his chest rises and deflates with every unsteady breath he takes.
“What happened?” I ask him.
“Heart attack.”
“He’ll be okay?”
“The worst is over. He needs monitoring for a few days before they’ll discharge him.”
“The house is set up with everything he needs?” I don’t know how else I can help but to ensure the man has everything he needs.
“Of course,” Dante replies.
“He’ll be coming to stay with us,” Kingsley announces, stepping out of the corner of the room. So, she does have a voice. And he lets her use it. Maybe not as possessive as my mind accused him of being.
I swing my eyes toward Durian; he’s out like a lightbulb and it doesn’t look like he’ll be awake anytime soon.
“If you need to leave for a while to get some rest, I can stay with him,” I offer.
Dante shakes his head and tells me he’s staying. Besides, we have so much to catch up on, he says. He looks toward Kingsley, gives her a reassuring smile and asks her if she’d like to go home. She’d rather stay with him, but she insists on going to get coffee for the three of us. Dante reminds her to take security with her, and she rolls her eyes but says, “Yes, sir” before leaving us alone.
“Sit with me,” Dante says, walking to a corner of the room where there’s a small table and two chairs. I try to fold my knees under the table, but they’re too long, so I pull the chair away and cross one knee over the other.
“She seems like a good woman, your wife,” I say.
“She is. Father’s crazy about her.”
“I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”
“I wasn’t. It’s a long story. She’s Maddog Murray’s daughter.”
I feel my own mouth drop open and my eyes shoot up in surprise as the words slip out of his mouth.
“I thought Maddog Murray had a son?” I really did. I never knew he had a daughter also.
“Like I said – long story. But to cut it down for you; the son was a story he made up so no one would target his daughter. It caused some confusion, I can tell you that.”
“Smart man,” I murmur. “Who would have thought…”
“What’s happening with you?” he asks me. “You sure took your time getting here.”
“A bit of trouble with the government. Had to find a way to sneak in.”
“Those bastards at it again?”
“I decided to hold the last two shipments. Found out they were arming terrorist organizations who were targeting women and children.”
“They didn’t like that.”
“They’re threatening retribution. The loss of my contract means they can’t even arm themselves for legitimate causes, like the army.”
“So… what? They go somewhere else?” Dante asks.
Dante has a solid business portfolio, but it doesn’t include arms. He would be the person to move said arms for us through his logistics chain. He has interests in real estate, including hotels, restaurants and resorts. He also runs a slew of successful legitimate businesses. We come from the same world, dealing in the most dubious of shady dealings, but we both have the same morals; no drugs, no human trafficking.
“No one else has that sort of clout,” I tell him, and I see the moment that Dante latches on to the meaning behind what I’m saying. If no one else can supply the sort of quantity the government wants, and I’m the only one that can but won’t, then I’m in big trouble.
“How much trouble are we talking?” Dante asks, his eyes creasing with worry.
“The sort that could land me on the FBI’s most wanted list.”
* * *
When Durian wakes hours later, I am still waiting by his side. Kingsley has long retired to the comfort of her home, while Dante stands in the shadows, watching as his father finally opens his eyes. His eyelids flutter to life as he looks up at me, blinking rapidly as though to test his disbelieving eyes.
“Caleph…” he whispers. I take a seat beside the bed and lean closer to him. “Didn’t think you’d…”
“Of course I’d come, old man,” I tell him, squeezing his hand. “Who knew all it would take is Durian having a heart attack to get me back in the States.”
He gives a soft laugh and Dante snorts. “I hear you’ve been having some trouble,” the old man says, and I look quickly at Dante, wondering how he could possibly know this. There’s no way he could’ve heard our hushed whispers from across the room when we were talking.
“Don’t look at Dante,” he adds. “He doesn’t know anything. You know I make it my business to keep my eyes on you.”
“You know I’m old enough to take care of myself,” I tell him.
I don’t want him worrying about me or taking on my problems. I want him to concentrate on getting better so we don’t need to be worrying about him either.
“Come back, Caleph,” he urges. “There’s enough work here for the both of you.”
He casts his eyes towards Dante, who doesn’t disagree. I wonder if they’ve already had this conversation.
“I could use another man,” Dante admits. “Especially now that I’m trying to manage two empires – ours and Maddog’s.”
I raise my eyebrows. This is news to me. But it would make sense if Maddog had a daughter that his assets would be transferred to her. And it would make all the sense in the world for Dante to oversee those operations. As tempting as the offer is, I can’t just walk away from my empire and step into the shoes of another; that’s not the way I was wired. I didn’t build my business from the ground up only to give up on it, especially when it’s at its most profitable.
“I can see you’re thinking about it,” Durian says. “Even if only fleetingly.”
“It’s a tempting offer,” I admit. “But I have to see this through.”
He nods his understanding. Durian won’t push. It’s not his way. He’s put it out there and now he’ll just wait for something to bring me back.
“I can help you sort out your problems,” he adds.
Family is not only those you share the same blood with. Family is also those who have your back at every turn. Those who take it upon themselves to make sure they know everything about you when it counts and do everything in their power to help you. Durian is very well connected. As is Dante. I know if I called upon them for help, they’d come running. Dante and Durian are my family; the only one I have left.
“The offer’s good as long as you want it,” Dante says. “There’s no one else I’d rather have on my team.”