Prodigal Son Read online

  “You’re right, Luke. I should be more careful about who I sleep with, and you were clearly a mistake. I thought you might be different, and I was wrong. The only difference that I see between you and the Savage Sons is that you’re too weak to take what you want. You’re gonna back off and let Bug beat the shit out of me, and I hate you for that.”

  “Krystal, I’m not gonna let Bug beat the shit out of you, but I’m not gonna get involved, otherwise. You need to work this out for yourself. He probably didn’t even mean what he said, and you need to sort out the mess you’ve made with him.”

  “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Luke. Bug is shit, and the Sons are poison. Moses wanted to make things better, but he’s dead, and that cesspool will never change.”

  I walked to the door and turned around to look at Luke, trying to decide what to say, and I decided that nothing I said would matter anyway. I opened the door, walked out, and let the door slam behind me. When I got to the elevator, part of me hoped that Luke would come rushing out of the room to stop me from leaving. He might not be as tough as I would have liked, but he was a good man, or at least I wanted to believe he was. Determined not to cry in the hallway, I waited until the elevator doors closed behind me to let the tears start running down my face.

  Chapter 25

  Luke

  Sunday, May 12, 2013

  The whiskey burned my throat, just as it had for the first two shots I’d downed.

  Joker threw his arm around me. “A Son and a brother. You’ve made me proud, Luke.”

  “Thanks, man. Glad the vote went the way you said it would.”

  “Never any doubt, son. You’re part of the family.”

  Joker headed over to the bar to order yet another round of drinks, and I headed to take a leak. I was gonna have to slow down the whiskey, or I’d be passed out before sundown. I locked the door and looked in the mirror. I was a Savage Son.

  “Quite a week,” I said aloud. “Yesterday a Harley, and today a member of an MC.”

  Joker and Zeno had driven me up to one of the dealers in town on Saturday morning so that I could pick out a bike. Apparently, you had to own a bike to be voted in, and since Joker had asked the Sons to waive the hang around period that was typically required of prospects, I hadn’t wanted to push my luck. Joker had offered to give me one of his bikes, but I didn’t want to take advantage of his good nature. And besides, I had wanted my bike the second I laid eyes on it. It was a 2013 Harley Davidson Dyna Street Bob FXDB, loaded with nearly every option they could add on. It had set me back just over fifteen grand, but it had been worth every penny. Even Bug had looked a little jealous when I’d rolled into the clubhouse parking lot after an hour’s ride on Saturday night.

  I’d been worried about Bug and how he’d vote, but he and all of the guys had followed Joker’s lead, and the vote was unanimous. Joker had told me — as a formality — that there was no guarantee that I’d be voted in as a full member in a year, but he seemed certain that it was a done deal. After the club had voted me in, they’d also approved the plan that I laid out for the legal weed business. I’d been worried that they wouldn’t vote for such a big operation if it was pitched by a guy who wasn’t even a full member yet, but Joker had insisted that I present the plan. There had been surprisingly little resistance, and most of the guys said they were ready for an Arizona run to pick up some supplies to get us started.

  I was really worried about Krystal, and I couldn’t get her out of my head. I’d picked up my phone to text her more times than I could count, but each time, I’d deleted the text rather than sending it. I hoped she was alive, but she was the one who’d walked out on me, after calling me a pussy, of course. As much as I liked her, I wasn’t going to chase after her like a kicked puppy. I had plenty going on without worrying about some girl with shitty taste in men. Even though I knew it would be awkward, I’d hoped I’d see her around the clubhouse just so that I knew she was alive, but so far, nothing.

  Back out at the bar, I watched Bug and J.C. approach me.

  “So this weed biz is all your idea, huh?” Bug asked, in a tone that was neutral — neither friendly, nor hostile.

  “Yeah,” I answered, taking a drink of my water and hoping that it would help prevent a hangover. “I was talking to Joker about the problems after y’all had to … change your business arrangements, and it sounded like you needed a new source of income.”

  “Major understatement, man,” J.C. agreed. “Zeno’s the only one of us who works a full-time job, and as far as I know, he’s the only one current on his house payment.”

  “So you think there’s enough money in the legal weed business to make it worth our while?” Bug asked. “We have to divide it up into a lot of shares.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I agreed. “It’ll take a while — I think a year — before the business is completely self-sufficient and making real money, but when my parents died, they left me with a little money, and I’m backing the startup costs. I have an attorney who’s going to draw up the paperwork, and Joker wants us to sit down as a club and review the important parts of it.”

  “Shit, man, we don’t use fuckin’ lawyers for our business deals,” Bug snorted, dismissively. “You think you can bring your fancy-ass college degree in here and tell us how to run this MC?”

  I’d been afraid that some of the members wouldn’t be thrilled about all of the hoops we were going to have to jump through to get a legitimate business off the ground. “Wait a minute, Bug. I’m not changing anything except the fact that you’re all broke.”

  J.C. looked at Bug, and I was afraid for a second that they were going to pick a fight.

  I held my hands out, hoping to defuse the situation. “Listen, guys, it sounds like you were making an assload of money before Moses died and you had to cool it. I’m not saying you don’t know how to bring in cash. What I’m saying is that you have to get some legal things in order if you’re going to run a legitimate business, especially one that’s licensed and regulated by the state. We can’t just half-ass this stuff.”

  Bug looked at J.C. and nodded, indicating that he should back off. “So who’s this lawyer?”

  “He’s a guy I went to school with, and he’s also one of the guys I used to grow and sell weed with in college. He lives in Colorado now, so he’ll be up on the licenses and permits we’ll need.”

  “So I got a question, man,” J.C. asked. “You got this money, and you got a job, right? Why would you invest in this new business with a bunch of guys you don’t even know?”

  I laughed. “You know, I’ve asked myself the same question. Two reasons. One, I’ve discovered that I fuckin’ love riding bikes, and two, I’ve never really been part of a group that’s this tight. I like it, and I like knowing that there are people who’d have my back.”

  Bug looked around, and I figured he was checking to make sure Joker couldn’t overhear what he was about to say. “You know, we don’t usually vote a brother in before we really know him. I did what the Pres told me to, but I’m gonna be keeping an eye on you, Luke. You can’t just expect to walk in here and take over just because your old man’s the President.”

  “I hear you,” I answered. “I’m not trying to take over anything. I’m happy to be a brother, and I’m making a business investment. My plan is for all of us to get rich as shit off this deal.”

  “I hope it works out that way, man,” Bug answered. “Hey, I was talking to J. C. earlier. What do you think about setting up the grow operation to have enough to sell outside the store?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  J.C. spoke up. “There’s no reason why we can’t sell it legally and kinda off the books as well. The weed for sale in dispensaries is expensive, so it hasn’t hurt the illegal biz at all, from what I hear.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. From what I hear, the DEA had their eye on Moses. I don’t think we should risk it. That’s the beauty of a legal dispensary. It’s all above board.
”

  “Yeah, I guess.” J.C. didn’t look like I’d convinced him.

  “The other thing is that if we can grow a strain that’s in high demand, we’ll be selling all we can produce. Whether we sell it directly, or to other dispensaries, I think we’ll manage just fine all legal and aboveboard.”

  Bug gave J.C. a look that clearly meant something to the two of them, but puzzled me. “If we run out of weed to sell, I’m sure we could get some from our amigos south of the border.”

  Something about his expression troubled me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. “South of the border?” I asked, confused. “Mexico?”

  I could see that Joker was headed our way, and Bug could see it, too.

  “Never mind, man, that’s all history. See you around. I’m watching you,” he said, before walking away.

  J.C. followed, of course, and I knew that I’d have to be careful about the tension that Bug seemed to create within the club. Joker had told me that Bug and Moses hadn’t seen eye to eye, and I suspected that Bug probably saw me as a rival and suspected that I’d try to take his place.

  “Luke,” Joker called as he approached. “Come talk to Sally about getting this ride to Arizona scheduled.”

  I’d met Sally, the Road Captain, briefly, and I’d liked him right away. He was soft-spoken, but had asked several pointed questions about the dispensary proposal that revealed that he must have some history in business.

  After ordering yet another round of shots from the bartender, Joker led me over to a table in the corner occupied by Sally and one of the young women who were always hanging around the club. I tried not to stare when I realized that Sally actually had his hand up beneath the skirt of the woman who sat on his lap.

  “Take a walk, Angel,” Joker said as we sat down with Sally.

  She stood up, much to Sally’s disappointment, and sauntered off, the sway in her hips no accident.

  “That your old lady?” I asked, wanting to make sure that I knew which girls were single, so I didn’t make any mistakes.

  “Nah, man. She’s just one of the girls who hangs around. Mighty handy, if you know what I mean.”

  I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of women who just slept with anyone in the MC, and I didn’t really get the appeal of sharing your sex partner with the guys you hung around with. I wasn’t going to rock the boat, though. Just because my brothers slept with all the same women didn’t mean that I had to.

  Joker tossed back his shot and slammed the glass on the table. “So when we riding to Arizona?”

  “Well, the guy’s going to harvest in about a week, and then it’ll need about a month to dry and cure,” I answered, eyeing up my shot and trying to decide if I wanted to drink it.

  “We have Sturgis at the beginning of August, so end of June, beginning of July should work for most of us,” Sally said, looking at the calendar on his phone. “You’re going to Sturgis, right?” he asked me.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, man. I’ve heard some wild tales, and I’m ready.”

  “Arizona will get you ready for a long ride, too,” Joker added. “And you’ll get to spend some quality time with your bike and your brothers.”

  “Can’t wait.” I was curious about when I might see Krystal again. I wanted to be prepared in case things were awkward. “So do the guys bring their old ladies on these long rides?”

  “Sometimes,” Sally answered. “We usually have one of the guys drive behind us in a van in case something goes wrong along the way. Sometimes an old lady or two will tag along. Why?” he asked. “You got an old lady?”

  “Nowhere even close, man. Just curious.”

  “Well, there won’t be a shortage of company on the road. We know folks along the way, and I’ll have us scheduled for stops in some friendly places, if you know what I mean.”

  To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Was he talking about prostitutes? More MC girls? Thinking about girls made me remember Krystal from two nights before — how gorgeous she’d looked naked in my bed, how sexy her tattoo was. Maybe I should text her. What if Bug had killed her or something crazy? I didn’t actually think he would, but I didn’t know for sure.

  “Excuse me,” I said, as I stood up from the table. “Need to see a man about a horse.”

  I pulled my phone from my pocket in the men’s room and sent a text to Krystal before I could change my mind.

  You okay? Just want to make sure you’re alive and safe.

  I took another leak and checked my phone, surprised to see that she’d answered.

  I’m fine. Can you talk?

  Call you in five.

  I walked back out to the table, where Joker and Sally sat, poring over a map.

  “Wow. Still do things old-school, I see?”

  “Google Maps don’t know where the pretty girls are,” Joker said with a laugh. “Have a seat and you can help us plan the trip.”

  “I’ll be right back. I have to step outside and make a phone call.”

  Joker put his hand on my arm. “Time you started to learn, son. Don’t say anything on your cell phone that you don’t want the police to hear. We’ll get you hooked up with a couple of our pre-paids, in case you need to talk business.”

  “Thanks, man, but this is personal. Nothing I need to worry about.”

  I walked outside and dialed Krystal’s number.

  “Hello?” she answered.

  “Hey.” I wasn’t sure exactly what to say, and then I figured that since she’d wanted to talk, she could break the ice.

  “Hey, I’m really sorry about the other night. I shouldn’t have said what I did to you, and your joining the Savage Sons is none of my business.”

  “You’re right. It’s not.”

  There was a moment of silence. I figured that she hadn’t expected me to be so blunt, but I was done kissing people’s asses.

  I decided to break the silence. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she answered. “I was scared to go home, so I’m staying with a friend from school.”

  “You’re that afraid of Bug?”

  “Yeah. Luke, you don’t know how out of control he can get. He’s one giant mean streak, and I was afraid he’d kill me.”

  “Have you talked to him?”

  “That’s part of why I wanted to talk to you. We talked this afternoon, and he told me that if I come back and agree to move in with him, he’ll forget about the whole thing.”

  “What?”

  “He said he’s sorry for having taken my money, and he wants to get back together.”

  “What do you want, Krystal?”

  “Well, I want to be alive this time next week. I’m afraid if I don’t take him up on his offer, that he’ll hurt me.”

  “If I had some way to threaten him, I would, but I don’t.” I wondered if Krystal was fishing for me to offer to step in and save the day. “Krystal, I’m not gonna get involved. This is between you and Bug.”

  “I know.”

  I could hear the disappointment in her voice, and part of me wanted to go inside and pound Bug into the ground. That wasn’t how I dealt with my problems, though, and I wasn’t gonna start just because I was a Savage Son.

  “If you need anything, you can call me, but I’m not going to say a word to Bug. And he’s not going to know that we’ve been together.”

  “Good. He’d lose his mind if he knew I’d slept with you.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I guess I’ll get back together with him. I don’t feel like I have any other choice.”

  “Well, if that’s what you want, then I wish you the best.”

  “It’s not what I want, Luke. I want to be with someone who doesn’t treat me like I’m just a hole to fuck, someone who will actually talk to me. Someone like…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Someone like who, Krystal?”

  I wanted her to say someone like me. I wanted to
be with her, but I wasn’t going to be the one who stepped in between a brother and his old lady. She was going to have to say the words. I wasn’t going to do it.

  “Never mind,” she said in a soft voice, full of regret.

  I remembered how much I’d enjoyed her — not just the amazing sex, but being with her, and I was so tempted to take her from Bug and damn the consequences, but I couldn’t do it. Maybe I was weak, but I couldn’t do it.

  “Well, then, you take care of yourself. Call me if you need me,” I said, feeling like a shit for leaving her in a horrible situation, even if it was her fault.

  “Yeah. I guess I’ll see you around.”

  She hung up, and I stood outside the clubhouse, trying to get a handle on what I was feeling. After a few minutes, I decided to do what the other Savage Sons would do. I went back inside and ordered a shot of whiskey.

  Chapter 26

  Krystal

  Saturday, June 29, 2013

  As soon as I heard Bug’s motorcycle pull away, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. He’d be gone for five whole days, and I couldn’t be happier. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down at the dining room table — the half of it that I kept clean — and tried to decide how to spend my five delicious days of freedom.

  I’d been living with Bug for a couple of weeks so far, and while it hadn’t been unicorns and rainbows, it hadn’t been awful, either. He was kind of like a pet — if I kept him fed and cleaned up after him, then he didn’t whine too much. I’d been trying to keep a low profile while I figured out my long-term plan. I was not going to live with Bug forever.

  Reaching into my purse, I pulled out the little notebook that I used for grocery lists and things I wanted to remember. Maybe if I made myself a list — wrote things down — I’d be able to figure out a plan and stick to it.

  * Six more classes

  * Job

  * Apartment

  I’d looked at the college’s course catalogue, and I figured that if I could save enough money to take three classes in the fall and three in the spring, that I’d have my degree in about a year. What I wasn’t sure about was whether I could stand to live with Bug for that long. Part of me worried, too, that he was only biding his time and had every intention of getting back at me for taking my money back from him.