Sinner's Son (Savage Sons Motorcyle Club) Read online

  "It's a tragedy, but I'm glad that the men responsible are going to pay for their sins. Maria's still beautiful, you know. Just sadder than she was when that picture was taken."

  Kate looked up at me from the picture, her eyes steely with determination. "Krystal, I owe you an apology."

  "You don't owe me anything. Just get Maria out, and we're even."

  "No," she said. "I want ... I need to say this. You're right. I underestimated you, and I used you. I should have known better, but I was so focused on Luke's potential as an informant that I was blinded to the fact that he and you and even the members of the Savage Sons are human beings and deserve respect. When you said what you did about black and white, it reminded me of a piece of advice that someone gave me not long ago. It's easy, sometimes, to lose sight of the whole reason that I became an FBI agent. It's not just about my career. It's about doing the right thing, making the world a safer and better place."

  I just nodded. I didn't need to rub it in that I'd seen through Kate's schemes.

  She continued. "I'll be honest. I'm out on my own here for Maria. There are other agents involved who don't think she's a wise use of government resources, and it's possible that I'm going to be censured for pushing this forward. I'm making that choice, though, because it's the right thing to do. Through the INS, I've gotten provisional approval for asylum for Maria Alvarez, and there's a man at the U.S. Consulate in Juarez who's agreed to go get her and bring her in so that she's under our protection. She'll be safe at the consulate for as long as she needs to stay until we can sort out the paperwork to bring her into the U.S."

  I sighed in relief. "Kate, that's wonderful. I appreciate your putting yourself on the line for this, but if anyone deserves it, Maria does."

  Kate sent digital copies of Maria's picture to the INS and to the man at the consulate, working late in order to go get Maria. Kate and I sat in her office and waited for the hour-and-a-half that it took for the man to leave, locate Maria, and bring her in. When she was finally safe and I talked to her by phone, I felt so relieved that I just burst into tears as soon as I hung up Kate's desk phone.

  Kate looked a little shocked and uncomfortable, but she handed me a box of Kleenex and waited until I'd calmed down before she said anything.

  "Krystal? You okay?"

  I took a deep, shuddering breath and exhaled slowly before I answered. "Yes, actually. I am. This may be more information that you want, but I know what it feels like to feel worthless, and that's how Luis and Don Roberto made Maria feel. Knowing that I could help her and knowing that if I didn't, then no one would, made me feel like I had a purpose. That's a good feeling, and I'm just relieved that it's all over."

  I looked down at my cell phone that had been sitting in my purse, and I realized that I had three missed calls from Luke and a series of increasingly worried texts. "Kate, thanks again. I need to get home now and let Luke know that everything's okay. After all the mess with Luis, he worries if he can't get me on the phone."

  "That's understandable. And thanks, Krystal. Luke's a lucky man, and I think you'll be happy together."

  We left without much more discussion, and I called Luke from the road, assured him that I was fine, and promised to tell him the whole story over dinner. I was glad he'd told Sable we'd stay in. I needed a meal and the comfort of Luke's arms.

  Chapter 20

  Luke

  Sunday, October 20, 2013

  When we sat down to the table at church, Joker's chair was still left empty. At some point, I knew we'd have to vote on new leadership, but that mattered less to me than the news I had to share with the group. Sally started the meeting with an update on Joker -- which wasn't much, considering that he was still in jail and unlikely to go to trial for another few weeks at least. I didn't care about him, but the other guys seemed to. I was silent through the discussion.

  "Other business?" Sally asked.

  Several hands went up around the table, and Sally pointed at Nate, on his right, to begin.

  "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a stack of fuckin' bills to pay and no money in the bank. We need to talk about how we're gonna fix that."

  The rest of the men around the table nodded their agreement.

  "Suggestions?" Sally asked.

  I raised my hand, and Nate snorted. "Unless you're gonna share that inheritance your parents left you with the rest of us, I don't wanna fuckin' hear it, Luke."

  I'd just about had it with the hostility. "I was going to update you on the progress with the dispensary, but if you don't want to hear it, that's fine."

  Sally glared at Nate. "Go ahead, Luke."

  "Well, I've gotten the hearing moved up to next week. We should have the license then, and we can get the use and occupancy permit the same day. If people are ready to pitch in, we can be in business by next weekend."

  "What do you mean by pitch in?" Sally asked.

  "Well, we'll need to move what inventory we have into the space and get it merchandised. We'll need to scan everything into the computer system so we can ring things up, and we'll need people to cover shifts once we're open. It's all in the business plan I gave you copies of. We decided that the hourly rate to start is twelve dollars per hour, and at that rate, we should see dividends within a year."

  Before I'd even stopped talking, I saw most of the eyes in the room glaze over. All but Nate's, of course.

  "Wait a minute. You expect us to work in the shop? For twelve fuckin' dollars an hour? I can't pay my bills on that."

  "I don't understand the problem. I gave you all the business plan a long time ago. It's all spelled out in the plan."

  Sally looked at me and shook his head. "Luke, I guaran-goddamn-tee you that not a one of these guys read your business plan. You'll be lucky if it didn't end up as toilet paper."

  The guys laughed and Johnson spoke up. "I didn't know we'd have to work in the shop. This ain't what I signed on for. I ain't gonna be a little shop girl."

  I was ready to explode. "Are you fucking kidding me? How the fuck did you expect this to work? Nate, I know you've been helping Sable with the plants, but the rest of you -- did you really expect to make money for doing nothing?"

  Sally took a deep breath. "Luke, I'm gonna be honest with you. Most of us weren't really for the dispensary in the first place. Joker leaned on us, and we voted it through, but it was your old man who pushed for it. You've worked in an office, been stuck behind a desk for a living, but that ain't us. I move that we take another vote on Savage Bud."

  I was dumbfounded. I sat without saying a word while every member in the room but me voted to abandon the project. Since I now knew that they hadn't read the business plan, they had no idea how much money and time I'd invested in the venture, and quite honestly, I didn't think it would matter if they did. If they wanted out, then they could have it.

  "Done. I won't mention the shop again. Nate, I'll pay you for the time you've spent on the plants, or you and Sable can work it out in product." I was seething inside, but I didn't want to let it show. "I have one more..." I thought for a second. "Two more things to say. First, Maria Alvarez, the woman whose daughter was killed by Don Roberto's cartel, will be coming to Colorado. I plan to offer her a position at the shop, and if any of you cares enough to see her and offer your regrets for the trouble that she's been through, she'll be staying with me and Krystal until we can get her set up in her own place."

  Chuck had a big grin on his face. "Is she bringing any of her girlfriends with her? It's been too long since I've seen a senorita."

  The laughter and crude comments around the table made my second comment even easier.

  "And the second thing is that I want out of the Savage Sons."

  The room was silent until Nate spoke. "You gonna go run your mouth to the feds about us, rat boy?"

  "Nate," I said, trying hard to keep my tone even and calm. "I could have had you arrested a dozen times. You should know by now that I'm not after any of you. I have one more day's wo
rk with the DEA, and that's all about the cartel. Just for your fuckin' information, I insisted on immunity for every one of you ungrateful fuckers, and I'm fuckin' tired of being treated like a traitor. Someday, when you're old and free, rather than rotting in a jail cell, you'll realize what I did for you. What Moses did for you. When Moses was alive, he saw the path to destruction plain as day. The Sons would have ended up dead or in prison, and he wanted to change that. I offered you a legit way to make money, and you spit in my face. I'm out."

  I stood up and took a few steps toward the door before I turned back around to address the group. "I don't want to leave on bad terms. I'm pissed right now, but I'll never betray one of your secrets, and I'll welcome any help you want to give if you want to earn a little money at the shop. I've learned a lot from you -- how to be stronger and harder than I ever imagined I could be. I've learned about the limits of loyalty and when it's right to follow my conscience. Krystal and I are getting married at Christmas, and I'd love to see you there. Other than that, I'm out."

  I took my cut off, hung it on a hook by the door, left the room, and I never looked back. I knew that I would miss aspects of the MC, and I was grateful that I hadn't taken the final step of becoming a full member -- the step that would have made it nearly impossible to ever walk away. I wasn't sure exactly what I'd have had to do to prove myself to the group, and I was surprised to realize that I didn't even care. Sable had been right all along. I didn't fit. I was different.

  I knew I'd always be grateful for the time I'd spent with the Savage Sons, and I didn't think I'd get rid of the Harley. The freedom of the open road and the idea that a group of people would always be there to back you up had been irresistible to me, but as it turned out, that wasn't actually reality. The truth was that my father had led the group into businesses that hurt other people. Moses had decided that he couldn't do it any longer -- couldn't watch his brothers sell meth, sell women, and ruin people's lives. He had done what his conscience had told him was right, and I had to do the same.

  I took a long, scenic way home, and I enjoyed the sunshine and the wind on the ride. I felt lighter without the cut, and I realized that the relief I felt was because I knew I'd done the right thing. I was finished trying to be someone I wasn't. As I turned into the long driveway to the house I shared with Krystal, I knew that there would be days that I missed the thrill of a long ride with men who don't give a shit what anyone thinks of them, men who could fuck random girls and roll out to the next town. I got it. I'd done it. But that wasn't what I wanted anymore. I'd seen the way that Krystal had blossomed once she was out of the culture that treated her as nothing more than a piece of ass. Whether she and I had a daughter or a son, I didn't want them to grow up believing that you should live your life just by taking what you wanted without regard for the consequences.

  Would I miss it? Yeah. Was it worth it to leave? Absolutely.

  Epilogue

  Thursday, October 9, 2014

  Maria Alvarez pulled into the driveway of Sable's house. She'd only been driving for a couple of months, and while she knew that she drove so slowly that it took her much longer to get places than it should have, she relished the freedom of being able to go wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She looked in the backseat of her used Scion XB, and noted that Naomi was sound asleep. It took a couple of trips to get all of the groceries into Sable's house, and by the time Maria had made the last trip, the sleepy little girl was just starting to wake.

  "Don't fuss, little one," Maria said as she lifted the heavy carseat containing the six-month-old infant from the back seat. "It's time for lunch and then a little time in the grass."

  Maria carried the girl into the house, marveling that she was lucky enough to live in such a beautiful home. Sable and Maria had hit it off immediately when Maria had finally arrived in Denver after a long stay at the US Consulate. She was in the country legally and she had every intention of becoming a citizen as soon as she was able. Though Maria had stayed with Luke and Krystal for a time, she knew that the young couple needed their space, and when little Naomi had arrived in May, Sable had offered a room to Maria.

  The arrangement had worked well. Sable was so busy growing the supplies that the two Savage Bud locations needed that she was hardly ever home, and Maria had been thrilled when Krystal had asked her to watch Naomi a few days a week so that she could take on part-time work at an accountant's office. All in all, Maria was content.

  She would never stop missing Nadia, and she would always question whether or not she could have managed, somehow, to get free of the cartel if she'd only tried a little harder. Regret, she'd decided, was just an inevitable part of getting older. Seeing the pictures of Moses around Sable's house kept the bittersweet memories of the one wonderful night she'd shared with Moses fresh in her mind, and Maria knew that someday -- because she'd had that experience -- that she might be able to begin a new relationship, one free of the dark reminders of the past and its tragedy.

  But at the moment, a little blue-eyed girl with sandy blond wispy curls that were a perfect match for her father's was squawking to be fed. Maria plopped the usually happy girl into her high chair and gave her a few Cheerios to occupy her until her lunch was ready.

  Patiently spooning pureed peaches and oatmeal into Naomi's little baby bird mouth that dutifully opened each time she saw the spoon, Maria mentally planned the rest of her day. She'd give the little one a workout on the blanket in the front yard and then while Naomi napped, Maria resolved to do something she'd been putting off. Krystal had suggested that Maria take a class at the community college, and Sable had left a laptop on the dining room table for Maria to use anytime she liked. The computer had sat unused on the table for weeks, and Maria had made up her mind that she'd look into the class that very day. She knew that her fear of entering a classroom was silly. Krystal had told her that there were plenty of older students, and there were other students as well for whom English was a second language. Maria just had to get it out of her head that everyone who met her would see her past written on her face.

  She would do it. She would get the education she'd wanted so much for her daughter.

  "Oh, heavens," Maria exclaimed, realizing that not only was Naomi no longer eating her cereal, but she had instead smeared it into her blonde curls while Maria had been daydreaming. Laughing at the mess, Maria patiently cleaned up the baby and settled her on her hip for the trip out to the front yard.

  They settled on a blanket in the shade, and Naomi promptly rolled from her back to her front -- her favorite trick -- and reached for the grass. Maria talked to the girl in a mixture of Spanish and English, as Krystal wanted the girl to grow up understanding both languages, and she constantly removed the blades of grass from the little girl's fist just in the instant before they went in the girl's mouth. Finally tiring of the frustrating game, Naomi yawned and began to fuss, a sure sign that it was time for her afternoon nap.

  Swinging the girl up onto her hip, Maria bent to pick up the blanket and noticed a woman she'd never seen before in the neighborhood, walking with a stroller. The woman waved, and Maria waited for her to approach.

  "Hello, there," Maria greeted the newcomer.

  "Hi," the tall woman answered, bending to look in on the boy in the stroller. He was sitting up and busily gnawing on a teething toy, drool pooling on the stroller. The woman bent to wipe his chin in a practiced motion. "More teeth, I think," she said with a smile. "Your little girl is precious," the woman said, straightening up.

  "Thank you, but I'm just her nanny. We think she's precious, too. Your young man is very handsome." Maria studied the boy, plagued by the sure knowledge that there was something somehow familiar in his features.

  "This is Aaron," the woman said. "We're in town visiting some friends, and I know the woman who used to live in this house. Sable Hall. Did you know her?"

  "She still lives here, but she goes by Bellamy now."

  "Oh." The woman in the street looked surprised. "I
figured that since you were here that she'd moved out."

  "No. I live here with her, and I watch her granddaughter a few days a week. This is Naomi."

  The little girl started to fuss in earnest and Maria hitched her back up on her hip and started to sway back and forth, attempting to soothe the girl.

  "I need to get her inside for her nap, but it was nice to meet you. I'm Maria, by the way."

  "It was nice to meet you, too, and I need to be on my way as well. Aaron and I have a long drive home ahead of us. Tell Sable that I said hi, when you see her. I'm Max. I think she'll remember me."

  Marie headed inside and patted Naomi on her back until the girl fell asleep. As she was heading for the dining room table and the computer that held all of the possibilities for her future, she passed a row of old family photographs, and she realized instantly -- when she looked at a baby picture of Moses -- why the boy in the stroller had looked so familiar. Aaron had his father's blue eyes. Moses had a son, and Maria had just seen him. The knowledge should have upset her, she thought, but instead, it brought her some comfort. Aaron was obviously cherished, and the thought that Moses had a legacy seemed to Maria to be something of a second chance for the man who had set events in motion that had changed her life so dramatically, only to have his own life cut so tragically short. Maria thought that if Moses could somehow look down and see his son, that he would be pleased.

  "You can't separate the bitter from the sweet," Maria said as she sat down at the laptop and prepared to create the life she'd only dreamed of.

  Also by Jayna King

  Troubled Son - Savage Sons Part 1

  Max Fisher is going to have to get up close and personal with a whole new scene in her very first undercover case for the FBI. She’s smart, focused, and ready to put the Savage Sons Motorcycle Club in prison. The only problem? She has to work with a partner.