Freedom's Son: Savage Sons MC 3 Read online

  "All right, gentlemen," Kate said, clearly amused by the conversation, but wanting to get down to business. "As soon as your attorney has reviewed the paperwork, we'll go through it, get your signature, and you'll be free to go. I'm sure that Krystal is looking forward to your getting home."

  Kate smiled at me, but there was something about her that just felt wrong to me. Krystal thought of Kate as our savior, but I wasn't so sure. Since I didn't see any other way out, though, I was going to do a deal with the devil.

  We went through the paperwork. It set out that I would be working as a confidential informant for the DEA and the FBI. I was to receive no compensation since the FBI was taking the lead on the investigation, but I didn't need the money anyway. All of the charges against me were being dropped, but since I hadn't stood trial, the charges could be re-filed at any time, should I prove to be uncooperative. Once I'd signed the paperwork, we got down to the real business.

  Kate thanked me for agreeing to work with them, and she set aside the folder that contained our signed agreement. "A few things you need to know," she said. "Moses Hall was working with both the FBI and the DEA before he was killed."

  Goddamn, Krystal had been right , I thought.

  "The DEA agent who was in charge of the investigation was the one who killed Moses and was subsequently shot by Maxwell Fisher, an FBI agent who'd recently begun working undercover."

  Bryan exploded. "Wait a fucking minute. You wait until now to tell us that you got both an informant and an agent killed, and now you want Luke to join in without a care for his safety? Who the fuck do you think you are?" He stood up, furious.

  "Sit back down," Singer ordered. "Luke's signed the paperwork. He works with us, or he goes right back to his cell. His choice."

  I put my hand on Bryan's arm and he slowly sat back down. "What went wrong?" I asked.

  Kate looked at Mark and indicated that he should take over.

  "As it turns out, Jeff Tombley, the DEA agent, had been involved with the Vandals MC in Wyoming. He'd been taking payoffs from them for years, and the Savage Sons had started to take some of the Vandals' meth business. Tombley had the chance to increase his take and get a professional win by taking down the Sons. Maxwell and Moses figured out that he was dirty, and he killed Moses to save his ass. He'd have killed Max, too, if she hadn't shot first."

  "Jesus," I said, reeling from the information. "Does anyone in the Savage Sons know that Moses was working with you? Do they know that Max was a fed?"

  Kate answered. "Not as far as we know. Max hadn't been on the case for more than a week, so we thought we could safely get her out of town and that she could live without having to worry about anyone in the Sons tracking her down. Best we can tell, no one suspected the Moses had turned on the Sons, that he wanted out."

  I sat there for a couple of long minutes, trying to process everything they'd said and marveling that Krystal had pegged the situation exactly right. "Why did he do it?" I asked at last.

  Mark and Kate exchanged looks, and she spoke again. "That's part of what we need you for. We're not exactly sure. Moses never would say, based on what we know of the earlier case. Best we can tell, something happened that made him reevaluate the stuff the MC was involved in and made him want to get out and to stop whatever bad shit was going on. We do know for sure that he didn't just want out; he wanted to bring down the Savage Sons."

  Mark rested his hands on the table. "We take your safety very seriously, Luke. We're not going to ask you to wear a wire. What we want from you is information, not evidence. You're going to listen, ask questions if you can do it without creating suspicion, and report to us. That's all."

  I looked at Bryan, and he shrugged his shoulders as if he was disgusted by the feds' deception.

  "It's your call, Luke. I think they should have told you all of this earlier, but it's your choice."

  "I'm still in," I said, still certain that I'd made the right choice to cooperate rather than rot in jail.

  "And there's one particular area we need you to concentrate on, Luke," Mark continued. "We want all the information you can get about how, when, and where the Sons were cooking and distributing meth, but we are particularly interested in what they were doing in Mexico."

  I couldn't help but think about Sable's reference to Mexico just a few days before.

  Singer leaned forward to emphasize his point. "We know that the Sons were bringing some of their raw materials in from south of the border, and we need to know who their contacts were. When the Sons quit selling meth, it didn't put a dent in the business done in Colorado and surrounding states. If there's a market, someone's gonna make and sell it. Our best bet is to keep them from getting their hands on the supplies they need, and right now, the border between Mexico and the U.S. is letting those ingredients flow in like water. We have to find a way to stop it."

  Mark's passion — his desire to curtail the meth trade — was clearly genuine, and for the first time, I felt like he might — might — be someone I could think about trusting. He clearly believed that the work he was doing was important, and based on what I'd heard about the effects of meth on its users, I couldn't disagree with him.

  "So basically, you want me to collect information, particularly with regard to Mexico?" I asked, hoping that there wasn't some other huge task they expected me to complete.

  "That's it, Luke," Kate answered. "And we appreciate your help."

  "Well, the way I see it, we're helping one another. I don't want to live in jail, and you want information," I said. "I'd tell you that it's a pleasure doing business with you, but that would be a fucking lie. Are we done, here?" I asked. "I have places to go and people to see."

  "We're finished here," Singer said, clearly biting his lip to keep from leaving me with an expression of his disdain for me.

  Whatever. I gave zero fucks about what he thought of me, as long as I could get out of there.

  Bryan had agreed to drive me to my hotel, and even though Krystal had offered to pick me up, the thought of arriving in a gorgeous room with my gorgeous woman was just too tempting to pass up. Since I hadn't known how long the paperwork would take, I'd told her to buy something pretty to wear, and I'd see her at the Ritz. I'd also warned her not to worry about needing to wear her new attire anywhere but to bed. I didn't plan on leaving the room for days if I could help it.

  We got my clothes and my keys, wallet, and change that had been in my pocket, and I was headed out the door. Wearing my own clothes made me feel like a new man. Even though I'd been outside in the small, fenced-in yard provided to keep inmates from choking to death on the smell of sweat and piss, I felt like I was really stepping outside for the first time in years.

  I spoke to Bryan, who was smiling, watching me soak up the sunshine with my face upturned. "I'll never be able to tell you how much I appreciate your help."

  He laughed. "Oh you have, and you will," he said. "I've billed more hours for your case than any other single month in my career. And I was happy to do it. You were wrongly accused, and I'm proud to have had a hand in your release."

  "When I get settled, maybe Krystal and I can have you over for dinner." I felt so happy to be free that I laughed out loud. "Guess I should figure out which of us is going to be the cook in the house. Hope she's better than I am."

  "Luke, that's one thing I want to reiterate. I think Krystal's a smart young woman, but she needs to be careful about talking to the feds. She doesn't have an agreement with them, and if she tells them something that implicates her in a crime, they won't hesitate to charge her." He put his hand on my arm. "It's really important that you get that through to her."

  "I hear you, man," I said. "And you may be underestimating Krystal. She's one of the sharpest girls I've met, even though she isn't formally educated — at least not yet. She's got street smarts that I think you and I could both learn from. But I hear what you're saying, and I'll make sure she understands the stakes." I turned all the way around in the parking lot. "Now can w
e get the fuck outta here?"

  On the way to the hotel, I could hardly breathe, I was so excited to see Krystal.

  Bryan still wanted to go over a thing or two, though. "What's your story on how you got out?" he asked, concerned about what the other members of the MC might think.

  "Krystal and I talked, and we decided that a simple explanation is best. The prosecutor had no case and dismissed the charges. There's no reason for anyone to believe that's anything other than the truth."

  Bryan nodded his approval. "And you're certain that you still want both Sable and Krystal on the dispensary license? It's not too late to have that changed."

  "Nah," I said, reveling in the feeling of the sun on my arm. "Let's leave it the way it is. Krystal said she and Sable had a heart-to-heart, and I'm gonna let them front the shop."

  I'd only been in jail for about a month, but it had felt like forever. As Bryan turned off the highway toward my downtown hotel, I thought about everything I'd missed — fresh air, privacy, and most of all, company of my own choice. I never, ever wanted to go back inside.

  As Bryan turned the corner and pulled up in front of the hotel, I realized that I had one more thing I wanted to ask him. "Hey, did you look into that house I asked you about?"

  "I did. It's still for sale, and it's actually a really good value. The location is remote, but the house is furnished, and from what I hear, it's a unique property."

  "Great. I'll talk to Krystal about it, and I'll give you a call on Monday."

  "Hey, man," Bryan said. "I'm glad you're out. Enjoy your freedom."

  "Oh, I have every intention of it," I said, as I got out of the car, thanked the valet for opening the car door, and headed inside.

  Krystal had given me the room number since she'd changed rooms while I was in jail, and as I walked into the lobby, part of me wished that the fucking assholes who'd kept me in jail for a month could see the luxury that I was going to spend my evening enjoying. I headed for the elevator and pressed the button for the floor of Krystal's suite. I was hungry, thirsty, and horny, and I felt a desperate need to wash the grime of jail off my body.

  I arrived at the suite and took a deep breath before I knocked on the door. I already had the beginnings of a hard-on, and I hoped Krystal was going to be as happy to see me as I was her. The door opened, and I was surprised to see a room service attendant standing in the doorway, clearly on his way out.

  "You must be Mr. Callaway. Glad to have you back, sir," he said, wheeling the empty room service cart into the hallway when I stepped back. "I believe Ms. Shaw is looking forward to seeing you. Have a lovely evening."

  He walked into the hallway, gently closing the door behind him, and I looked around the suite, scanning the room for Krystal. There was no sign of her, but I could hear music coming from the rooms that I assumed comprised the master suite. While this set of rooms wasn't quite as ostentatious as the first suite I'd had, it was still amazing. Even from the front door, I could see the gorgeous city and mountain views framed by the huge windows. There was a bar area, and I saw a selection of wines and glasses, as well as some fresh fruit and an assortment of cheeses. A sitting area near the windows and a second bedroom completed the part I could see, so Krystal had to be behind the closed door, the one that slightly muffled the music. I decided to pour myself a drink and wait for her.

  I'd just picked up the corkscrew when I heard the door open. I turned, and there she was.

  "Hey, stranger," she said, as if she hadn't seen me nearly every single day while I was in jail. She paused in the doorway, and I got a good look at her. Her hair looked like polished ebony, dark and lustrous, and she wore it in long, loose waves that framed her face and extended well past her shoulders. She didn't look like she had any makeup on, but her skin glowed, and the smile on her face just lit her up.

  "Hey, yourself," I replied, letting my eyes drop to take in the rest of her. She'd clearly followed my instructions about picking out something new to wear, and there was no way I'd ever let her out of the hotel room dressed the way she was. Whisper-thin straps of deep blue silk at her shoulders set off her blue eyes and gave way to a simple, long, blue silk nightgown, accented by ivory lace at her breasts and along the high-cut slit that exposed hints of the soft skin beneath. "Wow," was all I could manage to say before she rushed toward me.

  She put her hands on my face. "I can hardly believe you're really here," she whispered. "I'm afraid this is a dream and I'll wake up alone in bed again."

  I slid my hands around her hips, using all of my restraint not to squeeze the soft skin I could feel beneath the thin silk. "Believe it, Krystal. I'm here."

  I pulled her toward me, and kissed her the way I'd wanted to every single day I'd seen her. My mouth on hers was hard, and so was I as I pressed up against her through my jeans. I wound my hands through her hair, and I could feel her leaning in toward me, like she wanted to feel all of me up against her. I reluctantly pulled my mouth from hers.

  "I'm never leaving you again, baby," I said, leaning down to kiss her. "But I have got to take a shower. I want to get clean, and then I want to get reacquainted with every inch of your perfect body."

  Chapter 9 -- Krystal

  I'd spent so much time and energy thinking about Luke's getting out of jail, that I was a wreck by the time he finally arrived. I'd had all of his clothes laundered, and I'd carefully folded them and put them in one of the dressers in the master bedroom. Having spent so much time by myself, I knew it would be strange to finally have some company after so many days and nights alone. Mark had generously given me the whole weekend off work, and I'd gone to one of the fancy downtown salons to have my hair trimmed and I'd even splurged on a conditioning gloss treatment. Even though I didn't think Luke would mind, I made sure to spend my tip money on my little luxuries.

  When I'd walked into the lingerie store, I'd nearly spun on my heel and turned right back around. It was even swankier than I'd expected, and I had no business being in a store that fancy. The woman who'd come from behind the counter to offer her help was friendlier than I'd expected. Once I realized that she worked for a living just like I did, I took a deep breath and forced myself to pick out something I thought Luke would like. By the time I was finished, the sales girl and I were laughing like old friends, and I had three outfits, all carefully tissue wrapped, and obscenely expensive. I'd had to use the credit card Luke had given me, but he had told me to buy something nice.

  The moment I saw him in the hotel room was everything I'd hoped for. The kiss, and that fact that I had the real live man in front of me, rather than just the fantasy I'd had to settle for, was worth the wait. I wanted to tear every stitch of clothing off the man, but I could understand his wanting to shower off the whole jail experience.

  I gave him a few minutes to get undressed and into the shower, and after I'd heard the water running for a few minutes, I poured him a glass of wine and carried it into the bathroom. He was already in the shower, standing under the water, and as the steam filled the glass walls, I could hear him sigh.

  I knocked gently at the open door to let him know I was there. "Feel good?"

  He groaned. "You have no idea. Not only am I not in a room full of naked men, but I actually have water that's something other than lukewarm."

  "I brought you a drink," I said, thoroughly enjoying the sight of the water-slicked muscles in his back. He'd clearly been working out in jail.

  "You're an angel," he said, swinging open the door to reach for the glass.

  "Mind if I watch?" I said, feeling like I was watching the sexiest strip show I could imagine.

  "Not at all."

  Knowing that Luke was there — really free — and that no one would barge into the room to take him away from me, well, it was just intoxicating. I took a sip of wine from my own glass and watched as he lathered up his arms, his chest, his legs, and finally — making eye contact with me through the glass — his cock.

  "Better take it easy there," I warned him. "I have
plans for you."

  "Oh, don't you worry," he said, releasing his erection. "As much as I've dreamed about you, there's no way I'm gonna cum anywhere but inside you.

  The heat in his voice made my skin flush. "I like the way you think." I felt nervous, anxious, and excited all at once at the prospect of taking Luke to bed. Even though we'd slept together a couple of times, and even though I knew I loved him, we hadn't actually spent that much time together, outside of the county jail, of course. I couldn't wait, and I was apprehensive all at the same time. I decided to change the subject to safer territory. "You hungry?"

  Luke rinsed the soap from his face before he answered. "Yes, both for you and for any food that isn't slopped onto an institutional tray."

  "I had them send up wine, cheese, and some fruit to get us started, and I figured we could order room service later, if you're still hungry."

  "Oh, I'll be hungry. I haven't had a decent meal in a month."

  "Well, we're going to fix that. I'll let you finish," I said. "Your clothes are in the dresser on your side of the bed." Thinking about Luke's side of the bed and my side of the bed made me smile as I walked back out to the sitting area to sip my wine and wait for the love of my life.

  When he emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later, he took my breath away. Wet hair in need of a trim, perfect blond stubble on his jawline, and his oldest, most faded jeans. He was my fantasy.

  "You going to button those jeans?" I asked, looking at the unfastened button that just begged me to unzip him the rest of the way.

  "Don't really see the point," he said with a naughty smile that made me feel a rush of wet heat between my legs. "I'm going to drink another glass of wine. I'm going to eat a couple of bites, and then I'm going to satisfy my hunger for my gorgeous old lady. That okay with you?"

  "Your wish is my command," I said, meaning every word of it.

  We caught up a little, discussing the progress on the dispensary and laughing about Sable and her babies, but we both knew that we were simply briefly delaying the inevitable.