Tinker’s Dilemma
© 2020 by Samantha McCoy
First Electronic Publication: June 2020
United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any database, without prior written permission from the author. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or deceased, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover Design: RLS Images and Designs
Model: Nathan Kaltved
Photographer: Gigi Hoggard
Samantha McCoy
samanthamccoyauthor.com
Special Shout Out
First, I want to thank my amazing Reader Group for helping me come up with a biker name for Tinker! Y’all rock!!! I had made a post asking for help and a few people commented with different names. I popped them into the random selector thingy – and BOOM – a name was chosen!
With that being said - Sara Mason Miles – This book is for you!!! She was the one who suggested Tinker. Thank you for your suggestion and love!! I miss your face, girl!!
There are so many people I should thank, but I think I will leave some for the rest of this series. But before we jump into this aMAZing book – I just want to finish by saying thank you to my Babes and kiddos – for just putting up with me and my crazy deadlines and daily word counts. I love you!
Prologue
Walking into the clubhouse, Tinker tossed his bag on the floor, grateful to finally be home. He was mentally and physically exhausted. His last assignment left a bad feeling in his gut, and even a week later, Tinker still couldn’t figure out why.
“Boy!” His eyes widened at the tone in his mother’s voice. “If you don’t pick up that damn bag and put it where it goes…”
“Hello to you, too, Mom,” Tinker said, shooting her his best smile.
“Do you think I’m kidding?” his mom asked. “I am not your damn housekeeper.”
“Amber.” Tinker’s eyes shot to his father as he walked toward them. “Leave the boy alone. He just walked in the fucking door, woman.”
“Oh, hell no!” his mom said, her hand resting on her hips. “I am done with you boys thinking the girls and I have nothing better to do than pick up after your messy asses!” She turned back to Tinker, “Pick that bag up and take it to your room. Now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tinker nodded, picking up his bag. He shot a questioning look to his father.
Reaper shrugged.
Even as the Enforcer for the Devil’s Henchmen MC, it seemed his dad was smart enough to know not to cross his mom, at the moment; and Tinker couldn’t blame him. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew it was a shit storm that he didn’t want to step into. His mother was a force to be reckoned with, even on her best days. And the fact that she looked pissed and ready to commit a felony, Tinker wasn’t going to push his luck.
He leaned in, kissed her on the cheek, and headed to his room – taking his bag with him. Leaving his dad alone to deal with whatever was wrong with his mom, Tinker couldn’t help the grin that took over his face as he listened to his dad try to calm her. Tinker found it hilarious that the big, bad Reaper Evans was almost groveling at his mother’s feet.
“Hey, dude!”
Tinker nodded at Ink, who was lounged in a recliner, flipping through channels on the TV. “How’d things going?”
“Fine,” he answered. He didn’t want to get into the details of everything. There were still so many stones that Tinker felt were still unturned. And it didn’t sit well with him.
“What’s up with my mom?” he asked, changing the subject.
“It’s not just yours,” Sparo said, sitting on the floor with his long legs stretched out in front of him. “It’s all of our mothers. I think they’ve lost their minds.”
“Probably that bad wine they had from the restaurant yesterday,” Ink chuckled.
Tinker shook his head, nodded a ‘see you later’, and continued to his room. Neither of them was going to be helpful.
Both Sparo and Ink were the sons of the club President, Sledge, and his wife Beth. Back in the day, Beth had broken up with Sledge only to find out she was pregnant. Sledge hadn’t even known he’d had a kid until Beth showed up at the club with him – when she was running for her life from her crazy ass dad, who was trying to kill her because she knew too much. The Devil’s Henchmen MC took them both in and protected them – something they continued to do to this day.
While many MC’s were neck-deep in the dirty underground of illegal activities, the Devil’s Henchmen were not. At least not in the sense that most people would think. When the club was founded, it was by brothers in arms. All ex-military. And they used those skills to save the world, or at least that’s how Tinker chose to look at it. The Devil’s Henchmen went into the ugliest, darkest, deadliest areas of the world and helped those who needed it. If the government was too worried about the possible repercussions of getting involved in an issue, they called the DH. Kind of like black ops, but without the rules. Tinker and his cousins have rescued politicians and royalty, fought the fight against human trafficking around the world, and even been sent on a mission or two to recover top secret information from hostile territories. For them, the work is never done.
Getting to his room, Tinker unlocked the door and turned the knob only to have the door fall off the hinges and land on the floor with a big crash.
Shocked, he stood there, staring at it.
Behind him, the sounds of laughter echoed down the hall. He turned to see Stephanie and Ava standing at the end of the hallway, bent over in a fit of hilarity. Looking at them, you’d never know that they were sisters. Stephanie had the white skin and long, black curly hair that her father, Diesel, had. But Ava, like her twin brother, Joker, had caramel-colored skin and while their hair was the same tone as Stephanie’s, the twins’ hair was straight as a board. Ava and Joker were two kids that the DH had rescued several years ago, back when Tinker was only a kid himself and were later adopted by Diesel and Rachel after they were unable to locate their biological parents.
“What in the hell happened?” Sledge asked, walking out of his room.
“Ask them.” Tinker pointed down the hall.
Sledge looked between the girls and then back to Tinker’s bedroom door. Tinker could see the club President fighting to keep the smile from taking over his face.
“Did y’all do this?” Sledge asked the girls.
They laughed harder.
Tinker sighed. All he wanted was to relax, and it seemed that wouldn’t be an option today. Stepping over the door, he entered his room and tossed his bag on his bed. Turning around, he lifted the door from the floor and pushed it back into the frame, only to have it tip back toward him.
“Where are the damn pins?” he shouted, poking his head around the door.
The laughter grew louder.
“On your bed,” Ava said between fits.
Tinker looked, and sure enough, the pins to hold the door in place were sitting on his pillow. With a heavy sigh, he propped up the door and walked over to grab them before returning to the door and fixing it.
“Y’all are assholes,” he said to the two of them.
Sledge chuckled.
“Happy April Fool’s Day!” Stephanie shouted.
All expression vanished from Tinker’s face as he stared at them. April Fool’s Day? Really?
�
�Oh! His RAF is on point today!” Ava giggled.
“RAF?” Tinker asked.
“Resting asshole face,” both women said in unison, still giggling.
“You two need help,” he replied. Turning to Sledge, he said, “Find them a shrink. Seriously.”
Closing the door, he could still hear them outside in the hall, but Tinker just shook his head as a small smile formed on his face. He might be exhausted, but this was exactly what he needed. This was the chaos that he needed after the week he’d had.
Flopping on his bed, he half expected it to crash to the floor. When it didn’t, he pulled off his boots and laid back against his pillow, closing his eyes. It had been a rough week for him. One of the roughest he’d had in a long time. And even though his family could test the nerves of a saint, he was happy and blessed to have the distraction.
Tinker had spent the last six months in El Paso, Texas helping in the investigation of one of the deadliest drug dealers in the country. The more Tinker dug, the deeper the trail seemed to go until one day, he’d found himself knee-deep in Juarez City, Mexico. The drug mecca of the Americas. Digging up information on both sides of the border had proved to be more difficult than he’d originally thought. His investigation had taken so many turns that Tinker had begun to get lost in it all. Little did he know that it had only just started. About two months into the investigation, Tinker had uncovered information that had sent the city of El Paso, and the Feds, into a tailspin. He had discovered a dirty cop. Actually, several dirty cops. It seemed the El Paso drug trade had a bit of help staying ahead – by local law enforcement. One of which, it was revealed, was also a hired gun for the cartel.
And things from there just seemed to get worse.
But, after months of hard work, it was finally over. At least that’s what the Feds thought. Tinker, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. Yesterday, they had made over ten arrests, including a drug dealer, the hired gun, and over a dozen police officers. Trials for them all would all begin soon, and while he was happy to be done with it, Tinker was still worried about the aftermath that was left behind. Specifically, a city that had lost all faith in the men and women who were sworn to protect it. Unfortunately, that was how these things seemed to go. He wasn’t surprised anymore when he unearthed the ugliness of the world. It always seemed to live right below the surface.
It made life difficult, especially for men like him who didn’t trust easily. After everything Tinker had seen in the world, he’d lost his faith in humanity. He’d be the first person to admit it. Which was probably why he was single and lived at the clubhouse – Tinker Parks didn’t have a woman of his own. And he didn’t want one either because, in his experience, women were some of the most conniving people on the planet.
Chapter One
Keily
Three months later…
She sat in the back of the courtroom.
Camera crews and news media were all over the place, but somehow, she’s managed to sneak in under their radar. She had no idea why she’d decided to come today, other than, she wanted to see firsthand what would happen to Patrick.
She still couldn’t believe what he’d done.
Patrick had been a dedicated officer, a detective in the Narcotics Division. Or at least he had been when they were together.
A while back, Patrick started acting weird. Coming home late. Sneaking around. Always looking over his shoulder. He’d become abusive, mentally and verbally. And Keily had had enough. Kicking him out, she ended the relationship, and with the help of a neighbor, she’d changed the locks.
It wasn’t until Federal agents came knocking on her door in the middle of the night, that she knew something was wrong. Tossing a warrant in her face, they took over her home. Keily had demanded answers, but none of them were inclined to answer them.
For hours, they tossed questions at her, one after another, treating her as if she were a criminal. They tore her home apart, leaving almost every room in shambles. Keily had spent the rest of the night crying and cleaning what was left of her once peaceful home. The next day, as she poured herself a cup of coffee, Keily had turned on the television to see Patrick’s face, along with many of his colleagues, plastered on the morning news.
‘Narc Detective and Others Arrested in Connection to Drug Cartel’ – she’d never forget the headline. Keily had been shocked and dismayed. She may have thought many things about Patrick, but being a dirty cop was never one of them.
They had already broken up and gone their separate ways, so Keily stayed clear of anything to do with him. She didn’t want any part of the trouble he was into. So, when Patrick had tried to contact her, Keily ignored all his calls and returned all letters, unopened. Like others in the city, she had followed the case via the media, keeping up to date on the evidence and trials.
Today was the first time she had shown up in court. Patrick, and several of the others involved in the case, had already been found guilty. A decision that Keily agreed with based on all the evidence they had against them.
Patrick Dean was a dirty cop. Plain and simple.
He was a murderer.
But Keily couldn’t help but feel sorry – not for him, but for the families that he and the others had torn apart. Women no longer had their husbands. Children no longer had their fathers, just like their unborn child would no longer have him... A child who Patrick had no idea existed. And Keily planned to keep it that way.
“All rise,” the bailiff called.
Everyone in the room stood and then sat back down as the judge took the bench. Keily sat, motionless waiting for the judge to deliver Patrick’s sentence.
“Mr. Dean,” the Judge started.
Keily watched as Patrick and his lawyer stood, ready to hear what the judge had to say. She held her breath, praying that he would get what he deserved.
Listening intently as the judge read out his charges, she glanced around the room. In the first few pews, the Police Chief, a few other cops and detectives from Pat’s precinct, along with several Federal Agents – the FBI and ATF, sat motionless behind the prosecution. Keily had a moment of wonder… wondering if they were involved in the same horrible mess that Pat was in. But as soon as the thought entered her mind, she pushed it away. She wouldn’t allow Patrick to taint her belief in human dignity. Patrick’s crimes had caught the attention of everyone. Local and Federal. It wasn’t every day that a Narcotics Detective was found guilty of multiple counts of murder and working as a hitman for one of the biggest drug organizations in the world.
As the judge ended his speech, Keily sat on the edge of her seat, her hand protectively over her growing baby bump. She silently sent up a prayer that her unborn child would never know the truth about his or her father. Keily feared what that would mean for her child. With as deep as Patrick had been in the organization, all she wanted was to close this chapter of her life and never look back.
And maybe that was why she was there today.
Seeing Patrick get what he deserved was a way for her to say goodbye to the past and move on toward the future she knew she deserved.
“Therefore,” the Judge said. “Mr. Dean, you are hereby sentenced to four life-terms, without the possibility for parole. This sentence will begin immediately. Mr. Dean, you are remanded into the custody of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. They will see to your transports to your new home – USP Beaumont. Enjoy your stay, sir.”
The judge slapped the gavel and the room erupted in cheers.
Keily jumped in her seat, startled by the loud display.
Grabbing her purse, she hurried out of the courtroom and made her way down the long, stone hallway and out of the old, ominous building. As she ran down the stairs, tears sprang to her eyes. She didn’t know why she was crying, but when she made it to her car and unlocked the door, Keily flopped down in the seat. And as she closed the car door, the dam broke on her emotions and all her pent-up feelings from the last year of her life seemed to just flow out of her.
> Nobody would ever understand the level of anxiety and fear she had felt every day for the last few months. And now, it was finally over. She could breathe. No more worrying if Patrick would show up at her door. No more fearing that he’d one day take it too far.
She was finally free. It was over.
Wiping the tears from her face, she took a deep cleansing breath. Then Keily slipped her key into the ignition and started her car before pulling away from the curb and driving away from the courthouse, without looking back.
Patrick Dean had forever changed her life. Because of him, she no longer trusted herself. Her instincts were flawed. Because of him, she’d lost everything – her job, her home, her friends. And that was something she would never forgive him for. After Pat’s arrest, everyone seemed to look at Keily differently. Like somehow, she’d been involved. As if she’d known. But she hadn’t. Like everyone else, Keily had been fooled. But nobody seemed to believe that…
But all of that was now in the past. It was over. Today, Keily would begin her new life. A life that led to peace and happiness for her and her child. A life untainted by Patrick Dean. For the first time, in a long time – she looked forward to the bright future ahead of her. While she wasn’t thrilled about having to return to her hometown, Keily knew she needed it to ensure that whatever future she had it would be a meaningful one.
So, as she maneuvered her car onto the interstate, Keily quietly said goodbye to her home of ten years. And as another single tear, slid down her cheek, she made a promise to herself – never again would she allow a man to control her, to step on her.
Even with everything Patrick had done to her, mentally, emotionally, and physically, Keily couldn’t look at her pregnancy as anything other than a blessing. This baby was the only good thing that had come from that relationship, and even though the baby wasn’t there yet, Keily cherished it more than anything.
So, with a final look in her rearview mirror, she tilted it down toward the backseat, and never once tried to look back as she continued driving toward the life she had spent the last few months planning.
Tinker's Dilemma: Devil's Henchmen MC Next Generation, Book One Page 1