Sinner's Son (Savage Sons Motorcyle Club)

by Jayna King

  I made my plea to the man who was ostensibly in charge in Joker's absence. "Sally, every word I've told you is true. Joker may have bent some rules for me, but I've kept the MC's interests in mind with every decision I've made. We couldn't continue to deal meth and run hookers. Not only were the feds on to us, but it was no good for the club. From what I hear, there was even a dead body or two because of the bullshit with the Vandals over the meth territories. If the Savage Sons was going to continue to exist, we had to change some things. Like getting the dispensary up and running -- that's good for the MC. We can have money coming in, and it's all above board. We won't have the cops sniffing around like they were when you were dealing meth."

  "You have some fucking nerve telling us how to run our MC, Luke." It looked like Nate was barely controlling his urge to come after me. "You're not even a full member, asshole. Who the fuck do you think you are, coming in here and telling us how we should be doing things?"

  A couple of the guys nodded their agreement with Nate, and I could feel the room shifting against me. "Look, Nate. I hear you, man. I didn't mean to make it sound like I know better than you do about the MC, but the fact of the matter is that the feds were all over you guys, and now -- with the exception of Joker -- they're not. The meth is over, and I think that's a good thing. Whatever you think of running hookers, though, you can't think that selling a little girl's virginity is a good idea. Man, that's just fucking evil, and I can't let anyone get away with that, even if it is my father. A little girl is dead because of Joker, and that's wrong."

  Sally held his hand up to keep Nate quiet for a moment. "Luke, how do we know that the feds aren't going to show up and arrest the rest of us? After all, we were all involved in the decision to bring that weed in across the border. Joker won't tell tales, but how do we know that you won't? A man who'd betray his own father can't be trusted."

  I shook my head, completely understanding what he was saying. "I did what I thought was right, Sally. If you could have talked to Maria, listened to the grief that is still fresh from the day that she found her daughter raped and lying dead on her doorstep, you'd have done the same thing I did. There have to be lines that we don't cross. Killing little girls is over that line. Way over that line." I looked around the room, studying all of the faces there. "You need to talk to Zeno before you decide anything. He was there, and he knows what went down. I may be new around here, but he's not. You know him and trust him, and you have to hear what he has to say. I don't think that's asking too much."

  I thought about sticking around longer and trying to persuade the men further, but I had to get out. I felt claustrophobic with all of the animosity from Nate and the smell of whiskey and cigarettes first thing in the morning. I had to get out and clear my head, and I decided that I'd made my case, and I'd just hope for the best.

  Half expecting someone to stop me, I walked out of the building without another word.

  Chapter 13

  Krystal

  I backed out of the garage and headed toward Denver. Since Joker had been arrested a few days before, neither Luke nor I had seen or talked to Sable. We'd both tried to call her a few times, but her voicemail was full, so we couldn't even leave her a message. I knew she might not want to see me, but I felt like I had to try.

  When I pulled up into her driveway, I saw her car, so I was pretty sure she was home. She hadn't responded to the text I'd sent her earlier, and I hoped that she'd at least seen it so that she'd be expecting me. Joker's car wasn't in the drive, and I wondered where it was. Surely, he hadn't been released. I walked up to the front door, steeling myself for the conversation that I hoped to have ahead of me. I knew there wasn't anything I could do if she wouldn't let me in the door.

  I knocked and waited for the sound of Sable approaching, but I heard nothing. I gave it a minute, and I knocked again. Still nothing. I took a deep breath and tried the door handle, surprised when it turned. I opened the door and took a single step inside.

  "Sable," I called. "It's Krystal. You here?"

  "Come on in. I'm in the living room."

  I could smell the faint aroma of marijuana, and I was surprised at how dark the house was. The times I'd been there before, everything had been bright and spotless, but the house felt like it hadn't been aired out in a few days. I walked into the living room and realized that all of the curtains and blinds were closed, and Sable was lying on the couch, feet propped up at the end.

  "Hey," I said, taking the scene in. Things hadn't exactly gone to hell, but Sable was typically so on top of things that it was strange to see her in pajamas in the middle of the day, no makeup on, and the house a little messy. An ashtray on the coffee table held the end of several joints, though none were currently lit. "You doing okay?" I asked, unsure what else to say.

  She sighed, not bothering to move or even look at me. She stared at the ceiling. "Not really. My husband's in jail and my son's the one who put him there. Things are kinda shitty."

  I walked around and sat down in the armchair that faced the couch. "Sable, I'm so sorry. I know this has to have been horrible for you."

  "Did you know he was going to be arrested?" Sable didn't sound angry; she mostly just sounded tired and defeated.

  I hesitated. I didn't want her to be angry at me, but I wasn't going to lie to her. "I did."

  She finally turned her head to look at me. "You did," she said, as if she was struggling to understand the words. "And you didn't do anything to stop it?" She didn't seem upset, but she did sound puzzled.

  "No, I didn't."

  Sable turned to face the ceiling again, and the silence in the room lasted for several minutes. I knew she was dealing with a lot of issues and emotions, and I thought it best to let her move the conversation along at her pace.

  "I know that Joker was pretty good to you, at least better to you than some of the guys," she finally said at long last. "I can only assume that you had a reason."

  "I did. And so did Luke. Do you want to hear about it?"

  "Sally stopped by a couple of days ago, and he told me that Luke had been working with the feds. That he was an informant. Then later the same day that Kate Tanner from the FBI showed up, and I spent the next four hours with her asking me questions about everything from the day I met Joker up until the day he was arrested. It was no fun, and to be honest, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around all this shit."

  I leaned forward in the chair, thinking about putting my hand on her arm, but I decided against it. "Sable, I can tell you the whole story, but it's going to take a little while, and you're not gonna like everything you hear. When Luke and I were in Mexico, we found out some things about Joker. Do you want to listen?"

  The silence stretched between us again before she finally looked at me again. "Yes," she said, a hint of determination in her voice.

  I took a deep breath and launched into the story. I told her of meeting Maria at Lupita's and of my visit to her apartment with Luke. Even though I thought about glossing over some of the worst parts, I decided that Sable needed to hear everything so that she'd understand why Luke had done what he had.

  "So that was it," I said, finishing up Maria's tale. "Maria read his letters and knew that Moses had turned to working for the feds in an attempt to bring down the MC and make Joker pay for what he'd done. She never saw Moses again, and she was sad to learn that he'd been killed. Luke really struggled with what he'd learned from Maria, Sable. He was so happy to have connected with you and his father, and he knew that if he did what his conscience told him was right, he'd run the risk of losing both of you. Your son's a good man, Sable. He did the right thing in turning Joker over to the feds."

  Sable slowly sat up and looked as if she felt sick to her stomach, so much so that I was afraid she'd throw up right there. She stood up abruptly and walked upstairs without a word. I sat in the living room, unsure if I should stay and give her some privacy or stay and hope to make her understand why Luke had set Joker up. Time passed, and I checked my phon
e to see if Luke had called or texted to let me know how church had gone. No word yet. I heard water running upstairs, and after fifteen minutes became half an hour, I finally heard Sable's footsteps coming down the stairs. I was anxious to see what kind of shape she was in.

  She looked better, her face fresh-scrubbed and her wet hair twisted up and secured by a clip. She wore jeans and a t-shirt, and she looked more composed than she had when I'd walked in.

  "Want some coffee?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen.

  "Sure. Thanks."

  I watched as she put on a pot of coffee, and from what I could see, she was doing okay. She leaned onto the kitchen counted while the coffee brewed, and she pointed at the barstool at the counter opposite her.

  "Have a seat," she said.

  I did. "You okay?" I asked as I sat down.

  "To be honest, I feel like a fucking idiot. I loved Joker. I really did. Do you realize that we've been together for more than half of my life? Nearly two-thirds." She paused and shook her head. "But I knew he was up to shit he shouldn't have been. I knew he fucked other women, and I didn't care all that much because he came home to me eventually, and for the most part, he was pretty respectful. I always suspected that there was a dark side to him -- that part of him was a man I didn't know, couldn't understand. I just never realized how awful he could be. I never knew that he was the kind of man who'd do that to a little girl, and I'm ashamed for having let him keep me in the dark. I feel like it's my fault that Nadia is dead, and my heart just aches for Maria."

  Sable poured me a cup of coffee and continued. "As much as I hate to admit it, Luke did the right thing. He didn't have a say in who his father was, but he made the best decisions he could, given the lousy circumstances."

  I let out a huge sigh of relief. I'd been afraid that Sable wouldn't believe me or wouldn't care that Luke had made a careful, reasoned decision. "I'm so glad to hear that," I said. "We thought about telling you, but Luke was afraid that somehow Joker would figure out that something was wrong, and the feds would miss their chance to get him into custody."

  "I understand. It would have been nice to know, rather than being blindsided, but it makes sense."

  Sable and I talked some more, taking our time sipping coffee. Her gaze fell to my engagement sign, and she got quiet for a while, breaking the silence with a question at last.

  "Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked, pointing toward the ring on my finger.

  "What do you mean? Of course I think it's a good idea to marry Luke."

  "Knowing what his father has done, you still think he's the man you want to send the rest of your life with?"

  "Well, I've never really thought about it that way, but Sable, Luke is good at heart. I know he is. He may have embraced the MC, but he wants to see it become the kind of organization that he can be proud of -- one that functions without destroying lives."

  "You know, Krystal, I think you're right. I have to tell you that I didn't realize how smart you are until recently, and not just because you're going to marry my son. You haven't always had the easiest life, but you've pulled yourself up and found a way to make things better. You have a lot to be proud of."

  I couldn't believe my ears, and I tried to keep the tears from coming to my eyes. "Well, I'm glad you're going to be my mother-in-law, Sable." I couldn't say any more without bursting into tears, so I stopped.

  Sable reached for my empty cup and put hers and mine into the sink. "I'll deal with those later," she said. "I have something to take care of."

  "Need to check on the plants?"

  "Nope. I have those taken care of. I'm going to go see my husband."

  That was a surprise.

  "He's not going to be happy to hear what I have to say, but I won't spend another second longer than I have to spend married to a monster."

  "Want company?"

  "No," Sable answered. "This is something I need to do by myself and for myself."

  I was on my way home from Sable's house – my mind heavy with worries about Luke -- when my phone rang. I glanced down and saw that it was Zeno. My heart raced as I fumbled with the phone to answer it -- terrified that he was calling to tell me that the MC had decided to exact revenge on Luke for having betrayed the club's president.

  "Zeno?" I said when I managed to get the phone to my ear. Everything okay?"

  "Miss Shaw? Is that you?" a man with a Spanish accent asked.

  I looked down at the phone to make sure that I'd read the caller ID correctly. I had. "Yes?" I answered, confused.

  "Good. Miss Shaw, it appears that your friend Zeno has run into a little trouble and could use your assistance. I am going to give you an address, and if you want to help your friend, then you should come right away. If you delay, then it may be too late."

  "Who the fuck are you, and what have you done to Zeno?" I asked, enunciating every word slowly, surprised at the even tone I maintained.

  "We have a mutual friend, Miss Shaw. Don Roberto sends his greetings and is very anxious to speak with you regarding an unscheduled meeting you had while you were in Ciudad Juarez."

  My mind was racing. "Let me talk to Zeno," I said, trying to stay calm while I figured out my best course of action.

  "He is ... incapacitated at the moment, but you will be able to see him as soon as you arrive." He started to give me the address, but I couldn't write it down while I was driving.

  "Hold on, hold on! I have to pull over so I can write it down." I stopped the car and, with shaking hands, grabbed a pen and a mostly blank envelope. "Okay. I'm ready." He repeated the address -- on the complete opposite side of town, near the airport. If I were going straight there, it would have taken nearly forty minutes, and I had no intention of going alone. "Wow. I'll need at least an hour-and-a-half to get there," I said, hoping that would give me enough time to find Luke and maybe even contact Kate Tanner. I knew that what was going on was the worst kind of bad news.

  "There is no need to hurry, Miss Shaw. Unless you care about your friend's health. He may be alive when you get here, and he may not be. I suggest that you come alone. Don Roberto wants only to speak with you. No one else."

  He hung up.

  The first thought that ran through my head was What kind of fucking idiot does he think I am ? Did he think I was some too-stupid-to-live bimbo who'd do whatever she was told? I stayed pulled over on the side of the road and I called Luke.

  "Hey, babe," he answered the phone. "So the meeting didn't go all that ..."

  I interrupted him straightaway. "Luke, listen to me. I just got a call from Zeno's phone..."

  "Where the hell is he? He was supposed..."

  I interrupted again. "Luke! Listen to me. It was one of Don Roberto's men on the phone. He said that the Don wants to talk to me, and they want me to come to an address near the airport. He told me to come alone, and I..."

  "No fucking way, Krystal. I'm not gonna..."

  "Luke! Seriously. Stop talking and listen to me without interrupting." He finally shut up and let me say my piece. "I'm not stupid. Of course I'm not going by myself. If they want to talk to me, they'll wait until you and I can get there. I love Zeno, but if they're going to hurt him, there's nothing I can do to stop them. Where are you?"

  "I'm in the clubhouse parking lot. The meeting just ended."

  "Do you have your gun?"

  "Yeah."

  "Good. I'll be there in about seven minutes. We'll need to decide if we're going to call Kate."

  I hung up the phone, thanking my lucky stars that I'd decided to keep the handgun that Luke had given me in my purse. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, I'd decided that we had to notify the feds Luke had been working with, and I hoped he'd agree.

  Luke opened the door and got inside my car. "I left Tanner a message and just got off the phone with Singer. I told him I'd text him the address when you got here."

  I handed Luke the address, and waited while he sent the message to the DEA agent. "We need a plan," I said when
he'd finished.

  "My guess is that they called you because they're pissed that our weed was confiscated and they haven't gotten their money. We know that Don Roberto will go after the families of his enemies, and I think we've made it clear that we're not on the same side he is anymore."

  "What did Singer say?"

  "He thinks he can get a team of agents there within the hour. It'll be helpful if I can call him with all of the information you have -- how many men are there -- anything you might know that will help them get ready."

  "I don't know much. I didn't really hear any background noise, but the man who called said that Don Roberto wanted to talk to me about our meeting with Maria. He said I should hurry if I cared about Zeno. I don't really have much more information than that."

  Luke sat for a few seconds, quiet and pensive. "Okay," he finally said. "I'm gonna call Singer back and give him what little information we have. Then I'm going back inside to talk to Sally. Things didn't exactly go well, but that was mostly because Zeno didn't show up. Now that we know why he isn't here, I'm hoping I can get some of the guys to come back us up."

  "I'll try Kate again while you make your call."

  Luke stepped out of the car to call Singer, and I dialed Kate's number, frustrated to hear her voicemail greeting. "Kate, it's Krystal Shaw. I need you to call me back. The guys we dealt with in Mexico have come up here and have Zeno. They want to talk to me alone, and they're going to hurt him if I don't show up. Luke is with me, and we're going to head to the address they gave me. Luke has talked to Mark, but I would really feel better if I talked to you, too. Call me back."

  I got out of the car as soon as I hung up. Luke was just wrapping up with Singer, and when he hung up the phone, I could tell that he was tired and tense. "You want me to go inside with you?"

  "Absolutely. Knowing that Don Roberto has people up here, I don't want you out of my sight."