by Jayna King
It hit me that I had the perfect solution, though. I knew deep down that Kate Tanner and Mark Singer were using me, and I decided that was going to be a two way street. They were going to get their information, and in exchange, they were going to solve my Joker problem. I could make it appear like I had nothing to do with it. I checked in with my conscience briefly — nothing. I knew that Joker belonged in prison, and I was going to put him there. I knew now what Moses had seen in his uncle, my father, and I was going to finish the job Moses had started.
By the time we pulled in, I knew what I was going to do. I needed to find out if church was at the usual time tomorrow, and I wanted to talk my plan over with Krystal. I didn't even turn my bike off. I waved my old lady over and rolled up next to Zeno.
"Church at four tomorrow?"
"Yeah. Aren't you coming in?"
"Fuck, no," I answered, not sure if I should let my disgust with Joker spill out and deciding that I didn't care. "I'm not gonna go celebrate that shit. He shouldn't have done that with the guy's kids there."
Zeno studied me, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Inscrutable, as always. "Alright, man. See you tomorrow." He walked off, and I would have paid good money to know what he thought of Joker's behavior.
"Everything go okay?" Krystal asked as she put her helmet on.
"Not exactly. Get on, and we'll talk when we get home. I have to get out of here."
I started to pull away, and I saw Joker hang his helmet on his bike and scan the lot. He saw me, and as I gunned the bike, I could just hear him yelling my name as I pulled away. I didn't even think about stopping.
When we pulled up to the house, I realized how much I'd missed being home with Krystal. I pulled the bike into the garage, and killed the engine.
"What the hell happened?" Krystal asked, looking me over to see if I was hurt. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, baby." I got off the bike, stretched my legs, and opened the door to the kitchen. "I want a fucking drink. Let's get settled in and I'll tell you."
I washed off the road dirt and pulled on clean jeans and a t-shirt. Krystal had shared the shower with me, and she combed through her hair as I went into the kitchen to pour us a drink: rocks glasses, ice, and a long pour of whiskey, for both of us. It was still warm enough to sit outside, so I headed out to the deck, knowing that Krystal would find me. I handed her a glass, and she sat in her favorite chair, looking at me and waiting for the story.
I took a long drink. "So Joker's plan was to just bust in and beat the guy senseless. I challenged him — asked if maybe we should talk to the guy first — and he didn't look particularly happy."
"It can be tricky," Krystal said. "The guys get bent out of shape when they feel like you're not respecting their positions."
"Anyway, we rolled up to the guy’s house, Joker kicks in the door, and the guy's sitting on the couch with his two kids." I paused for another sip. "Krystal, Joker beat the guy senseless. Pistol whipped him right in front of the man's sons. One of 'em was covered in his father's blood, and the other kid was so scared he pissed himself. Joker didn't even think twice about it. It was fucking awful."
I looked up from the amber liquid in my glass and saw the horror in Krystal's eyes. "Baby, I have to take this guy down. I thought I knew him — thought he was the man that gave me a hug when he'd found out I was the son he didn't even know he had. I thought he was a good time guy — fun to drink and hang out with, but I had no idea that there was an evil, twisted side to him. He has to be stopped, and I think I know how I'm gonna do it."
"Hold on a minute," she said, evidently wanting to slow me down. "Did any of the guys say anything?"
"Not a word. Now, I don't know what's going to happen back at the clubhouse, but someone should have stopped him, or at least tried to. If I hadn't been behind ten other guys, back at the doorway, I'd have knocked the old man out. I know we kinda like to make up our own rules, but there are some things that are right, and some things that are wrong, no matter who you are, and no matter what position you hold."
I stood up, unable to contain my fury and frustration while sitting still. "What if Zeno was wrong? Had Joker even thought about that? What if we had the wrong fucking guy?"
Krystal shook her head. "Those poor children," she said. "Even if it was the right guy, they didn't deserve to see that."
"Exactly. Joker is gonna have to pay for his sins. I'm going to see to it."
"What're you going to do?"
I smiled at her, pleased with my solution. "I'm gonna let Teller and Singer do the dirty work for me."
Chapter 25 -- Krystal
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Luke kissed me before he left for church. I was settling in with my schoolwork on an unusual, gray rainy day. We'd spent the morning up in Denver, helping to clean up the mess in Savage Bud. We'd cleared out and swept up all the broken glass, and Sable had called the insurance company to file a claim. She'd kept trying to get me or Luke off by ourselves so that she could ask about the tension between Luke and Joker. Both of us had brushed her off.
I'd listened to Luke's plan the night before, and while it wasn't foolproof, I figured he was right — that it was our best shot at a satisfactory resolution of a seriously fucked up mess. He explained that if he could get the feds to agree to let the weed shipment in, then he'd let them know when and where Joker planned to receive the stuff, and they could arrest him with a pile of pot. He'd also agree to give them every single name, physical description, and address that we'd gotten from our trip to Mexico. Luke was also adamant about the assault on the weed shop owner. He wanted Joker to do time for what he'd put those kids through. Luke had met with Kate and Mark early Sunday morning, and they had been surprisingly enthusiastic about Luke's suggestions.
Now all Luke had to do was get through church and keep his mouth shut for a few more days until the courier showed up. He knew there would be fallout with Sable, but Luke was holding cards that he thought would persuade her that we'd done the right thing. As soon as Joker was arrested, Luke intended to sit down with every member of the Savage Sons and tell Moses and Maria's story. He was going to drop a bombshell — that both he and Moses had worked as federal informers — and his only hope of staying alive was that his brothers and his mother would understand the reasons why he'd done it.
Feet wrapped up in a blanket, I forced myself to concentrate on my homework. I was hoping to get my reading finished and most of a paper written before Luke got home. I'd put a roast and some vegetables in the oven, along with half a bottle of red wine, so we had a wonderful, home cooked dinner for two to look forward to. After all of the craziness of the last few days, coupled with the craziness that we knew was still to come, I was looking forward to just one evening to spend with Luke, just the two of us.
When I woke up, my book was on my chest, and I could smell the heavenly aroma of roast beef filling the house. Night had fallen, and I'd accomplished nothing on my homework. I stood up, stretched, and decided to blow it off until Monday. I was pretty sure I could get it done in time. I went out to the woodpile, dug down to find enough wood that was dry, and stacked it neatly inside. Once I had the fire blazing, I changed into one of my prettiest nightgowns, opened some wine, and started the final dinner prep, looking forward to Luke's return.
I heard his bike and poured him a glass of wine. I hoped the meeting hadn't been awful.
"Hey, baby," he said, sounding as tired as he looked. "You look as good as this house smells."
I smiled at his weird compliment and handed him his wine. "Dinner's nearly ready. I've set the table in the dining room, and we're doing candlelight tonight. Figured we could use a little break."
He sighed deeply. "You have no idea how wonderful that sounds."
"Go ahead and sit, and I'll bring things in shortly. I'm dying to hear about church. Want to talk while I finish up in here?"
"You sure?" he asked. "It ain't fun stuff."
"I can handle it, sugar. And besides t
hat, I'm so damn happy to be home cooking dinner for the most wonderful man that I know … there's nothing that can ruin my evening."
"I hope you're right. So Joker pulled me aside before the meeting ever started. He was pissed — seriously pissed — that I'd called him out in front of the guys."
"How'd you handle that?"
"I had a feeling that it was coming, and I decided that the smart thing to do was to swallow my pride and apologize. If I cared about what he thought — if he was gonna be around more than a couple of days, I'd have handled it differently. But the man's an asshole, and he's about to become irrelevant. No sense making waves at this point."
"Good for you," I said, marveling at the wisdom of a man who knows that keeping his mouth shut is sometimes the wisest play. I carried plates into the dining room, setting Luke's in front of him with a flourish. "Roast beef, gravy, roast carrots, potatoes, celery, and mushrooms. Look okay?" I asked, certain that he'd approve.
"Holy shit, girl. The only thing that looks better than dinner is you. I plan to enjoy this first, and then have you for dessert."
I joined him at the table. "That's the plan, sugar."
Our first few bites were taken in silence, both of us hungry and savoring the food.
"So did you vote about the Mexican girls?" I asked, finally getting to the question I'd been dying to ask.
Luke put his fork down. "Yeah. I couldn't fucking believe it, but the group voted for it."
"Are you kidding me? Is it just the money — the free pot?"
"No, not entirely. Apparently Don Roberto is a pretty canny business guy. The women he sent off with the guys that night in Nuevas Casas Grandes had been given orders to make every fantasy they'd ever had come true. Krystal, there was cocaine, there were three-and foursomes. All the guys can think about is the money they'd make off women like that, and how badly they want the chance to get another piece of that action for themselves."
"Well, how close was the vote?"
"Everyone but Zeno and I voted for it. I'd thought about trying to get a few people on my side, but there was no way."
"Even with the prospect of a legal business, they're still willing to go back to their old ways." I shook my head, disgusted and frustrated. "You'd think they'd be tired of looking over their shoulders."
"I know," Luke agreed with me. "I thought about bringing up the fact that they knew the feds had been watching them, and I decided it was better not to. Shit's going down in a few days, anyway, and as soon as Joker's arrested, then all bets are off. Once they know the whole back story, not a one of them will want to get back into bed with Don Roberto or his girls."
"When's the shipment supposed to arrive?"
"Not until Thursday. I wish it were going to be sooner, but it's not."
"So we have a few days to kill. We'll make it." I thought for a second. "You think Kate and Mark will be content to wait?"
"Don't give a shit if they're content or not. They're gonna have to wait, because that's when he's coming. I talked to Singer before I came home, and he was trying to get me to come in tomorrow and give them all the Mexico information. Told him it would have to wait until after Joker — and only Joker — was arrested."
"Otherwise, they could arrest you and the rest of the guys, too," I said. "Smart."
We finished the meal, taking our time and shifting the subject to my school. I loved it that Luke actually seemed interested in what I was studying. I cleared the table, and Luke helped me load the dishwasher before we settled in front of the fire with the rest of the bottle of wine. I'd thrown some pillows and blankets down ahead of time, and settling in with my head on Luke's chest just felt like heaven. I could have probably fallen asleep that way if Luke hadn't started kissing me — starting with my fingers, moving to my wrists, arms, and finally to my neck.
I raised my head to press my lips to his, and I was surprised by the pressure, the urgency with which he kissed me. He pressed himself up against me, and I could feel his cock starting to stiffen through his jeans. All of a sudden he stopped, took his mouth from mine and pulled back.
"What's wrong?" I asked, perplexed.
"Nothing," he said with a ridiculously huge smile. "Krystal, there's nothing wrong, and everything right," he said. He stood up, and I shifted my position to get comfortable after having been half-dumped onto the floor. "Sorry," he said over his shoulder as he went into the bedroom.
What the hell?
He came back into the room, and I looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Luke, what's going on?"
"Something just occurred to me," he said, talking quickly. "I just realized two things."
"Okay…"
"One, I love you Krystal Shaw, and I don't think I've ever really, really loved anyone like this before." He got back down on the floor, sitting down cross-legged and facing me.
I couldn't help but smile. He was always sexy, but he was sexier when he was really happy. "I love you too, sugar."
"Do you want to know what the second thing is?"
"Of course, silly boy," I answered, leaning over to kiss him.
"Krystal, I want to marry you."
I was dumbfounded. "What?"
"I want you to be my wife, Krystal. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want a family with you." He actually got up on one knee. "Will you marry me?"
"I don't know what to say." Tears welled up in my eyes. I'd thought about marrying Luke, but not in a real-life kind of way. It had always been something I'd fantasized about but believed would never really happen, not to me.
"Well, do you want to marry me?"
I nodded, unable to find any more words to express all of the emotions that flooded me.
"Then say yes, Krystal. Say you'll marry me."
I looked at him, perfect blue eyes in that face I loved so much and I nodded. "Yes, Luke. I'll marry you."
I couldn't possibly imagine being happier than I was at that moment, but then Luke reached into his pocket.
"This was my mother's ring, and I want you to have it. If you don't like the style, or if you want something bigger, then we can go ring shopping tomorrow. I picked this up when we were at my condo, though, because I knew I'd want it when I asked you to marry me. It means a lot to me."
He slid a yellow gold ring with a gorgeous emerald cut solitaire diamond onto my ring finger. For a second, I though it wasn't going to fit, but once the ring made it past my knuckle, it slipped perfectly into place. I loved it.
"Luke, it's perfect. I can't imagine wanting any ring other than this one, and the fact that it belonged to your mother makes it that much more special. Thank you."
He kissed me, and when I opened my eyes, I found them drawn to the sparkle on my left hand. I'd never dreamed that I'd ever wear a ring so classy and beautiful, and one that was so precious to the man who gave it to me. Luke kissed me again, and as he moved his hands over my body I was almost — but not quite — distracted from the flash of my engagement ring.
We made love on the floor right in front of the fireplace, and again when Luke finally picked me up and carried me to our bed. I fell asleep, naked and happier than I ever been, and I dreamed about the life we would have together.
Chapter 26 -- Luke
Thursday, October 3, 2013
"Right there," Sable said, pointing at the base of a particularly sticky bud. "Snip it right there and lay it next to the others. She was showing me how to harvest the marijuana plants that were mature, and it was a nasty fucking job.
I was wearing gloves so I didn't get the resin all over my hands, and I cut where she'd showed me and laid the bud aside. "How many more of these do we have to do.?" I asked, using my sleeve to wipe sweat from my forehead. "It's like a sauna in here."
"That's the way these little darlings like it," she said, looking like a proud parent bragging about her children. "We should be finished in about an hour."
"Okay," I said, moving on to the next bud. "These little fuckers better be worth it," I said. "
This is shit work, Mom."
I was getting more comfortable calling her Mom, and the little smile that crossed her face each time I did it made me happy.
"So have you and Krystal talked about a date?" she asked while we both worked.
"Not really. I'd be happy to get married tomorrow, but there's really no rush, I don't guess. She's busy with school, and we're thinking maybe next spring."
"That'll make it about a year that you've known each other. You sure that's long enough?" Sable was careful not to make eye contact. She wasn't exactly being critical of Krystal, but I knew that she wasn't convinced that our getting married was the greatest idea.
"I'm sure. Krystal doesn't just make me happy. She makes me a better person. I feel like there's some balance that I've never had, and I want that forever."
"As long as you're sure, then I'm happy for you both," she said, sending me a smile from across the room. "Now get back to work."
"Now I know why no one else wanted to work with you. You're a slave driver."
She laughed and we carried on, harvesting buds and setting them aside to be dried. Sable was happy with how the first crop was looking, and she was pretty sure that the end result was gonna blow people's heads off and make us a shit ton of money. As sticky as the weed was, I thought she was probably right.
"So you have the stuff coming in from Mexico today, right?" she asked.
"Didn't know you knew about that. And yes."
"Joker ain't as discreet as he thinks he is, especially when he's been drinking," she said, making a face. "Things go okay in Mexico?" she asked, and I could hear the thinly veiled concern in her voice.
"Depends on how you look at it," I answered, unsure how to answer her. "The deal went fine. I'm a little concerned about some things I learned, but I have a plan to address it."
