Chapter 9

Luke knew something was wrong. After he'd gone home the morning after his dad had caused a scene, he hadn't talked to Jud. It wasn't unusual. If he was working a case, he would always go on radio silence. He had to, to make sure nothing went wrong.

But something was wrong, absolutely wrong. Luke couldn't tell what it was, but his gut was telling him something wasn't right. Warning bells rang loudly in his head, but he couldn't figure out what was bothering him.

He checked his phone. Sometimes if he sent a text message, Jud would answer immediately, usually something simple as 'can't talk right now' or 'going out'. The last one always meant he was going on a mission and wouldn't be able to talk. This time he hadn't said anything. There hadn't been any response or communication at all.

In true overthinking fashion, Luke began to panic. He wondered if Jud really wanted to be together. Was he not saying something because he didn't want to be in the relationship anymore? Was he mad because of Luke's father? Was he okay? Had he gotten hurt? What was going on? All of these thoughts ran through his head as he sat in his office.

He could hear the music thumping languidly outside his door. He hoped his team was doing its job. Tonight was a busy night. A bridal paty had booked the club for a ninety minute party. Usually, he didn't allow it, but it was for Raymond's sister. She was getting married next month, and Raymond had offered to foot the bill. They had opened early just for this party, and the regular hours of operation would be enforced at eleven.

Luke sent a text to Jud then tried no to stare at his phone. He willed his other half to answer him, even going so far as to curse the phone out loud. He was really feeling lost without knowing what was going on.

There was a knock at his door and he looked up as Raymond and Andrew came in. Andrew was one of his and the general manager of Hamilton. It was rare for him to show up at Bennett's especially since Hamilton was a regular bar that pened at ten in the morning and closed at 9 pm. He didn't leave until well after eleven.

"Hey, Luke," he greeted.

Luke glanced at him briefly before staring back at his phone. "A little out of your element aren't you?"

"Queenie's manning the bar. I had to come talk to you."

Queenie was Kendra Martin, another one of their friend's and Andrew's girlfriend. She was the hostess and ran the front end while her twin sister Emma ran the kitchen. Like Kendra, Emma didn't go by her real name. Her nickname was Rook and Andrew's was Joker. Naturally, Luke's nickname was Prince because his father was the leader of the Kings. Raymond got the lovely moniker of Jack. Their last friend was named Ace but he hadn't been away from work for a while.

Luke finally looked up after nothing came across his screen. "What is it?"

"Whiskey Roberts was raided last night," Andrew said. Stunned silence filled the office. Both Luke and Raymon could only look at him. "No one heard any rumblings, but one of the Saints was found. He had enough coke on him to knock out an elephant."

"What about Amos?" Raymond asked. He was usually the first to recover from the initial shock. "Where is he?"

"Protective custody. They whisked him away before it even happened. He knew the man was there." He paused for a moment. "Did you know about it?"

Luke's mouth fell open. "Do I look like I know? Dad barely even told me what was going on?" He stopped to take a deep breath, warning bells ringing louder than before. "Which team?"

"It was Jud's team." His friend smiled when Luke's mouth straightened out into a line. "We're not stupid, but we did wait for you to tell us?"

Luke muttered sorry. He didn't want to keep anything from them, but Jud was a cop. Sometimes that didn't mesh well with the mafia. Especially if they tried to figure out what Jud knew like Amos had. But unlike Amos, some wouldn't let him go as easily as his dad had. It would end in blood.

Andrew stuck around as they'd cleaned up from the bridal party. Luke was quiet as he hit reset on all of his business. The rest of his employees filtered in and got their stations. After the party, they were free to do pretty much whatever they wanted. Luke had waived their usual two hundred dollar cap much to their excitement. It meant they got to keep all the tips and not worry about selling the alcohol.

Their night started, but Luke couldn't shake the uneasiness sitting in his stomach. Even after Andrew left to close the bar, he sat in the VIP lounge and bounced his knee. He couldn't even enjoy his favorite bottle of wine. It tasted rancid despite its sweet nature.

His friends wandered up with several girls. He heard their giggles and saw their gazes, but he wasn't interested. He never had been, never would be, and didn't want to entertain it. What he did want was for the asshole to text him back that everything was okay.

Raymond got his attention from down on the floor and motioned him down. He sighed in relief as it got him away from the noisy girls who wanted his attention. He got up and made his way to the stairs. As he was descending, he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

"Is that what you're showing me?" he asked. He stood in front of Raymond watching a man hit on one of his employees. It wasn't uncommon for men to frequent his shop. Mostly women came, but every so often a male wanted a host's company.

"Right," Raymond agreed, "but look at his neck."

Luke let his eyes trail lazily over the customer. He was barely in dress code with his suit and tie. His jeans could get him escorted out, but he was chatting with a very influential host so Luke let it slide for now.

His eyes landed on his neck. Luke saw the halo-headed angel. He looked at Raymond, motioning for the man to stand down and watch. If it had been any other host, he would have jumped in. This was Antonio, one of the few who could hold his own and was Luke's ex-friends with benefits. He could take control of the situation if he went dirty.

Luke leaned against the table and watched as Antonio sold a bottle of wine to the Saint. If he knew him at all, Antonio already knew who this guy was and what his plans were. He used to be a prospective member of the Kings but left when his mother died. He raised his younger brothers until they'd gone to college then came to work for Luke. Even after their sexual relationship had ended, Antonio had stayed because he'd like the job.

He was well-versed in spotting anyone trying to do the club dirty. When the man had sat with him, he'd sized him up. Luke had no doubt the tattoo had been the first thing he'd spotted. Luke didn't know what his plan was, but Antonio had it covered.

Luke watched as the guy steadily became plastered. His ears turned red, and a blush appeared over his neck and cheeks. He started slurring his words, but Antonio kept pouring. He was amused by his client's lack of control and low alcohol tolerance, but sometimes it was all it took to get the information they needed.

Just as things started to get boring, the client pulled something from his pocket. He wrapped his arm around Antonio's neck and dangled the packet in front of his face. Antonio's pleasant smile disappeared, and he went from host to badass in a millisecond. His tone changed as he surged to his feet. Fortunately, the man was too drunk to understand the slurs coming from his mouth.

Luke was about to make his way to his employee when his front door was kicked in. Five people in tactical gear stormed his establishment, screaming for nobody to move and for them to put their hands up. Girls screamed and many of his employees jumped to their feet as guns swiveled every which way.

Understanding dawned on Luke as a pair of green-grey eyes landed on him. He understood why Jud hadn't answered. He'd been planning a raid on Bennett's and had needed the element of surprise. He couldn't tell Luke because it would be a breach of protocol, and it would give Luke time to either stash illegal substances or run away. Luke couldn't help that his feelings were hurt even if he did fully understand.

He looked Jud up and down. He took in the black fabric that covered him from head to toe. He had a vest covering his chest, bullet proof no doubt. There was a random assortment of police gear hooked to his arms and legs, and the combat boots or whatever they were called were laced up over his pants. He looked downright intimidating, but in Luke's brain, all he was, was a goodlooking guy in a uniform. He wanted to rip it off, but they were in front of everyone else.

Everyone stayed where they were as the S.W.A.T team swept the building. Once given the all clear, police came in and began patting everyone down. Luke watched the tallest S.W.A.T member -its captain- as he was quickly frisked. Only a pen was found in his coat pocket.

"Permission to go to my office for my licenses?" he asked. Somehow his voice was steady even though his heart was pounding in his chest.

The officer looked back at the S.W.A.T leader. The captain nodded. "Permission granted."

Luke and the officer went to his office. Even though the man knew what he had on his person, Luke still told him what he was doing and moved slowly. Minutes later, they were going back out into the club with all his identifications. He set them on the bar and stepped back as the officer went through them, checking the dates. They all checked out. Everything was in order.

"Captain?" They all looked at another tactical officer. She was standing by Antonio. "This man is a full-fledged Saint."

Antonio nudged the fallen bag to her with his toe. "He came in with this, said he wanted to share. I was about to have him tossed before you stormed in."

"It fits the same pattern as the Whiskey," another said. So the raids were connected after all. Luke was surprised.

The captain nodded. "Book him. Everyone else is free to go." He looked back at Luke. "Can I get the security footage from tonight? It'll be used as evidence."

Luke nodded. "Give me five minutes. You can even leave your officer with me in case you're nervous."

The green-grey eyes looked pained as the covered head nodded again. That was all they could do since they couldn't say what they were really feeling. "Thank you."

The proprietor sighed as the club was soon deserted. He dismissed his employees with a full-night's pay then went to get the security footage. His hands shook as he burned it to a DVD as well as saved it to a flash drive. His heart thundered in his chest. What was going to happen once his dad found out? No one had any drugs but the group had always been drug free. It wasn't tolerated, and up until now Luke hadn't had any trouble. Now his place was raided. What did that say about his managerial skills?

Luke handed everything to the officer then went to collect his things. He looked around his empty club, making a mental note to have someone come in and clean once the morning deepened.

The last time Luke had seen his club look like a ghost town was when a tornado had ripped through the downtown area. The streets had been blocked off and the power had been out for five days. Luckily, the only casualties had been the businesses and not people. Since then, this place has only been quiet on Mondays.

With everyone dispersed, the police shared information as the S.W.A.T team talked outside their bus. For the first time, Luke saw what Jud looked like in uniform. He much preferred him naked, but a man in uniform looked good too.

As if sensing he was being watched, Jud turned to him. Their eyes met, and Luke fought back a smile his place had just been raided by that man, yet all he could think about was tearing that uniform off of him. This wasn't the time or the place, so he just nodded and started for his car.

A single shot rang out from somewhere above. Luke turned just as Jud's body twitched. As if time slowed down, his knees buckled and he dropped to the asphalt. Blood poured from a wound right under his arm, one of the few places where he was exposed.

Luke didn't care who saw or heard him. His feet carried him across the street. He dropped to his knees before he even made it, not caring that he ripped holes in his pants or that people saw it. Hands tore at him as they tried to pull him away, but he hunkered over Jud's head as he cradled him. Behind him somewhere, he heard someone call for a bus. A bus? What good would that do?

"Hey." He lifted his head at the gargled voice. Jud smiled despite the crimson staining his lips. "It missed my heart."

"But it didn't miss mine," Luke whispered. He felt the tears brimming on his bottom lids, threatening to spill over.

He wanted to pull him to his lap but was afraid he would do more damage if he did. He knew he shouldn't move someone who had hit his head or had been shot. The bullet could move and damage something. He wanted to help but didn't want to do anymore damage.

"You're my emergency contact," he continued. "They'll call you."

Jud nodded at someone, and Luke tumbled backwards. He wanted to argue, but Raymond wrapped his arms around his shoulders and held him tightly. The police swarmed and got Jud on to the gurney that magically appeared. He was whisked away into the back of an ambulance, and soon he was gone.

Luke shook as he watched the taillights turn left and took the best thing in his life to the hospital. He heard Raymond saying something but couldn't make it out. His ears were ringing.

In a stupid turn of events, Luke realized what a bus was. Now all he could do was wait for the call.