One You Never Leave Read online

  At least he could relax a bit now that the errands were done and he was on the way home. He hoped the locksmith had gotten there and changed the locks. That would make Luke feel a little better.

  He was on the main highway, going past his shop on the way to his apartment complex when he noticed the lights on in his shop. That couldn’t be right. Saks said he’d close the shop. Luke thought about the near break-in a few nights ago, and alarm shot through his body.

  He swung into the parking lot and slid into the spot at the front door of the garage. Checking it, he found it was locked, but the security system wasn’t on. “Damn,” Luke cursed, “did Saks forget to set the alarm?”

  The lights shouldn’t have been on. It raised a red flag. He opened the door and walked in. “Hello!” he called out. But there was no answer. A few steps brought him to the shop entrance of the garage. Here the lights were blazing, but no one was in the large space. There was nothing to hide behind here, but there was the bathroom towards the back. Luke picked up a crowbar he had hanging from the wall and walked to the bathroom. He checked the handle. It wasn’t locked. Carefully he unlatched it, and kicked the door in suddenly. The door hit the wall with a thud. He rushed in with a scream, hoping to frighten whoever was there.

  But no one was in the bathroom. It was just the one toilet and sink, so nothing was hidden here either.

  He walked out of the bathroom, perplexed and feeling slightly foolish.

  Still, something was off.

  Next to the bathroom door was the entrance to the back garage. It was a solid black door that was usually kept locked because of all the bikes in storage there. Luke turned the handle, and found to his surprise that the door was open. This definitely wasn’t right.

  Luke pulled open the door to find the lights blazing in that garage too. He scanned the room and didn’t see anyone.

  But through the large panes of the garage bay doors, he saw a bunch of men in the back parking lot next to the clubhouse. Men wearing Hades’ Spawn jackets. Members of his own club. What the hell were they doing here? That back gate was locked for the winter. Then he saw Pepper working a key in the door of the clubhouse.

  “What the fuck?” What the hell was Pepper doing? Though officially a member of the Hades’ Spawn, Luke didn’t expect the DEA agent would dare trespass on his property, especially not after all the shit the DEA had brought down on them. And why were members of the club gathered here without his knowledge?

  Luke quickly walked through the garage and opened the single side door to enter the back parking lot. Some of his club brothers snapped their heads up and watched Luke walk toward them.

  Henry Spinner, whose club name was Spider, walked to Luke while the others looked on. “Hey, Luke,” he said.

  “What the fuck’s going on, Spider?”

  “Luke,” he said, spreading out his hands. “We would have told you, but…”

  “But? But, what?”

  “What,” said a gravelly voice behind him, “is that we’re taking a vote as to whether you should be kicked out of the Spawn.”

  Luke whirled to see Okie standing before him.

  “Okie? When did you get out?” He looked over at the Spawn’s president, fresh from being released from prison, and was glad to see him, but Okie did not have a friendly look on his face.

  When Okie spoke, it chilled Luke to the bone.

  “None of your damn business. And if what Pepper tells me is true, nothing is going to be your business with Hades’ Spawn ever again.”

  Luke’s blood roared in his ears. What the hell did Pepper do now? What did he tell Okie?

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” hissed Luke, terrified and angry at the same time.

  “Come on, Luke,” said Pepper, staring him hard in the face. “Those strange men working on the clubhouse when you built it? I did some checking and found the listening equipment.”

  Luke stared at Pepper in disbelief, and the cold realization hit that Pepper was playing the Spawn again, playing the part of the loyal club member. Only this time, to spin his story he was ratting out Luke. What the hell was he doing? What game was the DEA agent playing now?

  He turned to Okie, to the man he loved liked a brother. “Don’t do this, Okie. There are things you don’t know about.”

  “So it is true. You are a snitch.”

  Fuck! This is what Okie thought of him? Looking around at his club brothers, he saw in their faces that they thought so too. And what did they know? None of these men were at the ill-fated pig roast that turned into a turkey shoot, with the Rojos and the Spawn who were there, being the turkeys. All of them had left the club in disgust when Jack Kinney sported a one-percenter version of the Hades’ Spawn patch, announcing the Spawn had joined the ranks of outlaw bikers.

  “I told you, Okie,” said Pepper, “Things didn’t add up about that shootout. Spade walked away clean from it. The government didn’t even investigate him.”

  “Because,” Luke yelled, “I was the fucking injured party here, Pepper.”

  “Just like I told you, Okie. He’s lying about everything.”

  “Okie, man, you know me.”

  “Yeah, I thought I knew you. But Pepper’s not telling me anything that I didn’t hear from Lil’ Ricki.”

  “It’s not true,” denied Luke. He couldn’t believe this. The man he’d looked up to and supported when the other club members turned their backs was accusing him of betraying the club?

  “I don’t think we need a vote now, do we, fellas? He’s all but admitted it.”

  The men murmured their agreement.

  “Give me your jacket, Luke,” said Okie.

  “No.”

  “I said, boy, give me your fucking jacket or I’ll rip it off you. Limbs included.”

  “Fuck, no.”

  “Boys,” said Okie.

  The group of them rushed at Luke and held his arms and shoulders tight as Okie took a knife and cut the stitching of the Hades’ Spawn patch on the back of Luke’s jacket.

  “You’re making a mistake!” Luke couldn’t believe how much it hurt to be betrayed by his brothers. Physical pain had never hurt this badly.

  Okie moved to the front of him and showed him the ripped Hades’ Spawn patch. He stared Luke directly in the eye. “I ain’t making no mistake, boy. You don’t belong in the Hades’ Spawn, and perhaps you never did.”

  Luke swallowed hard. Okie’s gaze was fierce and absolute. His judgement was made and there was nothing Luke could do. He shook with anger and at the unfairness of all of this, of all he’d gone through to do what Okie asked him, to keep the club together until he got out of jail. Of the brothers he’d trusted turning his back on him in one the blackest periods of his life. He yelled, “Every single one of you, get off my property! Now!”

  “We’ll be doing that, and be thankful you’re getting off this easy, snitch.”

  Okie turned away and then turned back again. “On second thought…”

  Okie punched Luke so hard in the gut he felt like his insides were splitting in two. He stumbled back a few steps and Okie shot him an evil grin. “Let that be a lesson. We don’t tolerate no fuckin’ squealers. Let’s go!”

  With that command, the rest of the Spawn followed Okie through the open gate, Pepper being the last of them. No way was Luke going to let Pepper walk out with a set of keys to his shop.

  “Hey, asshole, give me my fucking keys,” gasped Luke.

  Luke’s former employee sighed and tossed the keys to Luke, who barely caught them with one hand while clutching his gut with the other.

  “I’m just doing what I have to,” said Pepper.

  “Fuck you. And don’t bother talking to me anymore. I’m not buying.”

  Pepper nodded and walked through the gate, leaving Luke in the back parking lot of his shop on a cold November afternoon, all alone.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The Boss' Order

  Emily tried to relax with her feet up on the couch, bu
t her mother buzzing around the apartment didn’t make this easy. Her mom seemed to go through every drawer, cabinet, and cupboard.

  “Are you looking for something, Mom?” She tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice. She was exhausted and feeling pretty down. She, however, appreciated her mother coming over and cooking for them.

  “No. Just checking to see what you need. There’s hardly enough room here for all of that. Your apartment’s so small.” Her mother moved from the kitchen into the hallway and then back into the kitchen, opening the cabinets again. The microwave dinged amongst the noise.

  What’s she doing now? Emily shook her head and prayed for patience. She was a married woman now, with a baby on the way, but Amanda Dougherty treated her like a child. It was time for change. Emily sat up and forced herself to relax. No more acting like a baby. “What I need, Mom, is for you to talk to me.”

  “What?” said her mother, sticking her head out from the kitchen.

  “Please, just talk to me.”

  Her mom’s eyes opened in surprise. “Well, sure, honey.” She walked into the living room carrying two mugs of tea, and handed one to Emily and sat in the side chair beside the sofa. “Tomorrow I’ll go to the store and get your cabinets stocked properly.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Mom.”

  “I want to do that. My little girl needs help and I’m here for you.”

  Emily looked at her bulging stomach poking up from the throw blanket on it. “Have you looked at me, Mom? You can’t call me little.”

  “Here, do you want a something behind your back? I remember when I was pregnant with both you girls I couldn’t do enough to relieve the strain there.” Her mother stood and went to the bedroom and brought a pillow from the bed. “Sit forward and I’ll just put this—”

  “Mom, stop. Just stop. I’m not sick.”

  “I beg to differ. You have a serious condition.”

  “Which I’ll handle. You can see I’m, well, Luke and I are on top of this.”

  “You fainted in your apartment. Alone.”

  “Mom, stuff just happens. I’m fine. The baby’s okay. The hospital is minutes away. Please. You stressing over this is not helping me.”

  Her mother sighed. “You’re right, I guess.”

  Emily looked at her mother, utterly shocked. She’d never heard those words from her.

  “You’ll find out when you are a parent, that all you want is to make sure that your baby doesn’t suffer a moment’s discomfort. Of course, you can’t stop all of it, but you try, you know?” She played with the hem of her skirt. “I don’t want for you to go through what I went through alone. I know you’re angry with me for withholding information about your father, your real father. But when I married your dad, I promised him I wouldn’t. As far as Sam Dougherty was concerned, you were his and he wasn’t going to let a man who didn’t take responsibility throw a shadow between you two.”

  Emily stared at her mother, appreciating that she would finally share this with her since she’d found out she had a different biological dad.

  “And when you got so stuck on Luke, your dad got scared, perhaps the first time I’ve seen him afraid. Luke was the wrong sort of boy, for so many reasons, and it crushed your father that you hated him for trying to protect you.”

  “I had to grow up. Dad wouldn’t let me.”

  “Baby, no matter how old your child is, he or she is always your baby. We’ll feel the same way in thirty years, when you’re ready to become a grandmother.”

  Emily bit her lip. Her mother had never been so honest with her. All her life, Emily lived like there was one great big secret that surrounded her. In her bones, she felt she was being lied to. No one wanted to admit it until her mother blurted it out a few months ago. “You know you misjudged Luke when we were in high school.”

  “Emily, had we met Luke a few months ago instead of ten years ago, we’d still think the same thing. That club of his, those motorcycles! I’ve only known a couple men with one motorcycle a piece and he has three! Is that where all his money goes?” She shook her head, her judgement clearly written all over her face.

  Her mother didn’t know. Emily was sure that no matter how much defending of Luke she did, it would never change her parents’ minds. They saw the outside, not how good and kind he was inside. “No! As a matter of fact, it costs a lot of money running a business. There’re property taxes, payroll, utilities, more taxes, employees, health insurance, supplies—Mom, it takes an incredibly responsible person to handle all that and make a profit. And he did it on his own. If he spent a little money on himself then I don’t blame him. Now he’s shouldered the expenses for both of us since I can’t work. And he’s done it without a moment of complaint. So don’t you think you can give him some credit? I don’t expect Dad to understand. I’ve accepted he’ll never welcome Luke as he’s welcomed Justin into the family. But you, Mom? I hope you can see past the club jacket to what a good guy he is.”

  Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but just then a knock at the door interrupted, or, by the look on her face, saved her. “I’ll get that,” she said a little too eagerly. “It must be the locksmith.”

  Emily settled back into the couch with a sigh. She was fighting an uphill battle with her mother regarding Luke, and she might as well accept it. She felt the rush of cold November air when her mother opened the door.

  “No, he’s not here,” said her mother. Her voice was strained, as if she was upset.

  Emily sat up and looked over the top of the couch. She couldn’t see who was at the door. “Mom, who is that?”

  “I’m Robert Gibson, ma’am. I’m, I was, Frank Gibson’s brother.

  “Mom, show him in.”

  “Emily, I don’t think…”

  “Sure, I’m happy to come in.”

  Emily heard her mother whisper something, but she couldn’t hear all the words.

  “And the shut the door, please, Mom. It’s getting cold in here. Can we get you anything, Mr. Gibson, coffee or tea?”

  “No, I won’t be staying long. I wanted to talk to Luke about Frank’s bike.”

  Emily raised her eyebrows when she saw Gibs’ brother as he came into the living area. He was almost the spitting image of Luke’s friend and employee. “I can tell you two were brothers.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Everyone always says so. And if you don’t mind me saying so, you are a beautiful woman. Luke’s a lucky guy.”

  Emily smiled. “Thanks. I tell him that all the time. And you don’t have to call me ma’am. That makes me sound old. Please, call me Emily.”

  Rob smiled warmly at her, showing his chipped front teeth. “I met Luke at the hospital when you were in the ER. I hope you’re doing okay.”

  “Well, Junior here wants to give his mom a hard time, but we’ll be fine.” Emily smiled. Why hadn’t Luke told her about Rob?

  “That’s good to hear,” said Rob. He glanced around the apartment. “This is a nice place you have here.”

  For a reason she could not place, maybe because he seemed so much like Gibs, maybe because he seemed so friendly, Emily warmed to the stranger in her living room, despite the look on her mother’s face. “Thanks. We’re hoping to be getting a bigger place soon. This is only a one-bedroom.”

  “Oh? Thinking of buying a house?”

  Emily shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  “A house is always good. Gives the kid a place to run around.”

  “That’s very nice,” said her mother coldly. “But Emily needs her rest, Mr. Gibson.”

  He looked at her mother, and Emily noticed his face grow sad. What was that about? Maybe he just wanted to talk about his brother. “Mom, you’re being rude.”

  “No, that’s okay,” said Rob. “Your mother’s right. I’ll come back another time and talk to Luke about that bike. But, uh, do you mind if I use your bathroom? My hotel’s across town.”

  Her mother glared openly at Gibs’ brother. Emily shook her head as she sat forward on the cou
ch. “Go through the bedroom,” said Emily. “It’s on the left.” She gave her mother a what-the-hell look.

  “Thanks,” said Rob.

  When he left the room, Emily turned to her mother. “What was that about?” she said in a low voice.

  “Emily, you don’t know that man. He practically barged in here.”

  “I’ve never known you to be rude to anyone.”

  “There’s always a first time,” said her mother, looking away and crossing her arms.

  Why on earth would she treat a stranger so poorly? This was so out of character for Amanda Dougherty. Emily couldn’t fathom it. Maybe Luke had said something to her mother? Should she be worried?

  The toilet flushed and Rob came back into the living room.

  “It was nice to meet you, Emily. Like I said, I’ll be back.”

  “I’ll show you to the door,” said her mother, tightly.

  “Thanks,” said Rob.

  After a few moments, the cold continued to flush into the room and Emily began to wonder what was going on. Maybe staying in the hospital would have been a better idea. Everything seemed jacked up and upside-down these days.

  “Emily, the locksmith’s here.”

  “Oh, good.” She shivered. “Are you able to shut the door?”

  “He says it won’t take long. Let me get you another blanket.”

  Twenty minutes later, the heat in the apartment cranked continually as the locksmith opened and shut the door as he worked. Emily shivered under her blanket and her mother ended up having to put on her coat.

  Even though her mother brought more tea, it barely warmed her. She turned on the TV, something she rarely did. Her mother kept pacing about the apartment, and it began to get on Emily’s nerves. She seemed oddly nervous for having a locksmith fixing the door.

  “Okay, ma’am,” said the locksmith. “I’ve got you set up with a new lock and a deadbolt and a peephole, as the mister asked. There’s an additional charge for the extra keys, and I’ve got to go to my truck to make them. But here’s the bill.”

  Emily got up and waddled over to him, handing him the credit card. “This should take care of it.”