One That Came Back
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Authors: Lexy Timms
ONE WHO CAME BACK
Hades’ Spawn Motorcycle Club Series
Book 3
By
Lexy Timms
Copyright 2015 by Lexy Timms
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2015 by Lexy Timms
Hades’ Spawn Motorcycle Club Series
One You Can’t Forget
Book 1
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012HPAFQE
One That Got Away
Book 2
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014JT526E
One That Came Back
Book 3
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015NL3V4M
One You Never Leave
Book 4
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http://lexytimms.wix.com/savingforever
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http://www.amazon.com/Lexy-Timms/e/B00HZ3O3QW
From Best Selling Author, Lexy Timms, comes a motorcycle club romance that'll make you want to buy a Harley and fall in love all over again.
Emily Dougherty and Luke Wade were in love in high school, but circumstances conspired to keep them apart. Ten years later they meet again and find their connection is just as strong and more searingly hot than ever.
Except Luke and his motorcycle club, Hades' Spawn, are hip deep in problems between the vicious Rojos one percenter motorcycle club and their associated street gang, the Hombres. When Luke’s employee and best friend, Gibs, is slain in a brutal shootout, dark secrets from Luke’s past claim him. He finds he has to make a deal with the devil just to keep Emily and his club safe. However, to keep Emily out of danger he must also to turn his back on her.
Emily has lost her car, her job, and had to seek an order of protection against her ex, Evan Waters. In the face of her family’s disapproval she's determined not to lose Luke too. But will Luke’s heartless rejection drive her away? Or will she keep the faith and hope Luke finds his way back to her before her own secret causes her to do the unthinkable?
Can Luke and Emily survive the hopeless tangle of club and gang politics, and the fierce reach of the law to find their way back to each other?
** This is book 3 of the Hades' Spawn Motorcycle Club series **
Gibs was dead.
The sharp metallic scent of Gibs’ blood permeated his hands. It remained even though the Witsec agent had wiped most of it away after he shoved Luke into the SUV.
Time stopped as the memory of his employee—his friend, a Hades’ club member—dying beneath him swirled inside his brain. Gibs took the bullet meant for Luke. He would never erase the image of Gibs’ fading eyes as he breathed his last words.
“I’m sorry,” Gibs had told him. As if the man was responsible for the mess that blew up outside of his own home! As if he was the one who personally invited Sal to the place where the Rojos leader had died too.
How could Luke explain to Helen, Gibs’ wife, her husband was dead or why he’d been killed? The thought weighed like lead in his stomach.
And now other Rojos were dead with Luke’s name attached to their demise. Luke only knew Sal by name and reputation. Luke’s association with the Rojos was short, long before the wiry Hispanic joined the outlaw motorcycle club. But Luke’s rep, as the man responsible for the arrest and death of many Rojos, stuck with him even if it was undeserved. Sal, just like other of his club brothers, recognized Luke. If it weren't for the order of the imprisoned club’s leader, Lil’ Ricki, he would have died by a Rojos hand many years ago. Luke supposed he’d be blamed for Sal’s death along with the other Hombres who died in the horrible firefight at Gibs’ house.
On top of everything, another image burned into his mind. How Emily had looked at him as the police officers put her in the back of their cruiser. It crushed his heart. Fear and loss lined her beautiful face. If it wasn’t for him, she’d have never been at Gibs’ house, never been in the line of danger, never seen a man killed. In every way that counted, he had failed her.
He didn’t know how he'd ever face her again, let alone make it up to her.
The door to the little room opened and an officer Luke hadn’t seen in twenty years strode in.
Reggie
. His hair was no longer a sleek black but peppered with gray. His brown eyes, however, still had the same hard edge, of someone who had seen too much tragedy and spent his time looking for a person to pay for it.
“Well, Ray,” he said in a low snarl as he took the lone seat on the opposite side of the table. “We meet again.”
Luke shook his head at Reggie. “I haven’t been called Ray since you took that name from me and gave me this new one.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, pissed at the man, as if it was his fault Gibs had died. “This is hardly a
meeting
. That implies consent, and I did not agree for your goons to drag me away from my friend’s house.” The image of Gibs lying in his arms sent a shiver down his spine.
“You're the spitting image of your father, Icherra. Stubborn and stupid.”
“Are we finished with reminiscing? I want to leave.” Luke rose from his chair.
Reggie slammed his hand down on the metal table. It echoed off the walls and mirrored one-way glass window. “Sit down, Icherra! You think for a second! The moment your mug hits the airwaves the people your father turned in will come for your ass! There’s still the matter of three million dollars missing that they count as theirs.”
Two point eight
thought Luke. The cops still had no idea where his dad hid that money. Luke never moved it, never touched it. Though he did check on the balance when no one could trace it. In the intervening twenty years, the money had nearly doubled. But Luke wasn’t going to tell this asshole. “My problem, not yours.”
The agent narrowed his eyes as he studied Luke. “Do you think you’ll last more than twenty seconds out of the program now?”
Luke’s breath hissed as it escaped between his teeth. “Again,
my
problem. I refuse protection. I didn’t ask to enter your damn program.”
“You were a kid! You didn’t have a choice.”
“I do now.” He stared hard without blinking.
Reggie huffed and leaned back in his chair. “Okay, Icherra, I can’t hold you.”
“Great.” Luke stood again.
“But as soon as you walk out that door the Feds are going to arrest you.” Reggie didn’t look up from the table. He had Luke by the balls and knew it.
“Arrest me? For what?”
“Conspiracy in a criminal enterprise.”
“I had nothing to do with any of that shit! Go see Jack Kinney.”
Reggie spread his hands on the table as he stood and leaned toward Luke. “Not my problem,
Spade
. You’re the asshole who belongs to Hades’ Spawn.”
“Well, I’ll take my chances.”
“Sit, Icherra. I figured you wouldn’t go back into the program. If you are hell bent on getting killed, then at least let’s get some use out of you.”
“I heart you too,” sneered Luke.
“Look, asshole. Your father got my partner killed. That isn’t something I’ll forget. And in my book, you’re the same as him.”
“How would I know?” said Luke. “My parents died under your protection.”
The door opened, breaking the hard stares that each man served to the other.
“Okay, Reggie. I’ll take it from here.”
Two men entered the room, but it was the first one, sandy-haired with blue eyes, that spoke. Reggie left with a scowl on his face. Luke looked him over. He was older than him but not by much, and skinnier. He wore a plaid shirt over a wife-beater undershirt and blue jeans. But Luke’s eyes narrowed when he saw the second man, one he thought he knew well. Apparently not.
Pepper. His employee.
Fuck. This guy, the one who pleaded for a chance to work for Luke, worked for the Feds? Investigated him? Luke's eyes narrowed.
The Latino didn’t look Luke in the eye. In fact, his body language, hands clenched to the side, his face tight, screamed he’d rather be any place other than here.
Luke settled back into his chair and crossed his arms.
“Mr. Wade, I’m Special Agent Leo Moyes. And this is my partner, Special Agent Hector Garcia. We work for the DEA.”
“Good for you. Are you going to play good cop, bad cop? Which one is the good cop? The one that lied to me for six months?”
“I don’t think you realize how much trouble you are in, Mr. Wade.”
“Really? Do you care to tell me? Just what do you have on me, asshole? Did
Hector
here give a nice juicy accounting of all the
illegal
activity at my shop?”
“Luke, you know I didn’t,” said Hector.
Moyes glared at Hector.
“Yeah, because there isn’t any. Go fucking ahead and arrest me. If the worst you got is that you don’t like my friends, then prove in court I did something against the law.” He held out his hands inviting them to cuff him.
“At the very least we can hold you as a material witness.”
“Seriously? What makes you think that you can’t secure whatever testimony I'd give you by subpoena?”
“I think you are a flight risk.”
“I want to talk to my lawyer.”
“You don’t get a lawyer, Icherra. Or do I have to remind you your family came here illegally?”
“Are you going to treat me like an illegal alien now?”
Moyes slammed his hands down on the metal table. Did these guys have any other moves to intimidate people? Luke’s eyes narrowed. Moyes didn’t scare him one bit.
“If I have to, yes.”
“Take a break. Let me talk to him.”
Moyes shook his head, then backed away. “I’ll give you five minutes.” The door clicked behind the agent, leaving Luke alone with Pepper.
“So you’re good cop.”
“Stop, Luke. I didn’t want to do this, but with Gibs’ arrest we had to do something. We couldn’t allow local law enforcement to blow our work. We were going to pull you in before that mess at Gibs' house. But when we requested your FBI file, Witsec was all over us.”
“Somehow I’m not feeling sympathetic.”
“Luke, I know you are a good guy. But people in your club are rotten to the core.”
“I know it, what? What do I call you?”
“Hector is good.”
“Hector, I’m not in the middle of it.”
“I know that, Luke. But you got that shit going on with the Rojos. What was that about?”
“They think I’m a damn snitch. And with Witsec taking me in, they’ll be even more positive.”
“They disappeared before Witsec showed up, Luke.”
“Makes no difference. Or did you forget a Rojos escaped? Police were at Gibs’ house and they’ll draw conclusions. And don’t think one of those asshole Hombres weren’t on the phone to their boss before they pulled the trigger.”
“Look. Moyes is serious about the illegal alien shit. He’ll deport you, apparently right into the hands of your not-so-loving family.”
Luke looked away. He did not expect this. But Witsec giveth and Witsec could taketh away. He refused their offer of protection so all that phony identification they gave him could disappear.
“What do you want me to do, Pepp—Hector?”
“Just what you are doing, running the shop, and riding with Hades’ Spawn. We can use that. The local law enforcement’s harassing you to get you in deeper with Kinney.” He smiled smugly. “We hold the locals back when we need to. And we’ll grant you immunity from Federal prosecution.”
“If what, I'm a confidential informer? A snitch?" Luke couldn’t believe it. These guys had no morals. Just use, abuse and blackmail. They were their own motorcycle club, just without the wheels and a lot more guns.
“Technically, yes. But just listen to what I have to say.”
Luke crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Hector wouldn’t let him leave till he finished talking.
“What I—we—really want, is for you to vouch for me to patch into the club. That way I can work into Kinney’s circle and get first-hand info on his operations."
Just like that? Luke wondered if the guy was losing it. “Did you see what went down at Gibs' house? Can’t you do the math? The Hombres are mixed up into the Spawn! It seems there’s a shake-up going down in Hombres leadership. That shit’s going to blow up in everyone’s faces.”
“We know. We want to get it buttoned up before it gets even bloodier.”
Luke sighed as he sat back in his chair. He glared at the person who was pretending to be his employee. There was no way Luke would agree. Unless… “What’s in it for me?”
Hector looked at him for a long moment. “We’ll get you permanent citizenship. No more threats from Witsec or immigration.”
“That’s a given. What else?”
Hector didn’t bat an eye. He had this rehearsed to perfection. “Immunity.”
“Not enough. You said immunity from Federal prosecution. I want immunity from local law enforcement too.”
“I don’t know if—"
“Make it happen.” He stared smugly at the other man. “And there’s another thing.”
“Shit, what else?”
“Emily.”
“Emily who?”
“The woman I’ve been seeing. The blonde at Gibs' house. I don’t want any of this shit to touch her. No one from the government goes near her.”
“We’ll do what we can.”
That meant no. Luke frowned. “No. You’ll do it. Or the deal is off.”
Hector drummed his fingers against the metal top of the table before he finally nodded. “Okay.”
“And another thing. I want her local legal shit to disappear as well. She's not to face a single day in court.”
Hector looked behind Luke’s head to the two-way mirror glass. Luke imagined they lowered the lights in the room on the other side of the mirror so Hector could see his partner. Luke didn’t bother to turn around and check.
“That’s a tough one, but doable.”
Luke never imagined when he made a deal with the devil, the king of hell would come in the form of a government agency. But then his father, one he barely remembered, had done the same thing twenty years ago. With a cold shiver he realized his father did it for the same reasons Luke had in mind—to protect the people he loved.
Luke was not a stupid man. He knew that every step deeper into this shit with the DEA his own life expectancy dropped more each day. He couldn’t expose Emily to that same danger. That thought swathed his heart in cold so deep that what he felt for Emily, he buried as an ember sheathed in stone. She would never know what deal he had made with the devil this day – that he did it for her. He owed her. He didn’t have a choice.
He loved her enough to let her go.
