There were rumblings at the newcomer. Those who were able to pick themselves up off the floor huddled together and mumbled. They talked amongst themselves but they were loud enough that everyone could hear them.
"Wait! Isn't that the cop Eddie shot?"
"Yeah, I thought he was dead."
"What's a dead man doing walking? This isn't some hoax right?"
"I don't think so. He's standing right in front of us!"
Luke heard all the noise but didn't turn around. He stared at Jud for a long time. Why was he here? Wasn't he supposed to be at home waiting for news?
He should have known Jud wasn't going to sit idly by, not while Luke was in danger. Even despite his best warnings and promising he was going to stay home, he was here. Luke was angry, but if he showed it outright, that would put them all in danger. Jud had already been shot once before. He couldn't risk it again.
He felt Raymond's hand on his back. He turned to his oldest friend, meeting his green eyes with his angry blue ones. Raymond cursed and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out a pristine white handkerchief. Luke recognized it as the one his sister had made for him when he had risen to the position he was in now.
He looked down as his friend tried to clean his face up. He was going to have a gnarly bruise come morning, but it was better than dying or staying still until they shot him. He knew he was the target, and he also knew they had to keep him alive until things got back to South Bay.
"You're not supposed to take a beating," Raymond fussed. Luke looked up at him but didn't answer. "We need to get out of here."
"Wait." Jud stopped their movements. "If you all leave, it will be messier than we first thought. We need…" He paused when Luke shoved a brick into his hands. He looked at the butcher paper wrapped package. "You already had it?"
"I'm not some rich dumbass," Luke replied. "I had already cut it from a pallet before he decided to use my face as a punching bag."
"I'll stay behind so it looks plausible," Raymond offered. He leaned in close. "Find Winston and Queenie. They have the next phase of the plan."
Luke nodded and turned away from him. Jud watched him walk away from all of them. He didn't bother looking back, which meant Jud could only watch his broad shoulders as they disappeared from sight. He had a sinking feeling in his gut, but he couldn't pinpoint it.
He looked at Raymond, but the other man had moved to the door. He was blocking the path for the others to escape. He knew Raymond was very smart when it came to things like this, but he wondered how smart he actually was. He wondered how much he actually knew. Amos didn't seem to be the type to hide things from the young man, especially since Raymond knew his son well enough to know what to keep and what to tell him.
The sirens grew closer and they saw the swirling red and blue lights. Everything from then on out went haywire. People were yelling, others were taking pictures and inventory of things around, and even more were flabbergasted that Jud was alive.
Despite all of this though, Jud was only able to think about the man who had disappeared before the police had shown up.
He turned back to the chaos behind him. He met Cameron's gaze and knew something else was going on in the background.
Cameron didn't leave things to chance. He had another plan that he hadn't told his friend, and his gut said it had something to do with Luke. He had to trust that nothing was going to happen.
~~~~~~~
Luke stared at the house from the confines on his car. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't want to do it. He didn't want to walk into the enemy's territory, but he didn't have a choice. To end this entire thing, he had to play his hand. Even if it meant he would end up hurting more than he was now, he wanted this over.
Leaving Raymond and Jud behind had been hard. He had wanted to take both their hands and escape, but that hadn't been Cameron's plan. He had been adamant that no matter what happened Luke had to leave the scene so they couldn't connect him to the drug scandal.
Cameron had changed the plan earlier that morning. The original plan had consisted of them getting in, taking pictures that were to be sent to the police, beat up the Saints a bit, and Cameron would show up with his team. They would be arrested for "gang on gang" violence but would be let go once it was revealed Luke was working with the police. However, Cameron knew that Jud would not sit idly by so he'd made sure Luke, Andreas, Rook, Queenie, and Winston left before the cops came.
They wouldn't be leaving because they were going to hide themselves to get away from the police. No, it was far from it. They were actually going into the viper's nest.
Cameron had gotten word to Myka. She had managed to get back to him about slipping into the Saints' main business to confront Miguel Arturo. It would be way before any word got back to the Saints that their drug warehouse had been raided and confiscated. Maybe this surprise would strike fear into Miguel and he would leave them alone. Luke still wasn't convinced on that, but he would do whatever he could to make sure his family - Jud - was safe.
Winston looked at him in the rearview mirror. He saw the distant blue eyes peeking out from under the deepening bruises around them. They were hard and cold, something he had never seen in his friend's eyes before. It was terrifying but oddly satisfying. To know Luke could bring out a colder side to him meant if he had to take over the organization, he would be a solid foundation for it.
"Luke?" he said. It took several proddings, but the other man finally looked at his friend. "It's okay to slip into darkness to do a job, but don't dwell there. None of us like to see this side of you. Luckily, it has only happened a few times since we've been friends. But please remain your happy self and don't dwell on the things you cannot change."
Luke rubbed his head, messing the well-kept hair even more than it already was. "I feel old."
"Right now," Queenie mused, "we all do. But it's the nature of this job. Hopefully, we can put an end to it right now and go back to our daily lives."
Andreas reached over Rook and patted his knee. "Are you ready?"
Luke looked at the house again. He tilted his head slightly to the left as if trying to figure out what was the best course of action. He knew what he was going to have to do, but he really just didn't want to. He knew what Winston said was true. If he dwelled on the darkness that always hovered close, he would slip into it. He wasn't sure if anyone would be able to pull him from it, and that was the scariest bit of all.
"Let's go."
Andreas lifted his wrist and pressed a button before they got out of the car. They had to wait a few seconds, but when his wrist started buzzing, he nodded. They all got out, making sure to close the car doors softly.
Luke walked through the main gate, highly aware that his friends were right behind him.
The front door opened. Myka poked her curly head through it before disappearing again. As they stepped in, they saw her walking up the stairs. No one was around which was frustrating and concerning. Myka must have drugged everyone so no one would be around when they showed up. Either that or they were asleep. The last was highly unlikely.
They didn't have to go too far. The study was just off the main foyer. Myka pointed the way then disappeared. Luke watched her before reaching for the door. He didn't bother knock; instead he tossed the door open and walked in like he owned the place.
Miguel Arturo looked up, his face starting to mottle at the thought of being disturbed. He was in a compromising position. The person bent over his desk was very familiar to Luke. In fact it was one of his higher paid hosts. As Luke looked at him, he had the decency to hide his face.
"How the hell did you get in here?" Arturo demanded.
Luke walked to one of the chairs in front of the mahogany desk and sat down. He crossed his legs and leaned his chin on one hand. He watched the other man silently, so silently in fact that Arturo stopped what he was doing and adjusted himself. The other man quickly dressed himself and started to leave.
"Matthew?" Luke said. The other man made a noise and looked at his boss. "Stop by the office tomorrow for your severance pay."
"Yes, sir." He hiccuped once then was gone.
Arturo started laughing as the door closed. He covered his face and let himself release all the pent up emotions that had been weighing down on his shoulders. He laughed for a long time, but it didn't phase the five standing before him. They had been waiting for that to happen.
"You are a piece of work, Luke Meyers. Waltzing in here to find your employee fucking around with the man who wants to take your entire city for himself and the only thing you do is fire him?" He laughed some more. "You really do have a prestigious reputation."
"He knew the rules," Luke replied. "None of the hosts are allowed to fraternize with a customer no matter the name of the customer. That includes any of the people you send to spy or shut the place down. I am being very generous to him. I could have said I would not give him a recommendation when he goes to look for another job. Instead, he will get this week's pay plus next week's."
They fell into silence. Luke watched Arturo closely, and the older man did the same. Except Arturo was looking at his features.
"You look just like your mother," he mused.
A wry smile tugged at Luke's lips. "Then why did you have her killed if you liked to look at her so much?" Arturo's face fell into a mixture of shock and anger. "My father doesn't say much, but that doesn't mean that I don't know all about your past and love triangle. He has his reasons for not saying anything, and I respect that. But you made one fatal mistake in this whole thing. You went after a person that is mine, and I don't forgive that easily."
"Oh?" A light flashed in the dark eyes of Miguel Arturo. "So you were involved with the police officer? Did your father know? Or better yet, did the Big Three know? I'm sure they didn't because you're still alive. I guess it doesn't matter now since that officer is dead. You can slide under their radar once again and sleep with whomever you wish."
Luke started laughing. It wasn't a humorous laugh, but it was filled with disdain and malice. His friends had never heard him laugh like that before, and it sent a shiver down each of their spines.
However, the young man leaned forward and slapped his hand on the desk. "You're sadly misinformed. Jud isn't dead. He's actually alive and well despite all the things you've done."
He watched the emotions on his enemy's face. He was surprised that Jud was alive, but it didn't shock him completely. He had known the reputation of the captain and had figured out he would probably overcome his injuries. He just hadn't been aware that Amos Meyers had protected him.
Luke reached into his jacket and pulled out a second brick. He slammed it down on the desk and waited for the reaction that would undoubtedly come.
"Right now, your warehouse is in the hands of the police. Your entire product and distribution center is compromised. Imagine what's going to happen when your suppliers find out that you lost millions of dollars worth of White Jasmine and that you can't pay them back," he said.
Arturo vibrated in anger. His tanned face turned red then purple. "What do you want?"
"Leave Baymont alone. There is no way my father will give up the lands you want to make your pipeline to Highclare. You won't be able to connect with your family, and that means you won't have that multimillion dollar company you so desperately wanted." Luke reached into his breast pocket then set down a piece of paper. "Oh, and one more thing. You should probably find a place to hide. Daniel Garcia has revoked your position as leader of the South Bay Saints. He has put out a kill order since you tried to kill his one and only grandson."
Winston glanced at Andreas with a raised eyebrow. How had Luke known all of this? They had done their best to keep everything quiet from him. They had never mentioned anything about his family heritage, and anything Amos had told them had been in strict confidence. Yet here Luke was laying all his cards out on the table. He was truly amazing and deserved the title Prince of the Kings.
Arturo picked up the paper and read it. His hands started to shake and his bottom lip quivered. The paper fluttered to the desk and lay folded on its side. Luke watched the man for a few more moments before he got up. He left the brick and paper in front of the former leader and started towards the door.
"If she would have waited," the older man said, "you would have been my son."
Luke shook his head. "No, I wouldn't have. I could never have a father who simply throws away the lives of his men." He paused and turned around, hands in his jacket pockets. "I sincerely hope you survive. You're not an evil man, but you have let your emotions control you for far too long. Now look. You've lost everything. Maybe you can rebuild your life on a solid foundation."
Arturo laughed. "Do you truly believe that bullshit?"
"I have to, or else how would I be able to live the life I have chosen?"
He continued out of the study and towards the front door. Myka appeared and went towards the now silent room. Before she entered the door, there was a gunshot. As the woman ran towards the sound, Luke flinched. Queenie covered his ears and led him from the building. Once in the confines of the car, she held him as he shook from the trauma of the past. It only lasted a few moments, but in that time, he wasn't the fearless man from a few minutes ago. He was the man watching the bullet pierce through a bulletproof vest of someone he loved.
Luke caught his breath and sat up. "I'm alright. Let's go home."
Winston didn't argue. He put the car in gear and drove it around the circular driveway. They passed the police and an ambulance on their way. A part of Luke hoped Arturo survived, but another part thought it was just desserts. He thought about Winston's earlier comments and did his best to pull himself out of the dark thoughts.