The Prince's Narc

Chapter 4

Luke was tired.

His head hurt and his muscles were very tense. He'd signed so many documents that he felt his fingers were going to fall off. Inventory day was always rough. He had to count all of his stores then make orders to replenish what he used the most.

Not only that, Church always fell on inventory days. Once a week, the Baymont Kings met at the family home to discuss what was going on in their various businesses. Money never exchanged hands, but it was common knowledge dues were to be paid at the beginning of the month. If they weren't paid by the third meeting, the member was put on  probation. Any money made in business went to the dues. It meant the person didn't make a penny.

Luke and his friends had made a deal. He would pay their monthly dues as long as they worked at Bennett's three days a week. It had worked out in their favor. They got to keep the tips they made at the host bar while Luke got to see his friends have fun. It was a win-win scenario for both of them.

But it also meant that Church was sometimes a little chaotic. Some of the older members didn't think the youngsters should be involved in decisions if they didn't make their own money. They were talking about Luke's friends. The Prince's Royals were considered mooches because they relied on Luke despite being from the six main families of the Baymont Kings.

This time, church was very obnoxious. Lou Rayes, Amos Meyers' left hand man, had voiced his disdain for the youngsters. He tried to get Amos to force them to pay their dues and not be a pariah on the family. Mainly, he didn't want Luke to shoulder their responsibilities. Amos agreed, but Luke didn't argue with them. To an outsider, Luke was a pushover, but it was far from it.

Luke's friends were actually running their own lucrative businesses. Bennett's was a host club, meaning the men employed were very charismatic and were able to make a woman feel loved and appreciated without sex being involved. That was one of the hard rules Luke had established. His best friend Raymond James monitored their hosts closely. Girlfriends and other partners were well-documented so there was no fraternizing with the clientele. If one slipped once, it was a severe reprimand. If it happened again, it was automatic termination.

As for the other friends, they all worked at the Hamilton. It was another club that Luke owned but it wasn't affiliated with the Kings. It was a legitimate business, but it was more of a generic bar. It didn't have the upscale feel as Bennett's did, but it wasn't as trashy as some of the other clubs. It was the one club where age was strictly adhered to. No one under 21 was allowed to enter after a certain time, usually twelve. Every third weekend there was a minor's night where no one over 21 was permitted. It brought the most money because of its diversity.

That was how the others paid their dues. A certain percentage of their paychecks went into a pot that was specifically for their dues, and that was how Luke paid the expenditures. The check was always in his name so he understood how it looked, but it was far from the truth. If they ever audited his books, they would see it.

That conversation was a regular conversation held at every church meeting. But this time, things had been very different. When Church was over, his dad had pulled him into his office with Raymond and Lou.

Amos Meyers was a soft spoken man who carried himself with a regal manner. He never yelled, but when he took on a hard tone, everyone knew he was not happy. For as long as Luke had been a full-fledged member of the Kings, he had never once seen his father order a kill or yell at someone, especially at Luke. He had let his son make mistakes and bear the consequences, but he'd always explained the reasons behind it.

"You need to bring your police boyfriend into the know," he'd said.

Luke had stared at him. In the four years since the start of the relationship, he had never once thought his father had known about Jud. He had never let on that he had known anything, so for him to bring it up suddenly had stumped his son.