The Prince's Narc

Chapter 12

Amos was in the kitchen making dinner like he said he would. Luke set his empty bowls in the sink and ran water in them. He stared at them for a long time, completely lost in thought.

His father watched him closely. He had always known Luke was a gentle soul. He had never had to deal with the dirty deeds Amos and Lou did, even Raymond on occasion. The only reason he was still in the family was because he loved his father and friends. But even with those strong emotions, this life was not easy on him.

In the four years he'd been with Jud, Luke had softened. He was never hard to begin with, but loving someone who was not in this life made him the most reasonable person in the kings. He could talk with people where others couldn't. It made him a valuable asset. But it also made him a target even more than being Amos Meyers' son.

Luke had been the actual target. Someone in South Bay wanted to use him to get Amos to capitulate. Amos refused to deal drugs in his area. He had done that once when Luke had been a child, and it had cost him the life of his brother and someone else he held dear. After that, he'd sold the drugs and its pipeline to a different peddler and opened his first club. Since then, he was very meticulous when it came to this topic. No drugs were to be distributed in his domain.

This whole scenario was just a repeat of twenty years ago. Except this time, it was Luke who had everything to lose. If Jud died, his son would lose the one thing that ment the most to him. Amos had never seen him so happy, and he would do whatever he could to make sure his son stayed that way.

Luke ran the water in the sink and started washing dishes. He needed something to do with his hands. His mind was too busy running a marathon, and he was afraid he would do something disastrous if he didn't get the fidgeting under control.

Amos's gaze on his son was acute. He wasn't sure what was going on in his head. Luke was a deep thinker and always had been. He would try to figure things out before he did anything. It made him a smart thinker in their organization, and that was the main reason Amos trusted him when he wanted to open a new business. Luke knew people, and he knew what would be beneficial and what would not.

For a bit, Amos thought it was because Luke was gay. He had known all about the gentlemen he had hooked up with in his club. He got a backup copy of the security footage, and he had seen everything. But as time went on and Luke's businesses became more lucrative, he realized it wasn't only because he was gay. That was part of it, but Luke valued people. He would rather give people a place to be themselves than force them to adhere to society's status quo. It was why he opened a host bar that catered to the entirety of the LGBTQIA community. As long as they followed his rules within the club, they were free to do and be who they wanted.

"Dad?" Luke said. His voice was low. Amos couldn't decide if it was because he was worn out or he didn't want anyone to hear. Except Lou. Lou was always where Amos was. They were a package deal. "Do you know who the mole is?"

"Why are you sure I know?" Amos asked. He wanted to keep his response as ambiguous as possible. Sometimes having Luke figure things out by talking to him was easier on him than outright saying anything.

"You always know." Luke dried his hands then turned to his dad. Out of the corner of his eye, Amos saw the hurt and panic in his blue eyes. "Who tried to kill Jud? Please tell me."

He stirred the pot. "You know I can't."

"Why not? Because you're afraid I'll get hurt? I'm smart enough to stay out of it. I just want to know who tried to gouge out my heart."

Amos turned the burner off and slid the pot to a pot holder on the counter. "I need you to take care of your heart. That's why I can't tell you."

"Dad, that's a shitty reason." Luke's hands shook as he held them in front of him. He stared at them, his mind going back three days. "I watched him get shot. How am I supposed to forget that?"