The Prince's Narc

Chapter 15

In the back of his mind, he knew he should knock on the door. He knew Luke wasn't alone, but old habits die hard.

Raymond stopped suddenly as he entered Luke's room. He averted his eyes as soon as he realized what was going on. His throat dried out as he tried to find any place to look other than the bed.

He knew Luke's preferences. He'd even covered for him when he would sneak Antonio into his office or the VIP lounge. He'd even lied to Amos when Luke went through his Grindr phase. But he had never walked in on Luke going down on someone before. Then again, he had never brought someone home either.

His brain short circuited when he saw the look on Jud's face. He was completely head over heels for Luke. Raymond had been charged with keeping an eye on Luke because Amos hadn't a clue where his son had been disappearing. When Raymond found the townhouse, fear had run through him. He'd thought Luke was a rat, and the family killed rats.

But Amos had assured Raymond that Luke was loyal and had urged him to watch Luke closely. He had seen something in Luke's face he had never seen before. He was happy, then and now. That emotion Raymond had never seen while he was fucking around, but with the cop, he was genuinely happy.

Because of that, Raymond once again covered for his best friend. He'd make sure the club was shut down then he'd make the short drive to Jud's. He'd wait in his car, sometimes catching moments through the living room window. He had always told Amos where he was, but those tender moments were his to keep. He loved seeing Luke happy even if he had to hide it.

Jud ran his hands through Luke's hair. "Love, as much as I'm enjoying this, you need to stop. We have a visitor."

Luke made a displeased noise then lifted his head. He looked at Jud with a pout, drawing a laugh from him. Then he sat up and looked at the door. Raymond waved awkwardly, the papers in his hand fluttering as he did. He waited for Luke to cover himself up before venturing in further.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Luke demanded.

"Sorry. I forgot Jud was here. I'm not used to you bringing anyone back home. It's always been at the club," Raymond said.

Jud put his glass on the nightstand and swallowed his drink. "You've never brought anyone home before?"

Luke shook his head. "No, up until recently, I didn't think anyone knew so I kept it away from the family. I should have known better, but there are still people who are closed minded. Now that Dad knows, he'll handle as much of the bullshit as possible."

"The only thing I worry about," Raymond said, "is what they will do when you inherit the title of King of the Kings."

"That's a long way down the road. And maybe by that time, they'll be in nursing homes, assisted living, or dead. But you're forgetting one thing, Ray." His friend raised an eyebrow at him. "I may not want the position by the time my dad steps down."

Raymond licked his lips. He looked at Jud. The officer leaned back against the headboard seemingly disinterested in the conversation, but his eyes were bright. He realized they had never talked about it. Where the family thought Luke would just take over, Luke was uncertain. The only person who knew that was Raymond.

They'd had the conversation way before Jud had come into the picture. It was when Luke had been struggling with his sexuality. Their senior year of college had been very life-altering. Raymond's mother, Amos's sister, had died of cancer leaving Raymond to raise his teenage sister. They had moved into the mansion so Amos could help. At the same time, Luke had started sleeping with more men than women. Raymond had been the only one to know.

The topic of succession had come up when Luke had told Raymond his thoughts. They'd known at age twenty-four that some people would be unhappy with a gay head of the family. Luke hadn't had a steady partner at the time so they hadn't worried about it. But Raymond had known Luke would find someone, and he would give up everything for him.