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What. The. Fuck.
How did that go so horribly wrong?
What an idiot.
Marry him. Yeah, like a high-powered woman like her would marry a grease monkey like him. Why wouldn’t she keep him a secret?
Saks lay on the bed, not able to get up. The sling on his arm and the pain in his shoulder pinned him to the bed. The pain wasn’t so bad when Chrissy...
He swallowed, his breath hitched, and he shook his head. He was a fool for this woman, is all.
Sharp raps on the door brought him out of his reverie.
“It’s open,” he called.
“Hey, Saks. It’s Luke.”
“In the bedroom. One sec.” He scrambled to grab the blanket to cover his naked body. Damn, he was pathetic, wasn’t he?
“Are you decent?” Luke called from just outside the doorway.
“No,” groaned Saks.
“What’s wrong?” Luke could probably hear the pain in his voice.
He gave up trying to move. “I got blindsided on the highway of love.”
“Uh-huh,” said Luke. “That’s how it usually happens.” He stepped into the bedroom and switched on the light. Luke gave a long, low whistle. “Damn. Who wrecked you?”
“Don’t ask.”
“Obama repealed ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell.’”
Saks snorted. “Stop being nosy and help me up.”
Luke came closer and looked closer at his shoulder.
“Damn. Looks like you tore your stitches.”
Saks glanced at his shoulder where red blood welled. He blew out a breath. That’s what he got for being a tough guy.
“Doesn’t look good. What the hell were you doing?”
“Just help me up so I can clean up, and let’s get out of here.”
“Did you pack?”
“No. Didn’t have a chance.” Luke had refused to let him stay here. Louis had agreed as well. Saks had figured he’d be fine once he got to the apartment and everyone would let him stay. Except, suddenly, he didn’t want to be here anymore.
“Where’s a duffle?”
“Closet, top shelf.”
Luke held out his arm, and Saks pulled himself up and managed the stand without too much pain. Then he stumbled on his own feet and Luke caught him. “Fuck, where’s your clothes, man?”
Saks pointed to the floor. The room spun. He wasn’t doing so good.
“Where’s Hawk? Isn’t he supposed to be here to help you?”
“He went for my pain medicine.”
“How long ago?”
“Not sure. Maybe an hour ago.”
“That’s a long time to hit something down the street,” muttered Luke. He pulled out his phone and speed-dialed a number. “Damn,” Luke muttered under his breath. “No answer.” He dialed the number again as he helped get some pants on Saks. He straightened suddenly as a voice came on the phone.
Saks couldn’t make it out.
“What?” Luke said. “I’m Luke Wade. Who’s this?” His face took on an especially grim expression. “Yeah. He was picking up a prescription for a mutual friend... Painkillers No sure what.”
Saks did the button on his jeans with one hand, not liking what was going on. He watched his boss closely.
Luke’s eyebrows knitted in a frown and his lips drew tight in anger. “As far as I know, the last person who saw him was Anthony Parks. Yeah, he’s home... No, we’re leaving now... Fine... Here’s my number if you want to take statements.” Luke ended the call.
“What’s going on?” Saks asked.
“Bullshit,” said Luke. He dialed another number. “Hey, Matt. Get over to Saks’ apartment. Yeah, the police are on the way to take our statements. No, we didn’t do anything wrong. Yet. Yeah,” he said, looking straight at Saks. “It’s bad. Someone shot our probey, Hawk.”
“What?” Saks stared in shock at Luke. Hawk? Shot?
“Oakie,” rasped Luke into the phone. “Get everyone over here to Saks’. Now. Someone shot Hawk. About an hour ago. The police are on their way over to take our statements.”
Luke.” Saks gripped his friend’s arm. “What the hell just happened?”
Luke’s eyes blazed. “First you, and then Hawk. This shit stops now. Hawk’s dead.”
Saks swallowed. While he was fucking his brains out, someone shot Hawk. “Oh, shit. This is all my fault.”
“It’s not.” Luke was grim as he washed and changed the bandages on Saks’ wound.
Saks wracked his brain, trying to figure out how all this happened. Chrissy mention two contractors from the DiMea family took the job to harass Saks, hired by the Rojos. Only it turned to something more, like felony-charges-pending more. “Luke?”
“Yeah?”
“I got some information.”
“What information?”
“Family-type information. I heard the two men who invaded my home were mob connections from New Jersey.”
“Fuck.”
“But they were hired by the Rojos.”
“Rojos!” exploded Luke.
“They want to mess up the Spawn and the Roccos for getting their drug operation busted.”
“Where did you get this information?”
“Family,” he said. “I can’t say more.”
“And you’re sure it’s not that other crime family—”
“The Serafinis.”
“Yeah, are the Serafinis behind this?
“As far as I know, no.”
Luke helped Saks put on a clean shirt before grabbing the arm sling. “How do you know it’s not the Serafinis?”
Because Chrissy told him? That wasn’t going to work on Luke. His boss was an even-tempered guy, but when he was riled there was no telling what he’d do. He was a balls-to-the-wall guy when he was pushed.
That happened last year when the Rojos kidnapped Saks. Two men showed up at the Rojos’ clubhouse. That took balls. One of those men was Luke. And he didn’t leave until he had Saks on the back of his bike.
And a shooting certainly would push him. Luke’s eyes scrunched to where wrinkles showed at the corners. His mouth was twisted in a frown.
“This is fucking bullshit,” snapped Luke in frustration as he laced Saks’ boots. “No one’s going to get away with shooting a Spawn.”
Pounded erupted at Saks’ door and then swung open. Saks’ cousin, Louis, stood there.
“Luigi,” Saks said. His cousin hated to use the name on his birth certificate.
“Fuck you,” Louis said good-naturally. “But no time.”
“Sorry to hear about your man, Hawk.”
“Yeah,” said Luke acidly, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Louis pulled a notepad from inside his jacket pocket. “So, Roger—”
“His name is Hawk,” asserted Luke, staring at Louis as if he was the enemy.
“Yes, Mr. Wade, I’m aware,” said Louis, snapping into detective mode. “His driver’s license said Roger Spencer. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” gritted Luke.
“So, from what I understand, Roger was here last before he went to the drugstore.”
“Yes,” Saks replied. “I asked him to pick up my pain medicine.”
“So that’s why he had your prescription in his pocket.”
“Yes.”
“And is there a particular reason you sent him?”
“Oakie assigned him to help me after I got out of the hospital.”
“Too soon, I see,” said Louis, staring at Saks’ shirt. Saks flicked his eyes to his shoulder and saw blood seep through.
“Damn,” said Saks. “It’s a bitch putting on clean shirts.”
“If you’re going to be an idiot and leave the hospital early, at least you should go stay with your parents and let your mother take care of you.”
“Fuck that shit. I’m a grown man.”
“Proving it in so many ways, buddy.”
“What,” said Luke with a glare, “do you want, Anglotti?”
“I’m just gathering information for the investigation. So where were you an hour ago?”
“I was closing my shop,” said Luke, glaring with hostility at Louis.
“Anyone with you?”
“Yeah. Robert Gibson.”
“Gibs’ brother?
“Yeah. He works at the shop now.”
“Okay then,” said Louis, in a tone that registered his disapproval at that. He was unable to keep commentary from his voice. “And you, Anthony?”
“Here.”
“Anyone with you?”
Saks glanced at Luke quickly and knew he had to be honest. Luke was aware he was with someone. “Yeah. Christina Serafini.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” snapped Luke, thoroughly annoyed.
“Christina,” said Louis slowly, as if he didn’t understand what Saks said.
“What the hell, Saks?” spit Luke.
“It’s none of your business.”
Luke held up his hands and walked backwards toward the door. “You know what, Saks? If you insist on walking toward your own destruction, I won’t stop you. But I ain’t gonna watch it. And you,” he said, looking at Louis, “if you have any more questions, contact my lawyer, Matt Stone. He’s in the book.” Luke slammed the door harder than needed. It wasn’t quite a slam, but it expressed his displeasure.
“What’s up his ass?” said Louis.
“Something about a shooting of a club member always gets to him. What the fuck, Louis? Did you have to be such an asshole?”
“Me? You know that eliminating suspects is just as important as pinpointing one. What about you sleeping with Christina Serafini? You want to start a gang war?”
“Who said I was sleeping with her?”
“That hickey on your neck, asshole.”
“Where?”
“Here,” said Louis, pressing his finger on Saks’ neck. “There.”
“We have thing for each other, but we can’t work it out. She’s hung up on what her family would do to me if they found out.”
“Look at yourself,” said Louis. “I think the lady has a point. And now that your boy has ditched you, who the hell is going to take care of you?”
