Return (Book 3, the Redemption Series)

Chapter 3

The blond-haired man stood up and faced Jake. Pointing to the empty seat across from him, Sonny smiled devilishly. "Mind if I sit down?"

Jake laughed bitterly. "Do I have a choice?"

"We all have choices. The problem is that you chose to be a vigilante."

"And you chose to blackmail me."

Sonny ran a hand through his blonde hair. "I'd prefer to call it negotiating a favor from you."

Jake twisted in his seat to scan the diner. Sonny was alone—no other members of the Devil's Hand motorcycle gang had come inside with him. Though Jake suspected Sonny's right-hand man, Aces, would be at the back door. Jake's instinct to run would've been futile. The restaurant's only other occupant was the tired looking woman by the door who pretended not to see them by studying her coffee cup.

Sonny's piercing blue eyes met Jake's when he rotated back around. The man could have been a movie star if he hadn't chosen a life of crime. He gestured towards the plate with the French fry crumbs and a leaf of lettuce. "Did you have the burger?"

Jake nodded.

"Was it good?"

Jake shrugged. "It was pretty good."

"Maybe I'll have to try it." Sonny paused before his tone turned serious. "I was sorry to hear about your daughter. That sucked."

Jake nodded again. He was caught off guard for a second time, but of course, Sonny would make it his business to know Jake's business. Picking up his unused fork, Jake spun it around his fingers. It gave him something to focus on besides his pain. He had no intention of showing any emotion in front of this man.

"It did suck."

Sonny folded his hands on the table. "At least your ex-father-in-law, the honorable Judge Doyle, had the decency to kill himself afterward. Good thing! Or I would have offed him myself— the son of a bitch. Who does that to innocent kids?"

Jake didn't have anything to add to Sonny's statement, so he remained silent. The seconds ticked by. An uncomfortable silence grew between them. Finally, Sonny said, "You're a hard man to track down, Jake."

"I try."

"Are you good now? Mentally. Did you work through what you had to on the road?"

Jake set down the fork before he stabbed Sonny with it. "I won't ever be good. Losing a child is not something you get over. It's not the flu."

"I guess not." Sonny sighed.

"Enough about me," Jake said. "Why are you in Vegas? You couldn't have been here looking for me."

Sonny shook his head. "I was in town on other business."

"But you somehow just happened to walk into this diner and find me? Forgive me if I don't believe it a lucky coincidence."

"It was lucky for me that I was in town when you used your credit card. You don't use it very often, and I've wanted to pay my condolences for a while."

"And to remind me that I owe you a favor?"

Sonny waved a finger at him. "No. This was strictly a social visit between friends."

"We're friends?"

"I'd like to think so. Isn't that better than enemies?"

"Sure." Leaning forward on his bench, Jake cracked his knuckles. "Any news on Rick?"