Saving Dallas Forever

by Kim Jones

  Dallas

  I found Luke in the kitchen, making a meal out of last night’s leftovers. I smiled brightly, as I climbed on the barstool across from him. My conversation with Red was not visible on my face, and neither was his. He looked just as happy as he had been the last time I saw him.

  “You hungry, babe?” he asked, through a mouthful of food. I shook my head, my plans to have lunch downtown were the reason I had got ready so quickly. I would not ruin it over leftover barbeque and chips, although it did look quite tempting.

  “I’m good. I’ll grab something later.”

  “Glad to see you in such good spirits. Could it be because you’re going back to work?” he asked, with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged my shoulders, brushing his comment off, while I grabbed my phone from my purse and switched it on. It had been off for over a week, and I dreaded seeing how many emails and phone calls I had missed. “Or is it because you talked to Red?” I stared at my phone, not looking at him. Had he eavesdropped on my conversation? Not that I could blame him. I had done the same thing.

  “What did you hear?” I asked, attempting nonchalance.

  “Everything,” he said, propping his elbows up on the bar, and giving me a goofy grin. I rolled my eyes at his attempt to be cute, then turned my attention back to my phone. Without looking at all of the unread messages, I shot a text to Lindsey letting her know I would be there within the hour. “Don’t be so hard on her.” I snapped my head up at his demand. Was he fucking serious? He had just acted like a complete, over the top, mad man, threatening not only her, but her husband too, and he had the balls to tell me not to be hard on her. I scoffed. I couldn’t even find words to spit at him. “She’s only doing this to hurt me. She blames me for Regg being gone so much.”

  “Well, isn’t that part of the life? She knew that from the beginning,” I replied, not caring what her excuse was.

  “Regg has been gone a lot lately. More than normal.” I looked up, and he was giving me that expectant look. The one that told me I should know what he was referring to, without him having to actually say the words.

  “Oh,” I replied, realizing that I was the reason Regg had been gone so much.

  “Yeah, so she gets a little out of line when he ain’t around. She will be fine. I just don’t want you thinking you can’t trust her.”

  “Well, you sure sounded like you didn’t.” Fuck. Did I say that out loud? Luke didn’t seem surprised at my words. I guess my eavesdropping wasn’t such a secret after all.

  “Not trusting her to not tell you something and not trusting her to tell an outsider club business are two different things. I gave Red what she needed, and that was a reality slap. The same as what you gave her, but without my hand.” My face flushed when I remembered my actions of this morning. She hadn’t even said anything about it.

  “Did she say something to you?” I asked. My eyes searched Luke’s face and found nothing, but a smirk.

  “She gets it.”

  “Gets what?”

  “Bad dreams.” Red has bad dreams?

  “Babe, I gotta go. I’ll call you when I get there. Keep your phone on you, always.” He was really leaving. My good mood turned melancholy when I thought of how I would not see him tonight when I got home. “Stop it. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it.” I nodded my head in agreement, although my selfishness had me wishing I could have spent more than one night with him. Damn this other club. I would kill them myself if I had the chance. Luke was suddenly in a hurry, as he pulled me to him and kissed me hard. He released me all too soon, and I couldn’t help it. I needed more.

  “Another?” I asked hopefully, as I watched Luke grab his keys from the counter. He stopped in front of me, and smiled. His patience was no longer an issue.

  “Anytime, baby.” This time I was lifted onto the counter and he positioned himself between my legs, making us almost eye level. His hands came to my face and the next several minutes of my life were spent sharing an unhurried, lazy, passionate, kiss with Luke. When he finally pulled away, I sat staring at him, while his hands stroked my face. I memorized everything about him. From the way his ocean-blue eyes danced in his head as they scanned my face, to the way his hands felt while they were on me. “I’ll come home. But until I do, remember I love you.”

  “I love you too,” I said, still feeling his words seeping through my pores, and running through my veins, all the way to my heart. He pulled me into a hug, burying my face in his chest. I felt his lips on the top of my head, then I was pushed back away from him, and he was gone. I sat on the counter, dangling my feet, listening for the roar of his pipes. Eventually they came, and I strained my ears until I could hear him no longer. He was gone, but I couldn’t dwell on that. By the ‘OH THANK GOD!!’ text message I had received from Lindsey, it seemed I had other things I needed to think about right now.

  I pulled my Mercedes into my reserved parking area in front of my office building located in downtown Hattiesburg. The area was all too familiar to me, and as my feet hit the concrete sidewalk, I transformed from ol’ lady to CEO in the small amount of time it took me to enter the office. Everything was just as I had last seen it, although it still took me a minute to adjust to the newly redecorated room. Lindsey’s paintings hung on the walls, and I had that feeling of being home, once again. It wasn’t cold and distant, like I had designed it. Now, it felt warm and friendly. Lindsey was seated at her desk, an abundance of paperwork stacked neatly in her inbox. She was so focused on her computer screen that once she finally noticed that I was there, she jumped at the sight of me, then shrieked as she pushed herself from her chair, and came running toward me. I caught her in my arms, her sudden attack nearly knocking the wind out of me.

  “Oh, Dallas! It’s so good to see you back! Look at you!” she said, beaming, and holding me at arm’s length. “You look radiant!” Lindsey looked pretty radiant herself. There was something different about her.

  “Me? Look at you! What’s with the dress and heels?” I asked, taking in her new wardrobe with approval. She wore a blue wrap dress with matching blue heels that I knew didn’t come from Payless. I guess Lindsey was taking full advantage of her increase in salary.

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought if I was gonna play CEO, I needed to look the part. It’s really good to see you. I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. What have you been doing?” she asked, relief washing over me as I noticed she thought I had taken a vacation to spend my days having tons of sex with my new found love, rather than being held prisoner and shooting people.

  “I’ve been traveling,” I said simply. This appeased her and I was thankful that no more questions followed.

  “Well, you ready to get to work?”

  “More than you know.” Truer words had never been spoken.

  It was after four when I finally decided that food was something I could not go another minute without. I called Lindsey on her cell and asked her to pick us up lunch on her way back to the office. She was out running errands, and would be back within the hour. I had spent my day buried in paperwork, and going over contracts that would soon close. My email had yet to be touched, and my messages were still lying in a neat pile at the corner of my desk. I kicked up my heels, and leaned back in my chair, thumbing through the stack of small notes. Most of these consisted of communications from clients who refused to work with anyone but me, and one name stood out in particular. Mayor Kirkley. Just the thought of having to talk to him made me nauseous. Once I had learned that it was he who my father had paid to ensure the club protected me, my feelings toward him had changed. Knowing if I put it off any longer he would show up at my office, I picked up my phone and dialed his number.

  “Well, if it isn’t the infamous Dallas Knox,” he answered, by way of a greeting.

  “Paul,” I said shortly, figuring formalities between us were no longer of use. Hell, the man knew more about me than I did.

  “I assume Luke has informed you of everyth
ing.”

  “That he has, and I must say it came as a bit of a shock, although it shouldn’t have. You always were a snake.”

  “Dallas, your words crush me,” he said, with an exaggerated sigh. Prick.

  “What do you want, Paul?” I asked, ready to end the conversation.

  “You called me, dear.”

  “I was returning your call. I have about fourteen messages lying on my desk, each one more urgent than the last.”

  “Well, I just wanted to make sure you were still alive. You are running with a rough crowd now.”

  “Ha! I can assure you they are better people than you will ever be, you dirty, slime-balling, bastard.” My overwhelming need to defend the club had me lashing out and resorting to name-calling. I heard his deep chuckle on the other end of the phone, and I could almost see him leaning back in his chair, with a satisfied smile plastered on his handsome face.

  “I hope this doesn’t affect our relationship, Dallas. It was just business. You, of all people, should know that.”

  “It’s a little more than business when people’s lives and futures are at stake,” I spat at him. I wondered if he knew what had happened with Frankie.

  “You’re right,” he said, his tone growing serious. “I never wanted you subjected to any danger. I was confident in Luke and the club. I thought they could protect you. Since you are still breathing, I’m assuming your father’s money didn’t go to waste.”

  “Speaking of which, are you still paying them?” I asked, thinking that if they were still receiving payment, then maybe it was me who should be in charge of handling it. That would get the Mayor out of my personal life for good.

  “No, Dallas. I stopped paying them when you turned twenty-five. That was the deal.” I mentally calculated the time. My birthday was less than a month away. I would be twenty-seven.

  “Then why did they continue to stalk me? That was almost two years ago.” My brain was in overdrive. I was twenty-six. Stacy would not benefit from killing me. The deal was, if something was to happen to me before I turned twenty-five, he would get the land.

  “I’m a fucking mayor, Dallas. A business man. Not Oprah or Dr. Phil, but considering the shit you’ve been through, I’ll tell you because it’s obvious you aren’t bright enough to figure it out yourself. Luke loves you. He fell hard for you. He did it because he knew he couldn’t live with himself if something happened to you. Frankie was his fuck-up. He should have taken care of him a long time ago. Instead, he kept an eye out for you, even when he wasn’t getting paid. You better be glad you have him. Frankie had a bounty on your head, girl. He wanted you dead and would have used any source close enough to you to get what he wanted. I hope that fucker is dead. If he ain’t, you better watch who you let in. It’s a tough world out there, and desperate times call for desperate measures. Frankie’s got connections and he’s got money. You’ll do well to remember that.”

  “Let’s say he is dead. Then what? Am I safe?” Maybe this wasn’t a conversation that should be happening over the phone, but it was one that couldn’t wait. If I was still at risk, then the people I loved were too.

  “This is just my opinion, but a man like Frankie,” he paused, and the silence was deafening. I already knew the answer, but I needed confirmation. “Just watch your back, Dallas. Men like him will stop at nothing to get what they want.” I closed my eyes in defeat. The feeling of being safe and the thought of Frankie no longer being a threat had vanished completely. I said my goodbyes to Paul, noting the pity in his voice, as our conversation came to a close. I should have known that killing Frankie wouldn’t be as simple as pulling the trigger. Even from the grave, he was going to haunt me.

  I picked at my food, thoughts of should I or should I not tell Luke running through my brain, over and over. He had enough shit to deal with right now. I missed him, but the thought of him being away from me gave me a sense of peace. If someone did come looking for me, at least he would be out of the line of fire. As the evening descended, and the work I had laid before me became nothing more than words on paper, I decided to call it a night. I couldn’t figure this shit out on my own, and my ally, Red, was no longer an option. I couldn’t trust her enough with this information, although she was the one I knew could most help me. Lindsey appeared in the doorway of my office, looking just as tired as I felt.

  “Wanna call it a night?” she asked, flopping herself down onto the leather chair in front of my desk. I nodded my head, still too deep in my own thoughts to speak. “You know, if you need to talk about something, I’m here. I know you better than anyone. This,” she said, motioning with her finger between the two of us. “Hasn’t really had time to bloom into a full friendship flower, but with a little water we will grow.” I laughed at her metaphor.

  “Friendship flower, huh?”

  “Friendship flower,” she mouthed, propping her feet on my desk and leaning back.

  “What would you say if I told you that there are people who know me better than you?” I asked, mirroring her position by leaning back in my own chair, and crossing my ankles on top of my desk.

  “First, I would say that is impossible. Nobody knows you. Second, I would ask where you got those heels because I love them.”

  “It’s not impossible. Luke got paid to protect me from a man named Frankie the Cutter for five years. The jig was up when I turned twenty-five, but apparently, Luke had fallen for me from a distance, and continued to look out for me, even though he wasn’t getting paid. Neiman Marcus.”

  “Who is Neiman Marcus?” She asked, confused.

  “That is the store where I got the heels.” I sat waiting for a reaction of surprise and shock, but instead got a knowing nod.

  “I guess that makes sense. Frankie was the guy that attacked you. I heard his name dropped a few times that night at your house, but I didn’t ask any questions. I was told by Red that I needed to be there, but only as moral support. If I needed to know any details it was up to you to tell me, not anyone else. So, I never asked. I was also confronted by Maddie who told me that everything was being handled, and there was no need for me to relay this information to anyone else. Her tone let me know that if I did, there would be consequences. It’s a damned good thing I know how to keep my mouth shut,” she said, a little accusatory toward them sharing the information with her.

  “They didn’t see you as a threat. You took over my company with no questions asked. I’m sure they kept an eye on you to make sure you wouldn’t say anything. I guess they thought if I trusted you then they should too. You don’t seem very surprised at any of this new-found knowledge,” I said, with a raised eyebrow.

  “I’m not. Anyone can see the connection Luke has with you. I knew something was up when they all showed up to provide their support. No way could you become that big of a deal on your own. I knew that there had to be an underlying cause. I figured the club had something to do with it. You didn’t seem to blame them, so I didn’t either.” Lindsey knew a lot about clubs, considering she had dated a man who prospected for one. He later left her once he became a member, but she learned a substantial amount of information the year she was with him. Even though her knowledge excused the nonchalance she showed, my need to get a reaction other than disinterest from her was growing.

  “Maddie is my sister.”

  “What?” she asked in complete disbelief. Her stature had not changed, but I watched several emotions cross her face and smiled in satisfaction. I had known that would get a reaction.

  “I was also kidnapped and held hostage for two days in Texas.” I found the shock on her face comical. I fought hard to prevent a smile. I had gone this far, I might as well go all the way.

  “I killed a man.” This had Lindsey off her ass, and on her feet. Maybe I should have kept that one a secret.

  “Are you fucking serious?” she shrieked, pacing the floor, crossing and uncrossing her arms over her chest, as she struggled to find words. I watched her reaction in silence, my face free of any emotion.
If I saw that this was going to end badly, I would play it off as a joke.

  “Why didn’t you call me? I could have done something! Like been a lookout or some shit! What if you would have gotten caught?” I would not be telling Lindsey that it was just a joke. She would be the outside source to help me figure this shit out. A friend. A real fucking friend, who was willing to be my lookout and was downright pissed that I had not called on her for help. She wasn’t judgmental or accusing. She didn’t tell me I was a bad person. She didn’t make me feel insecure about being the newest addition to the Devil’s Renegades. I didn’t have to share her with anyone else, or feel threatened by her position. She never hid things from me, or made me feel inferior. She was the only person in my life who had never lied to me. Now, more than ever, I was thankful to have her. “I want to know everything. I mean every-fucking-thing. All the good details. Don’t leave anything out. My lips are sealed.” She sat back down and ran her fingers across her mouth, as if she was zipping it shut, not that I needed the confirmation.