by Kim Jones
“You wanna go have a drink?” I asked, thinking even the most popular bars would give us some privacy, considering it was a Monday night.
“Hell, yes. I know the perfect place.”
Chapter 7
Dallas
Lindsey’s idea of the perfect place was none other than The Country Tavern, a bar where Luke and I shared our first encounter and was a business owned by the club. However, I didn’t see anyone from the club as we made our way to the back patio, and found a seat. We placed our drink orders with the waitress, and no sooner had she left, than Lindsey was leaning over the table in anticipation.
“I guess the best place to start is at the beginning,” I said, thinking maybe I should have ordered something a little more potent than a glass of wine. “Luke offered to take me to the beach one day a few weeks ago. As I was digging through his closet to look for my suitcase, I found a box full of pictures and information on me that dated all the way back to my days at Tennessee College. Of course, I lost my shit wanting to know where it had come from, and Luke took the easy way out, because he didn’t know how to tell me the truth. He accused me of going through his shit, and told me to get out. I left, and that was the night I was attacked by Frankie.” I paused when the waitress returned with our drinks. I eyed the cigarettes sitting on her tray and considered buying a pack, but she was gone before I could make my decision.
“Continue,” Lindsey said, giving me her full attention.
“After I was attacked, Luke told me that he had been hired to protect me. I had decided that I didn’t want a relationship full of lies, so I made my decision to let him go.”
“But you didn’t,” Lindsey cut in. She took a big gulp of her wine, and shook her head apologetically. “Sorry. That’s obvious. I just wanted you to know I was with you. Go ahead, I’ll shut up,” she said, gesturing with her hands excitedly, seemingly annoyed with herself for cutting in. I laughed, using the break in conversation to down my glass of wine. I turned around, and saw the waitress already heading back over to us. It was apparent that she didn’t have much to do.
“Ready for another?” she asked with a bright smile. Thoughts of Crash and Buck interviewing her had laughter bubbling at the back of my throat.
“Can I buy a bottle?” I asked, while simultaneously thinking that at this rate I would never get the story out if I kept drinking this fast.
“We really don’t sell it by the bottle, but you’re LLC’s girl, right?” she asked, her body relaxing, and her head tilting to the side as she eyed me curiously.
“Right,” I confirmed, with a smile. “I don’t need special treatment, though. Just bring us three glasses apiece and charge me for each individual one.”
“That I can do. I can check with the bartender though, if you want me to,” she offered, smiling sweetly at me. She may have just been being nice, but I could have sworn she was sucking up.
“No, really, it’s not a big deal. Let’s just keep me a secret and you just bring me the individual glasses.” Sheesh. Had I have known it would be such an issue, I wouldn’t have asked.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” She walked off, and I rolled my eyes at Lindsey’s smile.
“What?”
“Look at you miss ‘I’m LLC’s girl.’”
“Whatever. Anyway, where was I?”
“You didn’t let him go. You wanted to, but you didn’t.”
“Right, so during our conversation, he told me that Stacy was in line to get the land on Highway 98 if something happened to me. My dad had given it to the mayor, along with money, to ensure my safety. But, if something was to happen to me before my 25th birthday, then it would go to Stacy, leaving the mayor with nothing. I guess this was a way to ensure that the mayor kept his end of the deal. I’m sure my dad used Stacy because he was the closest thing to a son he had.”
“So why twenty-five? I mean what’s so special about that age?” Lindsey asked. I twirled my empty wine glass in my hand, as I contemplated her question.
“I don’t know. Luke said my dad hoped to see that day, but didn’t. This was all in place before anything happened to him. He was going to send me to live with my grandmother after my mother died. We always talked about me going to Tennessee for college, so I guess he just wanted to ensure my safety while I was in Mississippi and away at college. He couldn’t watch over me from Atlanta, and maybe he thought that at twenty-five I would be married and living my own life, and that my husband could protect me.”
“Or, he thought that would give him enough time to take your safety into his own hands and do away with the people that would do you harm. So, who was out to get you? The same people that killed your mom?” The waitress appeared at that moment and I hoped she had not heard our conversation. She seemed too focused on not spilling the six glasses of wine she carried for me to worry too much about it. I slipped her two one hundred dollar bills, waving her away when she started to inform me it was too much. Maybe the money would keep her out of hearing range. She gasped a few thank-yous, and I responded with a smile, willing her to just go away. She left, and I greedily took a gulp of wine and continued, considering Lindsey’s insight.
“I don’t know what was so special about twenty-five, but I’m sure both of our theories have some truth to them. Anyway, Frankie was the one who killed my mom. That leads me to my next story. Maddie is the result of an affair between my dad and a woman from Mississippi. A woman who was asked to abort her child, and, when she refused, was paid good money to keep it a secret. She also later married Frankie, who happens to be the only father Maddie ever had.” I let my words sink in, as I downed my wine, and reached for another glass. “That’s why Maddie hated me so much. I took the life that could have been hers,” I said regretfully, still wishing things could have been different for Maddie.
“You said hated. That’s past tense. I’m assuming you and Maddie have reconciled your differences.”
“Only after we were both kidnapped by a man named Charlie Lott, who just so happens to be some kind of mob boss, I think. I’m not sure on that, but whoever he is, he is important and ruthless. Frankie owed him some money and he took Maddie when Frankie refused to cooperate. It just so happens that Luke found Charlie around the same time, and asked him for his help in finding Frankie. Luke used to work for Charlie, be his little errand boy or some shit, and when he quit, Charlie took it personally. So, when he grabbed Maddie, he grabbed me too. He made Luke decide which one of us he kept and I made Luke promise to keep Maddie. I felt like I owed it to her. He did, and I spent two days, which should have been a lifetime, with him.” I reached for another glass of wine, welcoming the buzz that was forming in my brain.
“So how did you escape?” Lindsey was such a captive audience. I loved how attentive and observant she was.
“Somehow, I guess as a last gift to Maddie, Frankie offered himself in exchange for me. Charlie is known as a man of his word, and accepted the offer, but at a price.”
“What was the price?” Lindsey spat impatiently when I paused. I downed my wine, trying to find the courage to tell her what had happened. It had seemed easy when I had mentioned killing someone earlier, now not so much. I stared at my empty glass, avoiding her eyes as I told her, my friend, what happened that day.
“The ultimate sacrifice.” I grabbed the last of the wine on the table and took a long drink, draining half the glass.
“You are killing me here, Dallas,” Lindsey whispered across the table, her wine glasses now empty as well. The waitress would be back any minute. As if my thoughts summoned her, she appeared. “We’re good,” Lindsey snapped before she could come to a complete stop at our table. I didn’t look up from my glass, but I was sure the waitress was staring holes through me. I waited for her to walk off, before I continued.
“He said that the ultimate sacrifice was not giving your life for another. Once you die, you are free. It is the living who suffer, and suffering is a terrible thing.” I placed my elbows on the table and leaned for
ward, focusing on nothing but Lindsey’s big brown eyes. By the way they widened, I knew she knew exactly what my next words would be. “Taking a life is the ultimate sacrifice. My only road to freedom was through the hole I made in Frankie’s skull. I killed him, Lindsey. I shot him execution-style while he begged me to spare his life. I pulled that fucking trigger, and even today, I don’t feel any regret. I thought about what he had done to me, and the feeling was nothing compared to what I felt when I thought of him sacrificing the life of his own daughter to save his sorry ass. Had I not been there, had Luke not gone to Charlie for help, Maddie would still be in that man’s custody. She would be away from her son, her life, her family, and no one would be able to save her from that. Now, I am stuck with his demons, haunting me from the shallow grave they threw that motherfucker in. Someone is out to get me. There is a bounty on my head, and I couldn’t have prevented it even if I had killed him seven times over. I can’t tell Luke, because he is in Louisiana dealing with serious club shit. I can’t tell Red, because I don’t know if I can trust her, and I can’t tell Maddie, because I refuse to put her in danger again. So, what the fuck do I do now? How do I keep myself alive without hurting the ones I love?” I should have been crying. Tears should have been streaming down my face, blurring my vision and staining my cheeks, but as a result of my breakdown last night or the wine that I had consumed today, my eyes were dry. Lindsey placed her hands over mine, and cocked her head to the side with a small smile.
“You can’t do this on your own. I’m here and I will help you, but you need your family. I don’t know what Red has done for you to have trust issues, but I know that she cares about you. She wants to see you happy and who doesn’t love a happy LLC? You need to talk to her, and Maddie is your sister. Your blood sister. Y’all have spent too much time being apart from one another. I think part of your problem with Red is that you are jealous of the relationship she and Maddie have. You have to remember that Maddie sees her as an equal. She doesn’t know you well enough to have the same feelings for you that she does for Red. Give her some time. Maybe you need to get to know her. I mean really, how much about Maddie has Maddie actually told you? Talk to them and get their insight on how they think you should approach Luke with the situation. I would do one thing at a time. You need to get your mind off this shit for a little while. There is enough stuff going on at Knox Companies to keep you busy for the rest of the week. This weekend, have Maddie come over, and you two spend the day together. Get to know her. Then, reconcile your differences with Red. Even if it comes to blows, let it all out. I promise it will end on a good note.” Maybe Lindsey really did know me better than anyone else. Her solution to my problem had me feeling better already. We hugged across the table, knocking over our wine glasses in the process, causing them to roll onto the wooden deck and shatter. We laughed, and I pulled another hundred from my wallet and dropped it on the table to cover the damage. I grabbed my purse as we hurried out, to avoid having to see our waitress once again.
I arrived at the office before the sun was up, and began sorting my emails. Last night’s conversation had weighed heavily on my mind up until the point I had walked into my house. Just seeing the familiarity of everything and the smell of home put my mind at ease. Luke had texted late last night saying he was super busy, but that he loved me and would call me tomorrow. I felt guilty that I had no trouble falling asleep without him. It was like my need for him was drifting, until I woke up at three this morning, covered in sweat after dreaming about Frankie. He was not there to tell me it was okay, or hold me, and now I was fully aware of how dependent I had become on Luke. Usually, I wake from the dream and it fades before I fall back into a restful sleep, in Luke’s arms. This morning was different. I couldn’t shake it. I couldn’t get the sight of Frankie crawling from his grave toward me out of my mind. If the dreams didn’t stop soon, I would have to see a doctor. I thought back to how I never had them when I was with Charlie, and didn’t start having them again until we got to Luke’s. Was there a reason? I heard Lindsey’s voice ring out over the office and looked at the clock to find it was already almost eight. I had been at work for over three hours. Where had the time gone?
“Well, look at you,” Lindsey greeted, walking in, and placing a Starbuck’s coffee on my desk. “I figured after last night you needed a pick-me-up. What’s on the agenda for the day?” I loved how she was all business and didn’t hammer me with questions on the holes in the story that I had shared with her last night.
“I’ve sorted my emails, responded to the ones that required it, and now I’m organizing a meeting with all the office managers and staff. I was looking over the contracts yesterday, and it seems we are being forced to drop prices on top-of-the-range properties, due to the market. I think we should just sit on them a while. We can afford it, and, although we will suffer a loss now, I feel like we will gain more by not selling them for less than they’re worth. The market is in the process of a turnaround, but people are still milking it, trying to pinch every penny possible. But we don’t deal with penny-pinchers. We sell high-end real-estate to high-end clients. Whatever happened to paying top dollar for things and using it as bragging rights? Where have all the rich people gone?” I asked, taking a sip of my coffee.
“Now it’s cool to save money. Nobody wants high-rises in the city. They want small cottages in the woods. By saving on that, they can invest more money in charities and save the world operations. I’m telling you, this go-green shit is killing us. That and Pinterest.”
“What does Pinterest have to do with anything?”
“I’m just pissed because I spent seventy-five dollars on this cool-ass necklace and Pinterest has a blog about how you can make your own for five bucks. Now, when I say ‘hey look bitches, I can afford a seventy-five dollar necklace’ my friends say, ‘Yeah? I got the same one and I made it for five. You’re stupid.’”
“That sucks.”
“That’s the story of my life.”
“Well, I love your necklace and if it makes you feel better, I would have paid twice that for it,” I said, thinking that I wish I had found it before her.
“So, the meeting is to inform everyone that we are not dropping the price?” she asked, pulling out her diary, and making notes.
“Correct. We are going to see if we can manipulate the system. It will take time, but I’m confident it will work. I’m also arranging a meeting with some people about that land on 98. Let me ask you something, how beneficial do you think a natural gas pipeline running through there would be?”
“I think it would be just as beneficial if it was moved a mile south. Even if they had to curve it around that one particular area. What is that? A square mile? Two, at the most? That place is really starting to take off. It would kill some of those businesses to be shut down, even if it was for just a few months. I know the gas company will compensate them, but it won’t be enough. Think of Roman’s Muffler Shop. If he is closed for three months, then his customers will find somewhere else to go. By the time he reopens, it will be another six months before he can regain his clientele, and even then it’s not guaranteed.” This is why I had hired Lindsey, because she was passionate about her job and people loved her.
“So, what do you suggest I do? The mayor will approve it. Hell, he pretty much already has. See, it won’t hurt his business. He will be up and running for only a few weeks, before they offer him money and he will just sell out.”
“Yeah, it won’t hurt him, but what about the businesses in the surrounding area that will be affected? The ones that have been there for years? Just because it doesn’t pass through that particular spot doesn’t mean the re-route of traffic and cluster-fuck that comes with road construction isn’t going to hurt them. I’m just saying.” I watched as she wrote in her diary, noting that she looked like a schoolgirl with her hair in a ponytail.
“What if I put a school there?” I asked, thanking all that is holy that she had decided to put her hair up, or else the idea mig
ht not have ever occurred to me.
“A school? You can’t just build a school,” she said, shaking her head at my ignorance. I ignored the remark and chewed on the corner of my lip.
“What about an after-school kind of place. We can use it as a community project or something. We can let kids go there, even arrange public transportation for them.” I was getting excited about the idea. Not that I really gave a shit about the program, but because I wanted to see the mayor fail.
“You would have to get that approved by the city and the mayor would never let that happen. He would find every reason possible to shut you down. The city wouldn’t go for it. They would claim they couldn’t afford it.”
“Well, what would you do, genius?” I snap, immediately regretting my outburst. Shit, what had gotten in to me? Lindsey looked at me, with a raised eyebrow.
“I would convince him to invest in properties he couldn’t afford to lose. Like a boutique that catered to the wealthy, an expensive spa, a celebrity-themed restaurant, and a popular coffee shop chain. Hattiesburg could use another Starbuck’s. Target the business of the people that put him in office. They live in the elaborate subdivisions out there, anyway.” She really was a genius. I was losing my touch. Lindsey’s three weeks as CEO was really paying off.
“That just became top priority. Get me lined up with some investors. I want a meeting with someone from each business by Friday. Contact people from out of state, if you have to. Reassure people that they can’t fail. Pitch them the pipeline proposal. Let them know that if it doesn’t work out, they will be reimbursed once the pipeline takes over, and if it does, they will be more than compensated for the time their business is down. Send them appraisals of houses in the nearby communities. Assure them their targeted customers are in the same area. People will shop there just so others will see them. There are still people willing to pay top dollar for good quality products and envious friends who will go without lights to keep up with society. Wear that necklace proudly, Lindz. People who shop Pinterest are a dying breed.”
