by L A Cotton
Donnie’s guy stopped and turned to me. “He’s been waiting for you, Dawson.”
It sounded like a warning, and I saw a flicker of sympathy in his hard gaze before he rapped sharply on a reinforced door, waited for a second, and opened the door. Stepping aside, he allowed me to pass and then the door closed, leaving me alone with Donnie.
Donnie sat behind his desk, elbows rested on the dark wood and his fingers pressed together. Neither of us uttered a word as I walked toward him and we sized each other up.
“Wondered when you’d show your face,” he drawled; a glass of something sat in front of him. He looked a little buzzed; not wasted, but not as stone cold sober as I was. “You’re nothing if not predictable.” My fists tightened at my sides, but I remained quiet.
“Thought it was time for us to talk.” I stopped at one of the chairs in front of his desk and paused. He inclined his head in a slight movement and I took a seat.
“You think you’ve won? Did you seriously think you could come back here, Dawson, back to my town, and take what is mine?” His weight shifted so he was leaning, hunched over the desk. Dark eyes glittered dangerously. It was a different side to Donnie, one I had never witnessed until the night in Shakers. But he didn’t scare me.
“I’ve not come to do anything. I came back for my mom’s funeral.” I marveled at how calm I managed to sound when inside I was anything but.
“Bullshit. You came back for her. Why now?”
Shaking my head, I smiled. “I didn’t come back for her. I truly thought she was long gone.”
“You think she’ll stay with you? I’ve got what she needs,” he sneered, and I knew exactly what he was referring to.
“She doesn’t need that shit. And she doesn’t need you,” I burst out, leaning forward in my seat.
“And you think you’ll be enough for her. With your track record? How long will you stick around?” I wanted nothing more than to reach across the desk and wipe that smug fucking smile off his face, but I needed to bide my time. Keep him talking. But he knew which buttons to press to piss me off.
“I went to prison, for you and for her.”
The bastard had the nerve to smirk. “It would have been better if you had stayed away. I had her; she was mine. Like she always should have been.”
My eyes bugged out at the crazy things coming from his mouth. “You’re fucking kidding me. Is that what you think? You disgust her.”
Donnie leaned back in his chair, legs stretched out in front of him, and smiled wider. Dammit, he knew he was getting to me, and I was making it too easy. I needed to rein it in.
“Joy should have been mine, but instead, she fell for you. Fuck knows why. You weren’t going anywhere.”
My scoff cut him off. “And you were?”
His cheeks colored a shade darker. “I was the one set to take over the family business-”
“The one you never wanted,” I interjected. “What the hell happened, Donnie?” I stood from my seat and his gaze followed me as I towered over him. Unconcerned, he remained seated. “Seriously, I want to know what made you turn your back on our friendship and go to work for your uncle.”
Donnie tipped his head backward and pushed up from the desk. Turning to a cabinet at the side, he refilled his glass and took a long swallow. Eventually, he turned to me with a bored expression on his face. Unhurried, he set the glass down and took his seat again. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he looked over at me and started to laugh. A high, maniacal chuckle that grew louder. The more he laughed, the more my unease grew. I began to think Donnie was off his fucking head. More like all the power and money had gone to his head.
I shifted my weight and without drawing attention, felt for my gun, reassuring myself if was there, should I need it.
The laughter stopped abruptly and Donnie pinned me with his dark eyes. “Dawson, you did me a favor getting locked up. My uncle found me after the deal had gone wrong and you had told us to run. I hid out at my grandmother’s, shit scared of what he was going to do. He laughed at me, said with you out the way I could finally step out of your shadow and start learning the family business.” Again with the smug smile, he really believed the bullshit he was spouting.
“Out from my shadow? That’s bullshit. We were best friends. I took the heat for you and you never came to see me. You left me.”
To my surprise, I saw a flicker of regret in his gaze, which vanished in a flash and left me to wonder if I had imagined it or maybe it was wishful thinking.
“I looked up to you, Dawson, always went along with your crazy schemes, didn’t matter what trouble we got into. Then Joy and you started. It should have been me. I’d known her longer. But she fell for you and I was friend zoned. After a while, I realized that’s all I could hope for.” He knocked back the remainder of his drink and sucked a breath through his teeth. “After what happened to you, my uncle said it was time to step up. ‘Grow some balls’ were his exact words. He showed me what life could be like. The power, money, the girls. I’d been scared, but he showed me I didn’t have to be. And with you out of the way, I could swoop in and claim the girl and the power. Two birds with one stone.” He shrugged.
“You’re a fucking lunatic,” I exclaimed, which made him laugh again, harder this time.
“No, it made perfect sense. And I had her and she was fucking sweet as-”
I’d heard enough and lunged around the desk for him. But he was quick, I’d give him that. He pushed back from the desk and stood as my hands grabbed hold of his lapels.
“You fucking c-”
“Ah-ah, Dawson.” His hands gripped my forearms while I still had a hold of his jacket. “Do you honestly think you can win? Against me?”
“Too fucking right I can and I will.”
“Is she really worth it?” He taunted me and I couldn’t stop it. I wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp, to hell with the consequences. One thing was clear; this was not the same Donnie DeLuca I had known growing up. This was a totally different animal, and I couldn’t do anything as foolish as fight with him here in his club. Within minutes, his men would swamp this room. No, I needed to be smarter, like Lex had been telling me from day one. I needed to go back to the house, hammer out a solid plan, and take Donnie down.
“You know she is. I will do everything in my power to protect her.”
“She’s a junkie.”
“Don’t you fucking talk about her like that.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “She’s always been your weakness.” When I didn’t respond, his smile grew. “It must cut you up knowing I’ve been with her. Made her do things that would make your toes curl.”
I fought to keep my face an expressionless mask despite the revulsion I felt inside.
“You’ll regret this,” Donnie promised and stared at me, his gaze unflinching. I gripped the edges of his suit. My fists tightened and I dug deep, finding the strength in me, and pulled him closer until I was right in his face. How dare he threaten Joy and me, Lex, my brother, and whatever chance at happiness we had?
“You’re the one who’ll regret this if you go against us,” I warned. His eyes registered surprise before I gave him a sharp shove and let go of my hold on his jacket. Because he wasn’t expecting it, he stumbled backward and landed in his chair.
“See you around, Donnie.” I turned and felt the dangerous glare on the back of my neck as I walked out of his office.
The giant from earlier was the only one waiting outside, standing motionless in his usual stance. He looked up as the door closed behind me and a brief scowl replaced his blank expression.
“Be careful, Dawson,” he muttered and pointed at a fire exit at the end of the hallway. I nodded, warning noted, and strode quickly toward the exit before I ran into anyone else. I pushed open the door, which led to the alleyway at the back of Shakers, the one where we had collected Joy hours earlier.
Fuck.
I really wanted to do him some serious damage, and I kicked the now closed s
teel door and leaned against it, bracing myself, palms rested on the cool metal. My lungs drew in deep breaths to calm my racing heart. It was time to face the music. I walked around to the front of the club and climbed into the truck. The drive home was much slower because I was in no rush to get my ear chewed off by Lex, and when I finally pulled up in front of the house, the lights were still on in the house. Most likely they were all still up, waiting for me to come home. After I’d killed the engine, I sat in the truck a bit longer. I had quite possibly made the whole situation worse, but I refused to let Donnie threaten us. At the sound of knocking on the passenger window, I looked up. Lex. And he didn’t look happy.
“Out,” he commanded. With a sigh, I climbed out of the truck and walked around to him. It was better if I didn’t speak because I would only make things worse. “What are you playing at, Dawson? You agreed we needed to be smarter. How many times have I told you to rein it in? This is not how we do things.”
“I know, I –”
“You went off tonight, half-cocked, on your own. What were you thinking? All because of a girl.”
“Lex …” I sighed. “Don’t start.”
“No, I am fucking starting.” He shoved me in the chest and I was not in the mood. I rounded on him.
“The rules have changed. It involves Joy now.” My index finger sunk into his chest and he looked from it up to me. Knowing he was treading a fine line, he threw up his hands in surrender.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do,” I assured him, which was a blatant lie.
Lex rolled his eyes. “What happened to our golden rule of not making it personal? I can’t believe it’s all changing for a girl.”
“She’s not just any girl, Lex.” I pushed a hand through my hair. To my surprise, he smiled and shook his head.
“Yeah, I’m beginning to get that.” I gave him a confused look and he threw his arm around my shoulder to lead me inside. I knew he’d forgiven me, but also knew I had better not pull a stunt like that again. “You had better get in there. She’s talking about going back to work.”
My mouth dropped. “You’re shitting me?” I asked through clenched teeth. Joy was too stubborn for her own good.
Lex threw back his head and laughed. “Nope. You’re just in time.”
“Absolutely not,” Dawson said as he paced back and forth, refusing to look at me.
“Come on, Dawson, be reasonable,” I argued throwing Mikey and Lex a ‘help me’ look. “You can’t expect me to stay locked in here forever. I have a life, a job.”
Dawson opened his mouth to say something, but Lex slapped a hand in front of him “She has a point, man. We can’t keep her prisoner here.”
Anger rolled off him at his friend’s words, and Dawson threw up his hands “Yes, yes, we can. That’s exactly what we’ll do.”
I glanced over at Mikey. He shook his head a little—we both knew just how stubborn his brother could be. He considered his words carefully, no doubt weighing up Dawson’s response. “Come on, bro, let’s be real. Joy can’t stay here all of the time. She’d be-”
“That’s exactly what she’ll do. It’s the only way to keep her safe.”
I glared in his direction willing him to look at me, frustrated that he was treating me like a child. Dawson had been back only seconds before he stomped into the house and asked me what in the hell I thought I was doing even suggesting going back to work.
His alpha macho bullshit was getting old real quick, and when he didn’t turn his head to acknowledge me, I slammed my hand on the table. “Enough! This is my life and my decision. My job at Hank’s is the only thing I have that’s real. I won’t let you take it away from me.” My resolve wavered slightly, and I added, “Please, you can’t take it.”
Dawson raked a hand through his short hair and cursed under his breath before coming to kneel in front of me. He placed his hands on my thighs and sighed. “Do you know what you’re asking me to do? I can’t keep you safe out there, Joy. What if something happens and I’m not there?”
I tried to swallow down the tears, the thick lump in my throat, but the pain in Dawson’s eyes broke something inside me.
“Don’t ask this of me, Joy. I made a promise to myself, to you, and I intend to keep it.”
With Dawson staring up at me as if I was his world, I looped my hands around his neck and whispered, “So don’t. I trust you, Dawson. I trust you to keep me safe.”
It was unfair of me to ask it of Dawson, I knew that, but I couldn’t lose my job. It was all I had left—the last piece of me that had meaning. Reason. Donnie had taken everything else, and I refused to let him have it. He couldn’t. That job was mine.
And I was keeping it.
“Tell me again.” Dawson focused on the road ahead as he drove me to Hank’s.
I groaned, rolling my eyes. After sleeping on things and spending Sunday going over the ‘plan,’ all of his insistent precautions seemed a little over-the-top. Yes, Donnie was gunning for the both of us, but I didn’t want to believe that he would do something in broad daylight at the diner. I would be safe there. I’d go to work, do my shift, and then Dawson would pick me up and we’d go back into lockdown at the house. But Dawson made me say it again anyway.
“Fine, fine. Lex will come by after you’ve dropped me off. If he doesn’t come, it’ll be Mikey. One of you will be in or around the diner at all times. Under no circumstances am I to leave the establishment.”
“There’s still time to back out.” His voice dropped to a whisper.
“Dawson.” I reached across the cab of his truck and placed a hand on his leg enjoying the familiarity of touching him. “Nothing is going to happen to me. Donnie would be crazy to risk doing anything at the diner. Hank will be there, Betty and Reed, too. It’s a busy shift. I. Will. Be. Fine.” My voice came out strong, the total opposite to the bees swarming in my stomach.
“You have to be. I can’t let anything happen to you.” Dawson’s eyes closed for just a second and my gut twisted. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, maybe Dawson knew more than he was admitting. But … no, he wouldn’t let me anywhere near the diner if he thought the risk was too great. He was just worrying about what-ifs, not certainties.
We rode the rest of the short distance in silence. When Hank’s came into view, Dawson slowed down and found somewhere to park. After cutting the engine, he turned to me and buried his hand in my hair, drawing me to him. His forehead touched to mine, and he said, “Do not leave the diner. For anything. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
Dawson’s lips lingered over mine, and I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me, but since our fight, he’d stayed true to his word and had cooled off in that department. But I didn’t accept that, couldn’t accept the distance between us.
“Kiss me, please,” I whispered hoping to appeal to the hot-blooded male I knew was in there.
Dawson inched closer, our lips almost touching. Warmth spread through me and I sucked in a small breath, my heart hammering in my chest. I wanted to feel his mouth moving against mine, his strong hands threaded through my hair. I wanted him to hold onto me like he would never let go.
“We should go inside,” Dawson said, and my body sagged away from him, dejected. He smiled, and his eyes softened. I could almost see the emotion written on them because I was certain I had the exact same look on my face. Filled with everything we hadn’t said yet and three years’ worth of regrets.
Dawson held the door open for me and I slipped inside. All heads turned in our direction and I was sure I heard Old Lady Mae gasp. Uncertainty knocked at my conscience, and for a split second, I considered turning back and making a run for it. But what did I expect? Of course, they knew; everyone would know at least some sliver of the truth. News traveled fast in Chancing. People didn’t want the truth, they wanted gossip—something to keep their dull lives interesting.
“Hey, doll, good to see you looking better,” Betty called across the diner
with a huge smile painted on her face. “Grab your apron and get started, we could use all the help we can get.”
I looked up at Dawson, who stood at my side, scowling at all of the attention we were garnering. “I’ll be fine,” I mouthed, smiling in an attempt to reassure him. He narrowed his eyes at me and looked about ready to say something when Hank burst through the swinging door, his eyes widening at the sight of us.
“Joy? Dawson.” He approached us, beads of sweat rolling down his balding head. “What are you doing here?” The old man ushered us to the service counter away from the stares of the customers.
“It’s Monday, my shift.”
Hank blew out a flustered breath. He was a funny sight standing there with flushed cheeks unsure of how to handle Dawson. “I thought, what with everything, and you know how he gets, I thought, I mean, not that we don’t want you here, but this is my business and wel-”
Dawson folded his arms over his chest and said, “Calm down, old man. We’re not here to cause any trouble. Joy is here to work, and I’ll be around to make sure nothing happens.”
Hank frowned and then his eyes almost bugged out as Dawson’s words sunk in. “You mean … wait, what exactly are you saying, young man? I don’t want no trouble.”
“No trouble. You have my word.” Dawson held up his hands. “I’m here to make sure trouble doesn’t find its way into your place. If I’m not here, my associate, Lex, will be. You don’t need to worry, we can handle ourselves, and we can handle Donnie DeLuca.”
Hank looked at me, and I half-smiled. He wasn’t the only one adjusting to Dawson—he was a lot to digest at times. But I guess that came from his job with Lex—the things he’d seen … done. I still didn’t understand exactly what it was he did and why, but it sounded dangerous and scary, and I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know the whole story.
“Okay, okay. I just don’t want any trouble.” Hank’s eyes remained set on me. “You do your shift and go home, right?”
