Saving Dallas 2 Making the Cut

by Kim Jones

  “Nice to meet you, Hank,” I said with a smile, offering my hand for him to shake.

  “My goodness. I have died and gone to heaven. Miss Dallas,” he said, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. “The pleasure is all mine.” Something about him made me feel warm and toasty on the inside.

  “Y’all come in. I have the best table in the house open, and it’s just for y’all.” He led us up the stairs of the building that was at least twenty feet off the ground. The boards over the windows were all lifted to give a view of the beach and the city. The music was loud rock and roll, and the place was packed with so many bikers, that you couldn’t smell the food over the scent of leather. He seated us at a table on the back deck that overlooked the gulf. There were no other tables out here and even though the music was still loud, you could at least hear one another talk.

  “Ginger is gonna take care of y’all. Give this girl the house drink,” he said, speaking to the beautiful blonde wearing an outfit that barely covered her. “She looks like she needs it.” Ginger nodded at Hank and they disappeared inside to get Brooklyn a bucket of Corona and me a house drink, whatever in the hell that was.

  “Tell me about yesterday,” Brooklyn said, not bothering with small talk. I took a deep breath and looked out at the rolling waves.

  “There is really not a lot to tell. Luke thought that I knew that my ex-boyfriend, Jeff, was working for Frankie. I got the impression that he thought I was playing him. I don’t know why he would think that. I didn’t kidnap myself,” I said, looking at my hands. Ginger appeared with our drinks and mine came in a quart jar. I took a big sip and almost choked. They must have made it a double.

  “Luke was upset that he didn’t know. He couldn’t take it out on Regg, so he took it out on you. That shit happens more often than it should, but it does happen. Don’t let Luke scare you. Ten years ago, I would have told you to cut him loose; now, you are a lucky girl to have him,” Brooklyn said, sliding her lime up and down the neck of her bottle and coating it in salt.

  “Why did he change?” I asked, wondering what my limits were with Brooklyn.

  “It happened over the course of a few years. People got hurt, people went to jail and then Maddie came along. She was the one that pushed him over the edge.” I leaned up further in my seat, silently begging her to continue. “When she got pregnant, he somehow felt responsible. He knew the guy she was with was no good, but you couldn’t tell Maddie anything. She was young, dumb and horny. She didn’t really like the guy either, but since Luke hated him, she wanted to rebel.”

  Brooklyn saw the confusion on my face and smiled, “Luke was like a big brother to Maddie. He was closer to her than anyone. Some people thought that they would end up together, but Luke thought nothing more of her than a sister. After the baby was born, she began coming around less and less. No one really understood why. Luke was so deep in the club that he didn’t have time to check on her regularly, like he once did. He was in another state on a run, doing shit he had no business doing, when he got the call that Maddie had been beaten, almost to death. The baby tested positive for marijuana and crystal meth. The sick prick she was with was smoking it and blowing it in the kid’s face. Luke rode all night on his bike to get to her, he was the only one she asked for.”

  There was a faraway look in Brooklyn’s eyes and I was sure that mine mirrored hers. I felt sick knowing that Maddie had endured such trauma in her life. At nineteen, she was lying in a hospital, beaten to a pulp and I was getting drunk at frat parties. Life really wasn’t fair.

  “What happened when Luke got there?” I asked, not knowing if I really wanted the truth.

  “He went crazy. He blamed himself for letting it happen. When she told him that she screamed for him, and he didn’t come; he went ballistic.” My heart pounded out of my chest as I stared at her.

  “Sound familiar?” she asked, taking a pull from her beer. She leaned closer to me, staring me down. “That man would give his life for anyone he loves. That includes you. If he could have stopped Frankie from hurting you, he would have. The man has a lot on him. He is gonna fuck up. That’s when you step in and stand behind him, no matter what. That is your man, Dallas. Your superior, your lover and your soul mate. He has protected you, loved you and waited for you. He has the hardest job of them all. If you can’t handle it, get out now, but I’m warning you, if you do leave, we will lose the brother we love.”

  I wanted to say so much. I wanted to tell her that I didn’t need anyone convincing me that Luke loved me. I knew that he did. I knew he fucked up and I knew that he was forgiven. I didn’t want to be without Luke. Instead of saying these things, I nodded my head in agreement. I wished that I could take those words back. Luke was already living with the fact that another man had put his hands on me and he wasn’t there. I didn’t have to tell him that I screamed for him. I could only imagine what he must have felt. Not many people have to live with something like that, and Luke had dealt with it twice.

  “Drink up,” Brooklyn said, clinking her bottle against my full glass. “I’m leaving in the morning and I want to be shitty tonight. We will flip a quarter when we leave; heads I drive, tails you do.” Shit.

  Chapter 12

  LUKE

  I had been without Dallas for seven full days. That’s over one hundred and sixty-eight hours since I had touched her soft skin or smelled her sweet pussy, not that I was counting. My cock twitched just at the thought of her. It would be another night with Rosie Palm and a cold shower. Our search for War had ended up with nothing. I was beginning to think that my brother was dead. Another death was not something that I wanted to deal with. Everyone kept telling me to stay positive, but I wasn’t stupid. He was gone; his bike chopped up and sold to the highest bidder. There would be no finding him. It was a search that was fucking pointless, but something we had to do. I wouldn’t stop until I found something. We were getting closer to Frankie, maybe we could beat the whereabouts of War out of him, but it didn’t seem likely. He would fucking suffer for the blood that he had spilled.

  None of the guys could stand to be around me anymore. The cheap ass hotel that we were staying in didn’t have enough rooms for all of us, so we were doubling up. Crash was stuck with me and he wasn’t happy about it. I still had to keep my cool around him. I don’t like people touching my girl, and his hand fit just a little too perfect in hers for my liking. I stripped down and stepped into the shower. I put my hands on the cheap tiles and let the cold water beat down my back. I was fucking up. My club was becoming suspicious of my actions and I knew there was talk about whether or not I could keep my shit together. I hadn’t spoken to Regg since we left, and my pride wouldn’t allow me do it now. He was my brother; one of my best brothers. He was my right hand man, the one that answered only to me, and now I felt like I couldn’t trust him. He was wrong for keeping shit from me, but I knew why he did it. He was fucking right. I would have murdered Jeff and anyone else that stood in my way.

  Fuck, I missed Dallas. I was a pussy whooped little bitch and I didn’t care. I was dead inside until she came into my life and at every opportunity to fuck it up, I did. Red was probably the only reason that she even spoke to me anymore. I slammed my fist into the tiles, welcoming the pain that shot up my arm. I had to get my shit together. First, I would fix my club. Second, I would find Frankie and remove him from this world, and third, I would go home to Dallas and fix my fuck-ups.

  I got out of the shower with new goals in mind and more focused than I had been in months. This was my job. My brothers looked to me for guidance and if I couldn’t give it to them, then it was time to pass the gavel. I worked too fucking hard to get this club where it is, and I would be damned before I let my actions ruin it. I had to do something fast, before I lost the respect of my brothers. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that I could handle the pressure. I wasn’t scared and I put my heart into everything I did. It was the smart decisions and rational thinking that got me where I am and that’s what the cl
ub felt that I had been lacking here lately. It was time to clear my mind and focus on what was important and what I could control right now. My cock would have to wait.

  The guys stood around outside the hotel, smoking and drinking, getting ready to call it a night. No one was allowed to drink more than the legal limit. The last thing we needed was to get a call and have to leave and someone get a DUI, or be too fucked up on a ride. I implemented the rule the day that I got the gavel. When we rode, I needed soldiers, not drunks who couldn’t keep the rubber down.

  I saw Regg leaning against his bike with his arms crossed, smiling that fucking smile and laughing that fucking laugh that I loved so much. He had been with me since we left, but fuck, I missed not talking to him. He sensed me looking at him and looked up at me. He unfolded his arms, tucking one hand in his pocket and throwing the other on the handlebar of his bike. I knew that posture all too well. Regg wasn’t stupid, he knew what was coming.

  “You got something you want to say to me, Pres?” he asked, silencing every biker in the lot. Everyone looked at me, shaking their heads and pulling out their wallets.

  “Yeah, I do,” I said, taking the stairs two at a time-anxious to get this shit over with. By the time I made it to the ground level, a circle had formed and Coon was gathering money. Regg’s cut was off and his hat turned. I had never been toe to toe with Regg and I was sure that it would get brutal. I had seen the man fight many times, but I wasn’t nervous. I gave him a smirk and pulled my shirt off. This was gonna be fun.

  We squared up, Regg being such a gentlemen, I knew he would let me make the first move. Pussy. I threw my hardest right, hoping to connect with his jaw and throw him off balance, but Regg was fast for a big guy and dodged my blow easily, bouncing around like he was a fucking boxer or something. I could see the laughter in his eyes, and I knew no matter how serious this fight got, we would be good after this.

  “You swing like a bitch. As a matter of fact, I think your bitch has more skills than you.” While he was running his mouth, I landed two blows to his face, smiling at the blood that oozed from his lip. He was trying to get under my skin. Yeah, that shit didn’t fucking work on me, but it did on him.

  “I know your bitch does. Red has all kinds of skills, if you know what I mean,” I said, wagging my eyebrows at him. That big ass smile of his disappeared and the fight was on. Nobody talked about Red. Not even me.

  “Good to have you back, brother,” Regg said from beside me. We sat on the concrete steps of the hotel, both of us covered in blood. Mostly his, but to give him credit, he got a few good licks in. “You know I don’t make decisions unless it is for the good of club. I didn’t tell anyone else, because when shit came to a head, I didn’t want anyone else to take the fall for it. It was a stand-alone decision not to tell you and the best one, in my judgment.”

  “I know where you are coming from, but that’s my woman, my property and my problem. I won’t allow it to happen again.”

  “And it won’t. What happened that day at the hospital? I ain’t trying to get in ya business man, but Dallas is ignorant to all of this. There is no way she knew what was going on. You shouldn’t have said that shit to her,” Regg said, taking that annoying step into my private life. Had it have been anyone else, I would have ended the conversation and walked away, but not only was Regg my Enforcer, he was my best friend.

  “I lost it. I didn’t blame her, but shit just wasn’t adding up in my head. I should have made the call to you, but when I saw her- all I could think was that she betrayed me. It had nothing to do with Jeff working for Frankie, it was that she was with Jeff when she should have been with me.” I knew it sounded fucked up to him, because it sounded fucked up to my own ears, but what could I say? I was a possessive man when it came to Dallas.

  “So, what you gonna do about Jeff?” Regg asked, silencing his ringing phone without looking at it.

  “Nothing I can do. As long as he stays away from Dallas, he lives. If I tried to take out everyone in Frankie’s army, I would spend a lifetime doing it. I won’t make him pay for being with my girl when she wasn’t even mine at the time.” Regg clapped me on the back, proud of the fact that I was once again thinking with my head and not my cock.

  “I’m gonna call the ol’ lady then get some shut eye. You better do the same, brother. We have a long ride ahead of us tomorrow.” I nodded my head in agreement, not at all excited about meeting with an old associate in the morning to gain intel on Frankie’s whereabouts. I had a feeling it would be another dead end. I was tired of my club swallowing pride and asking for help. I already owed too many favors to too many people. This one better have something, I was running out of patience.

  I called Dallas’s phone and Jenn answered, letting me know that Dallas and Brooklyn were passed out drunk in the living room floor, wearing nothing but smiles. Another fucking night of visions of Dallas naked and nothing I could do about it. It seemed Dallas had spent her time away from me getting drunk. If I called too late at night, chances are she was already passed out. Two brothers from Lake Charles were staying at the clubhouse to look after the girls and I prayed that they didn’t walk inside. I would never hear the end of it, if they did.

  Morning came and we rolled out, Ronnie and I leading the pack. We would be in Texas today, a territory I was too familiar with. I had made the decision to call an old connection and schedule a meet to see if I could get some eyes in the area. This guy was old school, a friend of my Pops and he didn’t like doing business over the phone. He didn’t too much like me either, or the fact that I put a stop to my club making runs for him. The money was good, but the risk was too high. When we had enough money to invest in something legit, I pulled us away from the illegal shit that was consuming our lives. So far, it was working, but I knew this guy would want favors that I wasn’t ready to give.

  Charlie Lott was a man you didn’t fuck with. When in his presence, you didn’t speak unless you were spoken to. He was the meanest, coldest, most arrogant motherfucker I knew and could have a whole block wiped out with just a nod of his head. Me and Charlie had an understanding back in the day. I did the dirty work and he supplied the cash. When he asked me to do a hit and I refused, shit changed. Charlie called me a pussy, and the two little words ‘fuck you’ slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. I stood my ground, and for some reason, he let me live. Asking Charlie for help was like asking the Devil for a glass of ice water. You had to really want it and be prepared for an answer that you didn’t want. But Charlie got offended if you didn’t come to him, and nobody offended Charlie.

  The meet was in a field off of a dusty road out in the middle of nowhere. It was exactly the kind of place I expected and the one that made me the most nervous. If ever I doubted one of my brothers’ loyalties, I didn’t now. They all knew what we were getting into, yet they rode behind me, ready for what the fuck ever Charlie had to offer. MC’s were beneath Charlie, or so he thought. He considered us his bitches, and I was okay with that, if it meant he would lead me to Frankie, and hopefully the whereabouts of War.

  We pulled up and only one SUV with two people inside was there. I knew they weren’t alone though. There was a sniper somewhere nearby, maybe three or four of them that had a red dot centered on my head. Charlie never travelled alone, and I didn’t blame him. Killing a man like him would give you so much street credit that you would never have to ask for anything again. People would willingly give you anything you desired. Charlie stepped out, looking just as I remembered him. He wore a suit that I was sure was made by some fucking designer in some fucking country that no one else had. His white hair was slicked back on his head and a big cigar dangled from his fingers. The biggest black man that I had ever seen stepped out of the driver’s seat and joined him. He wore an earpiece like he was in the CIA or some shit and a suit that matched the one Charlie wore. Some people would say they looked sharp and intelligent. I think they looked fucking ridiculous.

  “Luke,” Charlie said, walking toward
s me and putting his long, cold hand that had a diamond ring on every finger out for me to shake. I nodded my head at him and shook his hand firmly.

  “It’s been a long time, Charlie.” Not long enough.

  “I hear you are looking for a man that goes by the name of Frankie. I also hear he killed one of your men, put one in the hospital, hung your woman in a barn and assaulted her and kidnapped another one. Is that right?” I saw a glimmer of hope in his eye that maybe his comment about Dallas would fuck with my head. He wouldn’t get the pleasure.

  “That’s right,” I said, my voice even and holding no emotion. Charlie could read body language like a book and I had learned to control my breathing and keep my stance casual around him. The comment about War wasn’t proven true yet, but telling him would be irrelevant. He was the type that would kill him if he was alive, just so that his assumptions would be true.

  “Sounds like you and your club have a lot of problems,” he said, taking a puff from his cigar. I didn’t answer, because his question was rhetorical. I knew when to keep my mouth shut. If I didn’t, he would make me look like an ass in front of my club, and I didn’t like that shit.

  “This is what I can do. I’ll tell you where you can find Frankie, and in return, you give me Dallas.” The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I could feel the air shift around me.

  “That ain’t gonna happen,” I said, wondering if I moved my stance fast enough could I put a bullet in his skull before the sniper could retrain his sights on me.

  “I think that’s a fair trade. If Frankie leaves, your problems go away. Does some woman mean more to you than your club?” He was testing me. Calm down, Luke. He is just seeing how far he can push you.

  “My family is what I want to protect. That includes my club and my woman. I’m not separating the two. They are one in the same.” Charlie nodded his head and looked at the black man smiling.