by Kim Jones
“I’m not going to hurt them, Luke. I’m going to keep one and give you one. Fifty-fifty. Actually, you are getting the better end of the deal here. You are getting Frankie, and a hostage. I’m being more than fair,” Charlie said, actually believing that what he was doing was benefiting Luke.
“Please, I can’t,” Luke said in a final attempt to bargain with him. Charlie did not feel like negotiating. He pulled a gun from his back and pointed it at me and Maddie.
“Choose now, or they both die. Your decision,” he said. Instead of screaming like I wanted to, or freaking out from the sight of a gun in my face, I looked into Luke’s shining blue eye. Begging him to make good on his promise and choose the right one. I mouthed the word ‘please’ just as Charlie spoke.
“Times up. Whose is it going to be Luke? You have three seconds. Three, two…”
“Maddie,” Luke said, his voice defeated. The guys behind him stood motionless, their faces full of sympathy, remorse and even a few tears. Luke had sealed my fate, but saved the life of my sister. I would forever be grateful, however long forever was. Charlie placed his gun at his back and gave the order to untie Maddie. Her limbs hung limply as Tiny came forward and curled her into his arms. He looked to me and I knew there was nothing he could say. There was no reason to cry now, or to scream and beg for my life. I knew what I wanted and I smiled a weak smile at Tiny with a nod of my head.
“Luke, I never go back on my word. I will tell you this, and although it won’t make it any easier for you, at least you will know. Dallas will be safe. My home will be her home and in no way will I hurt or mistreat her, other than holding her against her will. But, if you come looking for her, if you so much as cross into the state of Texas, I will kill her. I will beat her until she is within an inch of her life. I will record her final words and they will be ones that you don’t want to hear.” Luke nodded his head in understanding, his body sagging until his knees hit the ground.
“Just don’t hurt her,” He said, looking at me. “I will find a way, baby. I swear it on my life. I will find a way.”
Tears poured out of every eye in front of me. I barely noticed as they cut my hands and feet loose; my stiff muscles aching so badly I couldn’t function on my own. One of the goons carried me in his arms to another waiting SUV. I was placed in the back seat, Charlie sliding in next to me. I turned my head to look out of the back glass, into the faces of the ones that I loved. Luke’s eyes found mine and he held my gaze. In this moment, I only wanted one thing. The love of my life, the man that owned my body and soul, the one that knew more about me than anyone; this man gave me exactly what I needed. As we pulled away, I was left with the vision of his beautiful face, even battered and bruised, and on it he wore his signature smirk.
RED
“Hold still.” Regg was such a baby. He acted like a little rubbing alcohol would kill him.
“Well, that shit burns,” he snapped. All of the guys were on edge since they got back, but that was no reason to be such a tit.
“I know, baby,” I said in my cooing voice. He shot me a warning glare and I flashed him a smile. His face softened and he pulled me onto his lap.
“I love the way you smell,” he said, burying his face in my hair. “I never want to spend another day apart from you.”
“Yes, but you will. As soon as y’all figure out how to get Dallas back, you will be back on the road, putting yourself on the line for Luke, just as you have for years.” I understood better than anyone how this shit worked. Regg was loyal to his brother, and I loved him for that, but it didn’t make it any easier. “How is Luke?” I asked, not wanting to think too hard about the risks Regg had taken for the club.
“About as well as can be expected. Well, actually, better than expected,” he said with a puzzled look. “Luke knows Charlie better than any one of us and insures that he will keep his word and not hurt Dallas. He actually spoke to him this morning. I don’t know what was said, but Luke seemed defeated but content when he hung up the phone. I tried to ask him what it was about, but he wouldn’t tell me. I see the wheels turning in his head and I know that he is thinking of doing something, and he wants to do it alone.”
The guys had gotten home early this morning, around three, and between Maddie and Luke, we all had our hands full. There was no question that we would all put our lives on hold and stay together until this shit was sorted out. The clubhouse was big enough to house everyone, and the whole family had pulled together to take care of each other. If ever we needed one another, it was now.
“Luke’s not crazy. He won’t do anything that would harm Dallas. If he knows this guy will keep his word than he knows better than to go after her.”
Maddie had filled us in on the events that took place yesterday. It took her a while to get it all out, but she managed to tell us everything. The guys had called a support club in to bring a truck to carry Luke home, and a trailer for his bike. We called the club doctor in to stitch Luke up and check him out. Other than some broken ribs and a bruised up face, he was okay. He even walked through the door by himself. Damn pride. Once he was bandaged, fed and had a few hours of sleep, he was better. I knew better than to approach him with anything, and I had my hands full with Maddie. Plus, this was a pretty big hit on the whole club, so we had to find time somewhere in between to provide solace and comfort for our own ol’ men.
Church was being held tonight, and the guys would figure out what to do with Frankie. I was surprised Luke had not walked up and put a bullet in his skull as soon as he got home, but I guess he had other things on his mind. As much as I hated him, I felt bad for the fact that nobody would tell him if Maddie was okay. They wanted him to suffer. I wasn’t a parent, but I loved my sister’s kids as much as anyone could. I would have been devastated if something happened to one of them. Frankie was being held in the underground room in Luke’s house. The only people to have seen him were the brothers from Lake Charles. I wanted to go down there and give him a piece of my mind, but Regg wouldn’t let me.
We were sitting at the bar throwing back some much needed shots when Luke walked in, trying hard to hold his posture upright. He had a couple of bandages on his face, and I could see the tape wrapped around his stomach through his thin, white t-shirt. His baggy, torn jeans hung low on his waist and on his feet he wore flip-flops-something you rarely saw. He looked freshly showered and ready to take on the day. I was proud of him. Not every man could hold his shit together after what he had been through. He walked up to me, grabbing my face in his hands and kissed my lips, just as he had done many times.
“Thank you. For everything. Thank you all,” he said louder, looking out at everyone in the clubhouse. We all stared as the President of the Devil’s Renegades stood before us, and delivered a speech that left everyone in tears.
“There is no need in repeating the events of yesterday, or trying to decide what we could have done different. Not a man or woman in this room could have done anything to prevent it from happening, it was inevitable. I don’t know where this leaves us. I have run out of options, and I’m at a dead-end. If we go over there, if we try to fight, we will all lose. We are a small army up against a man with thousands of soldiers. I will not risk the life of Dallas, or the lives of my brothers again, but I will not stop looking for a way to make this right. I will find a way to beat him. When I do, I cannot ask you to help me. I cannot choose between the two of you. I made a decision yesterday to save the lives of two of the most important women in my life.” Luke looked away from us as he gathered himself, trying to find the right words to say. Maddie walked up beside him, snaking her arm lightly around his waist and giving him a smile. She seemed to give him the strength that he needed to carry on. “I won’t make it through this without you. I need you now more than I ever have. I love you.” He grabbed a beer from the bar and lifted it. “To Dallas.”
“To Dallas,” we all said in unison. I threw back the shot and looked over at Marty. He had been released from the hospital and seem
ed to be taking Dallas’s kidnapping just as hard as the rest of us. We had a long road ahead of us, but we would get through it together. That’s what family did.
Chapter 14
Dallas
Church was short and quiet. It didn’t take long to determine Frankie’s fate. Maddie had requested to see him, and although Luke didn’t like it, he eventually gave in. Maddie asked me to accompany her, and I wanted to decline, but of course, I agreed. It felt weird walking down the steps into the dark room that Luke used for God knows what. I felt like I was a priest visiting a death row inmate. Creepy. But, Maddie was my sister and one of my best friends and if she wanted me to come along, I would. I thought she would be in tears, but her face was impassive as Possum and Danny, two of the brothers from the Lake Charles chapter, led us down the stairwell.
Frankie was sitting tied to a chair in the middle of the room. The lighting down here was dim and it looked just like something out of a damn scary movie. When he raised his head and saw Maddie, he cried out in relief, trying to move his arms to get to her, but he couldn’t. I thought he would be beaten up, but the guys had not touched him.
“Maddie! Oh, my baby! You’re alive!” Tears of joy poured out of his eyes. I remembered seeing him this happy only once before, the day that Logan was born. He wasn’t crying, but his excitement over a grandson was contagious and although we all hated him, we couldn’t help but smile with him at the time.
“I’m not your baby, Frankie,” Maddie said, her voice so cold that even I shivered. “This is all your fault. They have her and they are gonna kill her now. Just like you tried to kill her.”
“Maddie girl, I did that for you. Everything I did was for you,” he pleaded, looking like a crazy man. I felt pity for Dallas and what she went through. I could only imagine being abducted by a man like him. At least his goons that grabbed me were half ass normal.
“I never asked you to do any of that for me!” Maddie screamed, making us all jump. “You killed an innocent woman, then kidnapped my fucking sister and tried to rape her. Now she has been taken and we will never get her back!” Frankie shook his head not understanding.
“No, he let you go,” he said, stating the obvious, but still shaking his head like something wasn’t clear.
“That’s right, daddy. He let me go, but one of us had to stay. Did you really think he would just let us walk away?” she asked incredulously.
“I-I thought he took you because of me,” Frankie said, looking at the faces in the room to see if anyone was following him. I was totally not following him. When he didn’t get an answer, he elaborated, “He wanted me. He took you because he wanted me. When he found out Luke was coming to see him, he already had me. He wanted Luke to suffer, so he asked for Dallas, but the whole time, it was you he wanted. He had no intentions of taking her.”
“Luke!” I yelled up the stairs. He definitely needed to hear this.
“Why would he do that?” Maddie asked, reality starting to sink in.
“He knew taking you would hurt the both of us, but he had no problem with you. The deal was, I would come willingly and he would leave you alone. The next thing I know, we show up here and he takes both of you.” Luke came barreling down the stairs, running to Maddie and pulling her to him.
“Are you okay? What happened?” he asked, kicking Frankie’s chair over, making them both grunt in pain. “Tell me what he said. What did he do to upset you? You don’t have to talk to him.”
“Luke,” I said, grabbing his arm.
“What?” he asked, bothered by my interrupting him. I let that one slide, considering the circumstances.
“He is saying some shit, and it sounds pretty important.” Luke swung around and pushed Frankie back up to a sitting position, acting like he didn’t have broken ribs.
“Talk,” he said, leaning down in Frankie’s face.
“Can I have a drink of water?”
The sound of Luke’s open palm slapping Frankie’s cheek made me jump. Maddie cringed beside me. I grabbed her hand to pull her up the stairs, but she stood her ground and shook her head at me. Frankie spit blood out on the floor and it spattered the concrete.
“Why did you choose Maddie over Dallas?” Frankie asked Luke, his voice full of hate and disgust.
“Why wouldn’t I. She is just as much a part of my life as Dallas. Stop stalling and talk.” Luke’s patience was wearing thin. A crowd had gathered in the room and up the stairwell. Everyone was holding their breath, watching and waiting.
“You are crazy about that girl. That’s why you want me dead. Because of her. Because of what I did to-” Luke shut Frankie up with a blow to his face. This time, he used his fist and blood gushed from Frankie’s brow. He blinked furiously, trying to keep the blood out of his eye.
“Fuck, Luke. I can’t fucking concentrate with blood gushing out of my damn head.” Luke snapped his fingers at one of the guys standing next to the sink and ordered a rag with just a wave of his hand.
“Get him some water too.”
Luke was being awfully generous. I prayed for Frankie’s sake that he didn’t take advantage of it. Possum grabbed a wet cloth and Maddie walked forward, taking it from him and cleaning the blood from the face of the only father she had ever known. She and Luke exchanged a look, Maddie silently pleading with Luke. He nodded his head and grabbed a knife off of Boss Hog’s belt and cut Frankie loose. Once his hands were free, he drained the cup of water and patted Maddie’s hand giving her a weak smile and taking the cloth from her.
“I got it, baby.” This was the Frankie that Maddie couldn’t let go of. It was wrong of him to conduct himself in a manner that was so thoughtful and nice, when in reality he was the biggest piece of shit on the planet. All he was doing was making this harder on her. I wanted to go up and slap him myself, but kept my composure, and my position, right up front in the middle of everything.
“Frankie, I’m trying to keep my cool here. Talk,” Luke said, standing in the LLC posture that all the women swooned over. Hell, even I couldn’t look at him when he stood like that. I looked over at Regg and saw he was casually propped up against the wall and almost laughed. He caught my eye and smiled. Only the two of us could find something funny in a moment like this.
“I stole some money from Charlie. He felt like it was better to punish me by making me look over my shoulder every day, rather than just coming to get me. He told me that he would see me one day and that I would never know when that day would be. I had the club to protect me, even had to pay some of them gangs around town when the boys weren’t around. He sent some of his guys after me a couple of times, but I managed to fight them off, or at least the guys I hired did. Can I have some more water?”
Luke let out a ferocious growl and grabbed Frankie by his shirt, lifting him out of the chair. Yep, Frankie was taking advantage and Luke was gonna lose his shit. I looked to Regg to find him still propped up against the wall. I motioned with my hands in an are-you-gonna-do-something gesture and he just shrugged. Then winked at me, and gave me his crooked smile.
Fuck.
I turned back to see Luke barking in Frankie’s face.
“One more time and I’ll splatter your brains against the wall. I don’t give a fuck who is watching.” Maddie managed to keep herself together; not letting on that what Luke was doing was bothering her. Frankie nodded, unable to speak and Luke slammed him back in the chair.
“He called me yesterday morning. Told me if I didn’t come willingly he was taking Maddie and I’d never see her again. I told him I would rather have you kill me than him. I thought he was bluffing,” he said, looking at Maddie, begging for understanding. She looked away with tears in her eyes, knowing that he would have given her up in an instant. “They grabbed me and the next thing I knew, we were here. He took Maddie and Dallas and left me for you. I thought we had a deal, but apparently we didn’t.” I saw the wheels in Luke’s head spinning. He was focusing on something when he turned back to Frankie.
“Tell me
one more time, and don’t fuck up, what were his exact words to you about Maddie.” What was Luke getting at?
“He said, if I came willingly he would leave Maddie alone. If I didn’t, he would take her and I would never see her again.” Luke nodded his head, smiling a smile with no humor for a reason only he knew.
“Tie him up,” he said softly to Possum, then grabbed Maddie’s hand to exit the room.
“I’ll do it,” Frankie blurted, causing everyone in the room to turn their attention to him.
“No, you won’t,” Luke said softly, then kissed Maddie’s confused face and started out again.
“You promise me,” Frankie stuttered. I looked to see that his eyes were full of tears. “You promise to take care of my little girl, and I’ll do it.” Luke turned to stare at Frankie, his brows drawn together, probably wondering if Frankie was telling the truth or not. “You chose my girl over your own. I don’t care why you did it, or what reasons you had. You did it and that’s all that matters. I don’t know if your Dallas is alive or not, but if she is, I’ll take her place.” You could have heard a pin drop, as we all took turns staring between Luke and Frankie.
“You would do that?” Maddie asked, pulling her hand from Luke’s and walking towards him.
“I would. Not for Luke and not for Dallas, but I’d do it for you. I’ve fucked up my whole life where you were concerned, and now I have my chance to make it right. I always had your best interests at heart, Maddie. I just had a fucked up way of showing it. Luke can take better care of you than I ever could.” Frankie straightened in the chair, trying to salvage what little pride he had left. “He will keep you safe, keep you and Logan both safe. He did it before, he’ll do it again. I never meant to hurt you, Maddie. I know you lost any love you ever had for me after what I done to your sister. I’d rather die at the hands of the man I hate, than live without the only woman I love. My world only exists with you in it, and that just ain’t possible.”
