Saving Dallas Forever

by Kim Jones

  “Kill us?” I asked, a little too loudly, earning myself another shhh from them both.

  “No one is gonna kill us. It’s just a precaution. There are two vans parked across the street, and someone triggered the silent alarm on the back gate,” Maddie informed us. She lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke out in a long breath.

  “How the hell do you know?” Red asked, her grumpy tone and nonchalance about the possible danger of the situation getting on my nerves.

  “Unlike the two of you, I demand to know what is going on when I am dragged out of bed in the middle of the night.” Well, at least one of us had enough sense to ask.

  “Where is everyone else?” I asked, now noticing that the room should have been full. There were only three of us when there should have been nine.

  “They went home. A lot of them have to work tomorrow. Only me, you, Red, Luke, Marty, and Regg are here. Everyone from out of town. I’m sure the other guys will be here soon.” Just then, the door opened, startling all of us, even Red.

  “It’s just me, girls,” Marty said, from the door. “Big Al, Shark, and Bryce are on their way, but until they get here and we know what’s going on, y’all need to stay in here.”

  “Oh for fuck’s sake Marty,” Red said in a huff, wide awake now that she had had the shit scared out of her. “Can we please just go to bed?” I prayed that he said no. If this was the safest place to be, then this is where I wanted to stay.

  “No, Red, and quit bitchin’. It’s only for a little while.”

  “Thanks Marty,” I said, giving Red a look, although she couldn’t see it. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about us,” Red huffed, but kept her mouth shut. Marty started to leave and I melted when Maddie spoke.

  “Be careful,” she said quickly. I knew she wanted to go to him but couldn’t.

  “I will, babe,” he said, before leaving us alone once again.

  “Well ain’t y’all just sweet,” Red said, and I started to slap the shit out of her, but Maddie had it covered.

  “If you got something to say bitch just say it. If not, shut the fuck up. I hate when you get drunk and pissy. You’re gettin’ on my nerves with that shit,” Maddie snapped, and I could feel the anger radiating off her and filling the room.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just being a bitch ‘cause my head hurts. It’s like fucking pounding, man. I don’t know what’s wrong,” Red said, her voice holding just a hint of apology.

  “Well maybe you shouldn’t have drunk so much,” Maddie muttered, Red’s apology not being accepted in the least. The door opened again, and our heads snapped up as a large dark figure approached us. I tensed, the feeling of dread pumping through my veins, as I opened my mouth to scream at the intruder.

  “Here, baby.” I recognized Regg’s voice and nearly pissed my pants in relief.

  “Fuck you scared me,” I said, holding my chest and feeling my heart beat hard against it. Regg handed something to Red, who fumbled in the dark, thanking him in a rush of breath once she had it in her possession.

  “I brought y’all a bottle of water.” Regg said, handing me and Maddie bottles of water that we both greedily accepted.

  “Can we turn the light on?” I asked, thinking how much easier it would be if we could see, and it would keep us from panicking when they barged in.

  “Can’t. The power is out.” I looked up into the darkness, expecting him to answer my unspoken question, but then remembered he couldn’t see me.

  “Why?” I asked Regg, who stood looming over us.

  “They must have shot out a transformer, ‘cause the whole street is out of lights. Probably hoping it would kill the alarm, but the dumbasses must not be up-to-date on technology. Even the worst criminals know that alarms are backed up by a battery pack.” Shooting out a transformer was a pretty extreme measure to take. They must have really wanted to get to us.

  “Gotta go. Y’all good?” We assured him we were fine and he left, giving Red a quick kiss first.

  “What did he bring you?” Maddie asked Red, after we had all consumed almost all of our water. Shit, I was thirsty.

  “Headache meds,” Red replied shortly, curling up, and using my leg as a pillow. I began rubbing her head, knowing that she must be in some sort of pain to be so indifferent about the situation, which was clearly a very serious one. Maddie leaned her head on my shoulder again, and I placed my head on top of hers. I wasn’t worried about Luke, he could take care of himself, and I wasn’t worried about the intruders because Marty and Regg didn’t seem too bothered by them. I felt safe here. I knew these guys wouldn’t let anything happen to us. Maddie and Red knew it too. How else could they sleep in a time like this? I closed my eyes, listening to Maddie and Red’s relaxed breathing. Not only had I learned that I cared about the club, but, as I joined my sisters and fell into an unconscious state, I knew that I had now learned to trust them.

  “Get a shovel and help me dig!” Red snapped, the long t-shirt she wore covered in mud. She was drenched in water, barefoot, and her hair was stuck to the side of her face and neck. I picked up the shovel without question, digging into the soft ground in the middle of the woods, while the rain poured down on top of me. “You have to dig faster. We have to hide the body before the cops get here.” I saw headlights in the distance, closing in on us slowly. I began digging faster, sticking the shovel in the dirt and throwing it over my shoulder. We were getting nowhere.

  “We need some help!” I screamed at Red, panicking that we would be caught if we didn’t hide the body that lay next to us wrapped in a white sheet. The headlights were closer now. They must have been driving through the woods. “Get Maddie!” I yelled, looking around, trying to find her. “Maddie!” I screamed, waiting for her to emerge from behind one of the tall trees that littered the woods.

  “Maddie? She can’t help us now,” Red said, constantly shoveling dirt from the shallow grave we had dug. Was Maddie hurt? Was it so bad that she couldn’t lift a shovel?

  “Where is Maddie? What’s wrong with her?” I asked, the car headlights that were once in the distance now upon us. Red stopped what she was doing, a look of devastation on her dirty, wet face.

  “Whose grave do you think this is?”

  My eyes flew open to find Luke squatting in front of me. His face looked concerned, as he wiped the sweat from my head and spoke softly to me. I looked around, searching for Maddie in my lethargic state. She, along with Red, Marty, Regg, Big Al, Bryce, and Shark stood behind Luke, eyeing me with concern. The lights were on and blinding as I sat on the floor, propped against the wall trying to calm my harsh breathing and my racing heart. I stared at them all, wide-eyed trying to wash the horrible image of Maddie wrapped in a white sheet from my mind.

  “Luke, she needs a doctor,” Red said, coming up behind Luke and placing her hand on his shoulder.

  “Dallas,” Luke said calmly, trying to claim my attention, which was now on Big Al’s face. He looked at me with pity, and I wondered if Luke’s brothers were aware of my nightmares.

  “This is happening too much. Does she talk about it?” My eyes swung to Maddie, who stood chewing her lip next to Regg. Luke shook his head, and I realized that they must think I was still asleep.

  “I can hear you,” I said, my voice so low that I could barely hear it myself.

  “What did she say?” A confused Shark asked Marty, who answered with a shake of his head and a shrug of his shoulders. Luke started to answer, but I beat him to it.

  “I said,” my voice a little louder and clearer this time, “I can hear you.” No one said anything, just stood there still staring at me. Was there something wrong with me? Why were they acting as if they hadn’t heard me? Or did they just not have anything to say? I looked at Luke, finding his blue eyes wide and full of agony. Maybe a change of subject was in order. “Did y’all find the guys?” Luke gave me a small smile, rubbing my hair, and placing his palm on my cheek.

  “Everything is fine, babe. You don’t need to worry about that right no
w. Let’s take a walk, okay?” Luke pulled me to my feet, wrapping his arm around my waist. Everyone stood around nervously, as if I might collapse to the floor at any moment. That’s when I noticed I was not in the same place I had been when I fell asleep.

  Luke

  “How did I get here?” Dallas asked me, her pale face was twisted in confusion, as I led her away from the bar and outside to get some fresh air. Talk about a fucked-up morning.

  “I carried you here from the bathroom. You started fighting me, so I sat you down. Your screams had everyone running to see what was wrong. Sorry about the audience, but they were worried.” Marty and Regg knew Dallas suffered from night terrors, but it was something new for Shark, Big Al, and Bryce. It was a scary thing to witness that was for damned sure.

  “Oh,” Dallas replied simply, looking up at the sky, which was beginning to lighten. It was Monday morning and a hell of a start to the new week. My first thought was that Metal and Madness had taken a bold step and tried to break into the clubhouse. So, I was more than surprised to find Charlie’s goons as the culprits. They had been sent to make sure Dallas was still here, and since Ronnie had taken Dallas’ car to ensure a very drunk Brooklyn got home safe, they thought she might have left. He could have just fucking called, but Charlie had a way of doing things, like breaking into the clubhouse and blowing up fucking transformers, just to show me that he could. I walked with Dallas down the alley behind the clubhouse until we reached the gate, then turned and walked back toward the entrance to the main room. She looked calmer, but whatever dream she had had was still very clear in her mind. Her brows were furrowed, as she tried hard to shake the mental image, which I knew she couldn’t clear from her head.

  “Dallas, I need you to tell me about these dreams,” I said, stopping her and pulling her face up, so I could look into her troubled eyes. Fuck, she was beautiful, even at her worst. She didn’t want to tell me, but I needed to know. I needed to know that she could deal with this and get past it, because I had something I needed her to do. A mission that would require her to be mentally stable enough to perform. “Tell me, baby. Please.” I asked her softly, reassuring her with a kiss. That worked.

  “Red and I were in the woods and I was helping her dig a grave. When I asked where Maddie was, so that maybe she could help us, she said ‘whose grave do you think this is?’” That was some serious shit. I rubbed her hair, pulling her into me and just holding her close. What the fuck was I supposed to say to that? My poor girl was suffering from nightmares because of the shit she had been through. Shit that I could have prevented and hadn’t. I had demons of my own I was still having to deal with after her assault from Frankie and then his death. Not a day went by in which I didn’t wish I could have done something different to prevent it from happening.

  “Dallas, no one is gonna hurt Maddie. She’s fine. And no one is gonna hurt you.” They were shit words with a shit meaning that wasn’t doing shit to make her feel better, but it was all I had. Reassurance was all I had to offer, yet I had failed her before, so why should she trust me now?

  “Tell me what happened,” she said, her voice muffled by my chest.

  “Maddie said you were moaning in your sleep, shaking and mumbling. When she tried to wake you, you pushed her away. She came and got me, while Red stayed with you. When I got in there, we had just got the generators running and the lights were on, and I could see you sweating and pale. You looked sick. I tried to carry you back to bed, but you started fighting me, so I sat you down. You woke up stunned, and it took a few minutes for you to respond to me. That’s why we thought you couldn’t hear us.” I wrapped my arms tighter around her, remembering that sick feeling in my gut at the sight of her lying there unconscious and shaking.

  “That explains the lights.” She mumbled, leaving me confused.

  “What lights?”

  “In my dream. I kept seeing lights and I thought it was the police coming.” I pulled Dallas away from me, staring into those huge green pools that were tired and sad. She offered me a small smile, as she stood up straighter and took a deep breath. I saw that spark in her eyes, and I knew she would be fine. These dreams were fucked up, but if that was the only side effect after everything she had been through, then I guess she was doing okay.

  “Let’s take a shower. I want to take you somewhere.” She nodded her head, and hand-in-hand, we went back inside. Everyone was at the bar drinking coffee, and I started to assure them everything was fine, but Dallas and her mouth had their own plan.

  “I’m good. Just a little fucked up in the head. Don’t worry, Shark,” I watched Shark’s eyebrows lift as she addressed him. Of everyone here, I think he felt the most uncomfortable about this morning’s events where Dallas was concerned. “It was just as good for me as it was for you, but next time leave those vibrating anal beads at home.” Dallas never slowed her pace as we passed through the main room, leaving everyone in laughter and one badass motherfucker blushing.

  “You look fucking hot, babe.” I said to Dallas, who wore leather pants, thigh-high leather riding boots, and a leather corset. I felt my dick twitching in my pants at the sight of her. She had asked me where we were going and I told her we were taking the bike. That was all she needed to know. When she asked how she needed to dress, I told her sexy, which she looked no matter what she wore. But this time, Dallas took it up a notch. Good thing we weren’t going out in public, or I would have had to break fucking necks for looking at her. That was the only downside to having a woman as fine as her. I threw on some jeans and a t-shirt, grabbing my cap and cut, not giving a shit that she looked like a goddess, while I looked like a thug. Fuck it. By the way her eyes appraised me, I knew it didn’t matter what I wore. My girl knew what I could do to her, and she wasn’t going to find anyone who could do it better. I gave her a smug smile, letting her know I was on to her eye-fucking. How a motherfucker like me wound up with a girl like her, I’ll never know. All I knew was that I loved her, and I still got that tingling in my gut at the sight of her looking at me like she could eat me alive. I cleared my throat, feeling like a sap for being so deep inside my own mind and grabbed my dick, making sure my manhood was still there. “Get your shit, so we can go.” I was such a smartass, but I felt my nuts drop a little as I said it. Sometimes a man has to be a man just to prove to himself that love hasn’t turned him into a poetic, love-struck pussy.

  Chapter 18

  Luke

  I took Dallas out to Ronnie and Brooklyn’s for the day. They both worked full-time, but had taken the day off, due to the late night we had pulled, and to have some time to visit. Brooklyn was the only one aware of my plan to take Charlie down and outsmart him, and was going to help me assess Dallas to see if she was capable of doing her part. I trusted Brooklyn’s judgment, and if she thought Dallas could handle it, then it would be a go. If not, then I would have to resort to plan B, and plan B sucked ass. Ronnie and Brooklyn lived in the country, in a house that made you feel as if you were home every time you walked inside. Of course, it was them that made you feel welcome, but something about their place made it even better. Maybe it was Brooklyn’s cooking or Ronnie’s shop filled with Harleys, or their little mutt dog named Dawall that brought a smile to my face when we pulled up, whatever in the hell it was, it made me feel good. We walked onto the covered back porch to find them seated at a table with a breakfast fit for a king laid out before them.

  “Hey brother,” Ronnie said, standing to give me a hug and then Dallas.

  “Damn, girl!” I didn’t have to look to know that Brooklyn was referring to Dallas’ outfit, but I did, just so I could see it one more time. The cut Dallas wore with my name on it made her outfit that much more appealing to me, and I sat down so Brooklyn wouldn’t call me out on the bulge in my jeans. “You look fucking hot!” Dallas winked at her in response. I loved how confident she was. Most girls would require either more convincing, or would blush with embarrassment, but not mine. She knew she was fucking smokin’, and her smile show
ed that she was happy someone had noticed. “Sit down. I made you a southern breakfast with a touch of Cajun. You’ll love it.”

  “No doubt about that, babe. Everything Brooklyn cooks is fine,” I said, loading up my plate with eggs, bacon, biscuits, and Brooklyn’s famous Cajun gravy.

  “I love it when good-looking men flatter me.” Brooklyn said, pouring me some juice before treating Dallas to a mimosa.

  “I think we’re doing a good job at making our presence known.” Ronnie said, getting straight to business as we ate. That’s why I loved my brother. He was just as passionate about the club as I was.

  “I agree. We’re gonna hit the local spots all week and not give ‘em any down time. It won’t be long before we show up in the same place. I got the word out to some of the bar owners. They’re gonna give us a call if they see them.” There wasn’t much you could do when someone came in and you couldn’t find them. Lake Charles was a big town and although we had connections and a big club of our own, it seemed we kept missing them.

  “Oh, we’ll find them eventually. Don’t worry about that. They can’t hide forever, but I’m sure they’re just waiting for their reinforcements.” Ronnie said, as I felt Dallas looking at me. I turned to find her silently observing our conversation.

  “I got Kev and Crash still on the road, checking out some places north of here. They have seen one or two on the road, but I told them not to pursue ‘em.” I turned back to Ronnie after giving Dallas a wink, and watching as she melted in her chair. Yep, I still had it.

  “Oh, no. We don’t need ‘em doin’ that. Just tell ‘em to keep an eye out. They will fuck up soon enough.”

  “So, Dallas, what’s Luke getting you for your birthday?” I looked at Ronnie, as he tried to fight his smile by shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth. If I thought my leg could reach, and I could do it discreetly, I would have kicked Brooklyn under the table. She knew I had not gotten Dallas’ birthday present yet, and she was letting me know just how shitty she thought it was. It was her subtle, Brooklyn way.