by Kim Jones
I stared out the windshield, trying to concentrate on the love bugs that had taken over and were crashing into the glass. There were millions out this time of year. It was pointless to wash your car until after the first frost.
“Babe,” Luke said, giving me a little shake. I nodded my head in agreement. There was no point in arguing. Luke needed to be focused, not worrying about me and what I was doing, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. I let out a big sigh, and looked up at his face. His eyes darted between me and the road. He was trying to keep from killing us while reading the expression on my face.
“I don’t like it. I want to scream and kick, but I don’t want to piss you off and I don’t want you worried about me. I would rather be stuck inside your house with a bunch of women for a few days than have you getting shot because you were too busy worrying about me and not looking after your own ass.”
Luke smirked at me, “You, Miss Dallas Knox, are amazing. Here I was thinking I was fixing to have to put you in your place. You are always full of surprises.” He kissed my head and held me against him. I sure was gonna miss these arms while he was gone, which was the only reason I let him slide on the ‘put you in your place’ comment. I was gonna suck at being an ol’ lady.
As we pulled into my driveway, I noticed that Luke had followed through on his word. The ugly, smoldering pile of barn was now nothing more than a thin layer of dirt. The yard looked empty without the barn and I felt a twinge of guilt for burning it. I would have someone to construct a new one this week. It would be something to keep me busy while Luke was gone.
Shit.
I couldn’t leave Luke’s house. I would have to wait until he got back. Maybe then we could do it together, and weed these flower beds. The thought of us together, weeding flower beds made me smile.
“Something funny?” Luke asked, pulling under the carport.
“Would you weed flower beds?”
“Fuck no,” Luke said without hesitation. He put the truck in park and got out, holding his hand out to me. “I have to draw the line somewhere.”
I laughed at him and hopped down from the truck.
“Okay babe, get your shit. I have a few phone calls to make. Fifteen minutes, we still have to go by and see the PROSPECT,” Luke said in his no-nonsense voice. I shot him my impression of his signature smirk and was rewarded with a smile. He was already on the phone and I watched him as he strolled around the driveway with one hand in his pocket. He looked so good in that white t-shirt. He caught me staring and mouthed, “now” to me. I shook my head and walked into the house.
The familiar smell of old books filled my nostrils. My library was a wonderful place. Often I thought of Frankie, Crazy and Dennis standing in this very spot. They had poisoned my home, my life and my family. I hope Luke killed them all. I shook off my thoughts of death and brutality, and made my way to my closet to begin the impossible-pack for an undetermined amount of time in less than fifteen minutes. Yeah, that shit wasn’t gonna happen.
Jeans, shorts, dresses, shirts, sweats, pajamas, bras, panties, heels, tennis shoes, flip flops, slippers, two suitcases and my traveling jewelry box covered my bed twenty minutes after Luke told me I only had fifteen. I grabbed my makeup, brushes, toothbrush, curling iron, hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner and three different kinds of body wash from the bathroom and deposited them on my bed. I looked around the room to see if there was anything else I might want or need. My laptop, a couple of books and my iPod should be enough to keep me busy for a while. Luke walked in and stopped in his tracks. His eyes grew round at the mountain of shit on my bed.
“Dallas, babe, no.” He said looking at me like he was trying to be very patient, but I was pushing it.
“I need this stuff, Luke! Who knows how long it will be before I get to come back?” I exclaimed, standing my ground. Luke would not win this battle. I had agreed to stay cooped up in his house and away from my job for him. The least he could do was let me take whatever in the hell I wanted. Luke let out an exasperated sigh and ran his hand over his head.
“Fine, but you have five minutes to squeeze whatever you can into a suitcase. What’s not packed when I get back, stays.” Game over.
Not only did I get everything on the bed packed, but I had managed to add a few more layers to it. By the time Luke made it back, which was actually more like ten minutes and not five, I had my complete luggage set packed and laying on the bed-all six of them.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I heard Luke murmur as he grabbed the two largest suitcases and hauled them out, not bothering to use the wheels on the bottom. I ran around the house unplugging things and making sure everything was locked while Luke carried the rest of my bags to the truck and not so gently threw them inside. Bitching about it wouldn’t have done me any good. Luke seemed worked up about something, and I didn’t want to give him any reason to snap at me, so I kept my mouth shut.
Once we were loaded, and the house was secure, we pulled out and headed to the hospital to see Marty. I regretted that I hadn’t thought to bring him something, but by the look of the speedometer and the way Luke was weaving in and out of traffic, we were in a bit of a hurry.
“Is something wrong?” I asked cautiously. Luke waited several beats before answering me. I think he was deciding whether or not to tell me the truth.
“We thought we had a lead on War, but it turned into another dead end. Frankie is not where we thought he was either. So now I have a shit load of manpower, a bunch of brothers who are thirsty for blood and no fucking bad guy to go and catch. To make matters worse, the word is out that there are other chapters in town and now I have to worry about people getting the wrong idea.” He didn’t sound like he wanted to talk about it, but while I had the chance; I wanted to push for more.
“What do you mean people are getting the wrong idea?”
“Clubs around here are wondering why the fuck I have outside charters coming to Hattiesburg. They’re afraid we are preparing for a war. We are, just not with them, but you can’t tell them that without someone leaking it to someone who doesn’t need to hear it. Not everyone is staying. Only a few of the guys from Lake Charles are going with us, but everyone is here for the meet. Clubs are getting anxious. When that happens, people do stupid shit.” I was trying to keep up with Luke. His choice of words was confusing, but he didn’t sound like he had a problem at all.
“If you tell the other clubs why they’re here, maybe that will help you find Frankie. I mean, someone has to know where he is. I remember you said that you had some clubs that you didn’t get along with, but y’all kept your distance and just agreed to disagree. Maybe you should reach out to them and just let them know who you are looking for. If they know, they may tell you to get the other guys out of town faster. That’s what I would do. The faster you find Frankie, the faster the other charters can go back to their hometowns and the other clubs can relax knowing that there aren’t fifty Devil’s Renegades roaming the streets.”
Luke looked at me for a long moment, his face void of any emotion. Maybe I had fucked up. Perhaps I should have kept my big fat mouth shut. Wasn’t that what a good ol’ lady did? Speak when you’re spoken to and all that shit?
Luke grabbed his phone off the console and punched in a number, all while keeping one hand on the wheel and his eyes on me. I was afraid to look at anything other than him. For one, I didn’t want to miss the expression that crossed his face, when and if he showed one, and second-if I looked, I would probably do something stupid if we started to veer off the road.
“Tiny, you and Kev put a call out to the surrounding clubs. Let them know why our brothers are in town. See if you can shake an answer from anyone about Frankie’s whereabouts. We got some shit on some of ‘em. Use it.”
Luke ended the call and turned up the radio. Rage Against the Machine was blaring “Bulls on Parade” and the lyrics made me shiver. I was right and Luke didn’t want to admit it. A smile spread over my lips. Maybe I should do this shit in
my spare time. I was dreaming of big banners with Dallas Knox-Problem Solver written in red with a large motorcycle as the background, when Luke pulled into the parking garage of the hospital.
“Your idea was a good one. I should have thought of it myself. I’m slipping and I don’t like it.” Luke’s tone was clipped and accusatory. I got the impression that he was blaming me for his slipping.
“You’re not slipping, Luke. You just have a lot on your mind.” My tone was exasperated and slightly bitchy. I wouldn’t call him out on his behavior right now, but it more than pissed me off that he thought I was to blame, even though I probably was.
“Drop it. I need to have a few words with the PROSPECT alone, so when we get in here, stay in the lobby. I’ll let you see him before we leave.” Luke jumped out of the truck before I could say anything and slammed the door. He stared at his phone by the hood of the truck waiting on me.
I was still sitting inside, trying to figure out what I had done to put him in such a shit mood. All I did was suggest something. Was it really that big of a deal? I clambered from the truck, deciding my skinny jeans and pencil thin stilettos were probably not such a good idea. I wanted to look nice, since Luke looked nice, but there was nothing more annoying than the click of heels in a hospital corridor. I had to practically run to keep up with Luke who held my hand like it was his job rather than his desire. By the time we made it to the lobby, I was fuming. His fucking phone got more attention than I did. Not uttering a word to me, or looking at me or doing anything besides texting and staring straight ahead had thoroughly pissed me off. Once we arrived, Luke let go of my hand, then disappeared down the hall to Marty’s room, without a single word.
The cheap, leather furniture in the lobby was that awful mint green color that reminds you of the seventies. I made myself comfortable on the love seat, only to get up and pace the floor again. I was the only soul in the room and my ass had graced every seat in there. It seemed like hours had passed when Luke arrived with Worm, the VP, and another man, that I remembered as Boss Hog, following him.
“Let’s go.” Luke’s tone was harsh and his eyes hard.
“I want to see Marty,” I said, cocking out my hip and crossing my arms. Bad move, Dallas. Luke rushed up to me and grabbed me, looking down at me and bringing his face so close to mine that our noses almost touched.
“Now,” He growled as I swallowed hard, nodding my head vigorously at him. Luke was fucking scary. His grip on my arm was a little too tight and by the time we were in the elevator, I was sure there would be bruises.
“Luke, you are hurting me,” I whispered, scared that if I spoke too loud or said the wrong thing that he would lose it. He loosened his grip slightly, but kept a firm hold on my arm as he led me through the hospital and to the garage. Luke opened the passenger door and all but pushed me inside. He slammed it behind me and walked around, climbed into the driver’s side and cranked the truck. Worm and Boss Hog had climbed into the back seat and I had an eerie feeling that something was wrong, and whatever it was-I was the cause of it. Luke turned to me, placing a hand on the back of the seat next to my head. I heard the smooth leather crush under his tight grip as he spoke between his teeth.
“Who the fuck is Jeff?” His question caught me off guard and I looked around the cab at the stone faces of our passengers.
“I will ask you one more time,” Luke said, his jaw clenching and his breathing hard. “Who. The. Fuck. Is. Jeff?”
“An old friend,” I said, just loud enough for him to hear me. What was with the questions? Luke’s fist smashed into the radio and I jumped as the pieces fell to the floorboard.
“Don’t you fucking lie to me, Dallas! Who is he?” Luke yelled, just the power of his voice pushing me back further into my seat.
“He-he is my ex-boyfriend,” I stuttered. Luke should know this. He had been following me for years. How could he not have known and why was it such a problem? My mind was racing, and I was scared out of my mind, but I found the courage to speak, “I broke up with him three months before I met you.” Luke just stared at me, the darkness in his eyes so threatening that I found it hard to breathe.
“How long have you been seeing him, Dallas?” Luke asked, his voice so cold that I shivered.
“I dated him for several months. We met at a convention through a mutual client. It was never anything serious. I didn’t love him or anything, it was just sex.” Fuck me and my big mouth. That was surely not the right thing to say. Luke’s eyes grew bigger and darker, if that were possible, and I knew that I’d pushed my limits.
“Let me tell you something, sweetheart, this guy you were fucking just so happens to be playing on the wrong fucking team. He has been doing dirty work for Frankie, and your little idea that you had earlier has just back fired in my fucking face. Now, I’m dealing with a prick whose cock has been in my girl’s pussy and there ain’t a fucking thing I can do about it. I have a meeting with your Jeff in an hour and I have to sit there and strike a deal with him, just so I can find Frankie.”
The console between Luke and I disappeared as he moved closer to me. My brain was screaming at me to jump out of the truck and run, but my ass was frozen to the seat.
“Do you have any idea how hard it’s gonna be sitting across from that motherfucker, knowing that he has seen you? Tasted you? Fucked you?” Luke’s eyes glided over my body as he spoke. He had made me feel a lot of things since I had been with him, now I could add cheap to that list.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. In no way was I responsible for this. I didn’t even know Luke existed when I knew Jeff, yet somehow this was all my fault. I would have told him anything to get him to give me some space. This was too much. I had been more than understanding. I didn’t deserve to be treated like this. Luke was still too close for comfort and time seemed to drag on. Tears now fell freely down my face as Luke glared at me.
“Brother,” Worm said from the back seat, placing his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “She didn’t know.”
I almost passed out at his words. Luke thought I was playing him. He thought I knew Jeff worked for Frankie. My tears of fear and sadness turned to anger, as it dawned on me that this motherfucker actually thought that I had turned on him.
“You son of a bitch,” I whispered in his face, no longer scared of the man staring at me. “You think I knew about this?” Luke sat up and replaced the console so that it was separating us. Smart move. “You think I sold you out? I’m guilty of nothing but loving you.” Luke stared straight ahead, his arm resting casually on the steering wheel.
“Look at me!” I screamed, my patience lost. “Do you know what they did to me? Do you?” Luke’s eyes fell to his lap. “They came in my fucking house! They grabbed me and I fought back, but they hit me so hard that I lost consciousness. When I woke up they were throwing cold water on me. They hung me in a fucking barn, Luke!”
His eyes found mine and I knew he regretted everything he had said and done, but I wasn’t finished. My voice was weaker as I fought the sobs that bubbled in my chest, “They ripped my clothes off of me. Then they duct taped my mouth so I couldn’t scream.” I stared into his blue eyes as I shared with him that awful night. Telling the story was making me relive it over again, but I pushed on. “They threatened to cut my tongue out if I screamed. When he… touched me,” Luke closed his eyes as I struggled to get the words out. “When he told me what he was going to do, how he was going to let everyone get a turn, I started screaming again. I hoped that if I screamed enough, they would just kill me. You know what I was screaming?” Luke’s eyes shot open and he shook his head.
“Baby,” he whispered, shaking his head and fighting tears of his own.
“I screamed for you.” My voice broke as I covered my face with my hands and sobbed into them. “I screamed for you over, and over, and over, I begged for you, and you didn’t come.” I was screaming now into my hands, my body convulsing with sobs as I remembered the feel of their hands on me. Frankie ha
d taken over my life. Every day I thought about how he had scarred me. The only comfort I found in life was when I was with Luke, and now he thought that I had betrayed him. Frankie had consumed my mind and body, but Luke gave the fatal blow when he crushed my heart.
Chapter 10
Dallas
I was in a whirlwind, I couldn’t fully process what was going on around me, but I knew that I was cradled in Luke’s arms and the truck was moving. Luke was saying something, but my loud sobs and shivering body overpowered his voice and it went unheard.
When I wake-up, it’s dark outside and it takes me a minute to realize where I am. The only clothing I’m missing is my shoes, and I am curled up like a baby in Luke’s arms. Memories of today wash over me and as much as I want to run, I know I can’t. Despite his ridiculous behavior from earlier, I know Luke has my best interests at heart. I’m still not sure what triggered him, or how he found out about Jeff, but I would get to the bottom of it before he left. Regardless of today’s actions, I knew Luke would still be on a manhunt to find Frankie and make him pay for what he had done. My confession from earlier sealed Frankie’s fate. There would be no second chance, or time for discussion. His only reason for living, the girl who had won over the club’s heart, was not enough to keep him alive anymore. Maddie would deal with the death of Frankie and I would be there to help her through it. I knew all of these things like I knew myself. Regg had obviously withheld information from Luke and I wasn’t really sure why. He knew that I had been with Jeff, because he had been the one to follow me. How had he not figured it out? Surely they looked into everyone that I dated if their job was to keep me safe. The thought was unnerving. The last thing I wanted to do was accuse one of Luke’s brothers of something, but this was my life we were talking about. I didn’t give a shit about how Luke would feel if he had to confront one of his own. He didn’t seem to have a problem accusing me, and I was under the impression that I was pretty high on the important people in Luke’s life ladder.