Saving Dallas Forever (21 page)

“That much, huh?” he asked, as she nodded her head vigorously while her tears streamed down her face. Maddie squatted between Luke’s knees, taking his hands in hers.

“I can’t do this without your blessing. Please don’t make me choose, because I would be lost without either one of you.” Just like I did, Luke knew that the girl who sat before him was a girl in love, and she would leave Luke and this life for a shot at her own happiness.

“I won’t let you go Maddie,” Luke said, tucking a strand of hair behind Maddie’s ear. “And I won’t stand in the way of your happiness. I’m not saying I like it, but if it’s what you really want, I’ll try to deal with it. If you love him, then love him fiercely. That man deserves that kind of love, and so do you, my Maddie.” Luke leaned forward, taking Maddie’s face in his hands as he kissed her forehead, leaving me a crying fucking mess as the scene unfolded. I heard a sniffle and turned to see Red standing outside the door to mine and Luke’s room. I knew she would be watching. Nosey bitch. She just couldn’t help it. I was glad we were staying in tonight. A chick flick was in order.

Chapter 20

Dallas

The three of us, Maddie, Red and myself, were lying in mine and Luke’s bed, sniffling and snorting at one of the sappiest chick flicks I had ever seen. Nicholas Sparks definitely knew how to make a girl cry. The guys had left around five, and no sooner had they left, than we had jumped into bed to begin our movie marathon. Luke had yet to speak to Marty, but he didn’t kill him either, and that was progress. Regg expressed his relief that the fight was out of Luke by grabbing a bottle of Jack and turning it up, not even bothering with a glass. I got out of bed, choosing another movie for us as, my stomach grumbled in complaint.

“Y’all hungry?” I asked the two saps lying in bed covered with tissues.

“Starving,” Red said, which wasn’t unusual. She was always hungry.

“Yeah, me too,” Maddie added, her permanent smile still as fresh as it had been when she’d uttered the words, “I love him.”

“I’ll order pizza.” I walked into the main room, flipping on lights as I did, and found the number for a local pizza joint behind the bar. I ordered a large pepperoni and cheese pizza for delivery, and they let me know they would be here in thirty minutes. I skipped back to the bedroom, where the pajama party looked more like an ICU waiting room, with snot rags, covers, and red, crying eyes. Everyone wore their significant other’s t-shirt instead of pajama tops with their pajama shorts, leaving our tanned legs exposed and a topic of conversation. I looked at Maddie’s legs, which were considerably darker than mine and Red’s. “Maddie, do you tan
every
day?” I asked, causing all six eyes in the room to fall on Maddie’s legs.

“Not every day, but most. I have a tanning bed at home. Luke bought it for me for Christmas last year,” Maddie said, propped up on her elbows, while she turned her leg examining it.

“He bought you a tanning bed?” Was she serious?

“Yeah, I had been wanting one so he got it for me,” she answered, with a shrug. I would have thrown a jealousy fit had she and Marty not confirmed their love for one another earlier.

“I want a tanning bed,” Red said with a pout, holding her leg up to Maddie’s in comparison.

“Why? It ain’t like you’re ever home to use it,” Maddie said, with a laugh. “Albino,” she added, and I laughed too, making sure to shield my legs from Maddie’s eyes. If Red were an albino, then so was I.

“Don’t be trying to hide, Dallas. Your tan is shit too. For November, we all have pretty good tans.” Red said, and I had to agree. Maddie was an exception, but when we were forty, she would look like leather, and Red and I would still look youthful… and very white. A bang on the door sounded, and I took off to get the pizza. As I ran through the main room, a thought hit me. It had not been anywhere near thirty minutes. I did a one-eighty, and high-tailed it back to my room, to find Maddie and Red still talking tanned legs, when I entered.

“That’s not the pizza. Can’t be,” I said, my breathing coming fast from my sprint and my sudden nervousness.

“Well, let’s go see who it is,” Red said, clambering off the bed. I turned leaving her searching for something, as Maddie and I made our way back to the door. “I’m coming, wait!” Red said in a whisper, as we slowed for her to catch up. I made it to the door first, making sure the light outside was on as I unlocked the deadbolt and cracked it open, but Red grabbed it, pulling it open wide and glaring at the man who stood there. He looked nervous and fidgety, and I knew he was up to no good.

“Can I help you?” I asked, stunning him with my million-dollar smile. He took the three of us in, nothing but t-shirts and legs.

“Yeah, I was looking for directions,” he said, looking around nervously.

“No you fucking ain’t. Tell whoever that is down the street that if he wants to send a lookout, he needs to send someone who isn’t an idiot,” Maddie snapped, causing the guy’s face to whiten. I stood between Maddie and Red, wondering how in the hell they were staying so cool about the situation. What if he had someone with him? It wouldn’t take much for them to push their way inside.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about,” the guy said, with a nervous laugh. He reached up to run his hands through his greasy hair and I noticed the track marks on his arms. He was doing this for dope.

“Look, tell your informant that there are three women alone in the Devil’s Renegades clubhouse, so if they want to ambush it, now is the time.” I wanted to look at Red and mouth to her, “are you fucking crazy”, but I kept my eyes forward and my face impassive, although I was anything but.

“You’re a brave little bitch,” the guy said, his lip curling, revealing a set of rotten teeth.

“Do I have something to be scared of?” Red asked, holding the door open wider, as if she were inviting him in.

“Yeah, me,” he said, looking like he wanted to take a step inside, but thinking better of it. “And my friends,” he said, with a smug smile.

“Really? Well I have two sisters and a nine with ten shots that says I’m the baddest motherfucker on this block. You want to test that theory?” Red asked, staring the guy down while I fought hard to control my laughter. There was absolutely nothing funny about what was taking place, but just hearing Red talk like she was in some action movie had me nearly dying.

“That’s enough Red, I got it,” Chris said, emerging from the side of the building and shooting Red a glare. He might have been a PROSPECT, but if he was here under his superior’s orders to protect us, then he would do so at all costs. And Red knew that. She gave him an apologetic smile, and closed the door, leaving Chris and the junkie outside, alone.

“Are we just gonna leave him out there?” I asked Maddie and Red’s backs, as they descended down the hall.

“Yep,” they replied in unison. I caught up with them and stood in the doorway of my room, while they piled back onto the bed without a care in the world.

“But were there really people watching?” I asked, straining my ears for the sound of gunshots.

“Nah. Luke called and said a guy was coming by to get directions. He said to let Chris handle it, but I knew Chris was out back walking the perimeter, so I thought we could have a little fun,” Red said, lighting a cigarette.

“Y’all could have told me. Bitches,” I added, turning my back to them to as I grabbed my wallet for the pizza guy.

“Then it wouldn’t have been fun. Don’t worry. Luke will chew my ass when he gets here and you will get all the pay back you want when he does.”

“Will he really chew your ass?” I asked, memories of earlier today reminding me that Red really didn’t want to piss Luke off.

“Probably not, but I was hoping it would make you feel better.” She and Maddie shared a laugh, as I walked down the hall to answer the door to the pizza man. I pulled open the door and found Chris standing there, holding my pizza in one hand, and his key in the other.

“I could have got that.” I said, taking it from him, with a smile. “Is anyone outside?” He looked behind him then back at me, confused.

“No. Just us,” he said, as the pizza man sped off in his small car. I opened my mouth, and began screaming bloody murder.

“Help! Help!” I screamed, beating on the wall and turning my head toward the hallway to see Maddie and Red come barging out so fast that they ran into each other as they hit the wall across from my room. I closed my mouth and smiled, as Maddie flipped the light on and Red scanned the room frantically, her hands waving a gun around looking for the intruder. Chris stood next to me, his gun also drawn, as he scanned the room for my imaginary culprit, too.

“What’s wrong?! What’s wrong?!” Maddie screamed in panic, her eyes searching as she stood behind Red, who still held then gun toward the bar, with shaky hands.

“Gotcha,” I said, with a smile, leading Maddie to nearly faint with relief and Red to go fucking nuts.

“I almost shot you, Dallas! Just fucking then. I almost pulled the trigger! What if one of the guys had been in here! Are you crazy?” she asked, but I knew she wanted to laugh. I pulled the clip from the gun she held from my back pocket and smiled. “Dude! That was good. You are good,” Red said, laughing and pointing her finger at me. Maddie joined in, and I bowed and curtsied in front of them, while they extended their arms singing “hail Dallas.”

“What the fuck is going on!?” Chris exploded from beside me. I jumped at his voice and stood stock still as he stood before us shaking with anger, his arms still extended with his gun in his hands. “You bitches are gonna drive me fuckin’ crazy!” he yelled to the ceiling, placing his gun in his belt and grabbing from the floor the pizza I had dropped in the moment. “I’m taking this,” he said, pointing at each of us, and giving us a look that said if we argued he might shoot us. He stomped through
the room and out the side door, slamming it behind him. I looked at Maddie and Red, and the three of us burst out laughing. We had become delirious from cabin fever, and it was the greatest fucking thing ever.

Luke didn’t wake me when he got home, but sometime during the night, I realized the arms that held me were not Maddie or Red’s. When I snuggled closer to him, absorbing his warmth, he squeezed me tighter and kissed my hair. I fell back into a restful sleep, and woke the next morning to find him gone. I pulled myself from bed, heading straight to the shower in hopes that it would wake me up. When I stepped out, I found Luke standing there seemingly nervous as he fidgeted with something behind his back.

“Hey baby!” I said smiling, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.

“Hey beautiful. Happy birthday. I got you something,” he said, his huge smile replacing the nervous look he wore only seconds ago.

“Is it a kitten?” I asked excitedly, clasping my hands together as I beamed at him.

“No, babe. Not a kitten.” He presented me with an envelope, and I eyed it warily, while he watched with so much excitement and anxiety that I thought he would snatch it from me at any minute, and open it himself. I opened the envelope slowly, just because I’m a bitch and I knew a kitten couldn’t fit inside, and pulled out a plane ticket. To Fiji.

“I promised you a trip to the beach,” he said, once again nervous now that I had it open, and had not given him a reaction. Thoughts of Luke and I on a beach, alone, for any length of time had excitement bubbling inside me. Thoughts of kittens fled my mind, and all I cared about was seeing him shirtless, and devoting all of his time to only me, on a beach, in fucking Fiji. A slow smile formed on my face and, at Luke’s obvious
reprieve, it turned into that heart-stopping smile reserved only for him. I jumped into his arms with a squeal, allowing him to spin me around the room in celebration.

“I love it! I love you!” I said with a laugh, my cheeks hurting from my permanent smile. I jumped out of his arms in search of Red and Maddie, ready to share my good news. Everything was perfect. This would be my best birthday yet, and we had a long night ahead of us.

“So Luke didn’t kill him?” Katina asked, as she straightened another lock of her long hair. We were crammed into the bathroom of the clubhouse, getting ready for our night out to celebrate my birthday, all nine of us. Brooklyn, Mary, Katina, Punkin, Chi Chi, Maddie, Red, Katelyn, and myself were all dressed in sparkly attire. Red and Maddie had chosen my outfit, which had resulted in a tiny scrap of gold, sequined material they called a dress. It was strapless, barely covered my breasts, and came just below my ass. Luke was going to have a heart attack when he saw it.

“Nope. It’s all good,” I replied, darkening my eyeliner.

“I can see how he would be pissed, though,” Brooklyn added, looking gorgeous in an orange, sequined dress that fell off her shoulders, and stopped just above her knees.

“But it really is none of his business,” Maddie said, reaching across the sink to dig through my makeup bag for some lipstick. “I mean, he can’t judge every guy I see just because he wears a cut. Luke wears one too for fuck’s sake.” Brooklyn shot her a look that said, “The hell he can’t”, and Red agreed, rushing to swallow her drink, so that she could verbally express her opinion.

“Look, I think if anyone can judge a man because of the lifestyle he chooses it’s Luke. And he promised that anyone who laid their hands on
you would have him to answer to. And we all know what answering to Luke can entail. From beatings to a meeting with the Reaper, and everything in between. Even spankings,” Red added, as she looked over her glass at me with a wink.

“I seriously doubt Luke would spank someone,” Mary said, with a laugh, as she stood two inches taller in her back heels, which matched her black mini dress.

“He spanked Dallas,” Red said, putting all of my business out on show. Again.

“What?” The girls asked in unison, every eye turning to me for confirmation.

“Thanks a lot Red,” I mumbled, avoiding everyone’s stares as I applied mascara to my long lashes.

“Oh, wait. I have to hear this,” Chi Chi said, squeezing her way into my personal space, sure not to miss anything.

“I am not discussing it. End of.” I would not share that humiliating moment with these women. No fucking way.

“Hey!” Maddie snapped, forcing us to turn to look at her standing in the center of the room with her hand on her hip. Maddie’s dress was a deep blue that perfectly matched her eyes. Her blonde hair was styled impeccably on her head, and her long, tanned legs put everyone in the room to shame. “Y’all are acting as if we are just talking about some guy. This is Marty. Not some punk off the streets. It’s his brother. The man he trusts with his life, and the life of the ones he loves. How can you all act like we’re dealing with some kind of fucking outsider when in reality, we’re talking about one of our own.” Maddie was right. And by the look of guilt on everyone’s face, they all knew it too.