“Dallas, Property of Devil’s Renegades President, LLC,” I said, smiling to myself. I was now two for two. Her eyes drifted to the patch on the front of my cut in disbelief, just as her ol’ man’s had.
“Holy shit,” she said, staring at me. “I’m sorry,” she shook her head, pulling her out of her state of shock. “It’s so good to finally meet you, Dallas. I’m excited to see the girl who stole LLC’s heart in the flesh. For a little while, I thought you didn’t exist.”
“Well, here I am,” I said, with a laugh, unsure of how to respond to her comment.
“Ladies, it’s so good to see you all, but I have to get back home. Dallas, it really is a pleasure to meet you.” We waved goodbye, as she found Mike before getting back into her vehicle and leaving. We crowded into the bar, and as Big Al announced that the first round was on him, all the ol’ ladies groaned in unison. Not only were our nerves frazzled and stomachs rolling with soured liquor, now we would have to play babysitters to a bunch of grown men who we were sure would drink themselves stupid in celebration of regaining what was rightfully theirs.
Now that the issue in Lake Charles was solved, there was no need for the Hattiesburg chapter to hang around any longer. The next day, started with a teary goodbye as we prepared to leave and head back to Mississippi. I would miss my sisters, but they assured me they would keep in contact, and I promised the same in return. Maddie was anxious to get back home to Logan, standing impatiently at the door, as I gave a second round of hugs out before finally joining her and Red in the car. The bikes took the lead as we barreled down the interstate with no regard for the speed limit. The ride was long and quiet, as we all lost ourselves in our own thoughts. Mine drifted back to the first night I had arrived in Lake Charles and the mood I had found Luke in. He had promised that when this was all over he would tell me what had been weighing on his mind. As we neared home, I become more anxious about what he had to say. By the time we made it to Luke’s, I was a nervous wreck.
“Everything okay babe?” he asked, eyeing me cautiously as we sat at the kitchen counter. We had said our goodbyes to everyone, and now Luke and I had the house to ourselves.
“You told me you would tell me what was going on after the shit with Metal and Madness was over,” I reminded him, not elaborating further, because I didn’t feel there was any need to do so.
“I told you I wanted to enjoy two weeks with you,” he corrected, standing on his toes to reach the back of the cabinet, searching for what I knew was his hidden stash of junk food.
“Cut the bullshit Luke and just tell me what’s going on,” I said, exasperated. I was tired of playing the waiting game with him. Luke took his time, analyzing me from across the room, as he shoved into his mouth a cookie he had retrieved from the back of the forbidden cabinet.
“Charlie Lott has offered one million dollars to a man to kill you.” What the fuck? My breathing ceased, my body stilled, and my heart went into overdrive at his words. He watched me closely, letting my new-found knowledge sink in, before he continued. “He doesn’t really want to kill you, he just wants someone to abduct you so he can come in and save the day in the hope it will be enough for you to want to be with him.” I sat in shock, listening to words I knew had to be true but were difficult to actually believe. “Dallas, I have a plan, but I’m gonna need your help. You think you’re up for it?” This part was easy to comprehend, easy to believe, and even easier to answer.
“Absolutely.”
Chapter 24
Dallas
I woke suddenly, finding that the room was cast in pale lighting from the flickering T.V. I had been dozing in and out of consciousness over the past few hours, a result of exhaustion from my struggle against waterboarding. I shivered at the thought of it, my movements waking me completely, and reminding me I had a job to do. I didn’t know how much time had passed, all I knew was that it was now dark outside. I had been left alone for the rest of the afternoon and I didn’t know what time the goons would be back. Step one of my mission was to get captured. Step two was to call Luke when my captors left the room. I was assured the phone lines would be working, I just had to make sure I got to the phone without getting caught. If in the event I couldn’t get to it, the plan was over. I had until midnight, and, by the lack of noise from outside, I might already be too late. I swallowed hard, my throat dry and scratchy, as I prepared myself for the five-foot journey to the phone. I sat in the chair, my pants soiled from my own urine, and my t-shirt covered in dry vomit. My hair was wild and untamed, damp strands sticking to my face and neck. I scooted my chair, moving only an inch, thankful for the thin, worn carpet. I pushed forward, letting the memory of Luke’s voice invade my head as I remembered how he had trained me. When he had talked me through my mission, he had transformed from my lover to my teacher.