Saving Dallas 2 Making the Cut

www.kimjonesbooks.com

www.facebook.com/kimjonesbooks

Prologue

Luke Five years ago

“So, this is the job? Some twenty-one year
old kid who needs lookin after? I’m not a fucking babysitter, with
all due respect.” This man had to be out of his mind. I had finally
made it up the ladder and this was my first big job?

“This kid, as you call her, is the only
chance this club has of surviving. Now the blood that was spilled
five years ago is on your hands. You are the one that couldn’t keep
a hold on Cutter. Now, he is out of jail and guess who has let him
slip between his fingers once again.”

“It wasn’t my fucking job.” I growled at the
prick sitting across from me. “Frankie was fucked up. I tried to
keep him in check. I told you he was a loose cannon, and all you
did was tell me to keep an eye on him. That hardly makes me
responsible for the death of this girl’s parents.”

I had lost sleep too many nights over this
shit. Frankie had told me he was going out for a beer. Little did I
know that he was planning to knock off the guy who had sold the
property out from under the club, or so he claimed. Unfortunately,
his plan backfired when the only person there was Mrs. Knox. Herman
was a no-show. Mrs. Knox was gunned down in her own shop, only
after fucking Frankie’s face up with a Smith and Wesson pocket
knife, giving him the name that would haunt him the rest of his
life-Frankie the Cutter. He was immediately out bad with the club,
and thank God this asshole had enough connections outside of
Hattiesburg to make it disappear. Now, here I sat in front of him,
once again, having the nightmare thrown back into my face.

“Look, Luke, I understand you want to
straighten things out and hopefully get this club back on its feet.
Everyone knows the gavel will be in your hands soon, but if this
girl ends up dead the deal is off. You and your precious club go
down. I have enough shit to put you boys away for years. The end of
The Devil’s Renegades is very near, if you can’t keep this girl
alive. If she falls and scrapes a knee, you better be there with a
fucking band aid. You got it?”

I looked across the table at the man in front
of me. I didn’t want to do this, but I knew it was necessary. How
bad could this bitch be anyway? I would make sure Cutter didn’t get
to her, and in return I would have full run of not only the club,
but the whole state.

I stood up to leave, taking the envelope
stuffed with hundred dollar bills, and the file provided.

“I’ll look after her. Personally.” I said
smirking. This was gonna be the easiest ten grand a week that I had
ever made.

“I trust you’ll handle it, Luke. Now, get out
of my office before someone sees you.”

I turned my back to him and headed out. “See
ya around, Mayor.”

Chapter 1

Dallas

It had been two days since the incident with
Frankie the Cutter. In two days, you would think one would have
enough time to deal with the emotional stress that came with being
hung in a barn, brutally assaulted, and lied to by the man you
love. I knew that I would not be getting over this anytime soon,
but crying nonstop and secluding myself from everyone, especially
Luke, was getting a little old.

I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to
have to look at that stupid barn or see Luke’s face, full of
remorse and regret. I wanted to escape, but I knew that I
couldn’t.

Last night when I got out of bed and saw my
home full of people, who loved me, I thought I would be okay. When
everyone hugged me and told me how much they cared and how they
were so happy that I was in their family, I thought I would be
okay. When Luke held my hand everywhere I went and constantly
whispered reassurances in my ear, I thought I would be okay.

I was
not
okay.

I was a wreck. The nightmares that came, the
paranoia that set in, and the unknown facts about mine and Luke’s
relationship were taking their toll on me. Luke hadn’t tried to
tell me anymore since my latest breakdown. Just the words, “Dallas,
I’m sorry.” Caused me to sob uncontrollably and want to hide under
the covers. That’s as far as he had gotten.

I told Red that I needed some time alone and
managed to slip out of the house before she could ask questions or
give me the “I’m here for you” speech. Now, here I sit, looking out
at the “Secret Garden” around me. I was pretty much shielded from
the view of the house, but the barn was in plain sight. I felt
cocooned, sitting on the bench with my knees pulled up to my chin.
I tried to concentrate on the fountain in front of me. The
cascading water splashed onto my bare feet as it bounced off the
concrete bottom. No matter where I looked, the barn was in my
sights-calling me; reminding me of what I had endured there only
days ago.

Memories of Frankie washed over me. His
viscous words, his hard, calloused hands with dirt caked under the
nails, and that sick voice of his caused bile to rise in my throat.
I quickly swallowed it back down, refusing to let the memories of
that morning haunt me right now. They could come back in my dreams,
but right now I had something to do.

I looked around to see that for once, no one
was watching. Red must have called them off to give me some
privacy. I walked over to the barn, pushing the thoughts that tried
to re-surface back. Standing in the entryway, I looked up at the
wooden rafters and inadvertently reached down to rub my chaffed
wrists that were scabbed over in areas.

I don’t remember walking across the barn to
retrieve the gas can on the other side, but now I stand with it in
my hand. It’s full and heavy, and with the slightest tilt it spills
onto the floor beside me. I walk around the barn, dousing its
contents with gasoline. The bags of grass seed, old lawn furniture,
boxes filled with contents from the house’s previous owners-nothing
is spared. The can is empty when I throw it out the door and I hear
it land with a soft thud as it hits the grass. On the shelf beside
the back door sits a large box of matches next to several
citronella candles. Grabbing the box of matches, I open it slowly,
choosing just the right one to burn the memories. I wanted
justice-for me, for the family before me, for my parents-I wanted
to watch the building burn to the ground, and I wanted to burn the
memories with it.

I tore a piece of cardboard from a nearby
box, that was not covered in gasoline, and struck the match-setting
it on fire. I lay the flaming cardboard on top of a bale of hay and
walked out of the barn. I watched as the hay ignited and soon the
whole barn was in flames. I welcomed the heat, even the in warm
October air. I backed away slowly, enjoying the sight of the
dancing orange flames as they licked their way up the walls and to
the rafters above. The fire was spreading quickly, and I was happy
that there would be no salvaging it.

“Dallas!” I heard Luke yell. Out of the
corner of my eye, I could see the whole club barreling out of the
house and running towards the now fully engulfed barn.

“Dallas!” Luke was in front of me shaking my
shoulders, forcing me to look up at him.

“What happened? What did you do? Are you
okay?” His face was twisted in confusion and he was breathless.

“Isn’t it pretty?” I asked looking past him
at the barn that was starting to crumble.

“Can we go inside? Please?” Luke asked,
desperation evident in his voice.

“No, I want to stay.”

Luke grabbed my face gently and lowered his
eyes to mine. “Dallas, you need to come inside. We need to
talk.”

I didn’t want to talk to him right now. He
was a liar. I knew in my heart that he was forgiven, but I just
wanted to be mad for a while. Wasn’t that a stage of grief? And a
country song? I laughed at the thought of me attempting to sing
that to him. I tried to contain it, but soon I was doubling over
with laughter. I had no idea what was funny, and the look on Luke’s
face proved that he didn’t either. I looked past him and saw
everyone staring at me like I was crazy. Hell, maybe I was crazy.
My laughter turned to sobs as my knees buckled and I fell to the
ground.

Sometimes in life, you just have to shake
yourself and say, “wake the fuck up.” Standing in the bathroom,
looking at my battered reflection, I mentally shook myself and said
the words over and over again in my head. This was not me. I had
endured a lot in my life, why was I falling apart now? It seemed
that Luke had that effect on me.

No.

I would not blame this on Luke. This was some
shit that I needed to deal with. I needed to stop being such a wimp
and suck it up and play the hand that life had dealt me. It was
kind of shitty, but hey, who was I to complain? God let me survive
for a reason and I was about to figure it out.

I stepped in the shower, not bothering to
turn on the hot water. If I wanted to wake up, physically, this was
a good way to start. I would get answers today and I wanted a clear
head when I did. The cold water nearly took my breath as it
cascaded down my back leaving small goosebumps in its wake. I
quickly washed my hair and body, then turned the water off and
stepped out.

“Dallas, I brought you a warm towel.” Luke’s
voice was only feet away, but I couldn’t see him. I knew he stayed
out of the bathroom because he didn’t want to startle me. He had
gotten good at perfecting his entrances so that I was not caught
off-guard. Slowly, he entered the bathroom, his eyes traveling
greedily down my body. He swallowed hard and I couldn’t help the
chill that passed over me which had absolutely nothing to do with
the cold shower.

“I called the local authorities and told them
that if they got a report of smoke that it was a controlled burn.
We shouldn’t have to worry about the fire department showing up,”
Luke informed me. After my incident, I never asked if the law was
called. I knew deep down, that the Devil’s Renegades was its own
law, judge and jury.

I watched him as the water from my wet body
dripped onto the rug outside of the shower. Luke held the towel out
in front of him with a hopeful look on his face. I walked into the
open towel and allowed him to wrap it around me. Tears burned the
back of my eyes as he engulfed me into his arms and held me, as he
had done many times over the past couple of days.

“You want to talk about it?” Luke whispered
in my ear. I nodded my head which lay against his chest and
squinted my eyes shut hoping to hold back the tears.

“I need a minute though.” I managed to choke
out. Luke stepped back and kissed my forehead, gave me a reassuring
smile, and walked out.

I dried myself, brushed my teeth and lathered
my body in moisturizer. My battered face was starting to heal, but
the bruising and swelling was still there. I didn’t want Luke
looking at me with pity in his eyes any longer, so I made up my
face and rolled my hair. I walked naked to my closet and chose a
hot pink sundress and a pair of flip flops. The outfit was simple,
but I looked better than I had in days. I took a deep breath and
walked out of the closet, seeking the truth.

I found Luke sitting at the bar in the
kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. I glanced at the clock and saw it
was after two in the afternoon. Why was he drinking coffee? My
heart melted a little when I realized that the past two nights had
not been very easy for him. I was not the only one who couldn’t
sleep at night. Many times I would wake up screaming to find Luke
fully alert and always by my side. He turned to me and I noticed
for the first time how tired and defeated he looked. His eyes were
sleepy and his face looked aged. Still, he was the sexiest thing I
had ever laid eyes on. He was shirtless and seemed to have just
showered. He stood up and smiled at me and my eyes drifted from his
face down to where his gray sweats hung low on his waist. He was
bare foot and in my kitchen and I didn’t seem to care much about
talking anymore.