Saving Dallas 2 Making the Cut (26 page)

“Fuck, Luke. I can’t fucking concentrate with
blood gushing out of my damn head.” Luke snapped his fingers at one
of the guys standing next to the sink and ordered a rag with just a
wave of his hand.

“Get him some water too.”

Luke was being awfully generous. I prayed for
Frankie’s sake that he didn’t take advantage of it. Possum grabbed
a wet cloth and Maddie walked forward, taking it from him and
cleaning the blood from the face of the only father she had ever
known. She and Luke exchanged a look, Maddie silently pleading with
Luke. He nodded his head and grabbed a knife off of Boss Hog’s belt
and cut Frankie loose. Once his hands were free, he drained the cup
of water and patted Maddie’s hand giving her a weak smile and
taking the cloth from her.

“I got it, baby.” This was the Frankie that
Maddie couldn’t let go of. It was wrong of him to conduct himself
in a manner that was so thoughtful and nice, when in reality he was
the biggest piece of shit on the planet. All he was doing was
making this harder on her. I wanted to go up and slap him myself,
but kept my composure, and my position, right up front in the
middle of everything.

“Frankie, I’m trying to keep my cool here.
Talk,” Luke said, standing in the LLC posture that all the women
swooned over. Hell, even I couldn’t look at him when he stood like
that. I looked over at Regg and saw he was casually propped up
against the wall and almost laughed. He caught my eye and smiled.
Only the two of us could find something funny in a moment like
this.

“I stole some money from Charlie. He felt
like it was better to punish me by making me look over my shoulder
every day, rather than just coming to get me. He told me that he
would see me one day and that I would never know when that day
would be. I had the club to protect me, even had to pay some of
them gangs around town when the boys weren’t around. He sent some
of his guys after me a couple of times, but I managed to fight them
off, or at least the guys I hired did. Can I have some more
water?”

Luke let out a ferocious growl and grabbed
Frankie by his shirt, lifting him out of the chair. Yep, Frankie
was taking advantage and Luke was gonna lose his shit. I looked to
Regg to find him still propped up against the wall. I motioned with
my hands in an are-you-gonna-do-something gesture and he just
shrugged. Then winked at me, and gave me his crooked smile.

Fuck.

I turned back to see Luke barking in
Frankie’s face.

“One more time and I’ll splatter your brains
against the wall. I don’t give a fuck who is watching.” Maddie
managed to keep herself together; not letting on that what Luke was
doing was bothering her. Frankie nodded, unable to speak and Luke
slammed him back in the chair.

“He called me yesterday morning. Told me if I
didn’t come willingly he was taking Maddie and I’d never see her
again. I told him I would rather have you kill me than him. I
thought he was bluffing,” he said, looking at Maddie, begging for
understanding. She looked away with tears in her eyes, knowing that
he would have given her up in an instant. “They grabbed me and the
next thing I knew, we were here. He took Maddie and Dallas and left
me for you. I thought we had a deal, but apparently we didn’t.” I
saw the wheels in Luke’s head spinning. He was focusing on
something when he turned back to Frankie.

“Tell me one more time, and don’t fuck up,
what were his exact words to you about Maddie.” What was Luke
getting at?

“He said, if I came willingly he would leave
Maddie alone. If I didn’t, he would take her and I would never see
her again.” Luke nodded his head, smiling a smile with no humor for
a reason only he knew.

“Tie him up,” he said softly to Possum, then
grabbed Maddie’s hand to exit the room.

“I’ll do it,” Frankie blurted, causing
everyone in the room to turn their attention to him.

“No, you won’t,” Luke said softly, then
kissed Maddie’s confused face and started out again.

“You promise me,” Frankie stuttered. I looked
to see that his eyes were full of tears. “You promise to take care
of my little girl, and I’ll do it.” Luke turned to stare at
Frankie, his brows drawn together, probably wondering if Frankie
was telling the truth or not. “You chose my girl over your own. I
don’t care why you did it, or what reasons you had. You did it and
that’s all that matters. I don’t know if your Dallas is alive or
not, but if she is, I’ll take her place.” You could have heard a
pin drop, as we all took turns staring between Luke and
Frankie.

“You would do that?” Maddie asked, pulling
her hand from Luke’s and walking towards him.

“I would. Not for Luke and not for Dallas,
but I’d do it for you. I’ve fucked up my whole life where you were
concerned, and now I have my chance to make it right. I always had
your best interests at heart, Maddie. I just had a fucked up way of
showing it. Luke can take better care of you than I ever could.”
Frankie straightened in the chair, trying to salvage what little
pride he had left. “He will keep you safe, keep you and Logan both
safe. He did it before, he’ll do it again. I never meant to hurt
you, Maddie. I know you lost any love you ever had for me after
what I done to your sister. I’d rather die at the hands of the man
I hate, than live without the only woman I love. My world only
exists with you in it, and that just ain’t possible.”

I didn’t care that I hated this man. I didn’t
care what kind of sick, sadistic creature he was. At that moment, I
loved him and respected him more than any man in the room. Anyone
willing to give their life for someone they love, no matter what
kind of person they were, deserved a show of respect.

“If Dallas is alive, you will do this for me.
You will take her place and bring her back to her family. I deserve
happiness, Logan deserves happiness, and so does Dallas. That
doesn’t exist in this world as long as you are in it.” Maddie’s
words were cold, but I could tell a little piece of her died as she
walked up the stairs and out of the sights of a man she would never
see again.

Chapter 15

DALLAS

“You are going to love your new home,
Dallas,” Charlie said, his deep silky voice was so smooth that I
almost believed him. I looked at him, sitting next to me, smiling
like he had just won the lottery. I would not give him the
satisfaction of seeing me cry, although I was dying on the inside.
I was tired, sore and my bladder felt like it would bust any
minute. If I told him I had to pee, then I would have to talk to
him. Talking to him was something I didn’t want to do. I leaned
forward in my seat, sticking my head toward the front of the car to
speak to the man driving us.

“I need to use the bathroom, please,” I
informed him nicely. Being a bitch would get me nowhere. Even
though I wanted to claw their eyes out, I knew the safest route for
me was to be kind and polite.

“You could have told me, Dallas. You know,
eventually you are going to have to talk to me,” Charlie said, his
voice so demanding that I turned to look at him.

“I need to use the bathroom,” I said with as
much malice in my voice as possible.

“Please?”

I turned and looked out the window. I would
rather eat glass than say please to the man next to me, but at this
point I didn’t have a choice. It was either say please, or piss my
pants.

“Please?” I asked, making eye contact with
him once again. I would not let this man intimidate me.

“Jasper, please find us a nice hotel room for
the night. Miss Knox has had a long day and I’m sure she would
prefer a shower and a nice meal,” he said, slightly impressed by my
obedience.

“Yes, sir. We will be there in fifteen
minutes.”

We passed a sign that read “Gonzales ten
miles” and for the first time since I had left Luke’s, I knew where
I was. Gonzales, Texas was near San Antonio, which was about six
hundred miles from home. Maybe I could earn Charlie’s trust, and
then plan my escape. I couldn’t go back to Luke, or to my home, but
at least I would be out from under him. It felt good to have a
plan, even though I had no idea how I would execute it; at least it
was a start.

We pulled into Belle Oaks Inn, a bed and
breakfast located in the historic part of downtown Gonzales. Jasper
went inside while Charlie and I stayed in the car. I tried to
ignore Charlie as I looked out the window, admiring the old
mansion, but every time he spoke, I felt compelled to turn and look
at him.

“You are a smart girl, Dallas. Please don’t
try anything stupid. I would hate to have to hurt you, or worse,
hurt someone you love.” That was all he had to say. I knew he meant
it. He would definitely hurt Luke or Maddie if I made any attempt
to escape or cry out for help. This man was on a power trip and I
wanted him to know that he had complete control over me. I could do
this. I had to.

“I won’t. I promise,” I said honestly. Luke
always knew when I was lying. He could read me like a book. This
man had those same skills. He knew what I said was the truth, and
it pleased him.

“Jasper will have some new clothes, freshly
laundered for you in the morning. Tonight, you will have to make do
with what you have. We will be staying in the Carriage House which
is a private, three bedroom suite. I will send for dinner and we
will dine together, then you can retire to your own room. I will
make sure that you have everything you need.” Charlie’s eyes were
almost kind as he spoke to me. I felt guilty for accepting his
kindness so easily. It was almost like I had the same effect on
him.

“Thank you,” I said, thinking if I
acknowledged his kindness that it would somehow benefit me. Men
like Charlie thought that if they did anything for someone, no
matter what it was, that they should appreciate it. It didn’t
matter that he had taken me against my will, or beaten my boyfriend
to a bloody pulp and made him choose to give me up; by just letting
me breathe, he felt like I was indebted to him.

Jasper returned and pulled the sleek SUV
around to the back of the hotel. Out in the gardens sat a small
white house that was surrounded by shrubs. I waited for Jasper to
open the door, then slowly climbed out, standing a moment on my
achy legs before taking an unassisted step towards the house.
Charlie placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me down
the sidewalk. He was unhurried and seemed concerned about the way I
limped.

“You shouldn’t have been tied up for so long.
That was my mistake. It won’t happen again, and I apologize.” I
stopped at his words. Mr. I’ll-beat-her-within-an-inch-of-her-life
was apologizing? That didn’t make very much sense.

“I’m okay. It was just a long ride. I’m sure
I will be fine after some rest. This place is beautiful, thank you
again,” I responded, once again showing him my appreciation. I
wasn’t sure how long I could keep it up, but it seemed to be
working. He smiled at me, and I knew he was thinking that everyone
he helped should be as grateful as I was. I continued my walk
towards the house, chanting to myself that I could do this. He
acted just like Martin from the movie, Sleeping with the Enemy. I
had always wished I was as good of an actress as Julia Roberts; now
I had my chance to try.

We entered the small house and the smile I
wore as we entered was the first real one that I’d had since this
morning. I loved old houses packed with history and this one was no
exception. The living room area was covered in gold framed
pictures, antique furniture, candelabras and worn scattered rugs on
the old hard wood floors. The kitchen to the right housed rugged
wooden cabinets and what had to be original appliances. The small
dining room sat to the left with a crystal chandelier dangling
above the shiny mahogany table that was covered with a white, lace
tablecloth.

“So, you do like it?” Charlie asked, smiling
brightly at me.

“I love it. I have a passion for older homes
with history. If it were mine, I wouldn’t change a thing. I might
replace the windows to let more light in, but I would make sure
that they were built to look like the original ones. You can tell
that these have been updated,” I said, lost in the moment-pointing
to the two windows that stretched across the wall in the living
room.

“You are so beautiful when you smile.”

My body froze at his words, but I recovered
by looking down at my feet shyly. I didn’t want him to get the
impression that I was interested. In him. At all. He didn’t seem to
notice my change in body language. Thank God.

“I’m really tired,” I said looking at him,
hoping he was still on board with letting me have my own room.

“Yes, of course you are. Jasper,” he snapped,
and Jasper appeared out of thin air before him. “Call Madeline at
the front desk. Miss Knox will need some assistance tonight.” I
shook my head, ready to object but he held up his hand. “Madeline
will help you. This house only has the deep, claw-footed bath tubs
and I won’t risk you falling and getting hurt. It would be
inappropriate for me to assist you, or Jasper.” I almost sagged
with relief at his words. It was hard to believe this was the same
man that was responsible for everything that had happened
today.

“Okay, if you think it is best, then please
call her.” He beamed at me and waved his hand towards my room.
Julia would have been proud.

Madeline was a tiny woman from the
Philippines who spoke very little English. She wanted to do
everything for me and after trying to tell her several times that I
could undress myself, I heard Charlie’s voice through the door.

“Dallas, she is here to assist you. Let her.”
His tone was not negotiable and I was too tired and had made too
much progress with him to put up a fight now. I didn’t answer him
this time, but after a moment he said a few words in a foreign
language that she understood, and she resumed undressing me. I felt
like I had stepped back in time as I sank into the old tub and
relaxed as Madeline began bathing me with small, gentle hands.
Imaging I was a princess from the eighteen hundreds seemed to help
ease my tension. My humility ceased to exist as I lay there trying
not to fall asleep. It had been a hell of a day. For some reason, I
kept thinking how nice a cigarette would be right now. I had never
smoked in my life, but if by some chance I got out of this, that
would be the first thing I did.