“Luke, it’s good to see you. I’m proud that you took my demands seriously and came alone. I’m sure your club was not very pleased about that.” Luke shrugged his shoulders feigning disinterest, but I noticed the distant look in his eyes when Charlie mentioned the club.
“That’s ‘cause he patched out,” Frankie chimed in. Even his voice sounded different. I didn’t know what ‘patched out’ meant, but I was guessing it had something to do with him coming alone. Luke kept his eyes on Charlie, not acknowledging Frankie’s outburst.
“Patched out?” Charlie asked, the look of surprise on his face making me wonder what in the hell it meant. Charlie turned to me and seeing the confused expression, patted my hand and gave me a smile. I noticed Luke’s eyes fall to our hands as he shifted his feet. “That means Luke left the club.” My eyes found Luke’s and I could see that Charlie spoke the truth by the look of loss in Luke’s eyes.
“Why?” I asked, unable to keep my mouth shut. The club was Luke’s life. He looked at me, his bright, blue eyes softening.
“It was a sacrifice I had to make to keep everyone safe,” he said, speaking to me as if no one else was there. Was that what Charlie meant by the ‘Ultimate Sacrifice?’ Did he know Luke would have to patch out of the club to come get me? The thought pissed me off and I turned to Charlie.
“You said you and Luke were good. That there were no problems between the two of you. Why would you put him in that position? Haven’t you hurt him enough?” I wasn’t yelling at Charlie, but I wasn’t exactly whispering either. My voice was probably higher than it needed to be. I turned back to Luke and now it was his turn to look confused. Charlie laughed at my outburst.
“Oh my sweet, innocent Dallas. The ultimate sacrifice was not for Luke to give. It was for you.”
Chapter 19
Red
Luke’s house was nuts. People were running around everywhere, hanging banners and running streamers. It looked more like a five year old’s birthday party than a welcome home party. The club house had been cleaned, the house had been cleaned, the presents were on the table and the food would be here in the morning. I was fucking tired.
I had to do something to keep my mind occupied, so I called in the girls and decided that we should plan a party. Regg didn’t think it was a very good idea. He tried to tell me in a way that wouldn’t leave me screaming for the hills that there was a possibility that Dallas would not make it home.
I wasn’t having it.
Luke would bring Dallas home to us. I knew it like I knew my hair was red. She would be here and she would be happy, healthy and hungover by the time the night ended. Plus, she had some shit to handle when she got home. I had begged Luke to let me be the one to make sure Frankie was groomed to perfection before they left. By the grace of God, he had agreed. By bribing him with his favorite meal, clean clothes and a hot shower, I had managed to squeeze information out of him about what happened while Dallas was in Tupelo. Sure enough, that rat bastard, Stacy, attempted to kill her by poisoning her drink. He thought he was going to get something if she died, well not anymore. Stacy was as good as dead. I would arrange for Dallas to see him, one last time, before his life was taken from him. She could get her answers and then go on living thinking Stacy had moved on somewhere else. I knew a bouncer that owed me a favor, a big one. He would be happy to pay his debt by eliminating Stacy, although he would have his work cut out for him. Good thing that he liked a challenge.
Regg wouldn’t tell me shit, as far as Luke was concerned. I tried to get something out of him, but he wouldn’t budge, but seemed very interested in what Luke had told me. I managed to get two date nights out of him at my restaurant of choice if I gave up what I had. Apparently, Luke had not elaborated to the guys on Frankie’s demands. He kept it short and to the point, yet he told me. He knew that I would tell Regg, and it would be long after he was gone. Ol’ Luke was a smart one. I knew it was hard on him, leaving the club, but I couldn’t control myself when I saw him. It also felt really good to slap him and know there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. I had wanted to do that for a long time.