Saving Dallas Forever (Saving Dallas 3)

It was almost ten. I needed to get up to see Lake Charles off, but I just couldn’t take my eyes off of her. They would understand. I had been up early this morning. I had only had four hours’ sleep, but it was still more than I was used to here lately. Before I heard Dallas’ screams and came back inside, I had found Chris, the PROSPECT from Lake Charles, putting the finishing touches on the last bike when I had gone to the clubhouse. He had looked surprisingly bright-eyed. I knew this was a result of Red and her generosity. She thought she was smooth, but I wasn’t stupid. He had refused her help, but she is a persistent bitch, and I bet he was thankful for that this morning. Tiny had been on the side of the building taking a piss, and had overheard their conversation. He later informed me that Chris had even tried to explain to her that he deserved it. When she countered, by telling him that he might wreck on his way home tomorrow if he didn’t accept her gift of caffeine, he told her he would rather lose his life on the road than have to ride without his rocker. He was gonna make a great fucking brother.

A soft tap sounded on the door and I stood, holding my cramping side and wincing as I did. Fucking Charlie. I would say he would one day pay for kicking the shit outta me, but I wasn’t gonna give myself any false hope. You can’t fuck with the untouchable Charlie Lott. I pulled the door open, to find Red standing there with a plate of food and some juice.

“Thanks, babe, but I’m good,” I said, offering her what I could manage in the way of a smile.

“You sure? I mean, I did set three alarms to get up in time to make this shit for everyone. The least you could do is try it, rather than refuse it, and make me feel like my entire day has been wasted.” Red always had a way of making you feel like shit. I took the food from her hands, without another word. What was the fucking point? It wasn’t like I could argue with that.

“Thanks, and sorry about earlier. I don’t know why she did that.” Dallas had slapped the shit outta Red. I didn’t see it, but there was no mistaking the sound, or the huge red welt that still covered Red’s cheek.

“It’s cool. Bad dreams make you do bad shit. I know that all too well,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “Lake Charles is leaving. I’ll tell them you said bye.”

“They’ll get it,” I said in way of explanation.

“They always do.” Red turned and sashayed away, her smart-ass remark not going unnoticed. I closed the door and placed the food on the dresser, taking the juice with me, as I joined Dallas on the bed. Ronnie was having some issues in Lake Charles. Territory issues, which always seemed to be the worst kind. A group of bikers who refused to abide by the rules and do things by the book had moved a chapter in. It had come to blows and word had it that they were bringing in reinforcements, trying to show the Devil’s Renegades that they weren’t scared. The Confederation of Clubs (CoC) was an organization built to unite Motorcycle Clubs (MCs). If you started a club, you went through the CoC. If you had a problem with a club, you brought it to the CoC. If you wanted respect, it started with the CoC. But there are always those motherfuckers who don’t understand what being in an MC is really about. They didn’t earn the respect of other MCs because they didn’t want to live by the rules and follow proper protocol. Most of these guys were doctors, lawyers, and cops. They thought they were untouchable. They thought they could just show up in someone else’s territory and take over. Well, that wasn’t how shit worked. My Pops had sat on the board of the CoC. My club was built on principles formed by the CoC, and we worked our way to the top. It was a hard fucking road for my Pops, and it has been a hard road for me. He got us here and now it’s my job to keep us here. When people see us, they stand in line to shake our hands. When we ride, we are always in front, and when someone fucks with us, we handle our business. Now, business needed to be handled, and I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The last thing I wanted to do was leave Dallas. I knew she needed me now more than ever, plus I had promised I would not leave her behind. She was my ride-or-die bitch, and everybody fucking knew it. But I didn’t want to uproot her, and make her come with me to Lake Charles for an undetermined amount of time either. I had just made her my official ol’ lady. I could only give that patch to one woman, not that I had any intention of letting anyone else have it. Being an ol’ lady was new to her, and after everything she had been through; a territorial war was the last thing she needed to be caught up in. I felt the bed shift beside me, and turned to see Dallas rolling onto her stomach. After she settled herself, I thought she would go back to sleep, but her eyes opened, searching until they found mine. She showed no emotion, just stared at me with those big green doe-eyes I had fallen for long ago.