“Her whole life has been in my shadow. I promised myself that if I ever got the chance to make it up to her, I would,” I said, playing with the now empty glass that sat in my lap.
“I made a deal, and I plan to keep it. I promised Maddie would be left alone if Frankie came willingly. Even after everything that has happened, my offer still stands. Now I have an innocent woman here, who is guilty of nothing more than protecting the ones she loves. I will allow you to leave, Dallas. I will give you back to Luke, unharmed in exchange for Frankie, but it will come with a price.” I felt my body come to life, as I sat up in my chair, full of hope and anticipation.
“You already know my question, but I will ask it anyway. What is the price of my freedom?” My voice came out strong and clear, without a trace of fear. Charlie smiled as he rolled the last bit of cognac around in his glass before finishing it. His eyes met mine with a look only a heartless man could wear. When he spoke his voice was cold and full of challenge.
“The ultimate sacrifice.”
Chapter 17
LUKE
I laid in my bed, looking over at the empty place beside me where Dallas once laid. I would get her back. I just hoped she had not done anything to make Charlie think that she owed him something. I had spoken with him earlier, and he agreed on the exchange, but only on his terms. He seemed almost eager to give me Dallas and I could only hope it was because she was nagging the piss out of him. I smiled thinking of how fucking sexy my girl was when she acted like a bitch. Charlie didn’t know it, but he had his hands full with that one. He had called me while I was on my way home; inquiring about things she liked and would need. He wanted her clothing sizes and food preferences. I made sure that everything I told him was something that we had shared together. I knew she was safe, and at the time I thought it was impossible to get her back. If by some chance I could, I didn’t know how long that would take, so I made sure to tell him everything I could to keep her comfortable. Frankie, who was the cause of all this shit, had turned into a savior. I knew Maddie was struggling with the fact that once he left, she would never see him again, but she was better off without the motherfucker anyway. I would be there for her, just as I had always been.
Charlie’s terms were not ones that I was anticipating. He wanted Frankie unharmed, which wasn’t a problem, but he also wanted him cleaned up and dressed nice. I told Red to take care of it, and she insisted that she do it alone. I knew she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize Dallas’s safe return, but she had something up her sleeve. Maybe she just wanted to give him a piece of her mind. That sounded exactly like something Red would do. The worst part of his demands was that he insisted I was to come alone. I wasn’t scared of Charlie or in fear for my life, but I knew that was something my club wouldn’t stand for. I also knew that when Charlie’s guys met me at the state line, if I had anyone with me, they would not hesitate to call Charlie and let him know.
“Fuck!” I yelled at the ceiling. I knew I only had two options. No matter which one I chose, I would be losing something I loved.
After hours of trying to convince them that this was best for everyone, I finally talked Ronnie into taking our brothers back to Lake Charles. Brooklyn needed Ronnie right now. I knew she was taking some of the blame for what happened. She thought that maybe if she would have waited a little longer, she could have done something to prevent Charlie’s guys from taking Dallas and Maddie. I was actually relieved to know Brooklyn had left. There would have been dead bodies had she been there and that was something we didn’t need. I had called an emergency meeting tonight and I knew the clubhouse was swarming with cuts, anticipating my arrival. They probably thought I had a plan of action that would involve us rescuing Dallas from this fucked up situation. Church tonight would not go well. It might even come to blows and I was afraid I would lose some brothers over this, but I had to do, what I had to do.
Tomorrow morning when I left, I was prepared to not return. I had accepted the fact that when I got there, things could go bad and I could lose my life. I was ready. I was not afraid to die, especially when it came to the ones I loved. I looked over once again at Dallas’s bags, scattered on the floor of my room. She had hung up most of her clothes in my closet. What didn’t fit lay on the floor, untouched. Everything smelled like her. Everything I touched felt like her, and everyone I saw looked like her. I could spend time beating myself up for not doing something different, but there was nothing else I could have done. Seeing Logan’s face every day helped get me through. Maddie stayed close to me. She was afraid that I hated her for what happened. I even went as far as to assure her that if Frankie would have backed out, I still would have found a way to bring Dallas home. I held her in my arms as she cried. I made stupid jokes to make her laugh. I did everything in my power to make her happy, but every time I looked at her, all I saw was Dallas’ face-the one she wore as she looked at me through the back glass of that SUV.