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“Hank, meet Dallas. Dallas, Hank,” she said, motioning for me to join them.
“Nice to meet you, Hank,” I said with a smile, offering my hand for him to shake.
“My goodness. I have died and gone to heaven. Miss Dallas,” he said, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. “The pleasure is all mine.” Something about him made me feel warm and toasty on the inside.
“Y’all come in. I have the best table in the house open, and it’s just for y’all.” He led us up the stairs of the building that was at least twenty feet off the ground. The boards over the windows were all lifted to give a view of the beach and the city. The music was loud rock and roll, and the place was packed with so many bikers, that you couldn’t smell the food over the scent of leather. He seated us at a table on the back deck that overlooked the gulf. There were no other tables out here and even though the music was still loud, you could at least hear one another talk.
“Ginger is gonna take care of y’all. Give this girl the house drink,” he said, speaking to the beautiful blonde wearing an outfit that barely covered her. “She looks like she needs it.” Ginger nodded at Hank and they disappeared inside to get Brooklyn a bucket of Corona and me a house drink, whatever in the hell that was.
“Tell me about yesterday,” Brooklyn said, not bothering with small talk. I took a deep breath and looked out at the rolling waves.
“There is really not a lot to tell. Luke thought that I knew that my ex-boyfriend, Jeff, was working for Frankie. I got the impression that he thought I was playing him. I don’t know why he would think that. I didn’t kidnap myself,” I said, looking at my hands. Ginger appeared with our drinks and mine came in a quart jar. I took a big sip and almost choked. They must have made it a double.
“Luke was upset that he didn’t know. He couldn’t take it out on Regg, so he took it out on you. That shit happens more often than it should, but it does happen. Don’t let Luke scare you. Ten years ago, I would have told you to cut him loose; now, you are a lucky girl to have him,” Brooklyn said, sliding her lime up and down the neck of her bottle and coating it in salt.
“Why did he change?” I asked, wondering what my limits were with Brooklyn.
“It happened over the course of a few years. People got hurt, people went to jail and then Maddie came along. She was the one that pushed him over the edge.” I leaned up further in my seat, silently begging her to continue. “When she got pregnant, he somehow felt responsible. He knew the guy she was with was no good, but you couldn’t tell Maddie anything. She was young, dumb and horny. She didn’t really like the guy either, but since Luke hated him, she wanted to rebel.”
Brooklyn saw the confusion on my face and smiled, “Luke was like a big brother to Maddie. He was closer to her than anyone. Some people thought that they would end up together, but Luke thought nothing more of her than a sister. After the baby was born, she began coming around less and less. No one really understood why. Luke was so deep in the club that he didn’t have time to check on her regularly, like he once did. He was in another state on a run, doing shit he had no business doing, when he got the call that Maddie had been beaten, almost to death. The baby tested positive for marijuana and crystal meth. The sick prick she was with was smoking it and blowing it in the kid’s face. Luke rode all night on his bike to get to her, he was the only one she asked for.”
There was a faraway look in Brooklyn’s eyes and I was sure that mine mirrored hers. I felt sick knowing that Maddie had endured such trauma in her life. At nineteen, she was lying in a hospital, beaten to a pulp and I was getting drunk at frat parties. Life really wasn’t fair.
“What happened when Luke got there?” I asked, not knowing if I really wanted the truth.
“He went crazy. He blamed himself for letting it happen. When she told him that she screamed for him, and he didn’t come; he went ballistic.” My heart pounded out of my chest as I stared at her.
“Sound familiar?” she asked, taking a pull from her beer. She leaned closer to me, staring me down. “That man would give his life for anyone he loves. That includes you. If he could have stopped Frankie from hurting you, he would have. The man has a lot on him. He is gonna fuck up. That’s when you step in and stand behind him, no matter what. That is your man, Dallas. Your superior, your lover and your soul mate. He has protected you, loved you and waited for you. He has the hardest job of them all. If you can’t handle it, get out now, but I’m warning you, if you do leave, we will lose the brother we love.”
