For the Love of Dixie (15 page)

“Someone needs to,” I say.

Blue sighs. “He’s been through so much. I just want to provide him stability.”

“You have and you are.”

“I’m not. Did you see how terrified he looked?”

“There’s nothing you could’ve done to prevent that. It falls on Calla’s head. Don’t let her fake you out from behind bars. That desperate bitch is grasping at straws. She has no moves left on the board, so she’s trying to create waves to ensure she’s not forgotten. Once you marry and win this case, she’ll be nothing but an unpleasant memory you won’t revisit for another two years,” I say.

“You’re right. Let’s focus on what needs to be done. He needs time to process and be alone. I learned that the hard way over the past few months.”

“Dude, you
are
someone’s mother,” I whisper in awe.

“Yeah,” she grins, “I am.”

A knock sounds on the door.

“You expecting someone else?”

“Yeah, Ruthie,” Blue answers, and walks over to the door.

The redhead steps inside, obviously fresh out of the shower. Her short hair is slicked back, her grey T-shirt is damp and paired with black yoga pants. “I came as soon as I got your message. God, I’m so sorry, Blue.”

They hug and I shift my weight.

“I can’t believe my mother is helping her,” Blue says. Her voice wavers.

“I love you, Blue, but she’s being a straight up bitch. It’s all I can do not to go beat some sense into her. She’s young enough not to be my elder, and I’m not a part of KOC and bound by their rules.”

Blue sniffs. “I don’t think Skull would see it that way.”

“Fuck him,” Ruthie spits.

Blue does a double take. “I thought you guys were good?”

“Yeah, me too,” she mutters. Shaking her head, she looks at me. “Hey, Dixie Rose.”

“Hey, Ruthie, sorry you and Skull are hitting a rough spot.”

“Yeah, he’s a complicated guy.”

I frown.
Skull?

Ruthie laughs. “I know, he hides his layers well.”

“No, it makes sense, I think they all do that,” I remark.

“Enough of me. What can we do to help you?” Ruthie asks.

“Just having you here backing me is plenty. I have to hold it together for Shadow.”

I can’t help but admire her in that moment. The women in this life give so much for love. I’m reminded of John 15:13
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
There are more ways to give up your life than to take your final breath.

Echo

“You want me to be one of your groomsmen?” I ask, shocked. Shadow is good people, but we’ve never been especially close. Up until recently, Charm and I were two peas in a pod. I trusted him with my life. Now, I’m reestablishing everything.

“Yeah, man. I mean, Dixie Rose is Blue’s best friend, and she needs me to have the same amount of people standing up there. Dixie Rose is sharing Maid of Honor duties with Ruth, and then she’ll have Nevada, too. Bolton is my best friend, but Skull will be doing the actual leg work. He’s off scouting sites for me right now.”

“You’re wanting me to walk down with Nevada?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“You sure Wizard isn’t going to murder me?” I say with a laugh that’s half fake. Leaning forward on the couch, I rest my arms on my knees.

“Yeah, man, he didn’t want to stand up in front of the crowd,” Shadow replies. “Dude’s paranoid. Can’t really blame him, considering. No reason to make himself an easy target. It’s always a little risky when we get this many of us together.”

“We plan on beefing up security, yeah?”

“Yeah, Wiz is over seeing to it himself,” Shadow responds.

“Sounds like him,” I say, shaking my head. “So, what do I have to do?”

“Sit back with me and Skull, and watch as all the bitches around here go crazy?”

I laugh. “Is Blue that bad?”

“No, she’s pretty chill actually. She doesn’t even want the big shindig. Given everything that’s gone down with her family lately, I can’t say I’m surprised.” His eyes grow cold.

By his glare, I know it’s all he can do not to wring Pixie’s neck. “How are you dealing with things?” I ask, taking a sip of my beer.

Shadow shakes his head. “With Pixie?” He sighs. “Man, if it was up to me, her ass would be banned. The shit she hid, and the way she tore those two apart is fucking criminal. Stone’s not unreasonable or cruel. He would’ve made shit right, and smoothed it over. She let it turn into something that came back and wrecked this club. The loss of Psycho is going to be felt for years. And yet, the little bitch that caused it all is still alive and free to move on with her life after she does her time. How’s that shit fair? Now, they want to come after my son?” Shadow sneers. “Fuck that.”

I shake my head. “I know all too well about having bat shit crazy family, man. I feel for you.”

“What’s up with that situation?” he asks.

I shake my head. “I don’t give a fuck about my old man, I stopped caring a long time ago when he cost me Dixie Rose the first time. It’s my brother I’m desperately trying to save.”

“You think shit’s going to go bad with Mouth, huh?”

I nod. “Stone must sense it, too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have us watching him.”

“What do you think about ole Scotty and Brett? They slipped right in, didn’t they?”

“They stink like white power,” I say.

Shadow’s eyes narrow. “You sure of that?”

“Not yet, but I’m keeping my eyes open. Dad’s been talking about change, and being on the right side. I know for him that means white people. Since Stone has never rolled that way, I’m wondering why he thinks he’ll suddenly have a change of heart.”

“Nothing good is going to come of this bullshit he’s been holding onto for too long. KOC is changing. We embrace that, or die out,” Shadow says.

“I’m with you, brother,” I reply, thinking of the promise I made to Dixie Rose. “I don’t want my kids having the same experiences D’Rose did. We dropped the ball when it came to her. She should’ve been protected, not alienated.”

Shadow nods. “Shit was fucked up. Shit moves slow here. Change takes time. Our time is coming, brother. We just have to wait for the right moment.”

His words have the ring of truth. He’s privy to parts of Stone I know nothing about. It’s enough for me to know they’re in motion.

“Enough of the girly one-on-one, I did have something I needed to get done today.”

I laugh. “Yeah?”

“Today for sure, I need to figure out the venue and pick out what we’re going to wear. She says she doesn’t care, but she deserves more than some backyard get together. Women like her and Dixie Rose are freaking diamonds in the rough around here, you know? Harder than the usual girls who hang around, but worth it.” He stands up.

Suddenly, I see him as another man trying to make his way through our world and come out whole. It’s not an easy life, but it’s even harder when you decide to have an old lady and children. Then you have more than yourself to worry about. It complicates things. You have to walk with one foot in this world and another out.

“This is Skull now,” Shadow says, taking his ringing phone from his cut. “You got some places in mind, Skull? … Yeah? Me and Echo will come by to check them up. Then we’ll hit up the tux place. I got some thoughts on what we should wear.”

He heads toward the door, and I follow him out.

We pull in to the parking lot right after D’Rose. After trying on pants, and bowties, I’m happy as hell to see her.

She steps out of the sedan and flashes me a smile. I crook my fingers, smirking as she puts an extra sway in her hips.

Wrapping my arm around her waist I pull her to me.

“Miss me today?” she asks.

“I always miss you. Of course, I’d miss you less if we had our own place.”

She purses her lips, but doesn’t deny it. It’s progress. “How about you take me back to your place and try to convince me,” D’Rose says, toying with my hair.

I quirk my eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She nods. “Blue and I did a little shopping at a certain secret establishment, and I can’t wait to show you my purchases—”

I grip a handful of her ass and tongue her down before she can say more. When she moans into my mouth I bite her lip, before turning to the driveway where Shadow and Blue are standing.

“She’ll see you later, Blue.” I smack D’Rose’s ass.

She laughs. “Let me grab my bag first, Echo.” She jogs over to Blue’s car giggling, as her hair flows around her body.

Suddenly, I’m reminded of the girl she once was. The one I fell for even though I knew I shouldn’t.

Past

I scan the area of the parking lot. I’ve taken to randomly stopping by to pick Dixie Rose up after school. We’ve gotten close since the incident, and I can’t help but wonder about the tenderhearted girl. I squashed the rumors, letting them know I was strong arming mouth fucks in high school for her. It was something we’d all dealt with.

Shadow had taken on Blue as his responsibility for a similar reason.

The bell rang about a minute ago, and people are flowing out of the building like water. Another minute ticks by and my shoulders tense. She doesn’t do extracurricular activities, so she should be out by now. She doesn’t linger in this hell hole. I lean forward over my bars. I need to chill out. After the shit at the party, no one would be stupid enough to fuck with her again. When another minute slips by, I remember how dumb high school boys can be. I leave my bike to stalk up the stairs and into the building, ignoring the whispers and stares.

I follow the corner around to her locker. The sight of her hemmed in by a group of three boys has me seeing red. Clearing the distance in a matter of seconds, I slam the blond’s head into a locker and kick the other boy in the chest. His head hits the floor with a sickening thud. Ralph dangles above the ground and I tighten my grip on his throat.

“Echo, no, don’t do this. He’s a minor.”

“I don’t give a fuck. I will kill anyone who ever puts their hands on you.” Ralph’s face is beet red, and I wonder if I squeeze hard enough, if he’ll pop like a packet of ketchup.

“Echo, he’s not worth it. What’ll happen to me if you’re behind bars? What happens to your patch? Let’s go before someone important sees you.”

I peer down into her eyes and hits me—this is more than a friendly thing. I don’t want to be her brother, I want to be her lover. If anyone so much as breathes on her too hard, I’ll rip them limb from limb. I release Ralph and step back.

He hits the floor grasping his throat and panting.

“Say something about this and this’ll be the least I’ll do to you,” I snarl.

He nods his head, scuttling back into the lockers.

Ammonia assaults my nose. I glance down and watch the dark puddle form in his pants. “Pitiful ass.”

Dixie Rose tugs on my arm, and I allow her to pull me away to appease her. My tongue feels thick in my mouth. How the fuck am I going to tell her what I want? We get to my bike and I pause, turning to face her. “I meant that shit back there, you know. You’re mine, D’Rose.”

Her eyebrows form a point. “Yours like—”

“My woman. We’re going to make this shit work, ’cause I’m not letting you go, ever. If you’re not on board with that you better fucking tell me now.”

She shakes her head, wide-eyed.

“Good.” I start up my bike and pull off, putting as much distance between us and the school as fast as possible.

Dixie Rose

I rub Echo’s knee as he maneuvers the white Ford F-150 through the streets. It’s the first time I’ve had alone with him in days. Between keeping an eye on Charm, and helping Shadow with the wedding while I help Blue…we’re two ships passing in the night. Moving in together is looking better by the second. “Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere to chip away at our old bucket list.”

My nipples harden and I scoot closer to him, pressing my body against his side. “The list?” I ask, circling his sensitive ear with my tongue.

“Yep. Been too long since we marked off another place. I still remember when we got wasted that night and came up with it,” he says, chuckling.

“Our twenty dream places to have sex.” I nip his lobe. “You were always corrupting me.”

“You loved it,” he teases.

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” I say, massaging his thigh, “I still do.”

“Evil ass.”

“I’ll show you how evil I can be.” I massage the swell in his jeans and giggle when he growls.

“Never figured you for a tease.”

“Oh, I’m not.” I unzip his pants and pull him out into the open.

“Shit! D’Rose.”

“Better concentrate on the road,” I say, circling his head with my thumb. Leaning over I take him into my mouth, swirling my tongue around his thickening girth. He buries a hand in my hair and follows my rhythm. I take him deep into my throat, humming and bobbing.

“Right there, babe. Take this dick.” He pops his hips up as much as he can and still drive.

I close my eyes, losing myself in the scent and feel. He’s silk wrapped around steel. I feel the car veer to the right. The road changes, and I know we’re headed out away from the hustle and bustle. The pickup tipped me off immediately to him being up to something, but the tarp on the back prevented me from guessing as to what. I suck harder.

“Shit. You’re going to make me come before the fun even begins.”

I ease off and grip his base, licking the veins that run down the side of his dick. “Never that,” I promise. His cock twitches and I smirk. I still know him just as well as he knows me. There’s not an inch of his body I didn’t explore and know as well as my own once. The truck comes to a stop and I lift my head.

He runs his thumb across the corners of my lips. “You look so fucking hot with your lips all swollen from sucking my cock.”

“Such a dirty mouth.”

“That wants to do dirty things to your pretty body,” he says nodding.

I shiver in anticipation. My panties are soaked, and my pulse points are throbbing. The man literally makes me weak in the knees and he hasn’t even touched me yet. He cups my face and kisses me with a gentleness that makes me fall in love with him all over again. “I love you,” I say against his lips.

“Love you, too, babe.” We separate, and he moves away to open his door. “Stay there.”

I smile as he walks to the back of the truck, preparing the scene. He can be sweet as hell when he wants to be.

After a few minutes, he opens the passenger door and offers up his hand.

I take it and allow him to walk me to the back. The pallet of sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows makes me smile.

“Sex under the stars, comfortable like,” Echo says.

“You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?”

“I am. Back then, we could never get enough time together. Between dodging your father, mine, and the members of the club, all our moments were stolen. Now, we can do as we please. I’m taking advantage of being out in the open,” Echo explains. He lowers the tailgate and lifts me up onto the lowered door. I crawl back onto the soft pile and he follows me, countering my every move as he stalks me like a cat of prey. With his light mane, and broad shoulders, he reminds me of a lion. I spread my legs and he settles against me, kissing me with a depth of passion and sweetness that turns me into a melted puddle of goo. I wind my legs around his thighs and rock against the bulge in his unbuttoned jeans.

Our clothes are peeled back and discarded along with the layers that separate us. This is the man that the boy I once fell in love with has turned into. His hands are gentle, and the words he whispers into my ears are sweet. It heals some of the jagged areas of my heart left from the abandonment I’d once endured.

As he fills me, I know there will never be anyone in this world who compares to him. My emotional wall crumbles—I gasp, as I’m flooded with memories and feelings I’d been repressing. Tears escape my eyes and I allow myself to mourn what we lost and accept what we could be. I lift my hips, taking in more than his length as we move together. Here beneath the stars, we’re baring not only our bodies, but souls. The pressure builds. My body shakes and my muscles clamp down. “Love you,” I whisper.

“Love you, too, babe. Forever.”

His heated breath in my ear sends me screaming over the edge. I clutch him to my chest, struggling to hold onto this one perfect moment in the midst of chaos. Breathing heavily, I snuggle against his side as we drift back to Earth, staring up at the sky.

“That was amazing,” he murmurs, kissing my temple.

“Yes, it was.”

“It’s been too long since I got to spend unhurried time inside of you, babe. I hate playing this role.” It’s the most he’s spoken of his time with his family.

“Are they that bad?”

“Biting my tongue is painful. Especially, when those two new fucks join in. I don’t trust them. It’s more than the racist angle. There’s a hardcore factor for them. I never thought I’d say this about anyone, but what I see in their eyes puts my father to shame. With my dad, it’s misplaced anger for one action on an entire race. Scott and Brett believe it all the way down to their bone marrow. They’re always watching me, showing their disgust, disdain, and mistrust at every turn. I don’t like their boldness. They should know their place and be groveling right now.”

“You think they’re here for something else?” I ask.

“I do, but the only in I have on that info is going to be Charm.” He sighs, running his hand up and down my arm.

“Have you talked to him one-on-one?”

“No. Another thing I think they’re all doing on purpose—making sure I can’t get him alone. It makes me feel like Charm is a prisoner.”

“Well, maybe he is.”

He turns to peer at me. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe they know he’s not on board, and given a chance to escape the situation, he will.”

“You think?” Echo asks.

The hope in his voice makes my heart ache. “It’s possible. I don’t want you to get your hopes up, but if you could be completely different from Mouth, maybe he is, too.”

“Then why is he standing with him?” He props up on an elbow.

“Fear. Because he’s comfortable in his situation and feels like he has no one else.”

“I’m right here, though!” Echo exclaims.

“You made up your mind to step away from your father, whatever the risk, and he’s wronged you personally. Charm has never experienced that. He’s in a different place, relationship wise.”

Echo sighs. “So, what do I need to do?”

“Are you asking me the old lady, or me the psychologist?”

“Both.”

“Be there for him, don’t pressure or offer up ultimatums. Treat him the same way you did before. He needs to feel like he can trust you, or he’ll never open up. Try to get him alone in an organic way and let him lead the conversation.”

“So be a chump?” Echo asks with a roll of his eyes.

“No, be a big brother and a friend. Too many times, we try to force our will onto others and make them be who we want them to be, rather than taking them as is. You attract more bees with honey than vinegar.”

“It’s so easy to say when you’re not in it.”

“Don’t kill the messenger, babe. You asked for my personal opinion. Be grateful. I make it a rule not to diagnosis anyone, or for anyone I’m close to.”

“You’re right. I hate the mess my family has become. Tell me something…why do you think my father is the way he is?”

“Hard to say. It could be something that was transferred to him from his own family, situational, where he placed blame on them for something, or a form of self-hate reflected outward.”

“Wait, self-hate reflected. What do you mean?” he asks.

“Like people who have homosexual tendencies
hating
others who identify as homosexual, because they hate that part of themselves.”

“Are you suggesting that he might actually like black people? Black women?”

“Maybe, back then it was not something you did. It would’ve put him in direct conflict with his club, and the majority of society. Maybe he went to extremes to suppress his true inclinations. Now, I’m just making suggestions. People are complex and individual. Their stories are all different. Have you ever asked him?”

“No. He’s not exactly the type who likes to be questioned.”

“Shocker,” I say.

“Yeah, I know.” He rolls over and I squeal as I end up lying on his chest. “Enough about him. I’m not done with you yet.” He captures my lips and all talk of Mouth and KOC is chased from my brain.