CHAPTER FIFTEEN
-:- DALLAS -:-
The ride back to the apartment is quiet, to say the least. Cork has something on his mind and clearly doesn’t want to discuss it. I’ve asked him twice, and I’m not asking a third time.
In the apartment, I decide to give the place a bit of a clean-up. It’s not bad by any means but could do with a bit of TLC. As I work my magic, Cork sits at the kitchen table, deep in thought. I leave him alone for an hour while I clean, but by the time I’m done I’m ready to kill him.
Making two mugs of coffee, I sit at the table opposite him and slide one of the mugs under his nose. He picks it up without even acknowledging I’m there.
“Okay, I’m done with this shit, Cork. Spit it out.
We may not have been a couple very long, but I damn well know when something's bothering you. What’s the matter?
The talk of kids causing you second thoughts?
” I don’t think for one minute that’s it.
I think it has something to do with his talk with Meat. He was fine before that.
Looking at me as though I have suddenly grown two heads, he frowns. “What? Kids? I’m good with kids. I want kids. What’s wrong with kids?”
“For heaven’s sake, man. Snap out of it. What’s wrong?” I reach across the table and take his hands in mine. “Talk to me, Cork. Maybe I can help.”
“Hell, no. You can’t come along and help. It’s for me and Meat to do. You can’t help.” He looks panicked as he spits out this mumbo-jumbo.
“Let’s start again shall we? What are you and Meat going to sort out?” I wait patiently for an answer.
“We’re going to the ranch tonight and get rid of it.”
“What? Get rid of what? The still? I don’t think that’s an answer.”
“Yes, and the labels, ranch house, everything. The entire operation.” He sure doesn’t look ecstatic about their plan, I’ll give him that.
“So, what is this plan? Out of a club full of brothers, you and Meat are going to waltz in there, capture the bad guys, and then blow the place to hell? How has Axel okayed such a lame idea?” Watching Cork’s face, I make a sudden realization.
“You are messing with me! You and Meat have come up with this dumbass idea all on your own? No way, Cork. Axel will have your balls on a platter if you do this!”
“He won’t know. He’ll think it was a gas leak or something. We won’t tell anyone it was us.” He genuinely believes what he’s telling me.
“You don’t think your Pres has the brains to know when two of his brothers have taken the law into their own hands and blown up a ranch and all its outbuildings?
He’ll take one look at the smirk on Meat’s face and the guilty look on yours, and have the pair of you on some form of punishment for the rest of your lives.
That’s how these things go isn’t it? Jesus Christ Almighty.
” I place my forehead on the table and bang it gently several times.
“It doesn’t sound such a good plan when you say it. Meat made it sound much better.”
“Grunt, grunt, shoot. Grunt, grunt, BOOOM!” I shake my head. “Hell, yeah. That sounds so much more like an excellent plan! You need to rethink this before it’s too late. When were you going to do this anyway?” Thinking I’ll have at least a day to stop them somehow.
“Midnight. Meat’s picking me up, and then we’re going over there to do the deed.” Cork says this in a mumble with his head down, knowing it's more than likely going to go pear-shaped.
“What? Meat’s going to ride over here, carrying all the shit you’ll need to pull this off, and you’re what? Riding on the back of his bike?” I’m shaking, literally shaking at how this is going from bad to worse.
“No, he isn’t going to ride with all that stuff on his bike. It’s already here…” Seeing the stricken look on his face, I know the answer to my next question before I’ve even formed the words.
“Where is the stuff, Cork?” Taking my hands from Cork’s, I wait for the bombshell that I’m sure is my truck.
“In the back of the truck,” he mumbles.
Taking my phone from my ass pocket, I place a call. “Can you and your man get over here pronto?” Then I turn to Cork. “What’s in my truck?”
“Guns and explosives, but it’s all safe,” Cork mutters.
“Are you still there, Winter?”
“Yes, Dallas. What’s up?” She sounds worried, and I can’t say I blame her.
“I have guns and explosives in my truck that need to be gone as soon as possible. I’ll wait by the truck in the wine shop car park.”
“I’ll get Target, and we’ll be right over. Do you know…” She starts to ask.
“Meat. It belongs to Meat,” I manage to say calmly.
“Oh, fuck. You can fill us in when we get there.” Ending the call I focus on Cork.
“Going off half-cocked to commit murder and arson is one thing. Using my truck without my knowledge is another. What if we’d had an accident with all that in the back of the truck, and don’t say it wouldn’t happen? That’s why they call them accidents, because you never know when they can happen.”
Grabbing a jacket and my keys, I go to wait for Winter and Target. I’m surprised how quickly they turn up. Target goes straight to the truck bed and finds the backpack and carryall. Giving them a quick inspection, he puts them into the back of the Range’s SUV.
“Everything was perfectly safe, Dallas. Meat knows his way around any weapon or explosive,” Target explains to me, but he can see that his words fall on deaf ears.
“I think you should go talk to Cork. He’s upstairs in the apartment. Honestly, I think he was just following Meat’s lead and hadn’t thought any of it through.” I look at Winter, and she purses her lips.
“Dallas, it wouldn’t be the first time Cork has followed Meat’s lead.”
Target goes to the apartment and we follow behind. When we get there, Target is already talking at Cork, and yes, I mean talking at.
“Cork, you are better than this. Meat gets away with blue murder, and even if he doesn’t, he doesn’t give a fuck.
You, on the other hand, do care. You can come with me and give Meat his shit back.
You tell him you think it’s a dumb idea and you’re not going through with it.
Everything else stays between us.” Target puts a hand on Cork’s shoulder.
“You’re a good man, Cork. Stop letting that big oaf lead you into trouble.
From now on, when he suggests something, I want you to think it over before agreeing to anything.
I’ll always be there for you if you need advice.
I won’t tell you not to do something, but I’ll offer my opinion.
More than that, you should talk it over with Dallas.
She just showed you she has your best interests at heart. ”
Target leads Cork away, but not before I get a kiss and he asks for my keys. “I should take the Ford so Meat doesn’t have to know Target and Winter are involved.”
Handing him the keys, I tell him to take care and I’ll see him later. Watching him leave, I have a pang of guilt for involving Winter and Target. I tell her as much and apologize for calling them.
“Dallas, Cork is a good man, just like Target said. He’s been stuck outside the brotherhood ever since he took on the wine shop. It has been good for his confidence, and now he just needs to man up, and I mean that in the nicest way. I’ll bet if you were in trouble, he’d man up in seconds.”
“He’s all the man I need, Winter. I’ve been told the same thing by someone else, but you’re all wrong.
You forget that he ran down the apartment stairs and faced up to an unknown number of assailants, and was winning until one of them got a lucky shot from behind him.
He’s already manned up…he just doesn’t know it yet. ”
We chat for an hour, and she fills me in on how some of the club couples got together. I have to say that some of it reads straight from a romance novel. I notice that she skirts around her and Target's story, so I may have to prod Cork for that one.
When Cork returns, Target is right behind him. Target looks angry, but Cork just looks relieved.
“Meat wasn’t happy that I backed out. I went to his cabin to talk to him, but he wasn’t there, so I left his gear with Star.
Big mistake on my part. When I caught up with him in the clubhouse kitchen, he was furious that I’d left his gear with her.
At least he won’t be asking for my help with any more of his brainless schemes anytime soon.
” Cork sits by me at the table and slips his arm around me.
Target sits by Winter, and she puts her arm around him, I notice.
“So, what’s got you all riled up?” She asks him.
“Target waited outside the kitchen door because we weren’t sure how Meat was going to take me backing out.
He was good with that, but things went south really quickly when I told him I’d left his gear with Star.
He got angry and started saying some shit, but he stopped when Target walked in,” Cork explains.
“He was out of order, Cork, so don’t take any notice of the crap he was trying to dump on you.
He knows that when he gets home, Star is going to give him hell.
I wouldn’t mind betting he’s sleeping in that treehouse of his for the next few nights.
” Watching Target speak, I see some of the tension slowly easing away.
They must have been some harsh words to get him so riled up, but I’m not going there.
“He’s fucking lucky that Pres knows nothing about this or he’d have his balls for a necklace. ”
“I have to be honest, Target, I still want payback. Even though I knew it was a dumb idea, I wanted to cause them some pain,” Cork states.
“Don’t worry, Cork. They’ll get what’s coming to them. Pres will see to it, and in a way that leaves us all clean,” Target says as he takes a seat. It isn’t long before Winter and Target leave and we sit at the table, each thinking over recent events.
“I’m sorry I called Winter and Target. I should have kept it between the two of us.” I feel guilty for having interfered.
“No. You were right, Dallas. It was a dumb idea, and I should have said no from the moment Meat told me about it.”
“Okay. So how about you take me to bed and show me how right I was? A little gratitude could go a long way…” Cork wastes no time in grabbing me from the chair and carrying me to the bedroom where, I’m happy to say, his gratitude knows no limits.