Chapter 26

Shane

I woke up to the sound of the office door opening and cracked an eye just as Jake lowered a steaming cup of coffee onto the table beside my head.

“Good morning,” he said in a sing-song voice. “It’s a beautiful March day! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the homeless guy on my couch is snoring.”

“Good morning to you too.” I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “What time is it?”

“It just turned seven.”

I was surprised I’d slept in so long since I was used to waking up at six or earlier without having to use an alarm. It must’ve had something to do with kissing Dallas. That kiss had finally fed a three-year-long craving, and not having that gnawing at me sent me into a deep and restful slumber. Even with a lumpy couch at my back, I suspected the only way I could have slept better was if she were beside me.

“What kind of trouble did you get up to yesterday? I came around last night to see if you wanted to play Super Smash, but you were gone.”

I grinned and picked up the coffee cup, letting it warm my hands. “I went to Satan’s Perch,” I told him.

“Idiot.”

“Trust me. It was worth it.”

“Did you figure out a way to free Dallas?”

My good mood stumbled. “No. Not yet.”

Jake’s ginger brows knitted together in concern and he leaned back in his executive chair, hands folded together in thought. His Rowland’s Hardware uniform contrasted with the polished black leather, giving the scene a comical air.

“Did you at least come up with any ideas?” Jake asked.

“Still at a loss,” I admitted. “Neither Dallas nor her father are willing to put the other in danger, and there’s no way for me to get my hands on that kind of money.”

“You could ask Preston nicely,” Jake suggested, curling his lip.

I rolled my eyes. “To which I’m sure he’d nicely pump me full of bullets.”

“If only bravado counted as a currency,” Jake mused. “Do you think Preston would accept store credit? He seems like the kind of guy who appreciates a good saw.”

I grimaced and shook my head, taking a drink of coffee. As I swallowed, a thought hit me.

“Hey, maybe you’re onto something.”

Jake raised his brows, genuine surprise spattering his face. “I’m not sure I could get my dad to sign off on giving away that much store credit...”

“No, no. That’s not what I meant.” I sat forward, cogs whirring in my head. “I wonder if there’s anything Preston would accept instead of money to pay off the debt. Maybe I could work for him or...” I trailed off, trying to think of what I could offer Preston that would be as tempting as over a hundred grand in cash.

“If working for him was enough, Dallas would be out debt right now.”

“I know. That was just an idea,” I replied. “There’s got to be something though, don’t you think? Preston’s got a lot of money already.”

“But what have you got?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “I guess I’ll just have to ask.”

“You’re joking right?” Jake shook his head. “You wouldn’t get within five feet of Preston without having your head blown off.”

“I never said I was going to ask Preston.”

“Then who the hell are you going to ask?”

I scrubbed a hand through my hair, face pinched in thought. “I dunno. Someone close to Preston, but who maybe doesn’t idolize the jerk the way the rest of his goons do.”

Jake cocked a quizzical brow and then laughed. “Good luck with that. Can’t you just ask Dallas?”

“I don’t think she would know. It seems like Preston and Wes keep her in the dark about most things. Besides, I don’t want her to know what I’m up to until I have a solid plan. I’d like to keep her out of this as much as possible.”

I dug through the couch cushions to find my phone, intent on texting my mom to make sure everything was groovy down in Oregon. I was surprised to see a text from an unknown number. It was from Dallas and had come in after I fell asleep. She wanted to make sure I made it out of the club okay. I texted back and said that I had, and asked if things went okay with Wes, then went back to brainstorming.

“What about—“

Jake’s sentence was cut off by the abrupt beeping of my phone. It was Dallas’s reply.

“Who’s that?” Jake asked.

I scanned the message, frowning. She was fine, it said. Wes turned out to not be the problem. Preston and Sasha tried to make her do cocaine with them, and Wes had to intervene.

“Dallas. Apparently, Sasha’s turned into a real piece of work.”

“Right, I forgot that Sasha followed Preston around like a lost puppy.” Jake’s eyes lit up. “What about asking her? She would probably know.”

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea except Sasha hates me, and if she’s that obsessed with him, I doubt she’d do anything to help us.”

He frowned. “It’s a better idea than any you’ve come up with.”

“True. But I think you’re on to something,” I said thoughtfully. “Everyone from Wes’s clique in high school seems to be involved in the Gromley empire somewhere. I’ve already seen Rob and Nelson...” The thought was at the tip of my tongue, and I grasped at it, finally victorious. “Paul! Is Paul still around?”

“Paul Chesterfield?” Jake questioned.

“Yeah.”

He nodded. “He’s still part of the crew, yeah. You think he’d talk to you?”

“I do,” I replied. “I always got along better with him than any of the other guys.”

Jake nodded thoughtfully and shrugged. “Sounds like your best shot.”

“Do you know where I can find him? I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Probably because he doesn’t hang out much at the Perch. I’ve seen him here and there at the Buck’s Head when football’s on.” Jake pulled out his phone and fiddled on the screen a little bit. “And it looks like there’s a game on tonight. You might be able to catch him there.”

I lounged back and drank some coffee, thoroughly satisfied. Meeting with Paul would be the first step on a road that I’d been told time and time again was unpassable. After that kiss the night before, there was nothing I couldn’t or wouldn’t do to help Dallas. That kiss had brought me back to life.

I remembered the hunger in Dallas’s voice as she begged me to fuck her, and the way I struggled against myself to do the right thing. All I wanted to do was rip that sexy outfit off and have her right there, but I meant it when I said her first time should be special. She had been denied so many things because of this debt, starting with her prom, but a romantic first time with a man who loved her was something I was uniquely qualified to provide. She wouldn’t have to miss out. Not this time.

“I need your help with something,” I said to Jake.

His expression flickered with worry. “If it’s to talk to Paul, I don’t think I can do that, man. I can’t get involved, not with the business and my parents...”

“God no,” I said, waving a hand dismissively. “Not with Paul. Not with Preston. There’s something I want to do for Dallas.”

“Is it free her from unjust pseudo-slavery at the hands of a tyrant? If so, I think we may have touched on this already.”

I shot him a flat look. “Har har.”

“Hey, I doubt there’s anyone nearly as funny as me in the army.” He spread his arms. “Take it in while you can.”

“Are you going to help me or not?”

“Depends what you need,” he replied. “I’ll do my best.”

“Well, first of all...” I trailed off in thought. How could I make this day as special as possible for Dallas? Where could I take her that wouldn’t have a Gromley stamp ruining it?

The idea hit me.

“You said it was sunny out, right?”