Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (24 page)

Scarlet

“Pixie, it’s been a month now. Don’t you think it’s time to come back to me yet?”

“Pixie, it’s been a month now. Don’t you think it’s time to come back to me yet?”

Hmmm…I swear every time I heard Dax’s voice, it was like a symphony. Corny, but it was true. It was like beautiful music surrounding all around me. I was stuck. This limbo I was in was holding me down. I wanted out. I needed to tell him what I know. I heard a few times when he and some Officer named Suitor spoke about the MC. Why weren’t they arrested yet? They should have all the proof they need with my phone!

Hadn’t they checked into that?

It finally came to me during one of my black outs. Well, a coma black out. I knew where I was now and what happened.

I had been pregnant.

Something about that crushed something inside my heart. It took me a while to get it together, but-pregnant? How could she do this to me? My own mother. Didn’t she think I deserved life? What mother would do this to their own child? I wanted out. I wanted to be in Dax’s arms, now.

Wake up, Scarlet.

“Wait, look Dax. Her eyes.”

“What?”

I felt something caress my cheek under my eyes.

“Dude. She’s crying. I’ll go get the doctor.”

I wanted to see Dax’s clear blue eyes looking at me. I needed him.

Dax! I need you!

WAKE. UP!

“There you go, baby. Squeeze my hand.”

I heard footsteps rushing and the hand that held mine quickly left mine.

“NO!”

“She spoke. Fuck me. She’s gonna come out!”

“Da-

“We have to get the tube from her mouth before she finishes waking up. Mr. Dixon, come here and talk to her. She knows you. This won’t take but a moment.”

I felt something near my ear, or someone and he whispered, “My Pixie Queen. I love you, baby. Keep fighting. Don’t give up. I’m right here. I’ll never leave your side, Scarlet. My sweet, beautiful, perfect gift.

My throat felt really tight and then all of a sudden it was like I could finally breathe. Dax’s hand found mine again and I squeezed as hard as I could.

“Right here, baby. Show them pretty eyes for me.”

Fight the darkness. Fight it.

Yes. I needed to see Dax.

My eyes started fluttering around and a bright light was shining right in my eyes. I threw my arm up, blocking the light.

“Uh.”

“The lights!”

Someone must’ve dimmed them and my eyes adjusted. Everything was still a little blurry but there was only one thing I wanted to see.

Dax.

I turned my head to the right and focused on his shape. His hair was a wild mess and his clothes looked like he’d been wearing them for days. His face? Becoming clearer and there were tears shedding. For me.

“Oh, Scarlet.”

“I’m-

My throat was killing me. I was quickly handed a cup with water, in which Dax had to help hold it before I dropped it totally.

I took a good drink and laid back down.

“Miss Castle?”

“Hmmm…I thought I was Mrs. Dixon?”

I looked over to where Dax was hovering over me. There was a smile, shy smile on his face.

“Yes, Mr. Dixon informed us afterwards that you were just his fiancée. Heat of the moment I suppose.”

A doctor came up to me and checked me over.

“Hmm…you seemed to respond to everything good. We’ll run some tests and keep you a few more nights. Maybe then you’ll be able to go home. Okay?”

I nodded.

The doctor and nurse staff shuffled out, some telling me welcome back.

When they all cleared the room, there was only Dax.

“Dax?”

“Yes, baby?”

“I missed you.”

Then the tears started falling from my own face. He hurried and wrapped his arms around me.

“Here.”

I scooted over the best I could and he chuckled before climbing into it with me.

“I might get in trouble, Pixie.”

“I don’t care. I need your arms around me.”

“Always. Scarlet?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for coming back to me. I knew I loved you for a long time. I know I’ve told you that I love you, but I want you to know that you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. My best day. My wildest dream come true. You’re my ‘go all in’. The greatest chapter in my life. I know this will be a page that will hurt to look back at. I don’t want to live without you by my side. I’d rather die than lose you. I want you to always be by my side. I got so lucky when I met you. I love you. So much.”

“I love you, too. Now. Why isn’t the MC in jail?”

“This can wait, can’t it?”

“No! Why aren’t they in jail for drugging me?”

“There’s no proof.”

We both looked up to see Special Agent Suitor come in and close the door.

“Heard you were awake. I’m glad to hear that.”

“Thanks. But of course there’s proof! My phone. I know I tried telling those EMT’s that. My phone. I recorded the whole thing! My mother told me everything. And when they would strike next! They’ve hit the lounge again, haven’t they?”

“Yes.” Both Dax and Agent Suitor said together.

“I don’t remember when, you’d have to get my phone, but there’s your proof!”

“Thank you, Scarlet. This is excellent. Even with your mother dead.”

“Dead?”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, asshole. Fuck is right.”

“What’s he talking about Dax?”

“Please, Scarlet. I’ll tell you everything when we get home. I just don’t want to get into it here. Just know that I think she was trying to help. At the end. When she knew you were in a coma, something changed. I still didn’t like her but-

“It’s okay, Dax. Can I rest now?”

“Yeah, baby.”

⟡

I took every test known to man it seemed before I was released. Agent Suitor said they got my phone and all the information they needed. He asked if he could come by the house and talk to us both and Dax looked like he was getting cranky at the thought of us getting interrupted. I just woke up and he was like a tick. Glued to me. Which I didn’t mind. I loved him all over me. He was sweet, gentle and caring. Well, more than he had ever been before. No filter Dax had a small filter for now.

He wheel chaired me to the hospital entrance and left to go pull up his truck. While I had a few minutes to myself I thought about my mother.

Is what Dax said true? Did she really care about me in the end? Or was it just a way to not feel so guilty about what she did? What happened to her? How did she die? What is Dax not telling me?

I hated the questions that were bubbling inside my head. A month in a coma and it’s as if I lost everything. Except Dax. He was the only one that brought any kind of sense to me.

Oh, man. Did I still have a job? Did Dax try and explain what happened? Would they understand, or just replace me?

“Scarlet? Breathe, baby. You’re hyperventilating.”

Dax’s hand found my neck and he gently brought my head between my knees. After calming back down I looked up at him.

“How did she die?”

“Scarlet. Let’s get home first.”

I stayed silent while he opened the passenger side door and lifted me easily into it. The ride home was quiet and there seemed to be a sense of morbidity in the air. Why did I feel as if when we got inside the house things weren’t going to be the same as they were when we were there last?

I laid my head on the window, something about the coolness of the window helped me feel not so flustered. I felt Dax steal glances at me.

We got to the house and he carried me into the living room.

“I can walk, you know?”

“Yeah, but you’ve been through enough. Humor me.”

I got comfortable on the couch while he went to go bring me something to drink. I looked around and saw
her
. I stood up. A little too quickly, because I wobbled and clutched the arm of the chair to regain my balance.

“Oh, better sit down.”

“SCARLET!”

Next thing Dax was at my side, settling down a mug and shifting me to sit down.

“Not here. Please.”

“Den then. Hold this,” he gave me the mug and swiftly carried me to the den.

“Agent Suitor should be arriving any moment. I wonder why they can’t just arrest them with what proof you’ve given them. That guy really rubs me the wrong way.”

“Why? Because he’s like you?”

“Hardly.”

“Dax?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I-

God, not now. Tears bubbled up in my eyes and the thought about talking about what we lost, was enough to make me breathless.

“What’s wrong? Do I need to take you back?”

“No! No, it’s not anything like that. I-I am sorry we lost the baby.”

A sob rang out and Dax was lifting me into his lap, rocking me back and forth.

“I know, baby. I am, too. It was really early, but bad things happen and I really hope we can cope and learn to deal.”

I looked up into his eyes and found them glistening. I wrapped myself further into his embrace and wound my arms around his neck.

“I wish we could just stay right here in this moment. Just be together. Just like this. I love you, Declan.”

“We will have more babies. I want as many as you can give me.”

We were interrupted by the door bell and I scooted off his lap and smoothed out my face to try to present myself. For Dax it seemed so easy. But I saw the hurt and anguish in his eyes. A child; our child was taken from us. Even though we didn’t know, it was still heartbreaking. When I was in that coma-state, I heard Dax talk to someone but it was sometimes blurry and unidentifiable.

I wondered if he wanted revenge. Well, of course he did. Did he go there? To the club? Did he know who murdered Marybeth? Yes, she was a wicked woman in most ways, but she was still my mother. God, why I felt responsible in some way, I don’t know.

“Miss Castle. Glad to see you’re situated and back.”

“Thank you, Agent Suitor.”

“Call me Morgan.”

“Morgan. I feel better now that I’m home.”

Dax sat next to me, stiff and volatile. “What happened?”

“What happened? What’s wrong, Dax?”

“No. It’s not happening,
Morgan
. It’s just not gonna. She’s not going to be a part of your sick, little game of cat and mouse.”

“Whoa, wait a minute? What? What game?”

“Now, you should let me ask her. She’s an adult and she can make up her own mind. Right, Scarlet?”

I looked at Dax’s locked jaw and his fists tightening. Then I looked back at the agent.

“Of course I can, but if Dax thinks it’s not a good-

“I want you to help get the MC. You were right. When we looked into all the deaths, it happened every third Thursday. The third Thursday is next week. It’s Friday. I want you to go and draw them out.”

“Absolutely not.” Dax shoved himself off the couch and placed himself in front of me.

“Dax.”

“No, Scarlet, you could get hurt. Again.”

“That’s a choice I’m willing to take. We have to get them off the streets. Don’t you see how important this is? This is a way to find the right way. Get them behind bars. They killed my mother. They drugged me and almost killed me. They killed our-Dax. I’m going to do this. With or without you.”

“Fuck. So stubborn. You know that?”

That brought a smile to my face.

“Yeah. But you love me.”

I had no more fears of feeling alone and abandoned. Dax had been there for me through my absolute worst and I don’t think we’ve had our best yet. But I wanted this out of our way. I wanted a future with Dax and I didn’t want anyone or anything coming in between us.

“Dax, I love you. Let’s get this settled and start living our lives.”

He put his hands on his hips and looked over me. I loved how he looked at me. Even looking the way I do, he still focused. Just on me. His eyes burning right through me. Digging into my soul and building a home there. Just where I wanted him.

“As long as I’m in the loop of everything.”

“That’s fine.”

We looked at Agent Suitor and we started making our plans.

Dax

It was finally Thursday.
The
day. Hopefully the day it all ended. I wanted to move on from this shit and start my life with Scarlet. To do that, I needed the MC out of Saints. Once and for all.

Agent Suitor had called in a team to take them down. Scarlet was going to be bait. Which I will state, I did not like. But she was adamant and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Since then, I’d been praying for a miracle. I didn’t want her hurt. Or anyone else, but if there was a choice, it wouldn’t be her. I needed her like I needed to feel my heart beat.

Agent Suitor had been training her on what to do and how to do it if she were confronted with the MC. I didn’t like the plan. We had to get Danny in the loop and she made it where Scarlet sang a number and would take a break. Usually we were packed when she sang, or so Danny said.

Scarlet stopped working at Chili’s. After getting out of the hospital, they actually thought she quit. I didn’t even think about going up there and trying to explain. My mind was totally focused on her. She was upset, but she had already applied for a teaching job at the end of her last semester so at least she had a good job lined up. Middle school teacher. That age where boys hormones were at their highest. Puberty. Their body’s changing. Ugh.

Agent Suitor already had three other people ‘undercover’ in place, inside the lounge. I drove us to the lounge when my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Dax? It’s Suitor. We might have a slight problem.”

“What the hell now?”

“I’m almost a hundred percent positive that someone from inside the club is helping them.”

“How the fuck you figure that?”

“Think about it for a minute. How do they get in, I asked Disc, your cover charger and he has a list of photos with all the MC faces. Disc said he memorized the photos. Unless he’s lying?”

“Probably not. He has a photographic memory. Fuck. Not what we need.”

“This might be a good thing. Take two birds with one stone. You two on your way?”

“Yeah, we’re pulling in now.”

“Good. This will go down fast if there’s someone to help them from the inside. Maybe it’s a dancer. Can you think of any of the girls? Would any one of them be involved?”

“Dude, I couldn’t’ tell you. I don’t know most of those girls except their payroll info. For the exception of Scarlet, Disc, Danny and Sebastian, everyone else could be a suspect.”

“Great. Needle in a hay stack. Alright, let’s get to work.”

Four hours later and it was rolling on midnight and no one had shown up yet. The feds were positive the MC would show up to try and get another girl, but so far, no action. Scarlet just finished her number and damn. She was fucking amazeballs. I knew she could sing, but the crowd? Glued to her every move. Dicks and pricks all around lusted after her like she was there for the pickings. If tonight wasn’t a big night, I’d stake a claim right in front of everyone in this place. The choice of song was a sexual number and each movement of her body had been sensual and delectable. Fucking Danny. Anything to make money. She was right though. This place was packed.

⟡

Scarlet

I just finished the set and the next group of girls were heading out. I made my way towards the dressing area and started getting ready for my floor shift.

I was putting on the final touches when Annabelle came up to my make-up station. She wasn’t doing anything except staring at me in the mirror. Talk about awkward.

“Uh, hey. Do you need something?”

She plastered a smile on her face and said, “Yes, could you help me carry my bag to my car? My stomach’s been killing me and Danny is letting me go home early.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry to hear that. Let me just get my apron.”

I stood, wrapped my hair in a high ponytail and picked up Annabelle’s bag. Damn. What the hell did she have in here?

“Please, after you. I parked near the back door. Thank you so much, Diamonds. Or can I call you Scarlet?”

I turned my head and looked back at her.

“It’s cool. Scarlet’s fine. You know the only reason they started calling me Diamonds was because I saved their ass after you pulled that plug.”

“Who? Me? Why would I do such a thing? How is it that you know Dax? I thought he didn’t go out with lounge girls?”

“Come on, Annabelle. Don’t play dumb. I met Dax where I used to work. He came in and we just started talking. It was before I started working here.”

“Hmm…yeah. He would never go out with any of us here. Always so strange. A lot of us actually thought he was gay at first.”

Yeah. I just bet y’all did. After you tried all the moves you could play. That meant she still didn’t like me. Ugh. Why did I volunteer to help her? She had a thing for Dax. And after the shit I went through, I really didn’t want to deal with this shit. Especially since we were waiting for Big D’s boys to show up.

Before we got here, Dax looked more worried than usual, but all he said was be extra careful. Duh. I had mace in my apron and my hand was wrapped around it as I carried her bag with the other.

I pushed open the back door and instead of seeing her little hot rod Porsche, there was nothing.

“What?”

There was squealing coming around the back, heading straight for us.

“Annabelle! Get back inside!”

Just as I turned, I felt a pinch in my arm. What in the world!? When my eyes turned, they landed on the needle sticking in my arm.

Not again.

Her finger started to push down on the syringe when I roared in protest. I ripped my arm away as a van braked hard. I heard a car door shuffling open and the back door flew open just as we were being surrounded with clicking guns.

“SCARLET!”

Annabelle was thrown down to the ground by Agent Suitor and the other agents had the van surrounded.

“AH! BITCH! You’re nothing but a big, fat, nobody. Big D was going to pay me big for getting you. He wanted you. Why does everyone want you? Your own mother didn’t want you. She was just a club whore. You might as well be just like her. A big, fake, fat club whore willing to blow them. Or unwilling.”

“Shut up. You’re under arrest…

I didn’t hear anything else as I swayed.

“Scarlet!”

Dax ran to me and as I began to collapse, saw the needle in my arm.

“That fucking bitch. I’m gonna kill her.”

“No. Just take it out. She didn’t push a lot into me. I don’t think.”

To shut me up, he kissed my lips with sweet passion and concern. I felt something in my arm but my mind was focused on the man in front of me.

I loved his mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck and returned his kisses with ardor. It’s only been a week since I was released from the hospital, and Dax had been really sweet and perfect as he took care of me. But what I wanted, was him surrounding me. I wanted to feel him cover me like a warm, security blanket.

And I wanted him to ravish me. I needed him like I needed to breathe.

“Alright, people. Break it up. Since that chick obviously confessed and Dax, why don’t you say hello to you grandfather.”

Our lips broke a part with hot, panting breaths whispering across our cheeks.

“What?”

We both looked around to see Big D in handcuffs. He was trying to fight his way out of the officer’s arms.

“This isn’t over.”

“Oh, yeah it is. While the cat strays, the mice will play and led us right to your human trafficking ring. You’ll be going away for a long, long time.”

They practically threw him in the back of a black sedan.

“Miss Castle? Maybe you should get your arm checked out.”

I nodded my head, but I looked back up at Dax. Like I said. He was the only one I wanted to focus on. His eyes settled back on mine. I saw everything, right there in his light blue eyes. I wanted that for a lifetime. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe it was faced with death that made me realize that there were certain people that come and go in your life. Dax was one that would forever be a part of me. I couldn’t see my life and future without him.

Nana was absolutely right. Dax really looked at me just as Grandpa looked at Nana. With utter absolution and reverence.

I couldn’t look at him with anything less than that.

“I love you, Declan.”

“I know. So. How about you marry me so I can make an honest woman out of you?”