Page 24

DALLAS

O pening her eyes, Dallas smiled pleasantly, remembering she had fallen asleep in Kasim's arms. It wasn't that same, horrific nightmare she had when she woke up in the presence of Big Boy.

It was more like an adoring feeling even in the most troubling atmosphere.

With Kasim, Dallas felt safe. A loving shelter that made her relax until she began snoring lightly.

She hadn't felt this protected in a long time, and it felt great that she wasn't here because of some idiotic game.

However, when she realized Kasim wasn't lying next to her, she released a breath of frustration.

She had begun pouting because he was supposed to be right here, holding her, brushing her jawline just as when she fell into a slumber.

She wasn't sure if she had the strength to go search for him, so she lay still in one spot.

Dallas began thinking of Norah and decided that after she healed she would call her.

She knew that if anyone was worried it was Norah and Mama, but she wouldn't dare mention The Dynasty.

Mama would have a fit if she knew they had gone that night, and she'd really lose it if Dallas explained the things that took place.

She was gonna tell Norah the truth but not Mama.

Dallas even thought of her own mother who was probably worried to death.

They didn't talk much because they lived in two different cities, but they made sure to reach out weekly.

Davina worked a graveyard shift, so she slept most of the day.

Because Dallas worked seven-to-three, they would pretty much miss each other's calls.

Growing up, Dallas and Davina were close, but because she had Dallas at an older age, they didn't grow together like most girls and their mothers.

Davina had Dallas at the age of forty-three and was now sixty-nine years of age.

Dallas's father and mother were still together and happily married, but her father also was older in age.

He was diagnosed with dementia, so at times he'd forget he even had a child.

Dallas made sure to visit her parents during holidays, and she'd even take Big Boy along.

Her mother loved Big Boy, so she knew that dropping a bomb on her about their breakup would crush her.

Outside of her parents, Dallas had grown a relationship with Norah's family so she filled the void of having no one. Although it was just her, Norah, and Drayon, they had a host of relatives on their father’s side that would invite them to cookouts.

At times, Dallas wished she had other siblings, but she was just fine with her and her best friend.

There were no outside friends. Just the two of them and it kept less drama in their lives.

The sound of the door latch made Dallas smile serenely.

Her heart began to pump as her butterflies began rising in her tummy.

When the door came completely open, that feeling of desire drifted away.

It was Tasim. She was hoping it was Kasim so they could talk and spend some much needed time with one another.

Tasim tiptoed over to Kasim's bed, and when he noticed she was awake, he faintly smiled.

For some reason, Dallas got a warm feeling from Tasim that separated him from the others.

"How you feeling, Dallas?" he asked with concern.

"I'm feeling better. Thank you so much for everything."

"Don't sweat it, shorty," he replied with his hood demeanor. From his appearance, Dallas knew he was a street dude and apparently one with a heart.

"Umm . . . where’s Kasim?" she asked above a whisper because she didn't want to seem too clingy so soon.

"He went to handle some things. He told me to check on you. Is there anything you need?" he asked, and Dallas could tell he knew exactly where Kasim had gone just by the nonchalant response.

"If I can, may I use your phone?" she asked hesitantly.

Tasim did the same as he hesitantly pulled his phone from his pockets and handed it to her.

"I won't be long."

Dallas called her parents' number that she knew by heart. Her parents have had the number for over thirty years and refused to change it. She waited for the phone to ring, and when she got no answer, she dialed the number a second time. After four or five rings, her mother’s voice graced the phone curiously.

"Mom, it's me."

"Dallas?!" She called out Dallas's name with worry and excitement.

"Yes. I'm fine, Ma. How are you?"

"I'm okay, just worried about you, my child. Norah called for you a couple times, so I got worried. Your daddy ain't been doing too good. He's back in the hospital so it's just me."

"Oh, no, is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's been having really high blood pressure. It's regulated now, so they said they were gonna discharge him soon."

"Oh, okay. That's great. I'll get a phone soon to call you."

"You make sure you do that. I've called your phone a million times."

"I know. I'll be coming to see you soon, okay?"

"Okay, baby. You take care of yourself. It was good hearing your voice."

Dallas smiled. "I love you, lady."

"Love you too, Dally." She called Dallas by her childhood name.

Dallas handed the phone back to Tasim who waited patiently.

He wasn't worried about Dallas doing anything weird because she was back on her own free will.

He knew why she was here, and he was happy for his brother.

He hoped like hell Kasim took Dallas to his home, far away from the Dynasty.

He wanted them to fall in love, but he wanted to make sure Dallas wasn't going back.

"So you done with the nigga for good?" Tasim asked.

He hated to pry into his brother’s business, but he couldn't risk the nigga losing it again. He had witnessed his brother do some strange things but not the way he was doing so. Shy told Tasim exactly how he murdered Sable, and the shit was sick and twisted.

"No." Dallas replied single wordly, shaking her head no . She had no intentions of going back. "I'm not sure what I'll do from here because of . . . you know . . ." She shrugged, looking around the dungeon of a room.

She didn't want to rain on Kasim's parade because they hadn't spoken about any next steps, relationships, or anything that would bond them together.

So she wouldn't stake a claim on him until they had some sort of agreement. As stated, she wasn’t gonna sit around, accepting him fucking on women for seven days.

"Don't look like that. He's rocking with you. Trust me, ma, I know my brother. He’s never been like this over no broad, so I know he love you. Yes, you can fall in love in seven days,” Tasim added, thinking ’bout the conversation with Norah.

“How you figure?” Dallas asked while secretly blushing. This was music to her ears because she didn’t wanna look weird.

“Instant attraction. Chemistry. All that don’t matter, just know it’s real.”

They both laughed in unison.

“So what am I supposed to do for money?” She couldn’t help but ask because she knew she wouldn’t be able to make it to work anytime soon.

It had already been nine days—eleven including the New Year, and not to mention she was wounded. Her ribs were fractured, her body ached, she had a deep split, and other injuries that weren’t visible.

“Don't worry about shit because you landed a Kingly, and baby, you'll be set for life. Don’t half step, Dallas, if you gon’ love him because this shit deeper than you think. He has a fat ass crib set up for you; some fly shit too." Tasim chuckled, making Dallas smile. "I'm gonna get out of here."

Tasim's phone began to ring, and he knew it was Kasim. He needed to speak privately, so he excused himself from the room but making sure to hit Dallas with a smile to assure she was good.

Dallas's eyes fell over to the clock that set on Kasim's nightstand, and for some reason she got this eerie feeling. She sat alone in the dimly lit room, her eyes fixed on the clock as the minutes ticked by. A chill ran down her spine as she felt another strange feeling of his whereabouts.

Shit deeper than you think.

She held on to Tasim's words. Something about what he said and the way he said it had Dallas confused and scared.

She tried to shake off the feeling, telling herself he would be back soon, but the knot in her stomach tightened.

What was he doing that required such secrecy?

She tried to distract her mind by focusing on what would be her next move.

Again, she thought of what Tasim had told her, but she needed to speak with Kasim first. He had basically moved her into the man’s home, life, and heart.

For a brief moment, she actually laughed to herself.

Suddenly she had that same feeling come dancing throughout her.

There was something weird she couldn't put her finger on, but a sudden thought of Kasim's whereabouts flashed across her mind.

She rose from her seat, her senses on high alert because shit just wasn't adding up.

The uncanny feeling in the pit of her stomach began to worry her.

All she could think of was his safety because she was no fool.

The way Tasim sounded confirmed bits of her thoughts.

She heard a faint noise on the other side of the door, a footstep perhaps, and her heart skipped a few beats.

Is he back?

She lifted from the bed and moved toward the door.

As she reached for the handle, she hesitated, her hand trembling slightly.

Before she could attempt to open it, the door creaked open, and he stood before her.

His eyes gleamed in the dim light, and for a moment they just looked at each other.

Without a word, Kasim stepped forward, his eyes never leaving hers.

When he pulled her into his arms, she noticed small specks of blood on his shirt that froze her.

The side of his face was a bit swollen, and he had a cut that matched hers just above the eye.

"Kasim, please don't do anything crazy," Dallas voiced still a bit shaken.

The room fell into silence as Kasim tried hard to gather his words.

Dallas knew what type of nigga he was, so she should know what to expect.

If she thought for one minute he was gonna let Big Boy slide, she thought wrong.

The nigga deserved whatever was coming to him, and Dallas had to deal with it.

He wasn't gonna speak on, but it would definitely test their fate.

"If it's one thing about me you know, it’s that I'm a crazy mothafucka. It's in my nature, Dallas, so accept it." Kasim moved from her embrace then headed over to his bed.

Dallas stayed frozen in one spot as she watched him move nonchalantly. She released a breath of air satisfied with him being back in her arms. However, she silently prayed because she couldn't lose something that was only in the beginning stages of something beautiful.