Deadlock

1.

"Fuck," Dally muttered, frantically attempting to, again, open the very locked door in front of him. He almost kicked it in frustration. For a moment even considered kicking the damn thing in. Instead, he aggressively shook the unmoving knob once more. He glanced over his shoulder, praying he'd lost the guys following him. Not knowing the city was almost a blessing. He'd made twists and turns that probably made no sense to anyone else, but what did he care? He didn't know where he was anyways. It had been a while since he'd noticed anyone tailing him, but you could never be too careful.

Where the hell did he go now? There was a chance he could climb through a window to get inside. This apartment wasn't in the best neighborhood, but some neighbors seemed like narcs. The last thing he needed was the fuzz on his heels too. Besides, it's not breaking and entering when it's your older brother's place. Right? The prick couldn't even leave a spare key out here? Dallas quickly ran his fingers above the door frame, hopeful to produce anything other than a splinter.

The door flying open startled the teen, causing him to jump back. He nearly did again seeing his brother's bitch of a girlfriend flanked by two big ass dogs.

"You need somethin'?" Roxie snapped. No one could look less enthused than she did right now. The two didn't exactly get along. Not that Dally tended to get along with anyone. Clearly, neither had been expecting anyone else to be here.

"Where's Joey?" Dally snapped back, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Nonchalant is what he'd been going for; he was failing miserably.

"Do I look like his fuckin' keeper?" Annoyance grew with each word.

Some bitch you are can't even keep track of your man. Dallas had to bite his tongue to keep the words from escaping. Roxie was hot-headed enough to start swinging, and Joey would have his ass too. He threw another paranoid glance over his shoulder, then to Roxie and her beasts.

"When's he gonna be back?" He demanded impatiently. Eyes locked on the Rottweiler to her right. He swore it was foaming at the mouth, letting out a low growl when Dally stepped forward.

"No clue," She eased up, uncrossing her arms, letting her shoulders down. One arm fell to her side, one hand on her hip. She studied the little shit in front of her, taking note of his scraped knuckles. His blonde locks were matted down with sweat. Lord only knows what kind of trouble he'd stirred up now. In the few weeks he'd been down in Baton Rouge, he's made more enemies than friends. No doubt his mouth wrote another check his ass couldn't cash, and big brother needed to bail him out. The damn kid was more trouble than he was worth.

The unease around him was different; it took Roxie a few to piece it together. Dallas Winston wasn't scared of anything. Not because he was brave or anything profound. He survived the streets of New York, two neglectful parents, and the reformatory. He'd been bucked off broncs, caught up in gang activity, and jumped more times than he'd admit. He faced it all unwavering, reckless, and wild. He laughed in the face of danger because he was too dumb to let anything scare him. Even in the worst situations, he'd managed to fair pretty decently. Somehow the bastard had a lucky streak. It was mind-boggling and mildly annoying.

All that changed today, though. It was a bit funny seeing the tough guy crack the tiniest bit. Mostly it made him seem more real and relatable. Roxie hated that more than anything. A tiny humanized glimpse behind the mask he kept on. Trepidation glossing those icy blue eyes. Slowly every day, he was becoming more tolerable. Or maybe she was becoming numb to the insufferable asshole. Never once had she seen him so much as nervous, yet he looked ready to jump over the railing if one of the dogs so much as barked at him.

She wouldn't have pegged him to be scared of dogs, of all things. It would have been easy to call them off; they'd happily retreat back inside as soon as she gave word. But damn, was she enjoying letting Dally squirm for a minute. The bastard has been nothing but a headache since he ascended from Hell to disgrace them with his presence. Chaos and destruction seemed to be his sole focus, and she didn't blame his dad one bit for abandoning the demon spawn.

Any shred of affinity he had towards her was crumbling by the second. Especially when that shit-eating grin curled up on her lips. What the hell did she need a guard dog for this piece of shit apartment anyways? Let alone two. Roxie always kept a blade on her, and Dally knew damn well there was a heater in the bedside table too. (He may have snooped a little the last time he was here, big deal). There wasn't anything worth a damn in this apartment. It was overkill.

"What'd you fuck up this time, Dally?" She asked finally, tired of him pussyfooting around.

"I didn't fuck up anything," He spat back defensively, stepping towards her, tired of playing 20-fucking-questions. This broad was getting on his last nerve. A warning bark from the Mastiff to Roxie's left stopped him dead in his tracks. Both looked ready to pounce and rip him to shreds. "Hey, whoa-" Dallas threw his hands up, retreating slowly until he felt the metal of the railing against his back.

"Sit!" She commanded, the pair settling immediately. That didn't ease Dally's mind in the slightest. "Then what do you want?"

For a moment, he weighed his options. The chances that his dad was home were slim. The rare time Joe Sr. was home, he was there to pass out. Being piss drunk, beat to hell, high off his ass, or some combination of the three. The chances of Dallas running into the folks looking for him on his way were high, which is why he'd come here. He considered risking his hide and making the trek across town to get away from Roxie's incessant nagging.

"I- uh, I just need to lay low for a bit," It shocked him that he didn't choke on the words as they came out. Awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting her eyes. It's not like he needed her permission she didn't own the place. It was his brother's place after all.

A reluctant sigh escaped her lips, "Fine," Dally snapped his head up looking at her with uncertainty. She was never this agreeable. But she shooed her dogs back and moved to let him in. "Only for a bit."

Before she could change her mind, he sidestepped through the door, sure to stay as far away from the mongrels as possible. He wouldn't even blame them if they took a bite out of him. He probably deserved it.