A Gypsy Oath

Drunk cowboys and talents

Bo-

We get to the hotel at universal at six pm everyone is waiting on us to go for dinner. We end up at the bottom of our hotel at a steak house called the Palm, they had me at steak. I’m so sick of eating hot dogs and junk it isn’t even funny. When we sit a waiter comes for our drink order, Landon orders a scotch on the rocks, Lucas the same and they both look to me “whiskey neat” every head at the table turns to me.

“What I don’t like scotch”

Landon smiles and shoots “no you like things that inflict pain”

Laila throws a piece of bread at him and he catches it and eats it as he says “now look, we are in a fancy place hillbilly, act right or we will have to tell boy wonder here all about your awkward moments and all those things you would never want us to tell him”

“Oh you wanna play that huh”

“Daisy has known us our whole lives, she knows all my dirty secrets, she was there when they happen”

“Valid point, how ever you wasn’t there for a lot of hers but I was”

Poor Daisy looks up from her menu

“What did I do I was trying to figure out the differences in meats, I never said anything why does my secrets have to be spilled”

“Cause you and him are basically already playing house, all is fair when it’s sibling wars”

“Bo if she tells stuff on me will you punch her in the face and s**t her up”

“Won’t punch her but I’ll shut her up”

“He never looked away from the menu”

“There is steak on this menu it’s better then porn right now ok”

“Really, better then porn to a guy. That’s amazing.”

“1. Newly weds 2. Ain’t had real food since I laid eyes on this one. 3. I’m a Texan, we eat steak three times a day, seven days a week, and this girl wants every thing but steak or meals for that fact. She eats like a damn bird”

Laila rolls her eyes and everyone at the table lights up and we all start talking and joking. The waiter comes with our drinks and as we order, we drain the glasses and order another round. By the time dinner is done, we are six possibly seven drinks in. We leave and go to a place called city walk. Which turns out to be a strip out in front of the theme parks, that is filled with shops, restaurants and clubs. The security details have all come ahead of us and are posted here, there, and some where. We end up in a little bar drinking while the girls dance around to the music. Daisy comes and get Landon and drags him on to the dance floor and he cuts it up. He spins her and dips her, while Laila and Avery dance with each other. We have six rounds of shots and Lucas says come one we’re going to karaoke. We make it up to the karaoke bar and Lucas goes first, then Avery, the Landon, Daisy passes saying she can’t sing, I hand my the song I pick to the dj and take the mic. I might be drunk but my drunk ass is going to have that wife of mine thinking I’m the best thing ever as the music starts I give Laila a look and she blows me a kiss. I clear my throat, tip my hat a little and blow them away with my deep country boy song bird voice that everyone loves

“I wanna sweep you off your feet tonight

I wanna love you and hold you tight

Spin you around on some old dance floor

Act like we never met before for fun, 'cause

You're the one I want, you're the one I need

Baby, if I was a king, ah, you would be my queen

You're the rock in my roll

You're good for my soul, it's true

I'm head over boots for you

The way you sparkle like a diamond ring

Maybe one day we can make it a thing

Test time and grow old together

Rock in our chairs and talk about the weather, yeah

So, bring it on in for that angel kiss

Put that feel good on my lips, 'cause”

I sing along with the lyrics till the end of the Jon Pardi song, when I sit back down Lucas looks over at me and ask “so you can sing to, any other talents we should maybe know about?”

“Oh I got a lot of talents, I call them hobby’s”

Laila speaks up and tells Lucas “he’s a pretty good dancer for a cowboy”

“How would you know if he can dance”

“Cause he took me dancing before”

“Oh really”

“Ya then he got in a drunk fight with a bunch of other cowboys and it was a whole mess”

“Drinking, dancing, and drunk cowboy fights wow what a night”

“Ya I don’t see the whole appeal to drinking, I mean whiskey burns really bad but the clear tequila that wasn’t bad. Especially with the salt and limes”

I have my arm on the back of Lailas chair and I’m nursing a beer. I’m not one way or the other about what Laila is telling them, it wasn’t a big deal then and it isn’t now. However when she slips and tells her two brothers about herself drinking. I near choke on my beer. Both Landon and Lucas is starting at me with a look that’s between rag and unbelief. In the gypsy world out woman don’t drink, and if they do it’s a very hush hush thing and never done in public and sure doesn’t go the way it went the night I took Laila to the dance hall.

“In my defense, Mike and Dave was the two who offered her the shots as a joke. None of us dreamed she would slam them back the way she did.”

Avery starts laughing and Lucas elbows her, Landon is now trying to keep a straight face and Daisy bless her soul looks at me and with a kind smile says

” don’t pay attention to these jerks, they all sneak and party and drink and do all sorts of things they shouldn’t. At least Laila is a married woman now doing it, it use to be Avery and Laila sneaking off and doing badness and Lucas going to fetch them and ending up in the same little mess they was in”

“Sounds fun”

Daisy rolls her eyes at me and closes the book of songs.

“You shouldn’t encourage their bad behavior, they will drag you into all sorts of things”

“I don’t care what Laila does as long as she does them by my side. Then I’m all in”

Laila stands and kisses me before she runs up onto the stage and starts singing. She works her audience like she is the headlining act at a sold out stadium concert, and looks amazing as she does. As she comes down off the stage a man approaches her and says something to her but she points to our table and dismisses him, as he walks away he looks back at her and blows her a kiss. When she gets back to the table I grab her hips and pull her into my lap before she can sit down. I hold her tight, and keep her close to me. She wraps her one arm around my shoulders and trails her fingers along my shoulder blade as we all talk about the different people who take the stage and hoot and holler at them. An hour into our fun a colorful drink comes to the table for Laila but she sends it back, a half hour more another drink, she send that back. We left before the third drink came, we stop at the large open air stage and sit on the lawned steps as a group of performers sing and dance while working the crowd. We are there long when Avery says she wants to go to a shop and look around for some swim suits for tomorrow Lucas hands her a wad of cash and tells her to have fun and then he does everything but skip to the closes bar and gets a round of beers for us. Laila tells me she wouldn’t mind going shopping herself and I take out a large fold of one hundred dollar bills and hand it to her, tell her to have fun and watch as the two girls walk into a*****e front and start looking. Lucas comes back and hands me and Landon our beers, Landon keeps giving me a side eye and it’s starting to bother me.

“What’s up Landon, you keep giving me the side eye so don’t say it’s nothing”

“Laila is really happy with you, ya know. I appreciate you getting to know her and going outside the guide lines for her. It’s just nice knowing she’s happy and that your good to her and care”

I don’t say anything, I just sit and pick at the label on my beer. Lucas finally cracks a joke and the mood turns light hearted and fun again till Avery comes running out of the store screaming for Lucas. He takes off running towards her, he stops and talks to her for a second then she points to the store snd he runs in as a few woman run out. I take off into the store with Landon on my heel and Daisy and Avery on his. Lucas is on top of a man wailing on him, punch after punch he doesn’t stop for anything. Landon and me pull him of the stranger, when I hear Laila crying in a corner. I scramble over to her leaving Landon to deal with Lucas

“Baby what’s wrong, what happen”

She clings to me, sobbing crying. When Avery comes skidding to a stop she looks at me and what she says makes my blood boil and I see red.

“That guy came out of no where, he was with that guy from the bar the one who kept sending drives over to Laila. We was looking at swim suits and he grabbed her and tried to pull her out of the shop with him. She fought him and I ran out for help. He was trying to take her”

I peel Laila off me and go over to the ass, who’s now propped against the wall waiting for the cops to get here I grab him by the shirt and lift him to his feet.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Your Robert DeClare, ya we know who you are.”

“Do you know that’s my wife?”

“Not for long she isn’t. My boss wants her enough to send us for her. You won’t win this one cowboy”

I turn my head and find my men standing in a circular way around me, behind them is Don James men and behind them is the police.

“That’s where your wrong mother fucker, where’s your phone?”

“What”

“Give me your f*****g phone I’m done playing games with you f*****g Turks,”

He pulls the phone out of his pocket and hands it to me. The number is already ringing snd I drag his piece of trash ass into a fitting room because what I’m about to do, woman and children shouldn’t see done. I pin him to the wall and stick my thump over his right eye and press inward as a male voice comes on the line and ask

“Do you have the girl?”

“No he doesn’t but he did find Robert DeClare and now you have a problem on your hands, just out of curiosity what is this mother fucker to you? You wouldn’t send just anyone to get her, you trust this one so what is he a cousin?”

“He is my baby brother and a half wit. For my mother sake I would hope you would allow him a pass and keep this between us. My mother is ill and it will be her death if he lost his life”

“Oh I’m not going to kill him I’m not that stupid, be nice for you if I got arrested for murder. No I’m just going to make sure he remembers who I am and why he shouldn’t touch what’s mine”

He screams as I press as hard as I can and his eye starts bleeding out. His screams get so load I hear the police trying to get in to help him but my men won’t allow it. The man on the other end of the phone is screaming profanity’s, and I just press harder and harder till I know the job is done. Then I focus all my attention on the man on the phone.

“I’m only going to say this once then I bring my full force against you. Laila James is now and will forever be Laila DeClare, my wife, and what ever idea you have of her you better lose them because not only am I welling TJ go to war for her but I will wipe out your whole family starting with the children, the. The woman, then the men and I will make you watch as I dispose of every one of them. I am not to be toyed with and my wife falls under my protection. You can take Mark James and shove him up your ass for all I care, but never and I mean never send another person to attack my wife again, don’t think about my wife or anything else that involves my wife.”

“Mr DeClare, Mark James owes me a large debt he has given me promises that his family will pay it with a pound of flesh.”

“Mark James does not speak for his family Don James does, however did you miss the part where I just told you Laila is my wife, she is my family, she is a DeClare and Mark James sure as hell does not speak for my family. I do tho and I’m telling you right now we have no dealings you want to forget all about my wife”

“Mr DeClare I wish you would be more reasonable here.”

“There is no reasoning with you people, but that’s fine I know where you hide. I’ll be seeing you real soon mother fucker and now your brother is getting it worst.’

I set the phone down, with the Turk still on the line screaming profanity’s and for me to stop and I beat the s**t out of bum. When I’m finally done and he look we’ll beat I walk out of the fitting room and back to Laila, she wraps her arms around my middle and pulls herself close to me. We go back to the hotel as quickly as I can get us there. Everyone follows, the police have been talked to and paid well for there over looking my outburst in the store. The store it self was also cut a check by Bobby the old ranch hand who has been cleaning up my family’s messes for way to long. When we get back to the hotel I ask Her brother to give us some space for a bit, for them to call their father and explain what happen. I take Laila to our room and set her down and ask what happen. She tells me that the man from the bar that had been sending drinks over came in and came over and started talking to her and she told him she was married, then the other guy just walked in and grabbed her and started trying to pull her out of the store and Avery ran for help. I nod my head and call my father cause I know s**t is bad, like really really bad. He answers one the first ring.

“Whats wrong”

“Everything dad, things is getting worst. Laila was attacked tonight a guy came into one of the stores and tried to drag her out of the store. I cornered him in a fitting room and it went from bad to worst really quick.”

“How bad?”

“Like he don’t have an eye any more”

“Robert”

“Ya it’s that bad”

“Son, I love you and I know what you did was your protective side coming out, but Robert you can’t do that kind of thing to other people”

“Well I did it to him while his brother who wants Laila was on the phone”

“Oh Jesus, son”

“Hey go big or go home”

“Not like this you moron”

“Ya, I can see that now”

“I think it’s time you and Laila come home, things have seriously took a turn for the worst I’ll call Bobby and have him round everyone up and get yous all back here, we will make up the guest houses for Lailas family that’s with you, till we get things worked out Don doesn’t want them back home so we have offered them homes here.”

“Thanks dad, I’m sorry, I know I messed up but I couldn’t stand by while they hurt her”

“I understand your a moron you have always been a moron and a pretty girl never makes us men folk any smarter”

“You really know how to make me feel special”

I hear my sister in the back grown scream

“Oh your special alright Bo”

“Gather your things son, it’s time to come home”

As soon as I hang up I have the luggage and Laila all wrapped up in less then ten minutes. When a knock comes to the door I brace myself till I hear Bobby on the other side talking to his men. With in the hour we are all on a plane and in the air on our way home. By the time the flight lands Laila is asleep in my arms, and a peace has fallen over me. She calms me in a way no one else ever has. When I wake her she snuggled into me and it takes everything I have to uncurl us and start moving.

“Come on love, we will be home soon.”

“That seems so odd to be going home to a home that I have never lived in and wasn’t mind till now”

“Why’s that”

“I don’t know I have only every lived in New York City, only ever lived in one home and that’s my parents apartment in the city. Now I’m going home to your home and it’s a home I have never really ever been in.”

“Darlin you’ll get use to it I promise and what ever you don’t like you can change, I don’t care how much you spend or anything.”

“I just want to be happy again”

“Your not happy”

“Not with some one trying to kidnap me”

“Oh ya”

“What did you think I meant”

“Nothing”

“Bo, I’m happy with you. You know that right?”

“Ya”

“No Bo I mean it, I’m happy with you, I feel safe with you and your my everything. Nothing you have down has ever been anything but the best. You make me happy don’t ever think any different”

She leans up on her top tops and pulls me down for a kiss and a really good one at that.

“I love you Bo”

“I love you to Laila”

As we leave the plan and head for the car, I picture what our life could be. I think about how beautiful our little girl will be, I picture us with a house full of kids and happy as two clams. For once since this whole thing started do I feel like the future might be a real thing

Laila-

We left Florida after the almost kidnapping game in the swimsuit shop. I don’t even blame Bo for wanting to leave. I was so stupid for thinking we could just act as if life was normal, act as tho this mess my brother has made wouldn’t get worst. I never dreamed that some random person would be sent to just drag me out of a public place like that. I also never dreamed that Bo would be capable of hurting anyone like that. Gypsy men are known for being brutes, bare knuckle boxing champs, dangerous dark men, blah blah blah. Bo tho has always gone out of his way to be different. He broke the rule of marriage oath when he found me on social media and started to hound me till I gave into him, he called me and flirted and got to know me for months before we meet, he ran away with me so we could be rebels together. He has been nothing but sweet and kind to me, but I’m a different story then the man that attacked me. There is a side of me that is now a little bit scared of Bo but I don’t think he will hurt me, just those who try to hurt me. I along with everyone else in that store heard the man screams, heard him beg Bo to stop, heard the phone call Bo made and we all heard Bo DeClare start a war. He started a war with the Turks, the Turks have always been dirty deeds kind of people. Instead of going to work and making a living the men stay home and they send the woman out to tell fortune and read palms, from what we found out from the fbi I guess they kidnap people and sell them into human trafficking to. They are people who know no bounds and follow no rules. A few years back a Roma girl got mixed up with a Turk and she was found in the river and he ended up arrested for it. They are dishonest and cruel people. On our ride home we all packed into one yukon, not welling to leave each other side just yet. When we pull up to the gate of the ranch Avery ask

“is this like one of those cult ranches you see on tv all the time? When 60 minutes makes a special on us is it going to be because we entered the DeClare ranch but we never got to leave?”

“No, when 60 minutes makes a special on us it’s going to be about how the rest of us put up with your stupid questions. Why do you watch 60 minutes isn’t that for old people?” I ask

“Don’t go there girl, they have the best show ever.”

I roll my eyes as we speed down the drive way. The first time I drove down this drive way the sun was bright in the sky and horses ran wild, this time tho it’s dark and you can’t see much till we get closer to the houses. No one really says much as we approach the small town like area. Bobby the old ranch hand who I have discovered is more like a body guard who happens to like being a cowboy also drive us up to the front of the big house and we all spill out of the suv. A little dog comes running out like a bolt of lightning and jumps to Bo, tail wagging as fast as it can, the little dog is followed by Bo’s father Montgomery. My brothers introduced himself and thank him for taking them in, then introduce the girls who also give thanks, but Montgomery isn’t having any thanks, he tells them to call him Monty and to never thank him that this is my home and anyone I want here it is home to them as well, he also tells all of us the only rule here is we don’t spoil the little dog and I bust out laughing knowing he spoils the dog more then anyone else and that the dog is spoiled rotten. Bo ask his dad if he will show the others to the houses they will be in so we can go home, Monty agrees and bids us good night. Bo takes me by the hand that’s not holding a little ball of fur and we walk to his house. He unlocks the door and in we go, he sets the little dog down and he runs over to a bigger dog who is laying on a giant dog pillow and he flops down on the pillow with the big dog.

“Laddie your really useless ya know that, Laila this is Laddie he is a useless big animal who hardly ever leave that pillow unless you have food then he is an abusive big useless animal”

The dog lifts his head and looks at Bo like what ever loser and then flops it back down. I can’t help but laugh at the interaction.

“So this is where we will be living huh”

“It’s the only house I ever built”

“You mean you didn’t have a vacation home built also”

“Nope cause I didn’t have this one built, I literally built this with my own hands. Took me years to get every detail done right. I drug the hole for the storm cellar and laid in the foundation work, I cut the trees down for the lumber to build the frame, I laid the rock siding, I even went as far as hand cutting and laying the wood floor your walking on, every inch of this house was made by yours truly.”

I take a look around in awe at the beautiful craftsmanship that has been put into every detail of the house. It is a stunning house the entry flows into a wide open floor plan with the living room, kitchen and dinning room all flowing together, there is a big fire place in the living room with a giant tv over the top of it that can be seen from any point in the massive room. The kitchen has a long moon shape island with a normal stove top and also a hibachi cooktop built in the rest of the kitchen is all high end appliances in a copper color, the countertops are a orange and brown stone work that matches the copper farm house sink and appliances to perfection, above the bar is a pot rack that has every type of copper pot there is but they have a hand tooled design on them that is stunning.

The living room has all brown leather furniture and dark wood center table and end tables holding iron footed lamps. The dinning room has a giant round table in it that could easily sit ten people and still have room for more. Bo takes me by the hand and shows me the rest of the house there is two guest bedrooms with attached bathrooms and walk in closets both rooms are bigger then any hotel room I have ever stayed in, they are so big that each hold king size beds and a full sitting area with room to spare. It’s when we get to the master that the tour turns into somethings else.