The Last Riders - First Four Votes (41 page)

“Why?” Winter asked. If he was going to kill her, she would at least like to know why he’d tried to kill her at the high school.

“You almost got me fired. If my dad hadn’t used his connections, I would have been. Of course, the old bastard warned me he would disown me if I got in trouble again,” he said, slamming the butt of his flashlight into Winter’s stomach as the air rushed out of her. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath as he slung Lily hard into the SUV door.

“Get in there and turn off the lights and motor,” he yelled. “Now!”

Winter watched as Lily’s fingers tried to open the door, but they were shaking so badly that they couldn’t grasp the handle. When Winter managed to get to her feet, Deputy Moore, seeing her move, released Lily’s hair long enough to grab Winter’s arm. Winter tried to break free, struggling against his hold.

“Lily, run!” Winter screamed. Lily hesitated. Winter could tell she didn’t want to leave her behind.

“Go get help. Run!”

“I’ll kill her if you move.” Deputy Moore tried to drag Winter closer to Lily so that he could grab her, but Winter struggled desperately against his hold, trying to give Lily time to get away. Frustrated, the deputy quit trying to reach Lily, pulling out his gun instead.

Lily started running on the road, however the sound of a gunshot had her veering off into the wooded hillside. As Deputy Moore fired another shot at her, he tried to adjust to a better position to shoot at Lily, but Winter kept striking him, using her nails to dig into the flesh of his arm.

“You stupid bitch, I’m going to put a bullet through your head if you don’t stop!” he screamed at her.

Lights suddenly hit them from an oncoming car, highlighting their struggling figures in the darkness of the night. The car slowed before pulling to the side of the road. The doors opened and women began climbing out of the car.

“If you say one word to them, I will kill you and then kill them,” Deputy Moore warned her. Winter stopped struggling. The pain in her back was excruciating and her legs were trying to give way, making her hang limp in his brutal grip.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Winter looked at the women, recognizing them from the night at the Pink Slipper. Winter realized the woman demanding an explanation from the deputy was Crazy Bitch and that Sex Piston was the one crossing the road, coming towards Winter and the deputy.

“Get back in your car. This is none of your business. I pulled her over for driving under the influence and she is resisting arrest.” His harsh voice didn’t stop the women moving forward.

“Why do you have Beth’s ride?” Sex Piston asked Winter.

Winter knew she had a choice. She could tell Deputy Moore wasn’t going to let any of them go. They would be able to identify him when she turned up missing. He only had one option, but Winter didn’t.

“Get help, help from Beth. Tell her to get Razer. Run!” Winter screamed at the biker women as she resumed her struggles to get away from the deranged deputy.

“Stop it!” He lifted his gun towards Winter, but before he could fire it he found himself under attack from Sex Piston and Crazy Bitch.

Trying to protect himself from the two women, he was forced to release Winter, who lost her balance and was knocked to the ground from the struggling trio. Winter watched as Crazy Bitch tore the gun from his grasp while Sex Piston was trying to rip out his hair. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw all except one of the remaining biker women running towards them, the one left behind reached back inside the bright green car and brought out a baseball bat. Running towards them, Killyama came up behind the struggling deputy.

“Get out of the fucking way.” The bitches moved aside, leaving him to Killyama.

Winter had no sympathy for the man as she watched her bring the bat across his back, knocking him into the SUV. Giving him another hard whack between his shoulder blades had him falling to the ground beside Winter.

One of the women knelt down beside Winter. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Get my phone out of the car and call Viper.” T.A. got to her feet, going to the SUV and placing the call.

Killyama was finally satisfied that the deputy wasn’t going to move now that she was standing over him with a bat and Crazy Bitch had pointed the gun at his head.

“What in the fuck was going down?” Sex Piston asked.

“He was trying to kill me. He attacked me once before, but he wasn’t identified. He knew I recognized him and he was going to kill Lily and me.” Winter’s almost incoherent explanation had Lily’s predicament flooding into her mind.

“Oh God, Lily,” Winter moaned. “She took off running into the woods!” Winter screamed, trying to get T.A to help her to her feet. “We need to find her!” Winter screamed again. “She may be hurt, he shot at her twice.”

““Calm the fuck down,” Killyama said. “We’re not going to run around these woods in the dark. Wait for the men.” Deputy Moore started moving. “What did he do to you?” she asked with a mean glint in her eye.

Winter stared at the woman holding the bat. “He almost beat me to death, left me outside all night on the ground. He didn’t finish the job, so he was going to kill Lily and me.” Winter was shaking so badly, she had to hold on to T.A. to prevent herself from falling.

“You a friend of Beth’s?” Crazy Bitch asked.

Winter nodded. “I’m one of her bridesmaids.”

“We are, too,” she said absently, staring down at the deputy who had managed to get to his knees. Shoving the gun into the waistband of her jeans, she held out her hand.

“I’m going to see that you all are arrested, assaulting a police officer…” Deputy Moore tried to put the fear of the law into the biker woman.

Killyama handed the bat to Crazy Bitch. “I’m going to show you assault, mother fucker…” Crazy Bitch brought down the bat, this time over his shoulder.

“I… am… going… to…. beat… the… shit…” each word was timed with a hit by the bat.

The sound of the bat striking flesh were then drowned out by motorcycles. The loud sounds could be heard even before they saw the lights turned the corner. Crazy Bitch stopped hitting the unconscious man to watch The Last Riders park their bikes close to Beth’s vehicle.

Viper got off his bike, running directly to Winter.

“What happened?” Trying not to let her hysteria get the better of her, she attempted to remain calm enough to explain what had happened, however she lost it completely when she told him about Lily.

Viper took command. “Sex Piston, take Winter and Beth’s vehicle back to Rosie’s. Don’t open your mouths about what happened. You never stopped. You came directly to Rosie’s after you left your home. Understand me?”

“You going to finish this motherfucker or do you need me to stay and help?” Killyama asked sincerely.

“I think we can handle this piece of shit from here. Go on to the bar, get drunk and have some fun. Forget this happened.” Viper’s eyes bore into the biker bitches’ faces. Getting the message, they climbed back in their car; the tires screeched as Crazy Bitch floored the gas pedal.

“Razer, call Beth, tell her what happened and not to tell anyone. You tell her we’ll find Lily. Winter, get in the SUV and go with Sex Piston. You need to keep Beth calm.” Sex Piston was behind the wheel before Viper finished talking. Winter shakily walked to the passenger door, getting inside with Viper’s help.

“Find her, Viper,” Winter begged.

“Bet on it, pretty girl,” he said grimly. “You sure he’s the one who almost killed you?”

Winter didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I’m sure,” she said, closing the door without a glance at the man surrounded by The Last Riders.

Sex Piston did a U-turn before driving off in the direction of the bar.

“
C
ash
, Shade, Rider, find Lily.” The men moved, each going to their bikes, pulling out what they needed before disappearing into the dark woods.

“Razer, Knox, Train, you’re with me.”

Viper walked over to the deputy who had wet himself when Killyama had started beating him. He squatted down next him.

“Call the sheriff; tell him those women attacked me,” Deputy Moore cried, lying on the ground as he stared up into a face staring stonily back at him.

“That was my woman you almost beat to death. She laid in a back brace for weeks, having to have pads under her to take a piss. You left her on the fucking ground in fucking agony for hours. She had weeks of rehab just to move from the bed to her wheelchair.”

The deputy was now sobbing for mercy, yet Viper showed him none.

“You’ve just lived your last day.”

C
ash
, Shade and Rider moved silently across the hillside, looking for a sign of which direction Lily had gone to give them a clue where she had run. Expertly, Cash shone his flashlight back and forth across the ground. They were lucky because it took them less than fifteen minutes to find her first track.

Moving apart a few feet, they began a search grid, steadily working their way closer to her. Cash was familiar with the mountain, searching for areas it would be easier for her to run. It was Shade who found a ripped portion of her dress with blood on it. As he gripped it tightly in his hand, they moved forward, changing direction just slightly.

“We’re fucked,” Cash said, recognizing a marker.

“What?” Shade snarled.

“We’re on Porter land.”

“So?”

Cash shook his head, squatting down by a tree. “She rested here, someone found her and she left with them in that direction.” He pointed at an area to their left.

“How the hell do you know all that?” Shade asked, staring at the ground.

“Because whomever took her was riding a mud puppy. The good news is, it left us a trail a blind man can follow.” Now that they had easier signs to follow, it didn’t take them long to come to the large house built into a clearing.

“Son of a bitch.” They hunkered down as close to the house as they could get without being seen from the occupants within.

“Let’s go,” Rider said when they saw the four-wheeler they had been tracking parked in front of the house.

“Get down,” Cash hissed.

“Why? Let’s just knock on the fucking door,” Rider tried to reason.

“You knock on their door, the coroner will be scraping what brains you have left off that front porch. Listen to me; the Porter’s are the biggest weed growers in the county.” Cash tried to explain the danger they were in. You just didn’t walk onto a weed dealer’s property in this area of the county.

Cash didn’t take his eyes off the house. Coming to a decision, he turned to Rider and realized Shade was gone.

“He’s going for her, dammit.” With no other option left, he ordered Rider to stay where he was. Coming out of the cover of the trees, he walked to the front door. He didn’t make it close before the door was opened. Cash knew the son of a bitch who came out of the door holding a shotgun pointed at him.

“Get off my land.”

“Greer, it’s Cash Adams.”

“I can see who you are, fuckwad. Get your ass off my property.” Greer didn’t raise his voice; the shotgun got his message across.

“My friend’s fiancée’s sister found herself in trouble tonight and took off into the woods. We’re trying to find her.”

“Haven’t seen anyone tonight, other than you and that chicken shit you have hiding over by that tree,” Greer said, cocking his shotgun.

“Rider, come out.” When he didn’t, Cash knew where Dustin was.

“Dustin, you better not hurt him or you’re going to have deal with The Last Riders. You won’t have anything except scorched earth left to grow that weed you’re so proud of.”

“Shut the fuck up, Cash,” another voice from behind his back spoke, pressing a gun muzzle against the back of his head.

“I was wondering where you were, Tate. Will you tell your crazy assed brothers to back off? We just want Lily and we’ll go.” Cash tried to reason with the oldest brother.

“There isn’t any woman here!” yelled Greer.

“He always was a dumb fuck,” Cash sighed. “You better make them see reason, Tate. You don’t want trouble with The Last Riders.”

“You think you’re going to scare me with a motorcycle gang?” Tate asked quietly.

“The woman is ours. She got lost and we’re trying to find her to give her back to her sister, Tate.”

The gun muzzle pressed harder against his head. “Why should we give her back? Maybe this time we should steal one of your women, Cash. See how you like it.”

“Stop it, Tate. Put down that shotgun, Greer. Dustin bring out his friend.” In the doorway, Cash could see a woman come outside. The shining spotlight only allowed him to see her silhouette as she leaned against the front porch post.

“Put down your guns and leave them alone.” All three men slowly lowered their weapons, reluctantly following the woman’s firm orders.

“Rachel, get back in the house,” Greer told her.

“No need. While you three dumbasses were out here arguing, their buddy was climbing in the bedroom window.”

Tate shoved Cash’s shoulder as he walked past him to the porch. Dustin came out with Rider in a stranglehold, throwing him forward before he went to stand on the porch.

“Rider!” Cash stopped Rider before he could attack Dustin. Rider stopped, but Cash knew he wasn’t happy being called off.

Cash and Rider both walked to the front porch. As he moved closer, he saw Rachel. He hadn’t seen her since she was a kid. Her long hair was plaited down her back, coming to an end at the curve of her ass. She stared back at him with direct grey eyes and a winsome smile.

“Well, if it isn’t the famous Cash Adams,” she said mockingly.

Cash took in the oversized flannel shirt and loose jeans.

“How are you, Rachel?”

“I was doing pretty good until I heard gunshots when I was checking my plants, went to see where the shot come from and found Lily sitting on the ground spaced out,” she said with a worried frown.

“We will take her back to her sister,” Cash said, studying the changes in her body since the last time he had seen her in town, surrounded by her brothers.

“I want to talk to Beth before anyone takes her anywhere,” Rachel told him firmly. Cash didn’t argue, pulling his cell phone out to call Razer. Rachel was trying to protect Lily. He admired the way she was able to control her crazy ass brothers while letting Cash know he wasn’t taking Lily anywhere without Beth’s okay.

“Razer, there’s someone that Beth needs to talk to…”

S
hade leaned against the wall
, evaluating the situation before making a move towards Lily. Rachel had left, leaving them alone after a quick word. He was lucky that he had met her before, when he had made a couple of purchases for the brothers.

Lily was sitting in the corner of the bedroom on the floor with her face in her knees, arms wrapped around herself, rocking back and forth. The red rubber band the counselor had given her was on her delicate wrist. Penni had told him the counselor had told Lily to snap it against herself when she became too frightened to deal with a situation. Penni had also told him that, at first, she would see Lily snapping it constantly, but it had begun tapering off to only a few times a day.

“Lily?” Shade tried to soften his harsh voice. He had seen her this way a couple of times. Beth had told Razer that only time would draw her out of her self-induced trance. It was her safety mechanism.

Shade slowly walked toward Lily before hunching down in front of her rocking form.

“Lily.” This time his voice was more forceful, commanding her attention. The rocking stopped. Coming to a decision, Shade reached out, lifting her into his arms. It wasn’t the smartest decision as he found himself with a wildcat in his arms.

The unexpected fury of the woman had him forcing her against the wall to gain control of the nails going for his eyes. Pinning her there with his body, he didn’t try to grab her hands, merely blocking her moves.

“Lily, stop it now!” he said in a firm voice. “Aren’t you worried about Winter? She’s worried about you. She was crying she was so worried, Lily. Beth is probably scared out of her fucking mind.” Shade kept her pinned against the wall as he kept repeating Beth’s and Winter’s names. Finally, he saw a light of reality break through her blank expression.

“Shade?” her voice whimpered.

“Yes, baby.”

Lily sucked in deep breaths as if her chest was going to explode. Her hand wiped at the tears on her face. “Is Winter safe?”

“Yes, Beth’s friends stopped and helped. Winter is waiting with Beth. They are both waiting to hear from us. You okay?” Shade asked, worried about the blood he had found on her clothes. His eyes searched her body, finding a scratch with drying blood on the underside of her forearm.

Lily nodded her head, still trying to catch her breath. “Lily, breathe slowly,” Shade ordered her in a hard voice.

Lily jumped, but her breaths gradually slowed. He took a step back, giving her some room.

“Can we go now?” Lily asked, her soft voice gaining strength. She sidled passed Shade, making sure her body didn’t come into contact with his.

“Yes.” Shade backed away more, giving her enough room to slide by him.

He opened the bedroom door, letting Lily go ahead of him, following her outside.

Lily walked out the door, coming to a sudden stop when she found the yard filled with The Last Riders.

Winter watched from the back of Viper’s bike as Beth jumped off Razer’s bike, running to her sister, nearly knocking her down. Shade’s hand on Lily’s back held her steady and Winter smiled. After the sisters talked for a few minutes, they moved toward Razer’s bike.

Shade got on his own bike, which had been brought up the old mountain road by Knox, and started the motor. Knox was now riding with Rider. Viper fired his engine, too, waiting.

Shade rode his bike up next to Lily. “Lily.”

“Winter could tell by her face she didn’t want to ride on that bike, she wanted the safety of her sister’s arms. She wasn’t ready to lose her comforting strength after the nightmare of the night. Winter heard Beth ask Razer to call Mick to bring her car.

“Get on, Lily. I’m taking you home.” Shade’s firm voice had Lily moving reluctantly towards him. She climbed on behind him, holding his sides with her legs, trembling hands taking his helmet. As soon as it was on, Shade throttled his engine.

“Let’s go home, pretty girl.” Viper pulled out in the lead with the other’s following down the winding road. Winter wasn’t afraid of riding in the dark anymore. With The Last Riders, she didn’t have anything left to fear.