The Last Riders - First Four Votes (85 page)

“Willa doesn’t need to worry that she’ll give me that impression. She doesn’t give me the time of day if she can help it. I think if there was another Baptist church in town, she would have left ours already,” Pastor Dean said.

Lily could hear the concern in his voice. “I don’t think that’s true at all. She was probably in a rush.”

“Could be,” Pastor Dean said, yet he didn’t sound like he believed his own words.

Rachel and Lily shared a glance. It was unusual to see Pastor Dean unsure of himself. He was loved and respected by the whole congregation. Lily was sure he had over-thought Willa’s reaction to his presence.

“How soon do you think we’ll be able to open the store for the community?” Pastor Dean asked, changing the conversation.

“We were just talking about that,” Lily answered. “We think we need another helper or we need to do an extra night.”

“I don’t want to impose on your time, but I’ve already asked several to help out and been given every excuse they can come up with.”

“I don’t mind. How about Wednesday, Rachel? We could do it after service.”

“I think that will be fine. I have the time.”

“If you’re both sure?” Pastor Dean asked.

“We’re sure,” Lily answered. It would give her a few extra hours away from the club a week.

“I’ll see you both in the morning then,” Pastor Dean excused himself.

Lily and Rachel spent the rest of the day making headway with the large job ahead of them.

They were going through the last bag when Rachel pulled out a sheer nightgown. She stared down at it then broke out laughing. “Do you think it was a mistake or do you suppose they were trying to give Pastor Dean a message?”

Lily blushed, folding clothes on the table next to her. “What should we do with it?” Lily asked.

“Put it out. We’ll have to watch and see who takes it.” Rachel raised it up so Lily could see it better. “Are you sure you don’t want to take it home?”

“I wouldn’t need it. I don’t believe in premarital sex.”

Rachel just stared at her in disbelief. “Good luck with that.”

“What does that mean?” Lily asked, insulted.

Rachel just shook her head. “I’m not going there.”

“I don’t know why you think it’s strange. I don’t see you getting any man past your brothers.”

Rachel grinned conspiratorially. “No one’s tempted me enough to make me want to go against those knuckleheads, but believe me, when I do, I’ll have no problem saying yes.”

Lily looked at her in surprise. Lily had thought as religious as Rachel was that she would share her own view.

“You would?”

“Oh, yes. I’ve been looking forward to losing my v-card. I just can’t find the man worth giving it up.” Rachel grinned. “You should see your face, Lily.”

“I want my first time to be special,” Lily said, looking down at the clothes held tightly in her hands, not sure why she wanted to cry all of a sudden.

“I do, too,” Rachel said, reaching over to touch her hand lightly. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t love him with my whole heart, just that I don’t need a piece of paper saying it’s all right to express my love in a physical way.”

“But I would want my minister’s blessing.”

“I’m sure Pastor Dean would know and give his blessing if he was aware that you cared about him.” Rachel’s hand tightened on hers before letting go. Lily missed the soothing warmth of her touch.

“I want to wait.”

“Then you should. No one is pressuring you, are they?”

Lily thought hard on Shade’s words from last night. He had told her he wanted her, but he hadn’t demanded anything from her sexually. The man was going to need the patience of Job if he thought she would ever marry him and have his children.

“No.”

“There you go then. Don’t worry about something before you have to. Life is stressful enough.”

“You’re right. I won’t. I’m sure that whoever I pick to spend my life with will understand,” Lily said confidently.

“I wouldn’t go that far, but I believe you’ve got to roll with what life gives you,” she said, nodding her head to the window, seeing Shade pull up in front. “Just remember that promise to yourself when that bad boy is tempting you.”

Lily looked out the window. “He’s not the type of man I pictured my life with.”

“Still hung up on getting a cowboy?”

“Yes,” Lily replied, stubbornly determined to find a way to save Beth’s house.

“Well, all I can say is, I hope he can shoot as good as he can ride a horse.”

L
ily got
on the motorcycle behind Shade. “I need to get my car from school,” she told him as she put on the helmet.

“I’ve already taken care of it; it’s parked at your house,” Shade told her before starting his bike.

Lily was happy it was already in town. “Can you drop me off to pick it up?”

“Later,” Shade replied, driving off the parking lot as Lily stiffened at his noncommittal response.

Shade drove through town, turning down a side street and then another before pulling up in front of a pretty two-story home.

“What are we doing here?” Lily asked.

“This is where Diamond and Knox live. I’ll wait here while you talk to her.”

Lily was angry at herself for not remembering she needed to talk to Diamond.

Getting jerkily off the bike, she handed him the helmet, but before she could turn away, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a now-familiar envelope.

“You might need these.”

Lily snatched the envelope from his hand, ignoring his confident grin. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but she was sure they contained amusement that he was making no effort to hide.

She headed up the walkway and rang the doorbell. It took several minutes before she heard someone approaching from the other side of the door.

The disheveled woman who answered was not the cool and calm lawyer she was becoming acquainted with.

“Lily.” Her eyes went to Shade sitting in the driveway. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a legal question to ask, if you’re not too busy.”

“Not at all. Come in.” Diamond opened the door wider for her to enter.

“I’m sorry. I should have made an appointment at your office.”

“I wasn’t doing anything important,” Diamond protested.

“Yes, she was,” Knox said, coming into the room as he buckled his gun belt around his waist.

Lily wanted to die of embarrassment at what she had interrupted.

“I’m sorry. I should have called first.” Lily’s face flamed.

“It’s all right. She can make it up to me later. I need to get back to work anyway.” Knox teased his wife before bending down and kissing her goodbye. Lily looked away as the kiss became passionate before breaking apart.

“Bye, Diamond. Lily, everything okay?” Knox asked.

“Yes, I just need a piece of legal advice.”

“All right. I’ll leave you with Diamond then. Take care.”

“I will,” Lily responded to the huge man who didn’t need the uniform to make him look frightening as heck.

Diamond waited for the door to close behind him before asking, “What’s up?” Lily handed her the envelope. “I have a feeling I’m going to need a cup of coffee for this,” she said, leading Lily into the kitchen.

“Have a seat.”

Lily took a seat at her counter while Diamond poured them both a cup of hot coffee.

Diamond opened the envelope on the counter and read as she sipped her coffee. “What am I looking for?” she asked. “Everything looks straightforward.”

Lily pointed to a section that showed the property. “That’s where Beth and Razer built their house.”

Diamond flipped back through the paperwork. “Fuck,” she said. That pretty much summed up what Lily had been afraid of; she was in trouble.

“Do you know who John Hunter is?” Diamond asked, looking up from the paperwork.

“Shade.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I was worried for a moment.” Diamond turned away to freshen her coffee.

“Why?”

“Because if the house is built on his property, then technically it’s his home. As are all the buildings on the property. They’re pretty smart. If there was a lawsuit, it could tie whoever is suing them in court years to separate the two.”

“I see,” Lily murmured.

“Is there anything else?”

“No, that’s what I needed to know,” Lily said, standing up.

“Lily, are you sure? You don’t look like you’re happy right now. Is there anything you’re not telling me?”

“No, I was just worried about Razer and Beth. Sometimes even best friends get in arguments and I was worried they might lose their home if there was ever one in the future.”

“To be honest, Razer and Beth should have thought about that before they decided to build their house where they did, but if Razer isn’t worried about it, then you shouldn’t be, Lily. Let Razer and Shade deal with it.”

“That’s easier said than done.”

“That’s why I’m such a good lawyer; I can give plenty of advice.” She walked Lily to the door. “If you need anything else, let me know. If you’re really worried about it, talk to Shade.”

“I will. Thanks,” Lily said, going out the door. She felt Shade’s eyes on her the minute she walked outside.

“Can we go get my car now?” Lily put on the helmet, getting on behind Shade.

“Yes.”

Lily held on tightly as they drove toward her home. She had ridden with Shade several times and had never worried about her safety. If anything, she felt that Shade was overly-cautious when she rode on his bike. She wished that sometimes he would crank up the speed and let her ride without the helmet to feel the wind through her hair. Instead, he pulled up behind her car and cut the motor.

“You need to pick anything up while you’re here?”

“No.” Lily took her car keys from his hand before going to her car and sliding inside. She was afraid if she went inside, she wouldn’t come out again. She wanted to run and hide from whoever was watching her… and Shade. She wasn’t sure which one to be more afraid of at the moment.

Shade followed her back to the club. As she drove, the sky darkened with storm clouds. Lily hated storms. Her hands tightened on the car wheel as the strong winds buffeted the vehicle. She pulled into The Last Riders’ parking lot, driving toward the back of the lot where Shade motioned for her to park as he parked his bike toward the front with the rest of them.

Shade walked over to her car when she got out, carrying a car cover. He pulled it over the car and Lily had to question, “Why cover my car?”

“Just being careful. If someone is looking to find out where you’re staying, they’ll either have to follow you or come onto the property to see if this is your car.”

“If they do?”

“Then we’ll see them.” Shade pointed to the cameras.

It was a relief to see they could possibly catch whoever was watching her. That way, Knox could handle it without anyone getting hurt.

“We placed a few in your home, too, so if they try to break in again, an alarm will go off at the sheriff’s office and here, also.

“Maybe they gave up and moved on?”

“Possibly, but I don’t believe so. Whoever’s been watching you has been doing so for a while.” Lily tried to hide how worried she was becoming, but she wasn’t successful. Shade tried to ease her fears. “Don’t worry; we’ll find out who it is and deal with it.”

“You’ll turn them over to Knox?”

“Maybe. Let’s get some dinner.” His evasive answer renewed her fears. Lily didn’t want Shade to get into trouble trying to protect her, no matter how infuriating he could be.

They walked up the pathway to the kitchen door. She could see that most of the large crowd had already been served. Lily took a plate before handing one to Shade and getting into the buffet line. When she finished, she saw Winter and Viper sitting at a table with Bliss and Raci. Going to their table, she took a seat next to Winter and Shade sat down across from her, next to Bliss.

Lily ate while she listened to Winter and Viper argue over him donating money, so she could buy her students at the alternate high school where she was principal, the computers they needed.

“It’s not fair, Viper. They deserve the computers as much as the high school students do.”

“If they had kept their asses out of trouble, then they wouldn’t have gotten thrown out of the school district.”

“That’s unfair. Both schools should have the same standards,” Winter argued.

Viper shrugged. “I gave you two large chunks of money already this year. You’ve reached your limit with my generosity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hit the other members up for donations. Their pockets are deeper than mine since you’ve already robbed me twice.”

Winter turned her eyes to the members sitting across from her. Lily wanted to laugh at their deer-caught-in-the-headlights looks.

“Raci?”

“Don’t ask me. I’m not an original member; I earn a paycheck like everyone else.”

Lily was convinced Raci didn’t have any money from her pathetic expression. She was about to offer her a loan when Winter’s words had her changing her mind.

“I do the payroll; I know what you make.” Winter gave the woman a narrow-eyed stare. Lily could have told her it would be a waste of time to out-maneuver Winter.

“I can buy a couple,” Raci conceded reluctantly. Since Lily had been around the club, she had learned Raci loved clothes and shoes. Expensive purses were said to be her greatest weakness. Lily didn’t know why; she had never seen her carry one in all the time she had known her.

“Bliss?”

“Put me down for two.” Bliss wasn’t even going to fight the inevitable.

“Thanks. Shade?”

Shade paused with the fork halfway to his mouth. “No.”

Lily shot him a reproachful look.

“Don’t look at me that way, Lily. I’ve already bought that school two pieces of expensive equipment for their auto shop, a confection oven for the cooking class and paid the salary of the auto shop teacher, so no computer from me. Maybe next year, if you don’t hit me up for something else before then.” Shade had no problem returning Winter’s stare, giving her one of his own.

“Have you asked Razer?” Lily broke into the staring contest.

“No,” Winter said.

“Why not?” Lily was sure Razer would be willing to donate.

“Because he coughed up the money to pay for the afterschool tutors. Her chances of getting any money out of Razer are nil,” Shade answered, taking a drink of his beer. Lily sent him another reproachful look.

“Rider and Train?” Lily asked.

Winter remained silent.

“New bus to drive the kids, and lab equipment,” Shade replied after Winter’s continued silence.

“Knox?” Lily asked hesitantly.

“Media library.”

“Ouch. I could buy two. I have some money saved up,” Lily offered, finally understanding that Winter had tapped her money well dry for the time being.

As everyone at the table looked at her, she felt self-conscious.

“No, Lily. I couldn’t take your money. I have one other member I haven’t hit up yet.”

“Who?” Lily asked.

“Lucky.”

“I haven’t met him yet,” Lily said, glancing across the table to see that Bliss was giving Shade a furtive look from under her lashes. She glanced back down at her plate, her hand going to the stinging pain in her chest.

“Are you all right?” Shade asked, looking across the table at her with a frown.

“Yes, I must have eaten something that gave me indigestion,” Lily said, getting up from the table.

“Yeah, I feel a little nauseous myself,” Winter commented with a warning look at Bliss, sitting across from her.

“You’re probably stressed out, worrying about coming up with the money for the computers. Let me know how much they cost and I’ll write you a check for two of them. I wish I could do more,” Lily said, not looking at the people sitting at the table.

“I’ll ask Lucky. If he doesn’t, then I’ll pay for them,” Viper conceded, taking Lily’s hand as she reached for his plate. “We’ll take care of it. Keep your money, Lily.” Lily gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go and picking up his plate then Winter’s.

“Okay, but if you decide you need it, let me know. I’m going to bed. I’m tired tonight. Goodnight, everyone.” Lily left everyone sitting at the table, carrying the dirty dishes to the sink.

Jewell was rinsing and stacking the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Lily quietly helped her finish the dishes until Nickel showed up to help.

Wishing them goodnight, Lily went downstairs to Shade’s bedroom where she carried her pajamas to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and then took her time blow-drying her hair.

For once, she was glad she was downstairs as the wind howled from outside. She hated storms. She had noticed the storm was moving closer when she had been upstairs. The rain was beginning, and from the sounds of rumbling coming through the house, there was thunder starting.

She turned off the blow dryer and then went to the bedroom door where she paused at seeing Shade removing his t-shirt, having already taken his boots off.

Lily started to go to the corner.

“Bed, Lily.”

“But—”

“You agreed when you chose your punishment last night,” Shade reminded her.

“I thought that was just for last night,” she protested.

“No. Go to bed. I’m going to take a shower.”

Lily was feeling too tired to argue tonight. She climbed into the bed and attempted not to play back the image of the expression on Bliss’s face when she thought she wasn’t looking.

Bliss was a very attractive woman with a sexuality that even she couldn’t help noticing. The men’s eyes were constantly on her and she wasn’t shy about returning their gaze.

Lily did what she always did; she locked it away where it wouldn’t bother her anymore, moving her mind toward the fantasy of traveling the many places she wanted to explore instead. Gradually, she fell asleep to the sound of the water from Shade’s shower.

Lily awoke later, surrounded in warmth with the blankets pulled snugly around her. She could hear the wind howling, sounding like screams in the night. Her eyes lifted open to complete darkness and she jerked straight up in the bed, screaming in terror.

“Lily.” She heard Shade’s voice next to her in the darkness. “The power went off. The generator will kick on in a minute. Just take a deep breath with me and let’s count.”

She couldn’t concentrate enough to count; the door was trying to open.

“Lily! Concentrate. Count with me. One… two… three…”

“Four… five...” Lily focused on the sound of Shade’s reassuring voice as she counted. She took a sobbing breath and resumed counting. “Six… seven…”