“Eightball.”
“How original,” Viper said wryly.
“I thought so. He had to think a couple of seconds when I asked,” Shade said, his voice unemotional.
“Anything else?”
“He’s good. Knows how to handle himself and his bike.” Shade paused, looking at Lily. “Too good for someone not patched.”
“Stud?”
“No. Stud doesn’t play that game, but even if he did, he wouldn’t with us. He wouldn’t want to take a chance on Sex Piston finding out; she and Beth are too tight. He’s not going to get his old lady upset when she’s carrying his kid.”
“I agree, so who?” Viper asked in demand. Lily didn’t think Viper wanted to wait when he wanted answers.
“Don’t know, but I’ll find out,” Shade promised his president.
“Now,” Viper commanded.
Lily expected Shade to get up; instead, he remained sitting.
“I’m on it,” Shade replied, nodding his head toward Cash at the bar. Lily’s eyes went to the bar, seeing Cash had his eyes on Shade.
At Shade’s nod, he set his glass of whiskey down then said something to Nickel, who was standing next to him. When both men moved toward the left wall, Lily didn’t turn her head; Shade’s hand had tightened on hers once again. Lily started trembling and her bottom lip began quivering when she heard a scuffle going on behind her.
“Shade…” He leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers as his hand picked up his beer.
“Angel face, I like that sweater on you,” he murmured against her lips.
“Don’t hurt him,” she pleaded softly back.
“Have to find out if he’s here because of you.”
Lily could tell the conversation was over when he lifted his mouth away from hers, leaning back against the couch and taking a drink of his beer. Train drew her attention away from Shade when he stopped in front of the couch.
“Lily, a buddy of mine gave me two pieces-of-shit bikes he wanted to get rid of. I fixed them up. Don’t want them; none of the brothers want them. If you want them, you can have them to sell for your store, or maybe someone needs a ride for work.”
“Thank you, Train.” Lily jumped off Shade’s lap, intending to hug him. She took a step toward him with her arms out when he froze like she had pulled a gun on him. Before she could take another step, an arm around her waist swept her back down onto Shade’s lap and she was staring up at a furious Shade.
“Stop doing that shit. Do. Not. Touch,” he told her with his jaw clenched.
“What? But I was only going to thank him,” Lily protested.
“Then thank him, but Do. Not. Touch. And quit kissing,” he added as an afterthought.
“Quit kissing? But I like kissing you; I don’t want to stop that,” Lily protested, turning red when she heard Viper and Razer laughing. Train was still standing, unmoving.
“That’s not what I meant.” Shade’s face gradually regained control. “I meant when you kiss men on the cheek.”
“Who did I kiss on the cheek?”
“Viper.” Lily’s mind went back to when she had kissed Viper on the cheek outside the diner. She also remembered him being doubled over. Train was still frozen as she also remembered another incident.
“You scared Pastor Dean,” she said in reproach.
“You do not touch anyone, especially Pastor Dean.”
Lily looked at him. “Okay.”
She relaxed against him, rubbing his chest with her hand until his breathing returned to normal.
“Thank you,” he said, relaxing back against the couch.
“No problem.” Lily smiled gently up at him.
“Thank God. At least we finally got that shit straight. I didn’t think I’d have a brother left after Christmas.”
Lily remembered when she’d given Christmas presents out. She had given each of the men a small peck on the cheek.
“You didn’t?” She looked at him suspiciously.
“No, but it was close,” Shade said unrepentantly.
She was shaking her head at him for his refusal to admit to being overly possessive when Knox came in with Diamond. She was like Lily; she hadn’t dressed overtly sexy either. She was wearing a dark jumper and a black pair of leggings with high-heeled boots that Lily really liked.
Knox took a seat on the couch next to Shade, pulling Diamond down onto his lap. Knox wasn’t wearing his uniform, just jeans and a t-shirt. His huge frame crowded the large sofa. Lily had to sit up straighter, curling her legs on top of Shade’s.
“I put Georgia on suicide watch. Had to hire an extra policewoman from Jamestown, but at least I don’t have to worry about walking into her cell and finding her dead,” Knox said, looking at Lily. “You were right. I saw the marks on her wrist.”
“I wouldn’t have ever said anything, but I didn’t want her to hurt herself because she’d made a mistake.”
“It’s more than a mistake. She fucked up bad. She’s going to do some hard time for arson unless she can come up with a name. Cash is trying to trace the account, but he said whoever set the account up knows what they’re doing. He said it’s one of the best he’s ever seen,” Knox informed them.
“Fuck,” Shade exclaimed.
“Not only that, but Georgia says she doesn’t know the man who gave her the money. Said she was at the grocery store and he drove a dark car up to her when she was putting groceries in her car. Handed her twenty thousand to do it then promised her the fifty thousand after it was done.”
“Did you check the store surveillance?” Viper asked.
“Sure did. The store erases the tapes after a month. I looked through them just in case we got lucky, but no such luck.”
“Damn,” Shade said. “I was hoping she had more information than that.”
“I’ll see if she can remember anything more in the morning; maybe spending her first night in jail will jog her memory,” Knox responded, adjusting Diamond on his lap.
“We need to catch a break somewhere before whoever they are makes another move against Lily.” Shade’s words frightened her. It was disconcerting to have someone so determined to hurt you and not know why.
“I like your boots,” Lily said to Diamond.
“Thanks, I bought them at the shoe store in town. It sucks that store is on the way to the courthouse. I have to pass it every day. These were in the window. The manager knows what I like and I swear he puts stuff in the window he knows I can’t resist.”
“I like shoes, too. I have some new ones that I haven’t worn yet. I don’t get much of an opportunity to wear them and they’re too large for Beth to wear.”
“Really? What size are they?” Diamond asked casually, yet Lily was well aware of the gleam of avarice in her eyes.
“Eight,” Lily answered with a smile.
“Damn, I wear a nine.”
“Sorry about that,” Lily apologized with a smile. She’d never had a girlfriend to share clothes with before.
“What size is the sweater?”
“Small.”
“I’m a medium, but it looks big on you; it could work.” Diamond reached out to touch the soft pink sweater. “I love pink, but it usually clashes with my hair.
“Let’s dance,” Shade interrupted them, his hand lifting her legs off his.
Lily looked around the room, seeing Train already had his hand between Bliss’s thighs as she sat on a stool at the bar. Several of the women, who were allowed in the house, were dancing suggestively with the members on the floor. Nickel was standing behind one, pulling her breast out of her top. Lily looked away.
“I think the floor is crowded enough.” Lily stood up.
“It isn’t downstairs,” Shade said, taking her hand. “Knox?”
“Coming.”
Shade turned to Viper and Razer. “Later.”
“Happy New Year, brother,” Viper said, lifting his beer up.
“You, too.”
Lily followed Shade downstairs. S
he was happy he understood she hadn’t wanted to stay up there. This way she could stay and have fun without being uncomfortable watching the others.
Shade turned on a couple of the lamps then turned on the music. He pulled up the workout mats, placing them against the wall before holding out his arms for her. She stepped into his arms without hesitation.