King bit down on his cigar. After his stunt today, his seduction was going to take time. Jackal had called earlier in the day to inform him Evie was accompanying Penni back to Queen City. A member’s wife from Jackal’s biker club was friends with Penni; therefore, the information had come as no shock to him. The Last Riders were checking on him.
His life was one of violence. He held a stranglehold on Queen City. No illegal activity happened in his city without his permission and a cut of the profits. All those who tried found themselves out of the city or six-feet under. The last few years had been calm since, over the years, no one had dared to challenge his authority except Digger who was now in protective custody, courtesy of the state of Texas.
“Should you be out of bed?”
King didn’t let his surprise show. He didn’t even bother to turn around, instead looking at his son-in-law’s reflection in the glass. “I needed to move around. You just missed Lily and Beth.”
“I saw them leave.”
King took a deep draw of his cigar. “Henry okay?”
“He’ll wake up in a few minutes.”
King turned to face Shade. “Say what you want to say.”
“Stop, King. Go back to Queen City. Live your life. If you want to play father, call Lily once a month. Come and see her for a week in the summer. But stay out of our lives the rest of the time.”
“And if I don’t? I’m not someone you can make disappear without Lily asking questions.”
“I don’t have to make you disappear, King.” Shade’s eyes held the promise while his features remained emotionless.
“I see, like how the two bikers who nearly killed Lily ended up at the bottom of Black Mountain?”
Shade’s stony silence filled the room. King had met every type of man imaginable in his type of work; however, this man staring at him from across the room was different. He didn’t react with anger at his manipulations or cutting remarks. Nothing got beneath his skin. He was as cold-blooded as a snake, and sooner or later, he would strike out and hurt Lily. King’s stomach clenched with fury that his daughter was married to the sinister assassin.
An ironic smile came to Shade’s lips. “I understand your desire to protect Lily from me, but I will never hurt Lily—I would die for her. You, on the other hand, have always placed your own needs above hers. You were the one who left her in the care of a mother who sold her. You were the one who placed a child molester in her home. And you were the one who nearly got her killed three weeks ago. Lily needs protection from only one person—you.”
King crushed his cigar out. “You don’t need to remind me of the mistakes I’ve made with her. I plan to do better by her.”
“The only way you can do better is by staying out of her life. You’re not going to fix your past mistakes now. It’s too late.” Shade went to the bedroom door.
“You’re not going to keep me out of her life. You’re wrong for her, and we both know it. When I prove it to her, she’ll leave you behind. You don’t frighten me, Shade. It’s been awhile since I’ve had to get my hands dirty, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how.”
“Go home, King.” When Shade went out the door as quietly as he’d entered, King went out after him, but he was already gone. He found Henry lying on the kitchen floor, just coming to.
“What in the fuck happened?” he asked as King helped him to his feet.
Damn, I’m getting old, he thought as he felt his body’s aches and pains under Henry’s staggering weight. “Shade.”
“Damn, I didn’t even hear him.”
“I didn’t either until he talked.”
“I think you’re biting off more than you can chew with him, Boss.” Henry’s cautionary words weren’t a deterrent, but he wasn’t stupid either. He hadn’t lived this long being stupid.
“Next time, I’ll be more careful.”
“If you’re not, I don’t think either of us will be alive to regret it.”
Chapter 8
Penni tossed her magazine down on the couch between them. “Let’s go out to dinner. I’m bored sitting around the apartment.”
Evie looked at Shade’s sister in amusement. “We’ve only been back two days.”
She shrugged. “I know, but I want to go out.” She leaned forward, looking at her with her pleading blue eyes. “Please, Evie… please.”
Evie playfully shoved her off the couch. “Okay, okay. Jeez.”
The women grabbed their jackets before going out the door. Penni’s apartment was close to several of the higher-end restaurants, but they chose a restaurant that was more laid back, deciding to sit outside at one of the small tables.
They were discussing how much Penni was looking forward to going back to work the next week when a dark car pulled up to the restaurant across the street. Evie recognized the man getting out of the driver’s side door.
Henry walked around the front of the car, opening the back door. King came out, reaching his hand back in for the beautiful woman sliding out of the car with a seductive smile aimed at an elegant King dressed in an expensive dark suit. King’s arm circled the woman’s waist as he escorted her inside the expensive restaurant.
The woman’s pale-pink ice dress moved fluidly against her body as she walked. The dress was stunning, the flowing silk ending just below her knees with a row of ruffles. Evie had last worn ruffles when she was five-years-old. On King’s date, they looked flirty and enticing. She was everything Evie had turned her back on years ago.
Evie took a long drink of her beer.
“Something wrong?” Penni asked at her sudden silence.
“No. You ready to go?” Evie paid the check.
Walking back to the apartment building, she listened to Penni’s enthusiasm, which brought back her own reflections of how long it had been since she had felt the same about her own job.
She loved being around The Last Riders. She even enjoyed the laid-back lifestyle of working in the factory. However, she was a NP and that was being ignored. She was going to use the time she was in Queen City to come to some hard decisions she had been avoiding.
* * *
“She’s here.”
King sat at his table doing paperwork. At Henry’s words, his eyes went to the doorway, seeing Evie walking through as if she went to a strip show every Saturday night.
He had wondered when she would show up. She had been in Queen City for over a week. Jackal had told him she and Penni had driven there from Treepoint while he had flown home. He had been confident she would show up at his strip club; how else was she supposed to find out what she needed to know?
Shade would want to know if Lily was in danger. How else would he do that other than to send someone in to find out? The sexy woman was the perfect one, too. His son-in-law was a smart bastard.
King had no intention of getting Lily hurt. In fact, he had decided to get out of the business, but the man he wanted to take over was proving resistant. Until he came around, King was unable to move on. He had fought for years to reach the position he was in, yet now, he couldn’t give it away fast enough.
“Tell Jackal I have another job for him. I want him to get Evie’s background. I have a feeling I’m going to need all the help I can get.” Henry moved away to follow his order while King looked Evie over as she took a seat not far from the stage, and one of his girls took her drink order.
Women would often come in to watch the shows, usually with their boyfriends or husbands, wanting them to get horny enough to climb into bed together. I doubt Evie has that problem, he thought cynically. She sat at the table confidently, ignoring the admiring gazes of the rowdy men sitting around her.
King lit a cigar, studying her as she drank her drink and watched Sherri on the stage. She even whistled a couple of times, yelling encouragement when Sherri almost tripped as she finished her spin before she had regained her equilibrium.
King signaled to Henry, who had come back after his call to Jackal. “Tell Sherri, if she doesn’t pass the
next drug test, she’s gone. I’ve warned her about taking something before she gets on the stage.”
“She says she needs it to get on the stage.” Henry’s defense of the woman came as no surprise.
“She won’t need it if there isn’t a stage to get on. You can tell she’s high.”
“I’ll talk to her.” Henry withdrew at his sharp gaze. He was getting fucking tired of Sherri taking advantage of being his headliner.
King went back to observing Evie, who was ignoring him. He got up from his table, walking across the room. Usually, he sent for the ones he wanted to talk to and had someone bring them to his table. He was sure Evie would ignore the order, however.
When he pulled out a chair at her table and took a seat, she didn’t say anything.
“How are you enjoying the show?” King was amused at her pretended indifference to his presence.
Evie looked at him briefly before lifting her drink. “Are your girls always stoned?”
King’s mouth tightened. “No, usually I fire them.”
As Evie finished her drink, King motioned for Angel to bring her another.
“How are you enjoying staying with Penni?”
Evie’s face lit with affection. “You can’t not enjoy being around that girl. She’s in a perpetual good mood.”
“I don’t think Jackal would agree with you.” Her indifference disappeared at his sardonic comment.
“The fucker who kidnapped her?”
“He didn’t exactly kidnap her; he held her as collateral for one of his friends,” King reasoned.
“I think Penni would disagree with you.”
“He won’t be bothering her again.”