Shade

by Jamie Begley

  The waitress came to take the orders of the new arrivals. It didn’t take long before the food was served. Shade had eaten earlier, but he got a refill of his coffee as the others ate.

  When the door to the diner opened, Shade nodded to Viper so he would notice the men coming inside. The table went quiet.

  “What’s going on?” Lily looked up from her salad to ask Winter.

  “The bikers from last night just came in,” Winter answered.

  “Oh.”

  The women began talking to cover the silence, but Shade and the men remained quiet as they watched the bikers take a table. There were more of them, they had brought in their own reinforcements.

  As the women finished, The Last Riders rose to leave. Shade couldn’t understand why Lily stopped at the cash register, opening her purse to take out some money. He was about to say something when Beth spoke up.

  “What are you doing? Razer already took care of the check.”

  “I know.” She gave her money to the cashier. “I want to pay for the men’s ticket by the window.”

  After the cashier’s mouth dropped open like his own did, she waited for Shade to nod before reaching out to take the cash from Lily.

  “Lily, what are you doing?” Beth questioned in a lowered voice.

  “Paying back a favor,” Lily said, taking a deep breath.

  Then, before he could stop her, she approached the men sitting at the table.

  “I wanted to thank you for what you did last night. It could have gotten bad without your help.”

  Shade walked to stand behind her as she spoke to the man he knew for a fact was the president of the motorcycle club.

  “Anytime, sweet thing.” The man’s hard eyes softened briefly when he looked at Lily, yet they resumed their hardness instantly. Shade’s instincts kicked in, telling him something wasn’t right.

  Lily turned to leave, but her attention was caught by one of the men sitting at the table. Reluctantly, Shade had to admire the biker’s ink work. It was some of the best he had seen.

  “Hi, I’m Colton.” He put out his hand for Lily to shake.

  “Hi, I’m Lily.” She placed her hand in his.

  Shade glared at him, letting him know he wasn’t happy with him touching his woman.

  “Hi, Lily. That’s Ice.” He nodded toward the blond, telling Lily what Shade already knew.

  He had found out who they were before he had lain down to grab an hour’s sleep before getting up to come to the diner.

  “The big guy there is Max, and the ugly one next to him is Jackal.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Lily smiled. “I didn’t mean to disturb your lunch. I wanted to thank your friends.”

  “I’m sure they enjoyed it, knowing them. Take care, Lily,” Colton said, putting out some strange vibes which Shade picked up on.

  “I will,” Lily replied, moving away and almost bumping into Shade.

  He ignored her angry attitude at his interference, leading her away from the table and back to The Last Riders who hadn’t moved away from the door.

  They waited until she was outside before giving her hell.

  “What were you thinking, Lily?” Beth started.

  “I was thinking that I would do the polite thing and thank them for helping me out of a difficult situation,” she explained.

  “You can’t get friendly with another motorcycle club,” Evie said, taking the words out of Shade’s mouth.

  “I don’t know why not.” When several would have opened their mouths, Lily put up her hand. “I wasn’t getting friendly. I was thanking them. I can be friends with anyone I want. I’m friends with Stud.”

  Shade lifted a brow at her lame excuse. She was no more friends with Stud than he was.

  “They have more in the parking lot,” Shade told Viper.

  “I saw,” Viper replied grimly.

  “What do you want me to do?” Shade knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to get rid of the women then beat the living hell out of the mother fuckers. It showed disrespect for them to stay in town, wearing their colors. However, Lily and Beth were waiting for Razer.

  “You two go ahead. I’ll be there in a few,” Razer told them.

  Lily hesitated, moving toward Viper and touching his arm. “Leave them alone, please, Viper. They don’t want trouble, and I approached them.” Her purple eyes pleaded with his president.

  “They came inside seeing our bikes were outside,” Viper replied.

  “Please, Viper.”

  “I’ll give in this time, Lily, but don’t ask me to back down again,” Viper replied.

  Shade wanted to rant at his president for giving in to her, the weak fucker. The woman needed to learn she couldn’t use those eyes of hers to get her way all the time.

  Lily reached up, kissing Viper on his cheek. “Thank you,” she said before moving away.

  Shade became even more pissed at her. First, she had talked to the other club, showing them her gratitude. Hell, he was the one who had beaten the hell out of Gaige. Now she was fucking kissing Viper for something he shouldn’t have agreed to. He had been chasing after her for three fucking years, making an ass in front of the brothers numerous times, and she had fucking kissed Viper before him?

  “Let’s go home.” Razer’s voice was amused as he guided the women toward their home.

  As soon as Lily’s back was turned, Shade punched Viper in the stomach.

  “Shade!” Winter grabbed her husband’s arm when he would have punched Shade back.

  “I just wanted to show him my gratitude for letting Lily kiss him.”

  “She was just being sweet, thanking him for—”

  “Don’t care,” Shade snarled. “It should have been mine. If any other brothers decide to let her show them her gratitude, I’ll show them my foot up their ass.”

  * * *

  Shade watched the two men through his sights as they fueled their bikes. He debated firing a bullet in Joker’s gas tank when he placed the nozzle in. He had the ability to make the shot from his custom-made Barrett rifle. It had been built to his specifications—with a range longer than any known rifle and a certain weight so it could be broken down in seconds. Shade knew the feel of every inch and could take the rifle apart in the dark as easily as in the sunlight.

  He waited patiently for Joker and Dale to get back on their bikes. As much as he wanted to see them consumed in burning flames, he didn’t want to endanger anyone inside the gas station. Besides, he never deviated from a plan once it had been made.

  Shade had made it a point to find out about everything and everyone connected to the two.

  Crazy Bitch had spent several hours giving him all the information she had on Dale. She hadn’t paid much attention when she had mentioned Dale’s cousin, but Shade had. He had contacted Jake, Dale’s cousin, offering him more money than he would make in ten years strip mining to call him if Dale got in touch with him. And Jake had called yesterday.

  Shade had already scouted out the area, his experience telling him it was the most logical place for the men to hide. When Jake had called, Shade had been ready, taking out his duffle bag from the place where he kept it hidden. Then he had ridden to his chosen spot to lay in wait, knowing it was the perfect place for them to refuel on their way. With his bike parked three miles away, he would jog there through the woods and eliminate all traces of his presence before leaving.

  The two bikers who had almost caused Lily’s death while trying to rob Sex Piston’s shop rode back onto the curvy, mountainous road, and Shade’s finger tightened on the trigger as Dale went around the sharp curve. He heard the bike spin out as the front tire exploded, sending Dale’s bike spinning. His scream could be heard from where Shade was lying. Shade was an expert rider; he had known exactly how the bike and rider would react. It was unrecoverable. The bike hit the guardrail, and Dale went flying over the mountain’s edge.

  Shade didn’t watch; he was changing the direction of his scope, pinpointing Joker’s motorc
ycle. Again, with the slightest movement, a bullet left his rifle, hitting the targeted front wheel and causing it to explode. Joker didn’t scream; he didn’t have time. He was a better rider, but even he couldn’t save himself. He died like Dale—flung from his motorcycle over the mountainside. The two bikes lay crumbled in a heap by the guardrail.

  Shade sat up, tearing down his rifle then placing it carefully into his canvas bag. Standing, he placed the straps on his shoulder, his boots going to where he had been lying, stirring the leaves and twigs together before he tossed several rocks around. Even if someone guessed a sniper had taken them out, they wouldn’t look that far away. No one could make a kill shot from that distance. Except him.

  * * *

  “Lily.”

  For the first time since she had begun eating lunch with him, she didn’t have a mutinous expression on her face when she entered his office.

  Shade closed the door after she entered, going to sit at the chair beside his desk where he handed her the chicken salad.

  “Thanks, Shade.”

  “You look tired today,” Lily probed at his silence.

  “Late night.”

  He had driven to Ohio so he could be seen there then had driven back during the early morning to be there when the factory opened. His ass was killing him from riding that many hours on the bike.

  “Oh.” Lily took a bite of her food.

  A few silent moments later, she asked, “Are you mad at me for something?”

  “Yes.” Shade was going to tell her the truth even if she didn’t want to hear it.

  “Why?”

  Shade gave her an angry glare, leaning back in his seat. “Why do you think?”

  “Because I talked to those bikers?”

  He was just as pissed off at her for kissing Viper, but he had to be content with blowing off half of his anger.

  “You know better than being friendly with bikers like that. Remember the first time you saw us at the lake? You were petrified, yet you sashayed your ass right up to their table.”

  Lily winced at his description and then tried to explain. “Because I wasn’t scared of them. I knew you were there.”

  Shade’s anger dissipated. Well, fuck. How was he supposed to stay mad at her when she had just admitted to feeling brave because he had been there?

  “They’ve left town, but if they come back, stay away from them.” Shade gave her the warning in a cold voice, not entirely over his anger yet. It was going to take a while to get over Viper.

  “I will,” Lily promised.

  She placed her dirty dishes back on the tray before going to the door. She was about to open it when he called out to her.

  “Don’t ever touch Viper or one of the other men again.”

  She twisted the knob and then went through hurriedly, closing it behind her. The woman did have a survival instinct. If she had turned around to argue with him, he had promised himself to throw her on his desk and fuck her silly.

  Shade tossed the rest of his uneaten salad onto the tray, too disappointed to be hungry anymore.

  * * *

  That afternoon, Shade spent his time walking the factory floor, managing the huge number of orders. If Georgia kept flirting with him, he was going to fire her or beat the hell out of Rider for hiring her. To make the afternoon worse, Train and Rider brought Kaley into the factory.

  He had told them repeatedly to keep her on the down-low, but they had argued back that Kaley wanted to be a member, and she already had three votes. That was why the power of the vote was so important. If any member didn’t want a woman to join, they withheld their vote. Kaley was never going to get enough votes to become a member. He believed she was joining as payback to a cheating husband, and he didn’t think she would get along with the other women.

  Shade could tell from Lily’s blush she was uncomfortable with the way Kaley was dressed in a pair of shorts and a swimsuit top. She was going to have to get used to it, though. The women liked to dress seductively for the brothers, and as he had every intention of her becoming a member, she was going to have to get used to seeing a lot worse. Shade simply wanted to do it slowly and give her time to adjust, not have it thrown in her face like that.

  Evie and Bliss came into the factory to see what was holding Train and Rider up, using the opportunity to try to convince Shade to go swimming with them.

  He stood in the doorway while Lily kept working on her order, looking up at them every so often with a puzzled expression. Shade didn’t try to interpret it. She was probably mentally fixing him up with them. She wasn’t going to be clueless much longer, though; he was getting fed up playing Mr. Nice Guy, since she had kissed Viper.

  After the women laughed, telling him he was missing a good time, Shade gave them an obscene gesture when Lily wasn’t looking then went back in his office to clean his desk. At quitting time, he went to her workstation, coming up behind her.

  “You ready?” Shade asked.

  Lily jumped. “What for?”

  “To work out.” Shade couldn’t understand why she was surprised. They worked out every day after work.

  “I didn’t bring my bag. I didn’t know if you would be gone again today.”

  “I left a message for Georgia to tell you that I was out of town yesterday, and I would be back today.”

  “I guess she forgot.”

  That bitch never forgot anything. Not to mention, he had texted her what to tell Lily, and he had left a note on her desk.

  “It doesn’t matter. Winter always keeps extra outfits in her locker. You can have one of hers. You need a new one, anyway.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the one I have,” Lily protested.

  “Other than it’s two sizes too big and meant to be worn during the winter, and you left it at home,” Shade remarked.

  “Fine,” she snapped back at him. Shade was about two seconds away from paddling her ass when she apologized. “I’m sorry.”

  Shade nodded, pacified at her apology. “Go outside. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Okay.”

  As soon as the door closed, Shade strode angrily to the back room where Georgia was placing the seed order which had been delivered, throwing them haphazardly into the refrigerators.

  “Why didn’t you give Lily my message?” he asked bluntly.

  “I did. She must have forgotten.”

  “Don’t fucking lie. Lie to me or any other boss here again, and you’ll be fired,” Shade said harshly.

  “I’m telling—”

  “Be very careful, Georgia. Remember those kids you have at home,” he pushed. Georgia snapped her mouth closed. “Don’t ever think for a second that I would believe anything you say over Lily. She doesn’t know how to lie, unlike you.”

  “Okay.”

  Shade could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. As soon as he was finished with Lily’s workout that night, he was going to have that talk with Viper.

  “When you come to work in the morning, I want those seeds straightened out. You were putting them in the wrong refrigerator, and you’ve worked here long enough to know how to do it right.”

  “Is that all?”

  Her sharp tone nearly had him firing her on the spot. If she didn’t have so many children, he would have. Not that he cared, but Viper would.

  “Yes.”

  When she hurried through the factory, her hands smacking the metal doors to the outside, Shade followed, turning off the lights and locking his office door. Then he came out of the factory, locking the door behind him.

  “Why is she angry?” Lily asked as Georgia pulled out of the parking lot.

  “When I leave a message, I expect it to be delivered,” Shade answered grimly.

  “Do you always have to be so rude?”

  “Yes.”

  When they got to the basement, Shade made Lily wear Winter’s much tighter and more appealing workout clothes, which Lily did not appreciate, throwing a tantrum and refusing to put them on unt
il Shade put his foot down.

  Their workout consisted of stretching until Lily gradually loosened up. He waited until her movements became more fluid to begin her defense lesson, taking her through the movements she had learned the week before. She became more adept at kicking him, making him take a step back. Once she had done that enough to make him happy, he taught her a different move where her knee would actually make contact with him.

  “I almost got you,” Lily bragged.

  “Almost doesn’t count.” Shade intentionally raised her leg to his hip, her mound notching against his penis. Their workout clothes were thin, so Shade could practically feel the lips of her pussy. He exerted his control to keep his dick soft, wanting to be non-threatening, letting her feel him and see there would be no pain involved.

  Shade held that position for a moment before his foot came out, sweeping the one she was standing on. She began to fall, landing on her back with him on top of her. She opened her mouth to scream but before a sound could erupt, Shade lifted himself off her in one fluid movement. Reaching down, he then snagged her hand and lifted her to her feet.

  “Again. This time, I’ll show you how to keep me from sweeping your foot out from under you.”

  Lily stood frozen, her eyes dark and unfocused. However, Shade had expected the reaction. He took her arm, leading her to the corner of the room, and then lifted weights until she was prepared to step out of the corner and continue.

  “Go to the mat.” Shade kept her waiting as he took off his shirt, using it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. .

  Her first sight of the tattoos on his chest and stomach must have been startling because she looked away as he approached the mat.

  “Eyes to me. Are you ready?”

  Lily nodded and as soon as he was in position, she attacked, trying to take him by surprise. That time, when he caught her knee and pulled her off-balance, before her mind could spaz out again, Shade gave her instructions to keep her balance and avoid having her foot swept out from under her. He had deliberately picked that move because it required body contact to break.

  He instructed her to place her hands on his shoulders to balance herself. Then he put his hands on her hips, explaining how to push off from him. As she completed the maneuver, she was awkward and didn’t stand a chance in Hell of defending herself at her current level. However, it was a start.