King

by Jamie Begley

  “Shit, it’s not like everyone else isn’t thinking the same thing,” Killyama continued.

  Evie avoided Lily’s amused gaze as she sat down on the couch beside Beth.

  “Well?”

  Evie was trying to remind herself the woman was a good friend of Beth’s and that was why she had invited her and Sex Piston’s crew. However, she was seriously thinking of shoving one of the many pacifiers Beth had received as gifts down her freaking throat. The woman wasn’t going to shut up until she answered, though.

  “I’m in love with him.” Where in the hell did that come from? Evie had never had any intention of stating it so bluntly, but the bitch hadn’t let up since she had let them in her door.

  The room went silent, which wasn’t an easy thing with so many women packed into the small house. All eyes shifted to Lily, waiting for her reaction.

  She got up from the chair she was sitting at. “I know you hate hugs, but I’m going to give you one anyway.” Evie opened her arms and Lily bent down, giving her a hug that brought tears to her eyes.

  “Fuck, if I’d know we were going to turn into a bunch of crying pussies, I would have kept my mouth shut,” Killyama griped.

  Evie and Lily broke apart, laughing.

  “That would have been asking for the impossible,” Beth threatened her friend with a heated glare.

  Evie gave Beth a reassuring smile that she wasn’t upset, picking up the bowl of chips and passing them around like nothing had been said. She was determined to make a success of her party, despite her guests. She had promised Razer that Beth would have a good time after he had packed his wife in earlier, placing her on the couch. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, despite the men impatiently blowing their horns from outside, until Evie had promised to take good care of her until his pickup of her tomorrow. Both Beth and Lily were spending the night with her, and Evie was looking forward to the girl time.

  Evie passed the chips to Willa.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Motherfucker. What is this?” Crazy Bitch asked.

  “Peanut butter candy,” Willa answered.

  “My freaking God,” Jewell moaned. “This is better than sex with Lucky, and if you tell him, I’ll deny it,” she threatened.

  The women turned to look at Beth.

  “How would I know? The extent of my knowledge about Lucky is kissing.” She shrugged, blushing. “We stopped seeing each other before it progressed that far.”

  Evie noticed Willa pick up the bowl of chips. Thinking the casual talk about sex was upsetting her, Evie sought to change the subject.

  “It’s really delicious, Willa. Could you show me how to make it?”

  “What about you, Evie? Which is better, the candy or Dean?” Killyama butted in before Willa could answer. She recognized the crushed look on Willa’s face. Evie wondered if Knox would arrest her if she killed the bitch.

  Fed up, Evie put her hands on her hips, glaring at the interested women, who were avoiding Willa munching on chips, and Lily’s embarrassed expression.

  “I am only going to say this once, then we’re changing the subject. There are two brothers I never did. One is Shade, the other is Lucky. Now, the candy is freaking awesome, and if you want to compare it to something, then it’s better than Winter’s lasagna.”

  “It can’t be that good,” Bliss said, getting up from her chair to get a piece of the candy. The women burst out laughing at her expression. “I’m your new best friend,” Bliss stated, picking up another piece before turning to sit back down. “That stuff is addictive.”

  “It’s my best seller. I can’t make it fast enough,” Willa explained with a shy smile.

  “I’m going to take some back to the clubhouse, if you don’t mind. Rider loves peanut butter. I’ve been trying to get him to fix the garbage disposal for a month, and that stuff will give me the bribe I need,” Bliss stated around a mouthful of candy.

  Sex Piston reached over to take a piece of the dwindling candy. “Girl, you could get any man in town with that stuff.”

  “I’d do her for it,” Jewell said, reaching for another, but Bliss got up, moving the tray to the kitchen.

  Willa turned so red Evie almost laughed, but she didn’t want to draw even more attention to the embarrassed woman.

  “The only men who want me are the ones who think I’ll be their slave in the kitchen.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true,” Lily said, reaching out to take her friend’s hand.

  Willa made a face. “Believe me, it is. When I get asked out on a date, they never take me out to a restaurant; they expect me to cook for them.”

  “Lewis one of those men?” Evie questioned, watching Willa’s reaction.

  “Lewis thinks I would make a good replacement for the wife that ran away with another man.” Willa’s face was white and her eyes held fear that turned Evie’s stomach. “Now that he’s raising his sister’s kids with his own three, he thinks I would make the perfect mother. He says I’m too fat and ugly for other men to chase, and I can cook, clean and babysit. Of course, the most important part is I have a thriving business to sponge from.”

  “You need me to have a talk with this fucker?” Killyama asked, sitting down next to Willa.

  Willa’s eyes opened wide at Killyama’s blunt words. “That’s okay. I’ve got it under control.” Evie didn’t believe her; she would have a talk with Shade when he came back tomorrow.

  While Beth continued opening her presents, Evie organized all of them so Razer wouldn’t have any difficulty loading them up tomorrow when he picked her up.

  “Who is this one from?” Beth asked when Lily handed her the last one. “It’s from Pastor Patterson’s wife. He gave it to me today. He told me Brooke had left it before she had gone to visit her mother.”

  “Did she know we were having a shower for Beth?”

  “Yes, she called the store today to ask if I could see the pastor had dinner tonight. I told her I couldn’t because I would be too busy helping you with the shower. Rachel volunteered to fix him something before she left, though,” Lily said, picking up the discarded wrapping paper.

  “I fixed him a bowl of soup. That man is helpless in the kitchen,” Rachel said, taking a handful of chips. “She even had the nerve to ask me if I thought Lily would come in the morning to fix him breakfast. I told her no, that she was spending the night with you and Beth. The man can fix his own bowl of cereal. If my three brothers can manage to feed themselves, then I think the pastor can, too.”

  “Your brothers can’t cook?” Evie joked.

  “No, they think that’s what I’m for. I keep hoping at least one of them will get married off.” She stared at Killyama. “You dating anyone?”

  “No.”

  “Want me to fix you up with one of them?” Rachel asked hopefully.

  “Which one?”

  “Any one you want.” Evie couldn’t smother her laughter at Rachel’s eagerness.

  Killyama looked at Rachel suspiciously. “Which one has the most guns?”

  “Tate.”

  “Hook me up. I’ll give him a try first.”

  “First?” Rachel lost her smile.

  Killyama nodded. “I’ll give all three a try before I make my mind up.”

  “Never mind,” Rachel told her. “They already fight at the drop of a hat; I don’t need them killing each other over a woman.”

  “If you change your mind, let me know.”

  Without a word, Rachel got up, going into the kitchen to try to get another piece of candy from the tray Bliss was guarding.

  It was after midnight before the women began leaving. Holding the door open as they left, Evie heard the rumbling of thunder.

  “I didn’t know a storm was moving in,” Evie remarked, seeing the lightning flash across the sky.

  “I didn’t, either.” Winter paused in the threshold. “Will the men be all right?”

  “Yes. It’s not like they’re sleeping in tents. Cash’s cabin is big enough to hold th
em all,” Evie assured her.

  “That’s good. I would have worried about them.”

  “They’re perfectly safe. They have all the amenities: a television, radio and weed. I’m sure they’re just fine.”

  After everyone left, Evie and Lily cleaned up the mess. When Beth would have gotten up to help, Evie threatened to call Razer, so Beth sank back against the couch, wincing.

  “Are you all right?” Evie asked.

  “I’m fine. Just a little indigestion. I shouldn’t have eaten all those meatballs.”

  “Me, either,” Evie agreed.

  With most of the clean-up finished, they decided to turn in. Evie carried Beth several pillows and a blanket. Lily would sleep in her old bedroom upstairs, which Evie had converted into a spare bedroom.

  “Comfortable?”

  “Are you kidding me? It’s summer, yet you’d think it was winter outside.”

  “I was afraid you would get cold with the air conditioning,” she explained.

  “It feels fine in here. This couch is as big as a twin bed, and the bathroom is just right there. Go to bed.”

  “I’m going. You got your cell phone?” Beth picked it up from the coffee table, waving it in the air.

  “Goodnight,” Evie said, going to the steps.

  “Night.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay down here with you until you feel better?” Lily hesitated by her sister’s side.

  “Go to bed, Lily.”

  “I’m going.”

  As both women went up the stairs together, Evie noticed Lily looked tense. “I’ll check on her in the middle of the night,” Evie said before going in her room.

  “I will, too. I don’t sleep very well in storms.” The loud thunder at that second made both women jump.

  “I don’t, either.” She went in her room after making sure Lily didn’t need anything, changing into her nightgown. The sound of the pouring rain was hitting the window when Evie climbed into bed, hoping the storm wouldn’t last long.

  * * *

  King lit his cigar while sitting in the boat. They had been out on the water for over an hour. Shade and Rider both had their fishing lines in the water.

  “We could go back to shore and get you another pole,” Rider offered.

  “No, thanks. I would probably lose that one, too,” King stated, biting down on his cigar in aggravation. He was never going to hear the end of it from Evie when she found out he had battled a fish and the fish had won, taking his fishing pole with him. He was contemplating the believability of telling her a lake monster was hidden in the depths of the small lake but didn’t believe she would buy it.

  “Don’t feel bad. We’ve all lost poles. Of course, we were all drunk as shit at the time,” Rider joked.

  King looked at a silent Shade, who sat staring into the lake. He was going to have to make the first move to repair the damage he had created.

  “How’s Lily adapting to the new minister and his wife?” King decided to start the conversation with a neutral topic.

  “She’s adjusting, but there’s not a connection with Merrick like Lucky.”

  “Dean’s living at the clubhouse now?” King broached the subject he was most interested in.

  “Yes.” Shade’s answer was short and told him nothing.

  “How’s that working out?”

  When Shade sighed, turning to look at him, Rider had a smile on his face as he listened. King was aware he was making an ass out of himself without the man making it obvious.

  “If you want to know if he participates in the club’s activities, yes, he does. Not that it’s any business of yours. Lily and I have our own separate house. Neither of us want Lily to see him when he’s partying, so I text him when Lily’s in the house. Dean cares about Lily and has no desire to tarnish his image to her.”

  “That’s a lot of work for you two to make sure Lily isn’t uncomfortable.”

  “She’s worth the trouble.” Shade’s words brought a sharp pain to King’s chest. He had never gone to the trouble of making Lily happy one time while he had condemned Shade for being an unemotional bastard.

  “Yes, she is. Now that I’m in town, I want to get to know her better.” King hesitated before adding, “Both of you. I don’t want to invade your lives, just become a small part of it. I want to be able to have a relationship with my grandchildren when you two have a child.” It was the closest he could come to telling Shade he was accepting their marriage, regardless of whether he gave a damn or not. The only opinion Shade cared about was Lily’s. King agreed his opinion didn’t count, but he didn’t want any hard feelings to linger over the years ahead of them.

  The boat went silent; the only sound was the water lapping against the side.

  “Got another cigar?” Shade eventually asked. It was the closest thing to an olive branch as King was going to get.

  “Yes, I do.” King pulled his stash out of his tackle box, offering one to each man. As Shade and Rider each took one, going back to their fishing, King relaxed on his seat while the men talked, the atmosphere lightening. Shade actually spoke to him several times without him initiating the conversation. It wasn’t much, but it was the start to a new beginning.

  Shade and Rider both managed to catch six fish before the sky darkened and they decided to go back to camp. They docked the boat, carrying their tackle boxes and poles as they walked to the cabin. The others had fished from shore and had already begun frying their catches.

  “Where’s your pole?” Viper asked from the grill.

  “He lost it,” Rider volunteered the information.

  The Last Riders broke into laughter, making jokes at his expense. King took it good-naturedly but promised himself he would show no mercy if the shoe was ever on the other foot.

  When Viper and Cash served up the fish, which was surprisingly good, King determined it was worth the ribbing he had taken. After dinner, they all pitched in to clean up outside then went inside to get away from the insects and play some cards.

  He was winning his fourth hand in a row when he looked up to see Shade was no longer seated at the table.

  “What are you doing?” King asked his son-in-law when he saw him gathering his things.

  “I’m going back.”

  “Why?” King looked down at his watch. “It’s after midnight.”

  “I know what time it is. The storm is getting worse, and Lily is afraid of storms.”

  “She’s with Evie and Beth; she’ll be okay. We’re heading back in the morning, so there’s no need to hike back a mile to the truck in this storm. Call her if you’re worried,” Cash advised, throwing two poker chips into the pile in front of him.

  King didn’t say anything, seeing Shade’s concern for Lily. Instead, he crushed his cigar into the ashtray and got to his feet.

  “What are you doing?” Shade paused putting on his jacket.

  “Going with you.” King put on his boots then his jacket.

  “There’s no need for you to leave.”

  “We’re going back in a few hours anyway; might as well go now.”

  Shade didn’t argue further as King reached to open the door after grabbing one of the flashlights.

  “Wait a minute. Let me get my things; I’m going, too,” Razer said, getting up from the table and gathering his things.

  “Fuck, if you guys go, then I have to go. Winter will throw it up to me that you came running back to your women, and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “You pussy-whipped bastards are ruining all the fun,” Cash said, getting to his feet.

  As they gathered their things, King didn’t know if it was the wisest decision to leave the safety of the cabin during a raging thunderstorm, but Shade’s tension-filled face had King anxious to leave.

  Cash locked the door behind them as a loud burst of thunder sounded from directly above.

  King had no trouble keeping up with most of the men as they traveled through the forest; however, Shade traveled at a fa
st pace that was hard for any of them to match. He was waiting for them when they finally reached their vehicles. As soon as King, Cash, Rider, and Viper closed the truck door, he peeled out of the parking lot, leaving the rest to the other truck.

  “Fuck, what’s the hurry, Shade?” Cash asked from the backseat.

  “The girls aren’t answering their phones.”

  Chapter 28

  Evie rolled over in her bed then sat up; she thought she had heard a noise. Thinking it was just the thunder, she was about to lay back down when she thought she heard a noise again. She looked at her bedside clock and saw the illuminated numbers were missing. Fuck, the power must have gone out.

  Getting up, she was putting on her housecoat when she saw her door was opening.

  “Beth, what are…?”

  “Shh…” Her frantic whisper had Evie snapping her mouth closed as she ran to her friend in the dark. “There are people trying to break in the front and back doors.”

  “Let’s go to Lily’s room and call the police. We can barricade ourselves in until the police get here. You got your phone?”

  “No, I left it downstairs.” Beth clutched her stomach, moaning.

  “Beth!”

  “Evie, get your phone. I’ll go to Lily’s room.” As Beth went back out the door, Evie ran to her bedside table, picking up her phone. However, when she ran out of her bedroom, there was a masked man in the hallway coming toward her. He raised the gun in his hand, pointing it at her, and out of reflex, Evie threw her cell phone at his head. Frantically, she ran into the room she had given Lily, barely managing to shut the door.

  “Help me!” Evie screamed as she battled the intruder trying to open the door.

  “Move,” Lily said.

  Evie had no choice, the door swung open and when it did, Lily brought the bedside lamp down on the intruder’s head. Evie pushed him backward as he fell, knocking him back into the hallway. Lily and Evie then both slammed the door shut, locking it quickly.

  “Help me slide the dresser in front of the door,” Evie said, moving to the side of the dresser and beginning to push it toward the door. Lily quickly helped, sliding the heavy furniture until they finally managed to get it in front of the door.