“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Lil—what the fuck!”
Razer and Shade both stared at the carnage which was the only thing left of their bikes. The motorcycles had been destroyed as if they had been hit repeatedly.
“We’ll load the packages up and ride home with the women. Rider and Train can come pick up what’s left of our bikes.” Shade was trying to remain calm and collected, taking deep breaths through his nose.
“How in the fuck did someone do this without anyone seeing?”
“Because the fucking dumpster hid whoever did this.” Shade pointed to the dumpster in blame. “Whoever did it was mad as hell. They must have been waiting for an opportunity to strike out.”
“You think it was deliberate?”
“Yes. Whoever did this took their time. They wanted to hurt us. Tell Rider when he picks up the bikes to check the diner’s security camera. I don’t want the women to know about this. Lily will worry over who did it, and I don’t want this shit on her mind when the baby’s so close to coming.”
“Do you think it was Brooke?”
“I think it’s a hell of a coincidence, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Look on the bright side,” Shade said, smacking Razer on the back. “We can borrow a couple of Rider’s bikes until we buy new ones. Cash has been gloating about the new one he bought, so we’ll buy a couple that will make his look like a tricycle.”
* * *
“What are you reading?” Lily looked up from her reading device at his question.
“Just a book I asked to borrow.” Shade saw the faint blush on her cheeks.
They were sitting in their living room, watching television before they went to bed. He was leaning over to see what she was reading when her cell phone rang, and she dropped it on her lap to pick the phone up.
“Hello.”
Shade’s attention went back to the television until Lily stiffened next to him. Then he began listening to her end of the conversation.
“He didn’t.” Her lips thinned into a tight line, her violet eyes sparkling with angry fire.
“I’ll call you back.” Lily dropped her phone on the coffee table as she struggled to rise from the couch.
“Where are you going?” he asked curiously, wondering what had made her so angry. Lily didn’t become angry often, and he hadn’t seen her that mad unless he was the one provoking her temper.
“I’m going to have a talk with Cash, and you’re not going to stop me,” she snapped, going out the door.
Shade rose to his feet, walking out behind her and shutting the door she had left open. He watched her heavily pregnant body stomp toward the clubhouse. She went in the back door, going through the kitchen while ignoring the curious looks of the members.
Cash was sitting at the bar with a drink in front of him and Bliss leaning against him, running her tongue over Cash’s bottom lip. She was wearing a lace vest which left nothing to the imagination; you could see her daisy-chain tat on her bared breast. Her hands were curled into his T-shirt, trying to pull him closer. Cash had his head tilted to the side, not giving her his mouth.
Lily stormed up to him, ignoring Bliss.
“Beth told me you were over here when she came home. I can’t believe you took Rachel out then came back here to get … get…”
“Laid?” Shade said helpfully.
His wife threw him a quelling look, which he responded to with a raised brow. Lily took a step away from Shade, giving him her back.
“After everything she did for you, I thought you were smarter.” Lily suddenly lost her fury, turning melancholy. “Beth and I owe a debt of gratitude to you, Cash. If you hadn’t sent Shade’s father here to Treepoint, then we may never have met Razer and Shade. You showed compassion and concern for Beth when you saw she was being mistreated at church. I just don’t understand how the same man could treat Rachel the way you have.”
“Lily, I wasn’t—” Cash began.
“She sat beside your bedside from the moment she heard you were hurt. Did you even know that?”
“No.” Cash rose from the bar stool.
“Well, she did,” Lily said empathically. “The doctors didn’t think you were going to make it. She had already tried to help you the way she does her clients, but it hadn’t worked. She told Shade her gift wasn’t powerful enough to help you. I think whatever she does comes from inside her. I can’t explain it. The times she helped me, it’s like a part of her went inside of me to give me strength. When she touches you, you feel the strength of her love and caring. I think, when you and her brothers hurt her at the party, it damaged that part of her. After the doctor told us all that you weren’t going to make it, I went back to your room to talk to her because I could tell she was upset by what the doctor had told us.”
Lily paused, taking a shuddering breath. “She didn’t even know I was in the room. God, I don’t even know what I witnessed, Cash. What I saw was a man dying, but then she touched you. When she started touching your body, I could feel a presence in the room. I saw you gradually begin to move, and then she passed out.
“I ran to get a nurse and when we came back, she was sitting in the chair, and you were coming to. The nurse started helping you while I took her to Mag’s house. She was in bad shape; she was shaking and freezing. I stayed with her and saw what she suffered through for helping your ungrateful ass!”
Lily waved her hand at Bliss. “She certainly doesn’t deserve for you to be two-timing her. She was so nervous about going out with you tonight. She does everything for everyone and doesn’t ask for anything in return.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me she had been in my hospital room?” Cash asked hoarsely.
“Rachel asked us not to; that was her price for helping you,” Shade answered, pulling Lily back against his chest.
“Do you know where she was when she disappeared?”
Lily remained mutinously silent.
“I wasn’t going to touch Bliss or any of the other women. I was pissed off, but I cooled down before I got here.”
“I promised I wouldn’t tell.” Her bravado was wavering at his explanation.
“Please, Lily. I need to know.” Cash played on Lily’s soft heart.
“I can’t break my promise, but if you figure it out for yourself, that’s not my fault, is it?”
“No.” Cash’s lips twitched in amusement.
“Rachel was in high school, but wasn’t in high school,” she hinted.
“I don’t understand—” Cash began.
“I do,” Winter broke in. She laid down the cards she had been playing in the game against Viper and Crash. “Rachel took accelerated courses in high school. By her sophomore year, she was taking college classes. She stayed at the high school because Tate had worked it out with me so she could still stay with her own age group.
“By the time the students her age were graduating, she had a Bachelor’s in Biology. I believe, for the last four years, she’s gotten her Master’s and is now almost finished writing her thesis for her doctorate in Aquaculture. I’m willing to bet she was able to find housing in the dorms at the university.” She shrugged at Lily’s accusing look. “I didn’t promise her. I figured it out.”
Razer and Shade both stared at the carnage which was the only thing left of their bikes. The motorcycles had been destroyed as if they had been hit repeatedly.
“We’ll load the packages up and ride home with the women. Rider and Train can come pick up what’s left of our bikes.” Shade was trying to remain calm and collected, taking deep breaths through his nose.
“How in the fuck did someone do this without anyone seeing?”
“Because the fucking dumpster hid whoever did this.” Shade pointed to the dumpster in blame. “Whoever did it was mad as hell. They must have been waiting for an opportunity to strike out.”
“You think it was deliberate?”
“Yes. Whoever did this took their time. They wanted to hurt us. Tell Rider when he picks up the bikes to check the diner’s security camera. I don’t want the women to know about this. Lily will worry over who did it, and I don’t want this shit on her mind when the baby’s so close to coming.”
“Do you think it was Brooke?”
“I think it’s a hell of a coincidence, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Look on the bright side,” Shade said, smacking Razer on the back. “We can borrow a couple of Rider’s bikes until we buy new ones. Cash has been gloating about the new one he bought, so we’ll buy a couple that will make his look like a tricycle.”
* * *
“What are you reading?” Lily looked up from her reading device at his question.
“Just a book I asked to borrow.” Shade saw the faint blush on her cheeks.
They were sitting in their living room, watching television before they went to bed. He was leaning over to see what she was reading when her cell phone rang, and she dropped it on her lap to pick the phone up.
“Hello.”
Shade’s attention went back to the television until Lily stiffened next to him. Then he began listening to her end of the conversation.
“He didn’t.” Her lips thinned into a tight line, her violet eyes sparkling with angry fire.
“I’ll call you back.” Lily dropped her phone on the coffee table as she struggled to rise from the couch.
“Where are you going?” he asked curiously, wondering what had made her so angry. Lily didn’t become angry often, and he hadn’t seen her that mad unless he was the one provoking her temper.
“I’m going to have a talk with Cash, and you’re not going to stop me,” she snapped, going out the door.
Shade rose to his feet, walking out behind her and shutting the door she had left open. He watched her heavily pregnant body stomp toward the clubhouse. She went in the back door, going through the kitchen while ignoring the curious looks of the members.
Cash was sitting at the bar with a drink in front of him and Bliss leaning against him, running her tongue over Cash’s bottom lip. She was wearing a lace vest which left nothing to the imagination; you could see her daisy-chain tat on her bared breast. Her hands were curled into his T-shirt, trying to pull him closer. Cash had his head tilted to the side, not giving her his mouth.
Lily stormed up to him, ignoring Bliss.
“Beth told me you were over here when she came home. I can’t believe you took Rachel out then came back here to get … get…”
“Laid?” Shade said helpfully.
His wife threw him a quelling look, which he responded to with a raised brow. Lily took a step away from Shade, giving him her back.
“After everything she did for you, I thought you were smarter.” Lily suddenly lost her fury, turning melancholy. “Beth and I owe a debt of gratitude to you, Cash. If you hadn’t sent Shade’s father here to Treepoint, then we may never have met Razer and Shade. You showed compassion and concern for Beth when you saw she was being mistreated at church. I just don’t understand how the same man could treat Rachel the way you have.”
“Lily, I wasn’t—” Cash began.
“She sat beside your bedside from the moment she heard you were hurt. Did you even know that?”
“No.” Cash rose from the bar stool.
“Well, she did,” Lily said empathically. “The doctors didn’t think you were going to make it. She had already tried to help you the way she does her clients, but it hadn’t worked. She told Shade her gift wasn’t powerful enough to help you. I think whatever she does comes from inside her. I can’t explain it. The times she helped me, it’s like a part of her went inside of me to give me strength. When she touches you, you feel the strength of her love and caring. I think, when you and her brothers hurt her at the party, it damaged that part of her. After the doctor told us all that you weren’t going to make it, I went back to your room to talk to her because I could tell she was upset by what the doctor had told us.”
Lily paused, taking a shuddering breath. “She didn’t even know I was in the room. God, I don’t even know what I witnessed, Cash. What I saw was a man dying, but then she touched you. When she started touching your body, I could feel a presence in the room. I saw you gradually begin to move, and then she passed out.
“I ran to get a nurse and when we came back, she was sitting in the chair, and you were coming to. The nurse started helping you while I took her to Mag’s house. She was in bad shape; she was shaking and freezing. I stayed with her and saw what she suffered through for helping your ungrateful ass!”
Lily waved her hand at Bliss. “She certainly doesn’t deserve for you to be two-timing her. She was so nervous about going out with you tonight. She does everything for everyone and doesn’t ask for anything in return.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me she had been in my hospital room?” Cash asked hoarsely.
“Rachel asked us not to; that was her price for helping you,” Shade answered, pulling Lily back against his chest.
“Do you know where she was when she disappeared?”
Lily remained mutinously silent.
“I wasn’t going to touch Bliss or any of the other women. I was pissed off, but I cooled down before I got here.”
“I promised I wouldn’t tell.” Her bravado was wavering at his explanation.
“Please, Lily. I need to know.” Cash played on Lily’s soft heart.
“I can’t break my promise, but if you figure it out for yourself, that’s not my fault, is it?”
“No.” Cash’s lips twitched in amusement.
“Rachel was in high school, but wasn’t in high school,” she hinted.
“I don’t understand—” Cash began.
“I do,” Winter broke in. She laid down the cards she had been playing in the game against Viper and Crash. “Rachel took accelerated courses in high school. By her sophomore year, she was taking college classes. She stayed at the high school because Tate had worked it out with me so she could still stay with her own age group.
“By the time the students her age were graduating, she had a Bachelor’s in Biology. I believe, for the last four years, she’s gotten her Master’s and is now almost finished writing her thesis for her doctorate in Aquaculture. I’m willing to bet she was able to find housing in the dorms at the university.” She shrugged at Lily’s accusing look. “I didn’t promise her. I figured it out.”
