“Do you trust her enough that she would tell Beth if I’m stepping out on her?”
“Yes.”
“She’s attached to my hip the rest of the night. When she leaves, I leave.”
“Okay.” Lily smiled at Razer in relief.
Damn it to Hell, she is fucking beautiful, Shade thought.
“I am marrying Beth because I love her, which means I’m not going to do stupid shit to hurt her again. Beth has learned to trust me, and I want you to, also.” He moved his hand, touching the rubber band. “You don’t need this anymore to keep from being afraid, lil’ sis.” Razer leaned farther across the table. “I swear on my life, I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”
Lily gave him a heartwarming smile before getting up from the table and hugging him. Razer hugged her back, and that was when Shade tried to lunge between the brothers, but they knocked him back. Razer quickly set her away from him by several inches.
“Now, let’s get you out of here. You have another year before you can legally be in a bar,” Razer joked. “Mick made an exception for Beth’s bridal shower, but he might get pissed off if we start making a habit of it.”
Lily laughed. “He can’t get in trouble. I turned twenty-one on my last birthday. I thought Beth told you. Everyone just thinks I’m a year younger because Mom and Dad were so concerned I was behind in school when they adopted me.”
Hearing that sobered him right up and immediately he was filled with a murderous rage. Beth had lied about Lily’s age, and he knew instinctively that Razer had known, despite pretending he hadn’t.
He was done fucking around. He used his boot to kick the back of Cash’s knee, forcing him to drop out of his way. Then he started toward Lily, only to find Train blocking him.
“Shade…” Train warned.
Shade saw Razer hustling Lily toward the door, realizing she was getting away from him.
She was twenty-one; he didn’t have to wait for her any longer. He didn’t have to go home and fuck two faceless women when the one he really wanted was finally within his reach.
He went berserk when he saw Lily about to go through the doorway.
Evie and Dawn screamed when he picked up a chair and threw it at the bikers standing in front of him.
“Move!”
The brothers stayed where they were, so Shade quit being nice. He grabbed Crash by the T-shirt, using him as a battering ram as he took out four of the brothers.
“Shade, she’s gone. Stop!” Viper’s order fell on deaf ears as Shade reached for the beer bottles sitting at the counter, using them as missiles to clear a path.
“Fuck!” Rider ducked, the beer dousing him as the bottle nearly hit him, breaking the glass mirror at the bar.
“Shade, I’m going to kick your ass!” Mick came toward him, but Viper pushed him out of the way as a beer bottle struck him in the chest.
Angrily, Viper charged toward Shade, punching him on the jaw.
Shade used the side of his hand to strike Viper’s shoulder, grinning in satisfaction at his groan of pain. Leaning over, he used his shoulders in a maneuver he had learned when he was in high school, flipping Viper over his back. He was finally managing to get closer to the door.
“Hold him back!” Viper yelled furiously from the floor. “I’ll kick anyone’s ass who lets him through.”
“Mother fucker, move out of my way.” Shade shoved Knox and Train into a table, their combined weight causing it to give out and break into pieces.
“Shade!” The door opened, and Razer came back inside.
Lily was gone.
Before anyone could stop him, he had Razer by the throat. “You fucking liar! You kept throwing her age up to me, and the whole time, you knew she was twenty-one instead of twenty!” Shade snarled.
“I didn’t, Shade. I swear.” Razer slammed his arms down, breaking the hold on him. “Brother, I’m telling the truth—”
“I told you not to call me brother!” Shade pummeled Razer in the stomach.
Knox came up behind him, pinning his arms to the side, and he slammed his head back. Knox quickly released him.
Before Shade could attack Razer again, Viper, Train, and Razer came at him, pinning him up against the wall.
“Listen to me!” Razer yelled. “I’m telling you Beth didn’t tell me, but it doesn’t make a difference, Shade. Did you not see her snapping that fucking rubber band? How’s she going to deal with a crazy mother fucker like you? Let him go,” Razer ordered.
Shade shrugged their hands away, storming toward the door.
“What are you going to do, Shade? Fuck her up even more?” Razer yelled at his back. “You don’t give a shit about Lily.”
Shade turned around, rushing at Razer until he was the one pinned against the wall, his arm across Razer’s throat.
“Don’t ever say that again. I’ll make you disappear before Beth can marry you.”
“It’s the truth, Shade. If you cared about Lily, you would see she’s incapable of a relationship right now. You can deny it all you want, but in that cold heart of yours, you have to know it’s the truth.”
Shade wanted to strangle Razer to shut him up; instead, he released him, stepping back using deep breaths to regain his control.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” Shade confessed. “Can you imagine if Beth didn’t ever give you the time of day, if she jumped every time you came near her, if you could see she was screaming for help in her eyes and no one was listening to her? I see that in Lily. She’s not getting better; she’s getting worse. And I’m standing back, watching her fade away more inside herself every time I get to see her.”
“I don’t know what to say, Shade. I really don’t.”
“There’s nothing to say.” Shade ran his hand wearily over his closely cropped hair.
“The most important thing to Lily and Beth is that she finishes college. She dreams about becoming a social worker. Let her finish school, and I won’t stand in your way. I’ll make sure you can be around her, slowly get her used to you being a part of her life. You don’t want to become another nightmare she has to live with, do you?”
“No.”
“I’ll help, but we have to do it my way. Can you do that?” Razer asked.
“I have no choice, do I?”
“No, brother, you don’t.”
Shade wanted to yell at Razer not to call him brother, but stopped when he saw the torn expression on Razer’s face.
He was trying to protect Lily for Beth. Shade couldn’t fault the brother for his loyalty. It was the one feeling he understood.
Shade left the bar, ignoring Winter who hastily stepped back from the door, went to his bike and took off toward town. He passed the street Lily lived on, keeping to the speed limit until he reached the county line. There, he opened his bike up, full throttle. He needed to put some distance between him and Lily until he could think again, until he could breathe again.
Chapter 25
Shade stood at Razer’s side as he spoke his vows to Beth. The wedding was in the backyard of the church. Tables had been set up on the other side of the yard, away from where the ceremony was being performed.
“Yes.”
“She’s attached to my hip the rest of the night. When she leaves, I leave.”
“Okay.” Lily smiled at Razer in relief.
Damn it to Hell, she is fucking beautiful, Shade thought.
“I am marrying Beth because I love her, which means I’m not going to do stupid shit to hurt her again. Beth has learned to trust me, and I want you to, also.” He moved his hand, touching the rubber band. “You don’t need this anymore to keep from being afraid, lil’ sis.” Razer leaned farther across the table. “I swear on my life, I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”
Lily gave him a heartwarming smile before getting up from the table and hugging him. Razer hugged her back, and that was when Shade tried to lunge between the brothers, but they knocked him back. Razer quickly set her away from him by several inches.
“Now, let’s get you out of here. You have another year before you can legally be in a bar,” Razer joked. “Mick made an exception for Beth’s bridal shower, but he might get pissed off if we start making a habit of it.”
Lily laughed. “He can’t get in trouble. I turned twenty-one on my last birthday. I thought Beth told you. Everyone just thinks I’m a year younger because Mom and Dad were so concerned I was behind in school when they adopted me.”
Hearing that sobered him right up and immediately he was filled with a murderous rage. Beth had lied about Lily’s age, and he knew instinctively that Razer had known, despite pretending he hadn’t.
He was done fucking around. He used his boot to kick the back of Cash’s knee, forcing him to drop out of his way. Then he started toward Lily, only to find Train blocking him.
“Shade…” Train warned.
Shade saw Razer hustling Lily toward the door, realizing she was getting away from him.
She was twenty-one; he didn’t have to wait for her any longer. He didn’t have to go home and fuck two faceless women when the one he really wanted was finally within his reach.
He went berserk when he saw Lily about to go through the doorway.
Evie and Dawn screamed when he picked up a chair and threw it at the bikers standing in front of him.
“Move!”
The brothers stayed where they were, so Shade quit being nice. He grabbed Crash by the T-shirt, using him as a battering ram as he took out four of the brothers.
“Shade, she’s gone. Stop!” Viper’s order fell on deaf ears as Shade reached for the beer bottles sitting at the counter, using them as missiles to clear a path.
“Fuck!” Rider ducked, the beer dousing him as the bottle nearly hit him, breaking the glass mirror at the bar.
“Shade, I’m going to kick your ass!” Mick came toward him, but Viper pushed him out of the way as a beer bottle struck him in the chest.
Angrily, Viper charged toward Shade, punching him on the jaw.
Shade used the side of his hand to strike Viper’s shoulder, grinning in satisfaction at his groan of pain. Leaning over, he used his shoulders in a maneuver he had learned when he was in high school, flipping Viper over his back. He was finally managing to get closer to the door.
“Hold him back!” Viper yelled furiously from the floor. “I’ll kick anyone’s ass who lets him through.”
“Mother fucker, move out of my way.” Shade shoved Knox and Train into a table, their combined weight causing it to give out and break into pieces.
“Shade!” The door opened, and Razer came back inside.
Lily was gone.
Before anyone could stop him, he had Razer by the throat. “You fucking liar! You kept throwing her age up to me, and the whole time, you knew she was twenty-one instead of twenty!” Shade snarled.
“I didn’t, Shade. I swear.” Razer slammed his arms down, breaking the hold on him. “Brother, I’m telling the truth—”
“I told you not to call me brother!” Shade pummeled Razer in the stomach.
Knox came up behind him, pinning his arms to the side, and he slammed his head back. Knox quickly released him.
Before Shade could attack Razer again, Viper, Train, and Razer came at him, pinning him up against the wall.
“Listen to me!” Razer yelled. “I’m telling you Beth didn’t tell me, but it doesn’t make a difference, Shade. Did you not see her snapping that fucking rubber band? How’s she going to deal with a crazy mother fucker like you? Let him go,” Razer ordered.
Shade shrugged their hands away, storming toward the door.
“What are you going to do, Shade? Fuck her up even more?” Razer yelled at his back. “You don’t give a shit about Lily.”
Shade turned around, rushing at Razer until he was the one pinned against the wall, his arm across Razer’s throat.
“Don’t ever say that again. I’ll make you disappear before Beth can marry you.”
“It’s the truth, Shade. If you cared about Lily, you would see she’s incapable of a relationship right now. You can deny it all you want, but in that cold heart of yours, you have to know it’s the truth.”
Shade wanted to strangle Razer to shut him up; instead, he released him, stepping back using deep breaths to regain his control.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” Shade confessed. “Can you imagine if Beth didn’t ever give you the time of day, if she jumped every time you came near her, if you could see she was screaming for help in her eyes and no one was listening to her? I see that in Lily. She’s not getting better; she’s getting worse. And I’m standing back, watching her fade away more inside herself every time I get to see her.”
“I don’t know what to say, Shade. I really don’t.”
“There’s nothing to say.” Shade ran his hand wearily over his closely cropped hair.
“The most important thing to Lily and Beth is that she finishes college. She dreams about becoming a social worker. Let her finish school, and I won’t stand in your way. I’ll make sure you can be around her, slowly get her used to you being a part of her life. You don’t want to become another nightmare she has to live with, do you?”
“No.”
“I’ll help, but we have to do it my way. Can you do that?” Razer asked.
“I have no choice, do I?”
“No, brother, you don’t.”
Shade wanted to yell at Razer not to call him brother, but stopped when he saw the torn expression on Razer’s face.
He was trying to protect Lily for Beth. Shade couldn’t fault the brother for his loyalty. It was the one feeling he understood.
Shade left the bar, ignoring Winter who hastily stepped back from the door, went to his bike and took off toward town. He passed the street Lily lived on, keeping to the speed limit until he reached the county line. There, he opened his bike up, full throttle. He needed to put some distance between him and Lily until he could think again, until he could breathe again.
Chapter 25
Shade stood at Razer’s side as he spoke his vows to Beth. The wedding was in the backyard of the church. Tables had been set up on the other side of the yard, away from where the ceremony was being performed.
