Shade shook his head. Diamond thought Rider was just eavesdropping, but Rider was really feeling out the situation with Diamond. The two brothers loved breaking new women in together. Shade could have told Rider he was shit out of luck, though.
“I drove through the neighborhood you crashed your bike in before I came here today. It’s a shortcut to the road that leads out here then to the clubhouse, so I know why you were on the road.”
“So I was taking a shortcut? What the fuck does that have to do with me killing Sam?”
“I couldn’t understand how you wrecked your bike on such a little road with barely any traffic. I saw by the skid marks you obviously crashed to avoid hitting something.”
Knox shrugged. “So, a car pulled out in front of me.”
“Nope. There was no parking where you wrecked, and it’s a one-lane road. As I sat, trying to think how such an experienced rider had wrecked, I saw several interesting things.”
Knox stiffened, throwing Rider a dirty look. “Don’t you have something better to do?”
“Not right now. This sounds too good to miss. You never did tell me how you busted up your bike.”
“Fuck off,” Knox said, taking a drink of his beer while glaring at Diamond.
Rider’s grin widened as he took a seat on the stool next to her. Shade was suppressing his own grin, interested to know what had gotten Knox so uncomfortable.
“I saw a beautiful neighborhood filled with older homes that had an abundance of trees. The yards also had several squirrels. I think you swerved to miss a squirrel. You couldn’t kill Sam if you wrecked your bike to prevent killing a squirrel.”
“I didn’t wreck my bike to keep from hitting a fucking squirrel.”
Shade choked on his drink because Knox’s red face showed he was lying.
Diamond burst out laughing. “You’re a marshmallow.”
“You actually wrecked your bike to keep from killing a squirrel?” Rider said in disbelief.
“No, I didn’t,” Knox barked back sharply.
“You fucking did.” Rider burst into laughter.
“Marshmallow.” Diamond nodded at Rider.
“I am not a fucking marshmallow!” Knox yelled as he slammed his beer down on the bar.
“You better go; the marshmallow is about to explode,” Rider joked.
Shade set his drink down on the bar, prepared to hold Knox back.
Diamond grinned back at Knox. “I’m going.” Sliding off the stool, she left as Rider continued antagonizing Knox.
“You’re a fucking marshmallow, na, naa, na,” Rider crowed in a brutal attempt at a sing-song voice.
“Shut up, Rider. I’m warning you!” Knox threatened.
“So, Knox, did you miss the squirrel?” Rider slapped his hand down on the bar, bursting into laughter.
Shade’s drink was knocked out of his hand when Knox reared his arm back to punch Rider, knocking him to the floor. Knox reached down, pulling Rider to his feet, ready to pummel him when Shade grabbed his arm, pulling him away. Cash and Train then wisely helped Rider get away.
“Mick, get Knox another beer.” Shade slapped Knox on the back. “Don’t worry, brother; no one’s going to mistake you for a marshmallow.”
Knox picked up his beer, taking a long drink.
“By the way, brother, did the squirrel live?”
Chapter 29
Shade rolled over in his empty bed to pick up his ringing cell phone.
“Get upstairs now!” Viper ordered.
Instantly alert, Shade didn’t ask questions. He hurriedly dressed before running upstairs.
The living room was filled with The Last Riders. Winter and Viper were the only ones dressed, standing next to Knox who only had on a pair of jeans he hadn’t bothered to button all the way up. Rider was wearing only jeans, too, as were most of the other brothers. Evie was wrapped in a blanket, and Bliss was in a sheet.
Shade heard a racket coming from upstairs. It sounded like the house was being torn apart.
“What’s going on?” Shade asked.
“The sheriff and the state police are searching Knox’s room. They have a search warrant.”
The sheriff came down the steps. “Knox, you’re under arrest. They found what they were searching for.”
He placed the handcuffs around Knox’s wrists while Shade stood there silently. It was Viper who argued they were unnecessary. With the state police watching, Shade knew the sheriff had no choice other than to put the cuffs on him and lead him out the door.
Diamond came downstairs, packing Knox’s clothes and boots.
“Diamond? Why are they arresting Knox again?” Viper yelled angrily.
“Someone called in a tip last night. They found what they were looking for. That’s why they’re taking him back in. Don’t worry; the court is just going to raise his bail. The quicker you let me get out of here, the sooner I can get him out.”
“Go,” Viper answered begrudgingly. “When you’re done, I expect to see you.”
Shade and all The Last Riders went out on the porch to watch Knox be taken away.
Bliss wrapped her arm around Shade’s waist, sniffling. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Yes,” Shade replied between gritted teeth. He would make sure of it.
Jerking away from Bliss’s arm, he went to his bike, not waiting for Viper’s order. He rode to town, waiting outside the sheriff’s office in a spot he knew he wouldn’t be seen.
It was almost two hours before he saw all the troopers leave, and then the sheriff headed to his car. His father spotted him, coming to stand next to him under a tree. No one looking outside would see them.
“What the fuck?” Shade asked as soon as he drew close.
“I didn’t have time to warn you. David Thurman, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, showed up with the state police, and they stayed by my side the whole time. Your fucking lucky they let me call Diamond. The only reason they did was so she wouldn’t be able to get any of the evidence obtained thrown out of court.”
“What were they searching for?”
“Jewelry. Mrs. Langley had given Sam a necklace and two rings, and they were missing from her room when her body was found.”
“They found it in Knox’s room?”
“All three pieces,” the sheriff confirmed.
“Fuck.” It was beginning to look bad for Knox.
“Any idea why they were in his room?”
“No, but I know he didn’t take them.”
Knox didn’t need the money from the jewelry; he was rich enough to buy a jewelry store if he wanted. Someone in the house had hidden them in his room, but none of The Last Riders would have done it. Shade had no doubts about any of their loyalty. That meant whoever had done it had managed to breach the clubhouse.
Shade rode back to the clubhouse and told Viper and Cash what he had found out from the sheriff.
“One of the hangers-on could have hidden them,” Cash suggested.
“Possibly,” Shade agreed yet didn’t think so.
Even though the hangers-on weren’t checked out until they decided to become a member, they weren’t supposed to be left upstairs alone.
“The sheriff said someone called the tip in to the state police. Whoever did it must have known the layout of the house and where the jewelry was hidden. They also didn’t call it into the sheriff’s office so he could warn us.”
“I drove through the neighborhood you crashed your bike in before I came here today. It’s a shortcut to the road that leads out here then to the clubhouse, so I know why you were on the road.”
“So I was taking a shortcut? What the fuck does that have to do with me killing Sam?”
“I couldn’t understand how you wrecked your bike on such a little road with barely any traffic. I saw by the skid marks you obviously crashed to avoid hitting something.”
Knox shrugged. “So, a car pulled out in front of me.”
“Nope. There was no parking where you wrecked, and it’s a one-lane road. As I sat, trying to think how such an experienced rider had wrecked, I saw several interesting things.”
Knox stiffened, throwing Rider a dirty look. “Don’t you have something better to do?”
“Not right now. This sounds too good to miss. You never did tell me how you busted up your bike.”
“Fuck off,” Knox said, taking a drink of his beer while glaring at Diamond.
Rider’s grin widened as he took a seat on the stool next to her. Shade was suppressing his own grin, interested to know what had gotten Knox so uncomfortable.
“I saw a beautiful neighborhood filled with older homes that had an abundance of trees. The yards also had several squirrels. I think you swerved to miss a squirrel. You couldn’t kill Sam if you wrecked your bike to prevent killing a squirrel.”
“I didn’t wreck my bike to keep from hitting a fucking squirrel.”
Shade choked on his drink because Knox’s red face showed he was lying.
Diamond burst out laughing. “You’re a marshmallow.”
“You actually wrecked your bike to keep from killing a squirrel?” Rider said in disbelief.
“No, I didn’t,” Knox barked back sharply.
“You fucking did.” Rider burst into laughter.
“Marshmallow.” Diamond nodded at Rider.
“I am not a fucking marshmallow!” Knox yelled as he slammed his beer down on the bar.
“You better go; the marshmallow is about to explode,” Rider joked.
Shade set his drink down on the bar, prepared to hold Knox back.
Diamond grinned back at Knox. “I’m going.” Sliding off the stool, she left as Rider continued antagonizing Knox.
“You’re a fucking marshmallow, na, naa, na,” Rider crowed in a brutal attempt at a sing-song voice.
“Shut up, Rider. I’m warning you!” Knox threatened.
“So, Knox, did you miss the squirrel?” Rider slapped his hand down on the bar, bursting into laughter.
Shade’s drink was knocked out of his hand when Knox reared his arm back to punch Rider, knocking him to the floor. Knox reached down, pulling Rider to his feet, ready to pummel him when Shade grabbed his arm, pulling him away. Cash and Train then wisely helped Rider get away.
“Mick, get Knox another beer.” Shade slapped Knox on the back. “Don’t worry, brother; no one’s going to mistake you for a marshmallow.”
Knox picked up his beer, taking a long drink.
“By the way, brother, did the squirrel live?”
Chapter 29
Shade rolled over in his empty bed to pick up his ringing cell phone.
“Get upstairs now!” Viper ordered.
Instantly alert, Shade didn’t ask questions. He hurriedly dressed before running upstairs.
The living room was filled with The Last Riders. Winter and Viper were the only ones dressed, standing next to Knox who only had on a pair of jeans he hadn’t bothered to button all the way up. Rider was wearing only jeans, too, as were most of the other brothers. Evie was wrapped in a blanket, and Bliss was in a sheet.
Shade heard a racket coming from upstairs. It sounded like the house was being torn apart.
“What’s going on?” Shade asked.
“The sheriff and the state police are searching Knox’s room. They have a search warrant.”
The sheriff came down the steps. “Knox, you’re under arrest. They found what they were searching for.”
He placed the handcuffs around Knox’s wrists while Shade stood there silently. It was Viper who argued they were unnecessary. With the state police watching, Shade knew the sheriff had no choice other than to put the cuffs on him and lead him out the door.
Diamond came downstairs, packing Knox’s clothes and boots.
“Diamond? Why are they arresting Knox again?” Viper yelled angrily.
“Someone called in a tip last night. They found what they were looking for. That’s why they’re taking him back in. Don’t worry; the court is just going to raise his bail. The quicker you let me get out of here, the sooner I can get him out.”
“Go,” Viper answered begrudgingly. “When you’re done, I expect to see you.”
Shade and all The Last Riders went out on the porch to watch Knox be taken away.
Bliss wrapped her arm around Shade’s waist, sniffling. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Yes,” Shade replied between gritted teeth. He would make sure of it.
Jerking away from Bliss’s arm, he went to his bike, not waiting for Viper’s order. He rode to town, waiting outside the sheriff’s office in a spot he knew he wouldn’t be seen.
It was almost two hours before he saw all the troopers leave, and then the sheriff headed to his car. His father spotted him, coming to stand next to him under a tree. No one looking outside would see them.
“What the fuck?” Shade asked as soon as he drew close.
“I didn’t have time to warn you. David Thurman, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, showed up with the state police, and they stayed by my side the whole time. Your fucking lucky they let me call Diamond. The only reason they did was so she wouldn’t be able to get any of the evidence obtained thrown out of court.”
“What were they searching for?”
“Jewelry. Mrs. Langley had given Sam a necklace and two rings, and they were missing from her room when her body was found.”
“They found it in Knox’s room?”
“All three pieces,” the sheriff confirmed.
“Fuck.” It was beginning to look bad for Knox.
“Any idea why they were in his room?”
“No, but I know he didn’t take them.”
Knox didn’t need the money from the jewelry; he was rich enough to buy a jewelry store if he wanted. Someone in the house had hidden them in his room, but none of The Last Riders would have done it. Shade had no doubts about any of their loyalty. That meant whoever had done it had managed to breach the clubhouse.
Shade rode back to the clubhouse and told Viper and Cash what he had found out from the sheriff.
“One of the hangers-on could have hidden them,” Cash suggested.
“Possibly,” Shade agreed yet didn’t think so.
Even though the hangers-on weren’t checked out until they decided to become a member, they weren’t supposed to be left upstairs alone.
“The sheriff said someone called the tip in to the state police. Whoever did it must have known the layout of the house and where the jewelry was hidden. They also didn’t call it into the sheriff’s office so he could warn us.”
