Shade's Fall
Page 14

“Lily!” Beth’s yell as she drew closer was cut off when Razer grabbed her arm, preventing her from coming any closer.
Lily turned her head as The Last Riders appeared in mass.
Viper, Cash, Razer, Shade, Train and Rider were covering the parking lot with the rest of their members following behind while the women members kept Beth from running to her sister.
“Want to take a bet on which one she belongs to?” the one with his arm around her waist spoke.
“Don’t have to. I know,” the dark-haired one said in amusement, moving in front of Lily and blocking her from view.
“Let me go.” Lily tried to wiggle from the grasp around her waist.
“Calm down. I’m going to let you go.”
Viper’s harsh voice could be heard over the thrumming of her heart. “Let her go.”
The one with Gaige in a stranglehold turned back, moving closer to his friends.
“I have every intention of letting this sweet thing go. We’re not out for trouble; just passing through.” He nodded his head at Gaige. “Found him giving her some trouble.” Nodding his head at Lily’s car, he then said, “Decided to step in. Seeing she’s yours, we’ll step back.” His arm slid away from Lily, releasing her.
Lily took a step forward toward Razer while none of the men took their eyes off each other. The one with the scar stepped to the side. When Lily passed him, she brushed against him and his jacket moved to the side. Lily saw the gun clipped to his waist. Terror almost took hold of her, yet Lily knew she didn’t want anyone hurt.
“He’s telling the truth, Viper. Gaige was angry that he got fired and they made him leave me alone.”
“Lily, go to your sister,” Shade spoke.
Lily had done what she could, so she went to Beth. Neither group of bikers was interested in her opinion at this point. It was now a standoff between the two groups.
“Are you all right?” Beth asked.
“I’m fine,” Lily answered, turning around to see what was going on.
Seeing the one called Max hand over Gaige to Shade, Lily started to go back.
“Stay here, Lily. Knox is pulling into the parking lot,” Beth said, placing her hand on Lily’s arm. Knox, a former member of The Last Riders, pulled his deputy car into the parking lot close to the men.
Lily, Beth and the other women watched as the men talked. Knox took Gaige from Shade, putting him in handcuffs before placing him into the backseat of the cruiser. They continued to watch as the men talked to the members of the other motorcycle club. Lily bit her lip, not wanting anyone to get in a fight. The other men had only stepped in when they had seen Gaige bothering her.
“What happened?” Evie asked. Lily told her and the women about Gaige breaking her windshield and grabbing her arm, explaining how the men stopped him.
They stood watching as The Last Riders started back toward them with the men from the other club going to their bikes.
Razer was the first to reach her; however, she felt Shade’s eyes running over her, checking to see if she was hurt.
Assuring her bother-in-law that she was fine, they went back into the fair. Lily didn’t want to ruin the fun for everyone, so she changed the subject as she walked arm in arm with her sister through the fair.
“Do you want to go back to the booth and get another figurine?” Beth asked.
“No,” Lily said, aware of the others’ eyes on her. “Let’s play some games.”
Attempting to prove that she was fine, she walked up to one of the booths where you had to throw a ring around a milk jug, handed the worker some money and he gave her several rings. Aiming, she missed pathetically. She tried again with the other two rings, throwing each one carefully, and missed them all.
Afterwards, the others split up, going to different games and playing. The men went to the shooting game while Lily moved on to another game, shooting water into a clown’s mouth. She did well in a race with the other women, jumping up and down when she won, laughing.
They did two more races and Lily finally won a prize, picking a purple monkey. The man behind the counter handed it to Lily.
“Here you go.” Lily handed it to Beth.
“Don’t you want it?” Beth protested.
“You’re the one that likes stuffed animals.” Lily didn’t like to collect items. The only thing she had let herself get in a long time was the flower and Gaige had seen to its destruction.
With their game over, they went to watch the men play. Train and Rider were shooting at the targets while Viper and Shade stood nearby watching. Razer walked to Beth, putting his arm around her shoulder as they all waited to see who would win. Lily stood to the side near Beth as Evie and Jewell came to stand next to her.
It was fun just watching everyone relax.
“Why don’t you take a turn, Shade?” Bliss asked.
Shade’s eyes went to Bliss and the small woman seemed to shrink in on herself. Shade was good at that. Lily felt bad for the woman, throwing Shade an angry glance, which he ignored.
“Let’s go ride the bumper cars,” Bliss suggested.
The Last Riders made their way through the fair, stopping and riding a few rides and playing several more games.
Everyone was waiting in line for a ride that Lily had no intention of getting on.
“I’m going to go get something to drink,” Lily told Beth who was standing in line with Razer, her arms wrapped around his waist. Lily was happy that Beth was so much in love with her husband.
She walked to one of the vendors to get a soda. Unable to resist, she bought a cotton candy, too. Taking a seat at a nearby picnic table, she watched the ride going around and around. Nope, that ride wasn’t for her.
Opening her bag of cotton candy, she pulled out a tuft of the soft confection and ate it. The sugar melted on her tongue. She licked the sugar crystals from her lips.
Shade sat down on the bench next to her. “You don’t want to ride?”
“Not that one, I don’t,” Lily replied, smiling, her anger forgotten.
She sat, eating her candy as The Last Riders got on. Then, seconds later, she heard the women’s screams and the men mocking them.
She pulled out another tuft of cotton candy, letting it melt on her tongue once more as she felt Shade move restlessly next to her, and she looked at him inquiringly. She licked the sugar crystals from her lips and watched as his blue eyes fell to them. Uncomfortable, Lily turned away, taking a drink of her soda.
When she saw The Last Riders get off the ride, Bliss, Jewell and Evie were walking with Rider; Dawn and Stori were next to Train; Raci was walking with Cash; Winter and Viper were walking hand-in-hand; and Ember was mixed in with the rest of the bikers, teasing Nickel for having a weak stomach.
Lily thought about how happy everyone looked.
“What are you thinking?” Shade asked.
She turned to him with a start, giving him a sweet smile. “I was just thinking how happy everyone looked, like they belong together. I can see you all care about each other.” Lily tore another piece of the spun candy off. “You shouldn’t be so hard on Bliss. I think she has a thing for you,” Lily said, raising the confection to her lips.
Shade’s hand snapped out, catching her wrist in a hard grasp. “What did I tell you about me not being your BFF? Bliss knows exactly what I feel for her.” Shade brought her hand to his mouth, taking the bite of cotton candy from her fingertips. His tongue licked her fingers, taking the sugar off.