Shade Read online

  “I bet that isn’t all that’s getting to you,” Sam said snidely, brushing up next to Razer. Her sharp gaze was pointed at Beth’s swimsuit top.

  Everyone noticed how Beth blushed.

  “Ignore her. She’s a bitch, but I’m sure you know that since you’ve lived around her longer than I have. Hi, I’m Evie.”

  Shade was thankful for Evie and her kindness. They needed to know the people who lived in the town. It was the only way to gain trust and, therefore, answers.

  “Hi,” Beth acknowledged while continuing not to take her eyes off Lily.

  Standing, Beth pulled on her shorts self-consciously and was about to reach for her T-shirt when Razer made his move, already bending down to get it then holding it in his hand, playfully not letting go at her sharp tug.

  “Everything all right?” Razer was staring at the still-frozen Lily.

  “Yes, everything is fine.” Beth got a hold of her shirt then put it on.

  “She okay?” At Evie’s question, Shade looked around at The Last Riders and saw the looks of concern they had for Lily, who was beginning to tremble.

  “Hey, we can leave,” Razer offered, which Shade was part glad about, not wanting to scare the poor girl any further, and part sad because he wanted to watch her, talk to her, hold her, chase her fears away.

  “No … No, it’s fine.” With the blanket in her hands, Beth walked slowly toward her sister. “Lily, I finished packing everything. Are you ready to leave?”

  Shade watched as Beth tried to coax her out of the water.

  Lily shied away from her, back into the water, and Beth stopped.

  “Lily, please. They won’t hurt you. They haven’t even started drinking yet. You have nothing to be afraid of. Have I ever let any harm come to you?”

  A small moan passed Lily’s trembling lips as she took a hesitant step toward Beth, and Shade felt a primal urge to protect her at the sound.

  “That’s it, sweetheart," Beth praised.

  “For Heaven’s sake, leave, bitches. No one wants you here anyway.” Sam’s loud mouth had Shade clenching his hands into fists. He wanted to shut the stupid bitch up, but he didn’t want to make a sudden move that would frighten Lily further.

  “Shut up,” Evie hissed quietly.

  “Why do I have to shut the fuck up? That skinny slut thinks she’s better than us—”

  Fortunately, Evie smacked Sam on the mouth, silencing her. “I told you to shut up.”

  The other women surrounded her, moving Sam away from the water so Beth would have a clear path to get Lily to their car.

  “Beth…” Hearing Lily’s broken voice for the first time, Shade knew he would never forget it.

  “Come on, sweetheart; a few more steps.”

  Lily walked within reach of Beth as Shade motioned the brothers back, giving the women even more room. He gritted his teeth as Beth wrapped Lily protectively into her arms and pulled her from the water. She was almost paralyzed with fear, her eyes blank and focused on the terror in her mind.

  Shade easily recognized the signs of someone who had been traumatized. Having fought overseas, it wasn’t the first time he had seen an incapacitating panic attack. He wanted to snatch the woman from her sister’s arms and be the one to protect her. However, he forced himself to stand still as Razer said something to Beth before she drove away.

  “Let me go.” Sam tore her arm away from Evie’s tight grip. “I don’t know why you’re all acting like pussies around those stuck-up bitches.” She kicked off her tennis shoes before removing her shorts. “I’m going swimming. Any of you going to join me?” She ran into the water, her white ass jiggling until the water covered her.

  Train and Rider both jumped into the water as the other women took off their own clothes.

  Shade made no move to join them; instead, going to the cooler to pull out a beer. Taking a long swallow, he sat down on his bike and watched the others skinny-dip and get drunk.

  No one tried to coax him into participating. When he wanted to join in, he would. If he didn’t, he would remain alone, watching over them to make sure they were all safe and no one was hurt from partying too hard. Right then, he wasn’t interested in getting shit-faced; he was too busy analyzing his reaction to a girl who was too young for him.

  No one had ever made him feel the least amount of emotion, and he had been that way for as far back as he could remember. His first memory was of when his mother had reached out to stroke his hair. He had seen the hurt in her eyes when he had pulled away.

  She had blamed his father for his being detached because he was constantly gone on deployment and moving them whenever the military gave him a new assignment. His father had tried to bond with him yet couldn’t reach past his emotionless barrier. Eventually, the fights between his parents had escalated until it had resulted in divorce. They had given him a choice of who to live with, and he had chosen his father for the sole reason that he didn’t try to hug or get into Shade’s physical space.

  When his father had remarried, Shade was older and had learned to plaster a fake smile on his face and have other kids over to play, pretending to be normal. When Penni had been born, he had said “ooh” and “ahh” like everyone else, having learned what reactions to portray. He had watched and observed others, perfecting the mask he showed the world while inside, he had remained cold and unattached to everyone.

  As he had grown older and matured, he had realized there was something seriously fucked-up with him. He felt no attachment to anyone. The deaths of relatives meant nothing to him. Watching others cry and grieve was as foreign to him as those who fell in love. If he had been raised by someone less caring or in an abusive home, he would have probably turned out to be a monster who went off the deep end and eventually took innocent lives.

  Thankfully, his stepmother had been kind and treated him as her own, pushing him toward sports and finding true friends. Evie and Levi had been as close as he could let anyone in, though. Ultimately, between his family, Evie, and Levi, he had felt the only emotion he was capable of—loyalty.

  It was why he had joined the military, which ultimately had saved him. He had been trained to do what he was born to do—kill. The military had taught him how to fine-tune his “talent” until there were very few who had his expertise. He could take out a target and not feel one fucking thing. He could kill someone and eat dinner an hour later without feeling the slightest bit of remorse.

  He had never felt any spark of emotion until he had seen Lily. He could control his own heartbeat, yet it had sped out of control when she had glanced in his direction while she was in the water. She had stared through him as if he didn’t exist, and he hadn’t, until then. She had made him real. She had made him human without saying a damn thing.

  Shade ran a hand over his hair, trying to make sense of what was happening.

  “What’s up? Why are you glaring at Sam like you want to strangle her?” Razer asked, opening a beer.

  “I’m getting sick of the bitch.”

  Sam cast him a wary glance. She was too far away to hear his words, but she was smart enough to interpret the cold face staring at her.

  “Didn’t seem that way the other night when she was sucking your dick.”

  “She’s not the only woman who sucks dick.”

  “That’s true, but none of them have her father. You know Viper wants us to find out what we can about Vincent Bedford. Neither the president of the local bank nor the good citizens of the town are going to give us the information we need, but Sam might. Come on, relax. What’s got you so uptight anyway?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m sure. Now quit busting my balls and leave me alone,” Shade snarled, throwing his empty bottle in the trashcan then grabbing another one.

  “Okay.” Razer laughed, taking a drink of his own beer.

  “You going to make a move on that blond bitch?”

  “Beth?”

  “Yeah.”

 
“Probably. I haven’t made my mind up yet.”

  “When you do, make sure you keep me out of any conversations with her.”

  “Brother, your business has always been your own.”

  “Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

  Chapter 3

  “Want another refill?” Shade turned his attention from Train at the question, his eyes sliding down the waitress’s body in the tight uniform. She had conveniently left several of the buttons undone, giving a generous view of her tits.

  “No, thanks. I’ve had enough.” His cold voice left no doubt of his double meaning. He had fucked her a few times, enough to know her pussy wasn’t all that remarkable.

  Her mouth dropped in disappointment as she refilled Razer and Train’s cups, leaving when neither man responded to her smile.

  “Going to have to find a new place to eat breakfast.”

  “Why? The food’s good,” Shade asked, drinking the last of his coffee.

  “Don’t want a horny waitress spitting in my food because she’s pissed at you,” Razer commented as the door to the restaurant opened and people flooded inside.

  “Church’s out,” Train said, still eating the large breakfast he had ordered.

  Shade sensed when she came in the door.

  As Lily walked across the restaurant, snagging one of the last tables, he didn’t have to remind himself she was too young for him. The other kids with their fresh faces and immature bodies confirmed that he was too fucking old for her.

  One pimply-faced punk plopped down next to her, handing her a menu. Her sister sat at the end, watching them in amusement. Shade didn’t know what she found so fucking funny.

  He wanted to break the punk’s hand every time he tried to take Lily’s in his. She unconsciously would move it away, but it didn’t lessen the anger he felt.

  “Lucky’s coming in the door.”

  While the Pastor stopped to talk to his faithful parishioners, Shade could tell Lucky only wanted to sit and eat.

  Shade’s own amusement died at Lucky’s frustration when he heard Lily call him to their table. There was an easy familiarity between the two as he talked to Lily and her friends before giving his attention to Beth. Then the bastard managed to snag an invitation to sit and eat breakfast with them.

  “I’m done. You ready?” Train asked, reaching for the check.

  “No,” Shade answered at the same as Razer. “I want another cup of coffee.” He motioned to the waitress.

  After she refilled his coffee, he and Razer unashamedly eavesdropped on Lily’s table, learning she was going away for the weekend on a youth trip.

  Shade frowned. Why the fuck was Beth allowing her sister to go away for the weekend with a bunch of randy kids?

  Shade could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation going on at the table. Regardless, he did catch the end when Lily stood up, preparing to leave.

  “We better be going,” Lily told her sister. “I’ll be home by ten.”

  “Finish your project. Don’t worry about the time, but remember you have school in the morning.”

  Shade gritted his teeth at Beth’s mischievous look. What the hell? What kind of guardian was she to let Lily stay out late? She was practically giving them permission to fuck.

  Shade saw the boyfriend put his arm around Lily as they left, the tension easing in his stomach when he saw her pull away from the touch.

  Razer stood, watching Lucky flirt with Beth and then leave her to go pay the check.

  “Let’s go,” Razer snapped as Beth left the diner.

  Shade rose, already knowing what Razer had planned. He grinned when Razer picked up the tab for all three of them.

  “What’s the hurry?” Train asked as they followed a rushing Razer outside.

  “Shut up and get in,” Shade told him, getting in the truck.

  Razer caught his eyes as he drove the truck out of the diner’s parking lot. Instead of speeding up on the small, two-lane road, Razer drove slowly.

  “She’s not going to give your ass the time of day,” Train spoke up from the backseat, showing he wasn’t as clueless as Shade thought.

  “Yes, she will.” Razer threw them a confident grin.

  Shade didn’t smile back. He didn’t want Razer to become friendly with the pretty blond. He had a bad feeling in his gut. They should avoid any contact with either of the sisters, who lived the complete antithesis of the life The Last Riders led.

  Instead of arguing against the upcoming interaction, however, he found himself speaking up. “There she is.”

  Razer pulled up alongside where Beth was walking. “Want a ride home?”

  “Yes.” The look on her face was composed, but Shade didn’t miss the hesitation in her eyes.

  Shade didn’t give her time to change her mind, jumping out of the truck to let her climb in before getting back in himself.

  “I live down Pine. It’s just—”

  “I know where it is,” Razer cut her off before introducing them to her.

  Shade saw her looking over his tattoos before lingering on his sunglasses.

  “What’s so funny?” Razer asked, probably noticing her smile instead of focusing on driving.

  “I was just wondering how you decided what your name was; if you chose it or someone else.”

  “Depends,” Razer answered.

  “On what?”

  Razer shrugged. ”A lot of things. It’s usually because we’re good at something.”

  “So because Shade wears sunglasses, he was given that name.” She smiled at him.

  “You think I’m called Shade because I wear sunglasses?” He couldn’t hold back his laughter. Her naiveté was unbelievable.

  He had been given the name while in the military, and it sure as shit wasn’t because he wore sunglasses.

  “Then why do you think they call me Razer?”

  “Because you like to shave?” A tinge of red covered her cheeks when Train laughed at her that time. Even Razer had a hard time holding back from laughing in her face.

  If the woman knew how Razer had earned his nickname, she would jump out of the moving truck. The brother had become an expert at shaving the women’s pussies. The man had a fetish about having the women cleanly shaven, and if they shared his bed and hadn’t taken care of it, Razer would pull out his long-handled razor and shave them himself. Shade had witnessed it for himself many times over the years. Razer shaving the women was erotic as fuck and made the women hornier than hell.

  Razer pulled into Beth’s driveway, where she further showed her innocence when she didn’t ask how they had known where she lived. Honestly, he and Razer had often found themselves driving by the house after the day they saw the sisters eating ice cream.

  Shade didn’t get out of the truck, giving Razer his opportunity to be alone with Beth after he had let her out his door. Shade observed her uncertainty as she talked to Razer in front of her door.

  “Think she’ll go out with him?” Train’s voice was skeptical.

  “Yeah.” She might have been uncertain, but Shade also saw curiosity.

  When Razer was back in the truck, Train asked, “Well?”

  “We’re going for a ride on my bike.” Razer put the truck in reverse, pulling out of the driveway.

  The speed he drove them back to the clubhouse showed how anxious he was. Shade had never seen Razer so eager to hook up with a woman. Usually, he was laid back, and all a woman had to do to get Razer’s attention was spread her legs. For once, Razer was having to chase tail. Although, Shade didn’t know how long that would last, since Razer had a short attention span whenever pussy was involved.

  Shade climbed out of the truck when Razer brought Rider’s truck to a stop by his bike.

  Razer tossed him the keys. “Give these to Rider for me.”

  “Sure thing. Have fun.”

  “I will.” Razer gave him a casual wave as he started his bike.

  Shade went up the long flight of steps to the clubhouse sitting on the
hill. Finding Rider inside at the bar with his arm around Jewell, Shade slid his keys across to him.

  “I thought you weren’t going to be gone long?” Rider questioned.

  “Something came up.” Razer’s dick, Shade thought wryly, deliberately trying not to remember his own desire to sit and watch Lily.

  Shade went behind the bar he and Knox had built the first week they had moved into the large clubhouse. It had been meant to be a bed and breakfast for buyers coming to see the factory which was being built, but that had all gone to Hell when Gavin had disappeared when it had come time to buy the equipment. Everyone in the town believed Gavin had taken the investment money and disappeared. Everyone except The Last Riders. They all knew in their heart he was dead, but they were determined to give him the proper burial he deserved.

  Shade poured himself a whiskey, thinking he would return to Ohio and never look back after they had found out what had happened to Gavin and Lucky finished his investigation.

  “I have to go run an errand for Viper. Later.” Rider left Jewell and him alone with Knox and Train, who were playing pool.

  Shade studied Jewell’s black hair as he drank his whiskey. “Take off your top.”

  Shade kept his eyes on hers as she pulled off her grey T-shirt, exposing her breasts since she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her breasts weren’t large, but they were firm with brown nipples.

  Shade wondered what color Lily’s nipples were then immediately felt guilty for having dirty thoughts about an underage girl. He poured himself another drink.

  “Lose the jeans.”

  Jewell slid the jeans down her hips and thighs before stepping out of them.

  “Sit on the stool.” Shade kept his instructions short, watching as her stomach quivered at the tone of command in his voice.

  She lifted herself to sit on the stool as Shade walked over to her, spread her thighs until he had a clear view of her pussy, and then sat down in a chair facing the stool.

  Knox and Train quit playing their pool game to watch.

  “Play with yourself.”

  While Jewell’s fingers started to eagerly rub her already wet pussy, he sipped on his whiskey, stretching out his legs to give his dick some room in his jeans.