The Last Riders - First Four Votes (106 page)

L
ily stood
on the snow bank, shivering though she had dressed warmly. She just wanted to see them one more minute.

She put out her hand, knowing how ridiculous it was, but it actually looked like she was holding the lights.

A warm blanket was draped over her shoulders. She hadn’t even heard his footsteps in the crunching snow.

“What did I tell you about sneaking out of the cabin, Lily? I’m going to punish you when I get you back inside,” Shade’s seductive voice whispered into her ear.

“I couldn’t resist, Shade. Isn’t it beautiful?” Lily whispered reverently. “I didn’t know anything so beautiful could exist.”

“I didn’t, either,” he said, rubbing his cheek against hers, his tone just as reverent.

“All these years I’ve waited to see this. It’s more spectacular than I ever believed possible.”

He swept her up into his arms, packing her back inside the warm cabin, shutting and locking the world outside.

Shade had hot chocolate on the table in front of the couch and a warm fire blazing a few feet away. She sipped her chocolate from the mug as she watched him throw a log onto the fire.

He stood up, going into the bedroom then coming out with a small package, handing it to her.

Lily opened the tiny package. Inside she found the exact replica of the flower that Gaige had destroyed.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Thank you, Shade. I love it.” She reached up, kissing his cheek.

“I’m going to go take a shower. Can I trust you not to sneak out again?”

“Yes.” She curled her legs under her, sipping her hot chocolate.

She was still sitting and staring into the flames when he came back wearing sweatpants. His tats stood out in the firelight as he put some more logs on the fire.

He sat down next to her on the sofa, his arm on the back of the couch. “What are you looking so serious about?”

Lily shrugged, avoiding his question.

“Lily?” His blue gaze demanded an answer.

“Nothing, really. I was just thinking.” She looked up at him.

His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb wiping away the lone tear clinging to her lashes. “About what?”

“It’s just that I waited such a long time to see the Northern Lights… it would have been disappointing if they hadn’t been as beautiful as I thought they would.”

“I’m sure it would have,” he said gently.

“I was just thinking that you said you had waited for me since Razer had met Beth, and then I thought that… what if I wasn’t what you wanted. You might become disappointed.”

“You did a lot of thinking while I was in the shower.”

“I know.” She nodded her head.

“Lily, you only saw the Northern Lights in pictures. It’s different having expectations of something that you don’t know anything about. I grew to know you over the years; what a warm, loving woman you are, how you can’t stand anyone hurt, and how strong you were to survive a childhood that would have seriously fucked up anyone else. Angel, I didn’t have expectations. I knew I wanted that sweet girl whose beautiful soul I could see in her eyes. The more I grew to know you, I wasn’t disappointed— I was captivated by everything I had learned. It was like unwrapping a pretty Christmas package and finding a work of art inside that’s priceless. So, no, I wasn’t disappointed.”

Lily looked at her husband who always tried to give her what she needed. “You’re definitely not what I expected. Giving me flowery speeches on Valentine’s Day, a trip to Alaska to make my dream come true, even being a nice guy and giving Georgia’s brother her job, so that he would be able to support his kids and hers while she’s in prison.

“The first time I saw you, all I could think about was how scary you looked with all those tattoos. Then they ended up being the reason I fell in love with you,” Lily said ruefully.

“You fell in love with me because of my tats?”

“I understood their meanings.” She reached up, touching the stars on the side of his neck. “The stars are your guide so you always know what’s important, the compass so you never lose your way home.” Her fingertips brushed the one on his collarbone. “Strength and loyalty, meant someone strong enough to always protect me.” Her hand glided down to the tat scrawled across his chest. “Only Death Can Stop Me—someone who will always be there for me. When I realized their meaning, I realized I had found him.”

“Who?” Shade’s tender voice was another reason she loved him. He gave her gentleness; not all the time, but when she needed it most.

“I knew I had found my cowboy.” Lily’s arm circled Shade’s neck, touching his lips with hers in a kiss that expressed how much she loved him.

It had been a long journey from Queens City, Texas. Behind her she had left a life that she would never forget; however, she had learned to forgive because each moment had set her on the path to Treepoint, Kentucky, where she had found a new sister and family who would protect her for the rest of her life. The Last Riders would be a force for anyone to reckon with. Most of all, she had found Shade; a strong, protective and gentle man who loved her.

She felt Shade lift her up into his arms, laying her down on the blanket in front of the fire. She smiled as she opened her arms to her husband. She had been right; God had heard her prayers better in the mountains.

R
azer closed the bathroom door
, seeing Beth standing by their bedroom window, staring out into the starry sky. He came to stand behind her, his arms slipping around her waist.

“What are you doing?”

“Saying thank you. There were times I didn’t think my prayers were going to be answered, but they were.” Her pale blonde hair shone in the moonlight coming through the window.

“I don’t think Shade has ever been referred to as the answer to anyone prayers.” Beth turned to look at Razer.

“He was mine. I prayed for someone strong enough to keep Lily safe and take away her nightmares, and he sent me Shade. Lily wasn’t the only one who had her prayers answered; mine were, too. If Cash had left town and not looked back, I would never have met you.” Beth looked at the still-arrogant man whose heart she had managed to capture.

“Divine intervention?” Razer said wryly.

Beth nodded her head while Razer shook his.

“I don’t know if I believe that, but I’m more than happy with the way things turned out.” His hands slipped the robe off her shoulders before they lifted her breast to his mouth. He sucked her nipple into his mouth, his hand sliding down across her stomach toward her… His hand caught on a piece of tape. He stepped back, looking at the gauze taped across her tat.

“What’s this?”

“It’s your Valentine’s Day present,” Beth said with a smile.

Razer went to his knees so he could take the gauze off. He saw the tat she had gotten on her hip when she first became a member—a razor blade cutting into her flesh and a tiny drop of blood that was in the shape of a heart with the date of their marriage inside. She had told him it represented him. When he had seen the tattoo, he had thought it was cool to have his symbol on her forever.

Razer swallowed hard when he saw what she had just had done. A tiny blue heart was underneath his.

Razer stood up, twirling her around before stopping and kissing her.

“I owe Cash a beer.” He laughed.

“Razer, you owe him a couple of beers. The ultrasound didn’t show the sex of the other one. I thought that I would wait and get their tat after they got here,” Beth said, surprising Razer with her news that they were expecting not one baby but twins.

Razer buried his head in her neck, remembering how much of a jerk he had been when they first met. If she hadn’t forgiven him, they wouldn’t be standing here in their new home with two babies on the way.

“I’ll be right back,” Razer said, avoiding her gaze.

He walked out of their bedroom, leaving her standing naked. She bent down, picking up her robe. She had thought he would be happy. Doubt set in. She should have told him he was having twins more gently. He had gone from being a man who was determined no woman would ever have a hold over him to a married man and now a father in a few short years.

They had been trying to have a baby for the last year. She had let her excitement overrule her common sense. The reality for Razer must have been too much to handle. She should have known that this was going to…

She slid her robe on, tying the belt. Upset, she started to move away from the window when a movement outside caught her attention. She moved closer to the window. A tender smile came to her lips. Razer was on his knees on the still damp, muddy ground with his head bowed. He had known who to thank after all.

D
igger sat
, finishing his coffee. He was waiting to be moved to the next safe house.

The dumbasses were keeping him safe from the families who wanted revenge for those that had been returned and from those who had learned their women wouldn’t be coming home again.

Digger stood, stretching. The worst part was the fucking boredom. He was used to his business or some bitch to keep him occupied.
I’ll get that back again
, he promised himself. He would give it six or seven months for their anger to fade and get careless. They would forget all about him, and that’s when he would make his escape and start over.

He would have to start again. He didn’t have a contact left. He had burned them all to save his life; not from the fucking police, they couldn’t wipe their own ass. No, he had to give up everything; the location of his houses, his contacts and the women. That was what had hurt the most; they were his moneymakers.

He had made a mistake going to that little town. If he had stayed out of there, he wouldn’t have met The Last Riders. He sure as shit wasn’t ever going to forget meeting them. They had nearly killed him without leaving a mark on him. He hadn’t even known that was possible.

He had been locked up in that little piss-ant jail after that clusterfuck of a shootout, waiting for his ride back to Queens City, when his cell door had been opened by the biggest motherfucker he had ever seen, taking him into a holding cell.

He had known he would have another interview where he could play like he was going to give his bitches up then, not just to give them shit. He had taken a seat and waited. That’s when they had come in. The meanest motherfuckers he had ever come across. Fuck, they were mean. King was mean, but those men, they had taken it to another level. They had given him one choice and that was to give up his information or he was going to die in that room. He had called their bluff. They couldn’t hurt him; he was in police custody. The law was supposed to protect him.

That had been the second biggest mistake of his life.

They had spread him on a table. One of them had chains with padded cuffs, cuffing them around his hands and feet. Then they had nearly ripped him apart. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he hadn’t lasted long. When they had given him a chair and pencil and paper, he had started writing, making shit up to get him through the night until the Rangers could come and save his ass.

After the first two names, they had taken the paper away and left the room, and he had begun to sweat. Then they came back, throwing him back on the table; this time the one with brass knuckles went at him. He had begged to give them the names when another had come toward him with that long-handled razor.

He had given them names and places. Every so often, they would take the paper away and give him a clean sheet. He wasn’t stupid, this time he knew they were checking and making sure he was still telling them the truth. He had given them most of his businesses, trying to hold onto enough so that he would have something to start fresh with when he got away. He had lied and said he had given them everything. That’s when one had shoved a revolver down his throat.

He gave them the rest.

The next day, when the Rangers came to escort him back to Texas, he had almost broken down and cried. The big sheriff had warned him to keep his mouth closed, take the deal, and they would leave him alone. They had the information they wanted. Digger was no fool; he kept his mouth shut and took the deal the state offered. Now he was sitting sweet, away from The Last Riders and still breathing. He had kind of won.

He didn’t have to see them again, and given time and his ingenuity, he would rise again. Digger laughed at his pun. The world was full of women, his for the taking, and he had one he was going to make sure he got his hands on. He would just be smarter next time.

King’s brat would be his first bitch. He would make sure of that.

“It’s a go. Let’s move,” the police commander gave the order.

They kept him in the middle—two men in front, two in back, three on each side—as they jogged through the hallway into the large elevator. They came out of the elevator into the underground parking garage, jogging in the same position just a few feet to the waiting SUV.

The ones in front slid into the vehicle while the others still kept his body covered with theirs. As he took a step up into the SUV, he didn’t even hear the shot, only felt a millisecond of pain between his eyes, then complete and utter darkness descended.

“
D
o
you think we have enough steaks?” his wife asked, worried there wasn’t going to be enough for their guests tonight.

Ray pushed the buggy to his car. Opening the trunk, he started putting the groceries in the back of his BMW, not worried about jarring the secret compartment hiding his equipment. He didn’t make mistakes; well, except when he had paid someone to do a job he should have done himself.

When he had missed his target with the car and hadn’t been given another opportunity to make it look like an accident, he had tried to get in her house. He had been planning to play with the woman before slitting her throat, but he had heard the bike of that scary fucker who was always watching her. He’d had to lay low after that. The one tracking him had almost caught him twice.

His mistake had been not to have hired someone smarter to start the fire. She hadn’t even started a decent fight. She had been the one to come running out of that church.

Never mind. The next time he was out on a job, he would swing by and check on her. He couldn’t let her live now; he had already spent his fee. Once paid, he made sure he completed a job.

When he rose up from putting the last bag in the trunk, Ray noticed his wife’s horror-stricken face. It was the last thing he saw before darkness descended.

G
eorgia sat
down at the picnic table at the minimum-security prison. Taking the cigarette out of her pocket, she lit it, taking a deep breath before releasing it.

She looked around the yard. Her eyes lit on the brunette sitting across the yard with a frightened look on her face. Fresh meat.

Georgia had seen them bring her in that morning. Georgia was going to have to introduce herself at lunch and make sure that, when that new bitch opened her commissary account, she picked up a few things for her. She would, too. She would be too scared not to. She reminded her of that mousey little Willa. Well, she would handle her just like she’d handled Willa—with an iron fist.

She took another deep draw of her last cigarette, inhaling the smoke as darkness descended.

W
hen Rider’s
truck pulled to a stop on The Last Riders’ parking lot, Shade opened the passenger side door, getting out. The other doors opened as Rider and Cash hopped out. Shade opened the back door, reaching inside and pulling out his canvas bag, looping it over his shoulder before slamming the truck door closed. He then moved around to the bed of the truck, reaching inside to help Cash pull out the big ice cooler.

“You go ahead; we got this.” Rider grinned, coming around the back of the truck.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Have fun.” He smiled mockingly, reaching inside the truck bed for the fishing poles.

“Later,” Shade said to both men, turning toward the path that led to his house.

He was halfway there when he saw her running toward him, her purple dress and black hair blowing in the breeze. Spring flowers she had planted lined the pathway.

His somber expression broke into a smile as he came to a stop, lifting his shades to the top of his head so he could see her clearly. When she got close, he held out his arms and Lily jumped into them, her mouth already turned up for his kiss. He gave her the kiss he knew she wanted; he’d take his when he got her inside their home.

“Did you have a good fishing trip? Did you catch anything?” Lily asked, gazing up at him with love shining in her violet eyes.

“Yeah, two big fish and a small fry.”

“Was it fun?”

“Always.” He looked down into her shining violet eyes. “Did you miss me?”

“Always.”