“I was the one who gave the okay. We would have all died if that fire alarm hadn’t gone off. Another five minutes and Shade and Lily would have been burned alive. When I okayed the hit, Georgia’s brother already had custody of her children. I didn’t plan on Lewis getting himself killed, too.”

 “Sissy’s behavior isn’t a result of her circumstances; it’s born and bred. Georgia and Lewis were both bullies and sick fuckers. Sissy attacks Willa the same way her mother did.” Shade’s reasoning angered Lucky.

 “I don’t believe that. You’re not a result of your upbringing.”

 “I’m an aberration.”

 “I have to agree with that,” Lucky mocked.

 “Will someone tell me when Moon got the right to decide who joins the club?” Knox stared at the brothers around him, breaking up the budding argument.

 “Club doesn’t have to keep any promises an original member doesn’t make. Moon didn’t have a problem deceiving the girl. After what’s she’s put Willa through, none of us do.”

 “If Willa couldn’t control Sissy, what makes you think Diamond will handle her any better?” Knox questioned.

 “Because Diamond isn’t responsible for her uncle’s death, and you’ll be around. Right now, her goal is to become a member. As long as she wants that, she’ll somewhat behave.”

 Knox shook his head. “Teenagers expect immediate gratification. She’ll get tired of waiting.”

 Lucky couldn’t blame him for his concern. The brother didn’t want his wife exposed to the same treatment from Sissy that Willa had tolerated.

 “Diamond is also related to Sex Piston,” Lucky clued him in. “Her sister isn’t going to let Diamond be mistreated.”

 “Sex Piston will sic Killyama on her ass.” Knox chuckled.

 “That’s what Lucky’s counting on. We can’t touch the girl; however, Killyama will have no hesitation about knocking some respect into her.” Shade’s usually impassive face broke into an evil grin.

 “That bitch will wring her fucking neck if she pisses her off.” Viper joined in on the laughter.

 Lucky barely held back his own amusement. The Last Riders hated to deal with the biker bitches. If Sissy made the mistake of getting in their faces like she had with everyone else, the girl would be confronted by a group of women who wouldn’t let her age and circumstances affect them. They would beat the shit out of her, which is what he hated to admit he had wanted to do when Sissy had lunged for Willa. He had wanted to drop her on her ass. The only thing that held him back was the presence of the Wests and the social worker.

 “Knox, can I borrow your office? I need to make a few calls.” Lucky’s mind was turning to the numerous phone calls he needed to make to resume becoming a pastor and collect the references that would keep Flora at bay until he could marry Willa.

 “Help yourself.” Knox waved his hand toward his private office.

 “You really going to go through with it?”

 Lucky had thought Shade would be pleased with his decision; instead, he was looking grimmer by the second.

 “Yeah.”

 “How are you going to convince those straight-assed deacons to give you the church back?”

 “That’s the easy part. They won’t turn me down, because I found out their secrets when I was their pastor. I just have to remind them that, as long as I’m no longer their pastor, I feel no obligation to keep them. If I have my job back, I would feel bound by my position to make sure their transgressions remain private.”

 “The golden rule: scratch my balls, or I’ll cut off your dick.”

 “Exactly. I’ll see you later at the clubhouse.”

 Lucky went into Knox’s office, motioning for Sissy to go back out front then shutting the door behind her. He expected a bigger challenge at regaining his job as pastor, but none of the deacons gave him any trouble, relieved they wouldn’t have to listen to another on-call pastor. Only one broached the subject of The Last Riders.

 “Your association with them may make regaining your position difficult,” Angus Berry brought forth the fears of the other deacons.

 “I understand and will be moving back into the church. My future wife and I are looking forward to serving the community.”

 “You’re getting married?” Lucky could imagine Angus’s furry grey brows lifted in surprise.

 “Willa and I plan to be married in two weeks.”

 “You’re marrying Willa?” Angus didn’t give him time to answer. “She’s a sweet girl. She made my seventy-fifth birthday cake and didn’t even charge my wife. You couldn’t have made a better choice. Damn … Excuse me, Pastor. I’ll finally be able to look forward to a service again. The pastors who have been visiting and Merrick have been giving me a sour stomach. My ass couldn’t take another long-winded sermon.”

 Lucky laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind when I’m writing mine out.”

 “Do that and I’ll put an extra five in the collection plate.”

 Lucky disconnected the call with a smile on his face. It didn’t take long for his smile to disappear as he punched in the next number.

 The voice answering the phone was brisk and short. “What do you want?”

 “Colt, I need a favor.”

 “Why is it that you and the rest of The Last Riders only call when you want something?”

 “Because we can’t stand you,” Lucky said truthfully.

 Dead silence was on the other end.

 “I can’t stand you fuckers, either. What do you want?”

 “I’m getting married.”

 “Bridge know?”

 “Not yet.”

 Lucky knew he had won when he heard a deep sigh.

 “What do you want?”

Chapter 11

 Willa fed the kids then laid the younger girls down for a nap. Both Leanne and Charlie looked exhausted and took her advice to rest for a while, seeking their own beds. She was just as tired, but instead of lying down, she rushed around her home, picking up the clutter.

 Pushing back her hair from her face, she straightened and froze in place when the doorbell rang. Maybe, if she didn’t answer, they would go away. She didn’t want to see Lucky or Flora. She wanted to go to bed and pull the covers over her head.

 “Open the door, Willa,” Lucky’s voice demanded.

 Willa stiffened her spine, telling herself she could do this.

 Her mouth almost dropped open when she opened the door. Lucky was standing in the doorway in a suit she recognized from when he was a pastor. She was familiar with all his expensive suits since she had stared at him enough on Sundays that every detail of his appearance had become ingrained in her memory.

 She took a step back to let him enter, making sure there was enough room between them to avoid having him brush against her.

 “Where are the kids?”