“She’s worth the trouble.”

“Yes, she is. Now that I’m in town, I want to get to know her better.” King hesitated before adding, “Both of you. I don’t want to invade your lives, just become a small part of it. I want to be able to have a relationship with my grandchildren when you two have a child.”

Shade could imagine the hit it took to King’s pride to admit he wanted a relationship with the children he and Lily would have.

The boat went silent; the only sound was the water lapping against the side.

“Got another cigar?” Shade eventually asked. If the man wanted to end the silent war between them, he wasn’t going to say no. He wasn’t the one who had started it, and King had something Shade needed more than he wanted to maintain the antagonism between them.

“Yes, I do.” King pulled his stash out of his tackle box, offering one to Rider and him.

King relaxed on his seat while they talked, the atmosphere lightening on the boat. Shade actually managed to talk to King a couple of times without wanting to rip his arrogant head off.

Shade and Rider both managed to catch six fish before the sky darkened, and they decided to go back to camp. They docked the boat, carrying their tackle boxes and poles as they walked to the cabin. The others had fished from ashore and had already begun frying their catches.

“Where’s your pole?” Viper asked King from the grill.

“He lost it,” Rider volunteered the information.

As The Last Riders broke into laughter, making jokes at King’s expense, King took it good-naturedly. If he was going to maintain a relationship with Evie, then King was going to have to get used to the brothers giving him a hard time. Fuck, they were going easier on him than if Shade had been the unlucky bastard to lose his pole.

Viper and Cash served up the fish. Then, after dinner, they all pitched in to clean up outside before going inside to get away from the insects and play some cards.

Shade looked up at the flashes of lightning as he went inside the cabin, frowning. Lily was still terrified of storms.

He managed to play three games, listening to the thunder get closer and closer. By the middle of the fourth hand, a loud burst of thunder shook the cabin. Shade stood up, going to his bunk. Every instinct in his body was screaming that he had to get the fuck out of here.

“What are you doing?” King asked when he saw him gathering his things.

“I’m going back.”

“Why?” King looked down at his watch. “It’s after midnight.”

“I know what time it is. The storm is getting worse, and Lily is afraid of storms.”

“She’s with Evie and Beth; she’ll be okay. We’re heading back in the morning, so there’s no need to hike back a mile to the truck in this storm. Call her if you’re worried,” Cash advised, throwing two poker chips into the pile in front of him.

King didn’t say anything; instead, he crushed his cigar into the ashtray and got to his feet.

“What are you doing?” Shade stopped putting on his jacket.

“Going with you.” King put on his boots then his jacket.

“There’s no need for you to leave.”

A sense of urgency filled him, and King would slow him down. The storm was nearly overhead, but Shade didn’t believe that was what was causing it. He had been outside during too many storms to attribute that to his instinct to protect Lily.

“We’re going back in a few hours, anyway. Might as well go now,” King stated.

Shade didn’t argue further as King reached to open the door after grabbing one of the flashlights.

“Wait a minute. Let me get my things. I’m going, too,” Razer said, getting up from the table and gathering his things.

“Fuck, if you guys go, then I have to go. Winter will throw it up to me that you came running back to your women, and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“You pussy-whipped bastards are ruining all the fun,” Cash said, getting to his feet.

As they gathered their things, Shade wanted to snap at the brothers to hurry. King caught his eye, and Shade knew the man was beginning to feel his anxiety. Shade didn’t care if everyone thought he was crazy as hell; he needed to get back to Lily.

Cash locked the door behind them as a loud burst of thunder sounded from directly above.

Shade traveled at a fast pace which was hard for any of them to match. He was the first one back at the vehicles and was waiting impatiently for them as he sat behind the steering wheel of the truck when they finally came out of the woods. As soon as King, Cash, Rider, and Viper closed the door, he peeled out of the parking lot, leaving the rest of the brothers to the other truck.

“Fuck, what’s the hurry, Shade?” Cash asked from the backseat.

“The girls aren’t answering their phones,” Shade said grimly, peeling out onto the slick road.

He expertly straightened the truck before pressing down on the accelerator to speed the truck up. He clenched his jaw.

King was hanging onto the door. Shade shot him a glance.

“Try Evie’s cell phone.”

King took his cell phone out, punching the number in, while Shade concentrated on the dark road ahead of him.

“She didn’t answer,” King told him, worry in his voice now.

Shade’s mind went to the night Evie had been raped. Brooke had been miles away that night, also.

“Cash, reach into my bag and hand me my gun. It’s in the side pocket.”

Shade heard the zipper of his backpack being undone.

“Aren’t you overreacting?” King asked when Cash leaned forward, handing him his Desert Eagle. Shade tucked it into the waistband of his jeans.

None of the brothers questioned him. As enforcer for The Last Riders, they didn’t doubt his skills; it had saved their own asses too many times.

“If I am, then we can all get a good night’s sleep,” Shade said, seeing the lights ahead which showed they were close to Treepoint. “If not, then we’re prepared. I would rather have my gun even if I don’t need it. If I need it and don’t have it, then it will be the last time I need one.”

King grunted as the truck went over a pothole, his head hitting the roof of the truck cab.

“I can agree with that.”

The truck went on two wheels when Shade turned the corner to Evie’s house. Turning off the headlights, he brought the truck to a stop.

“The lights are out,” Shade said grimly, opening the truck door.

“What? Probably because of the storm,” King said.

Shade didn’t answer; Viper did.

“They’re on in the house next door.”

Shade was out and running as soon as his feet hit the ground, heading for the front door. He took out his gun when he found it was open. Shade heard Viper and Cash running and the sound of Rider’s truck coming down the street.

As he entered the house, he heard the women’s screams from above and the crashing of a door. Shade ran up the stairs two at a time. Seeing one man enter a room at the end of the hall, Shade didn’t hesitate. He moved forward and brought his gun up as he came to the doorway.

There were three men inside, one standing over Lily as she held a crying baby.

“Please, don’t hurt the baby,” Lily begged for the baby’s life and not her own. “Please.”