“You go ahead,” Lily told him.

“You sure?”

“My car is just around the corner,” Lily said dolefully.

“All right. I’ll see you later,” Shade replied, going back inside.

“Bye.”

He closed the door behind him when he saw her turn the corner which led to the parking lot. Then he went into his shower as he heard footsteps running down the steps from the kitchen. Viper must have given the all-clear for the members to come downstairs.

Shade stepped under the shower just long enough to rinse the sweat off, barely drying off before tugging on clean clothes. He opened his bedroom door, going down the hall.

Evie and Rider came out wet from the room with the hot tub. Evie wasn’t wearing a top, and her shorts had been left unbuttoned while Rider was wearing jeans.

“We were going to have some beer while we were in the hot tub, but someone must have taken the last one from the mini-fridge and didn’t restock.”

“I could send some down for you,” Shade offered as he continued upstairs, following behind Evie and Rider.

“Don’t bother. I forgot condoms, too, so I need to run upstairs to my room for more,” Rider said.

“You shouldn’t have used them all on Bliss,” Shade joked.

“I have more.” Rider tried to pinch Evie’s ass as she went up the stairs first.

Evie opened the door to the kitchen and Shade saw her hesitate, but he merely thought the door was blocked with all the members and the brothers from Ohio. When Rider stopped, however, Shade knew something was wrong. Rider moved, and then Shade took the final step, entering the kitchen and coming face to face with something he had tried to keep from happening.

Lily was standing in the kitchen, her face a pale, tortured mask. His own face froze at her expression. He didn’t have to be told what she had seen. The members’ faces showed that Lily had seen it all. Her whimpers alone were ripping his heart to sheds.

Beth was in the doorway which led to the clubroom. She took a step forward at the same time he did, but Lily backed away from them. They both tried to speak at the same time, yet her whimpers of pain rose in volume, preventing her from hearing their words. Lily then ran from the kitchen and out the backdoor.

“Lily!” Shade yelled, running after her, but she didn’t stop despite Beth’s pleas along with his.

She ran down the path, her hair flying behind her and her screams filling the air. She almost fell down several times, tripping over her own feet as Shade ran like hell after her, his hand almost managing to catch her hair, but he didn’t want to hurt her by grabbing her that way.

Ultimately, with a burst of speed, she jumped into her car, slamming and locking it before he could jerk it open. Her heartbroken cries spurred him to try opening the locked door.

“Lily, open the door. Please, baby, open the door.”

Beth and Razer pulled him back from the car as she put it in gear, tearing out of the parking lot.

“Let me fucking go!” Shade jerked himself away from Razer and Beth.

He bent over, catching his breath. Not because he had winded himself running after Lily, but because of the look on her face when he had stepped into the kitchen.

“Shade…” Beth laid a hand on his back.

He straightened, turning around to see the brothers and women lined up on the walkway, watching. “What in the fuck happened? Why was she in the club?” he snarled.

Cash took a step forward, holding a wiggling Miranda by her arm. “Miranda came looking for Kaley, and when she couldn’t get in the front door, she ran up the path and got in through the back. Lily was trying to stop her by coming after her. Brother, I’m afraid there’s not much she doesn’t know now. Kaley told Miranda about the votes and how the women get them.”

Shade’s hands clenched, wanting to rip the women apart.

“Viper,” Shade spoke in a deadly calm voice which belied the hatred he was feeling at the moment.

“I’ll handle it. Cash, take Miranda and Kaley to my room. I’ll talk to them there in a minute.”

Cash nodded, lifting a struggling Miranda off her feet while Nickel took Kaley’s arm. When she would have jerked away from the rough-looking biker, he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her inside.

Beth and Razer moved toward Razer’s bike, but Shade stopped them.

“You have to go get changed before you go home.”

Beth looked down at her short skirt and fringed vest before nodding, her face going as white as Lily’s. Then she ran back into the clubhouse.

“You going to ride your bike without shoes?” Shade asked Razer who was staring at him oddly.

“You calmed down?”

Shade nodded grimly. “Lily was going to find out sooner or later, though I never wanted her to find out this way,” he replied grimly. “This shit is going to hit her hard, and she isn’t ready for it. Truthfully, I don’t think she ever would have been, and I probably would have put off telling her until she found out some other way. This way, it’s out of my hands.”

“Isn’t that convenient for you? Lily, not so much,” Razer snapped.

“Don’t blame this crap festival on me, but don’t expect me to cry over spilled milk, either. She found out, and now we have to fix it.”

“That’s not going to be easy,” Razer warned, looking at the empty road Lily had driven away on.

“No, it isn’t,” Shade agreed. “But it’s the only option I have because I’m not giving her up.”

Chapter 47

”There she is,” Shade told Razer when Lily turned the corner.

“It took her a long time to walk from class,” Razer remarked.

Too fucking long, Shade thought.

Penni had given him Lily’s class schedule. She had graduated in May, but the two women had remained in touch, having become good friends. Shade hadn’t told his half-sister what had happened, because her usual good humor would have disappeared and Shade already had his hands full of upset women without adding more to the mix.

The women club members were upset that Lily had been hurt. Evie had wanted to call and talk to her, but Shade had told her to wait. If Lily didn’t want to talk to Beth, Evie definitely wasn’t going to be able to reach her. The only women who weren’t troubled were Miranda and Kaley.

Shade had given Viper the information he needed to keep Miranda’s mouth closed, but Kaley was a vicious bitch who didn’t care about anyone other than herself.

Train felt guilty for introducing Kaley to the club. The man had a soft spot for women and couldn’t stand to see them hurt. More than one of the women members had fallen in love with Train, but none had been successful in capturing his elusive heart. Shade doubted any woman would, but if they wanted his dick, then he was more than willing to oblige.

Beth stood, waiting for Lily by her dorm door, and Lily paused before continuing down the sidewalk, keeping her eyes averted from Razer and him. Shade knew damn well she had seen them, though.

While Beth and Lily talked for a brief moment before walking toward a bench under a tree, Shade watched the expressions of the two sisters. Lily’s was hard, while Beth’s was filled with hurt.

“It’s not going well,” Razer said.