“I do,” Winter broke in. She laid down the cards she had been playing in the game against Viper and Crash. “Rachel took accelerated courses in high school. By her sophomore year, she was taking college classes. She stayed at the high school because Tate had worked it out with me so she could still stay with her own age group.
“By the time the students her age were graduating, she had a Bachelor’s in Biology. I believe, for the last four years, she’s gotten her Master’s and is now almost finished writing her thesis for her doctorate in Aquaculture. I’m willing to bet she was able to find housing in the dorms at the university.” She shrugged at Lily’s accusing look. “I didn’t promise her. I figured it out.”
“So, both you and Lily knew where she was?” Viper carefully laid his own cards down on the table.
“We talked about it. It wasn’t rocket science for anyone who knew her.” Winter’s snide tone had Viper, Cash, and Shade all turning red.
“Then why didn’t Tate know?”
“Because she didn’t tell him she was working on her doctorate. Seems that was why Greer had gotten busted selling weed to that undercover cop. They were trying to sell extra to pay for her tuition. She’d told them she had dropped out; she didn’t want them to go to jail to pay for her education,” Winter answered.
“So, how’s she been paying for it?” Viper questioned.
“Her parents left each of them a plot of land. She sold hers,” Diamond spoke up from Knox’s lap on the couch. “I handled the paperwork. After the clients left, she went to the restroom, and I heard her crying. She told me that property had been in her family for generations.”
“It has. Who bought it?” Cash asked.
“Drake Hall,” Diamond answered.
“So, let me get this straight. While we were all looking for her and her brothers were worried sick, none of you told?” Viper glared at his wife then each of his men’s insubordinate wives.
“It took us a while to figure it out. We didn’t think they deserved to know,” Winter explained cautiously, seeing the furious look Viper was sending her. The women began to sense the undercurrent of their husbands’ angers.
“Do you have my tat on you?” Viper growled out through gritted teeth.
“Yes, but women should stick together.” Winter tried to soothe her husband with her explanation, but she failed.
“So should Last Riders,” Viper snapped. “Did Beth know, too?”
Winter snapped her mouth shut.
“I’ll take that as a yes. All four of you will be pulling from the punishment bag next week.” The women wisely remained silent, staring at their husbands in trepidation.
“And I’ll deal with you upstairs.” Viper’s eyes on Winter were promising retribution.
“Thanks, Lily.” Cash reached out to cup her cheek. “I sent Shade’s dad here not only because of Beth, but you, too. I lost every bit of faith I had because of Saul Cornett. He might have adopted you, but he was a sick son of a bitch. It was only a matter of time before he hurt you, and I couldn’t stomach watching Beth be hurt one more time.”
Lily grasped his wrist. “You changed our lives. Thank you.”
As Cash’s eyes met his over Lily’s shoulder, Shade gave him a small nod.
“You’re welcome.” Bending down, he brushed his lips against her cheek. “Now, go on home. I promise Rachel won’t know you talked to me.”
“Okay,” Lily said happily.
“I’ll be there in a minute. Don’t go to sleep; we need to have a little chat before you do.” Shade’s deep voice wiped the smile from her face.
“I’m tired. I have to get up early for church,” Lily said evasively.
“You can go to the evening service,” Shade countered amicably.
Lily flounced angrily out of the room.
“Ten to one she’s calling Beth as soon as she gets home.” Cash grinned.
Shade grinned back, taking his phone out of his pocket and quickly texting a message to Razer before putting the phone back.
“Lily’s going to be furious at you for telling on Beth,” Cash warned.
“I’m counting on it,” Shade said with an anticipatory grin.
* * *
Shade was talking to Jewell and Bliss as they filled their orders to speed things up. If the women worked as hard filling orders as they did fucking, he would be a happy man.
Cash came inside the factory, nodding toward the office, and waited.
“What did you find out?” Shade asked as they went into the office and closed the door.
Cash had been investigating whether there was a connection between Lewis and Brooke. It was too much of a coincidence that she had asked Lily to stop by Willa’s house then have Lewis show up in a murderous rage. Shade knew only one woman capable of arousing that emotion.
“Nothing concrete. I talked to Jewell. She said Lewis received a phone call about twenty minutes before he got off work, and he finished his order and left. You talked to her?”
“Yes, she told me the same thing.”
“I checked his phone records; it came from a ‘pay as you go’ phone. I couldn’t find out who bought it,” Cash said grimly.
“Find anything at his house?”
“He was fucking someone. He had a bag filled with sex toys and condoms.”
“Willa?”
“I don’t know. If so, she wasn’t giving it to him; he was taking it. She hated him, but I don’t think it was her.”
“Why not?”
“Because he had an underwear set in the bag, and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have fit Willa. I checked the local hotel then Jamestown’s. No one recognized his picture.”
“Go farther. Start with the towns closest to the Virginia border. If you don’t get a hit, try the Tennessee border,” Shade ordered.
“He wouldn’t be able to drive far. With the kids, he would’ve needed to stay close,” Cash reasoned.
“Unless he had a sitter.”
“Thought of that. Beth is going to ask around church to see if any of the women there were babysitting for him.”
“That it?” Shade asked.
“Pretty much. If I find out anything, you’ll be the first to know.” Cash went to open the door.
“Cash, while you’re flashing around Lewis’s picture, show them one of Brooke. She may be the more memorable of the two.”
“Will do.” Cash closed the door behind him.
Shade sat down behind his desk. If anyone could find the information he needed, it was Cash. The sooner, the better. He wanted concrete proof that Brooke was trying to kill Lily, and onc
e he had it, Brooke was going to get what she wanted. Someone was going to die.
Chapter 87
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Lily asked as he was cutting a piece of steak.
They were at King’s restaurant, enjoying lunch. He had surprised Lily by taking the afternoon off since she had been acting strangely the last few days. Whenever he had tried to probe about what was wrong, she had evaded his questions. Shade had begun to think it was nerves as her due date neared.
Shade looked up from his plate. “Go ahead.” He took the bite of steak he had just cut.
“Are you a Dom Dom or a Dom?”
The bite of steak in his mouth went down the wrong way and he began choking, needing several seconds to clear his throat. Taking a drink of his beer, he blinked back the water in his eyes as he stared across the table at his wife.
“Are you a Dom Dom or a Dom?”
“I heard you the first time,” Shade said hoarsely. “Quit saying that. It sounds like a sucker.”
Lily laughed, taking a bite of her own steak. “Are you embarrassed?”
“No, but I think we should talk about this when we’re at home.”
Lily looked at him from underneath her lashes, shrugging. “I want to talk about it now.”
The restaurant was crowded with customers eating their own lunch. King was standing beside the door, greeting the customers and seating them. It dawned on Shade why she was asking him right then. It was a neutral environment where the subject could be changed or diverted if it became uncomfortable for her. She could find an excuse to leave the table to talk to King.
He laid his fork on his plate. “What do you mean by a Dom Dom or a Dom?”
His wife straightened in her seat, trying to appear collected; however, her trembling fingers played with her water glass, exhibiting how nervous she truly was about his answers.
“I meant do you consider yourself a Master or someone who only does it occasionally?”
Shade considered her question carefully. “I am a Dom all the time. Although some men only do it when they want—when they feel the need to release the Dominant side of themselves—it’s not something I switch on and off.”