“You don’t have to tie me down to do that.”
“Would you enjoy it as much?”
Lily laughed, shaking her head at him as she wrapped an arm around his leg and laid her cheek against his thigh.
“Anyway you take me, I enjoy,” Lily confessed, staring up at him holding their child.
A serious look crossed her face before she laid her head back on his thigh. Shade reached down to smooth her tumbled hair.
“Thank you.”
“What for?” She looked up at him in confusion.
“For John.”
“You’re welcome, even though your fifty percent responsible for him being here. It’s not cramping your style being a dad?”
“Hell no, but I do have to admit to one thing,” Shade said in mock seriousness, leaning forward to hand her their child.
“What’s that?” She smiled worriedly, taking John into her arms. Then her nose wrinkled as she began laughing.
“Not crazy about changing his diapers.”
* * *
Shade jogged across the beach, feeling the warm sand under his bare feet. Drawing closer to the attractive woman sitting on the lounge chair in a dark blue bikini, he came to a stop.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked, staring down at Brooke’s surprised face which quickly turned pale. She sat up in her chair, looking around the exclusive beach resort. Seeing several people nearby, she relaxed.
“Yes. I’ll call security—”
“Why would you do that? Unlike you, it’s not my method to kill anyone with witnesses around.”
Shade sat down in the chair next to hers, and the waiter immediately approached for his order.
“Bring me what’s she having. A mojito?” Shade looked at her questioningly, and Brooke nodded. “Charge it to my room.”
Shade leaned back on the chair as the waiter left, feeling her eyes greedily taking in his tattooed chest. The sunglasses hid his eyes which were blazing with hatred for the woman.
“Did you really think you could hide from me when you skipped bail?”
“How did you find me?”
“Because I’m a nice guy, I’ll tell you. It was easy. All I had to do was follow the money trail. Merrick and your parents are providing you with ample funds, even enough to take care of that pesky scar Lily gave you, I see. It was smart to pick a place where the United States doesn’t have extradition.”
“I thought so. I left a letter in case…” Brooke replied smugly.
“In case you were killed? Yeah, I know that’s what you told Lily. Kaley told Train where he could find it. He said it only took one lick to her pussy before she was singing like a bird. You should have picked someone better to confide in. Needless to say, I destroyed it and the rest of the information on me you managed to fuck out of the poor sucker you had wrapped around your finger in the CIA. He no longer works for the agency, by the way.” Shade nodded to the waiter to place his drink on the table between the two chairs where Brooke’s drink was sitting.
“Why are you here?” Brooke took her sunglasses off, glancing around the beach once again.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t bring any of The Last Riders to drag you back to jail. You have nothing to fear from me. I promised Lily I wouldn’t lay a hand on you or shoot you.”
“You did? I’m beginning to wonder what I ever saw in you. You’ve become just like every other man I know—a pussy,” she said nastily.
Shade shrugged. “It was never my intention to impress you, anyway.”
Brooke’s eyes were caught by the striking woman walking down the beach toward them in the tiny, black bikini which barely covered her gorgeous body. The bottoms barely covered her front.
“You ready for lunch, Shade?” The woman had Brooke flushing in anger as she came to a stop by Brooke’s chair, forcing her to look up into the bright sun.
“Does your wife know you have a new whore?”
When the woman took a step forward, Shade got to his feet and caught her arm, holding her back.
“Here, take my drink and go over there and wait for me.” Shade handed her his drink then watched her walk away in appreciation.
Bringing his focus back to the sole reason he was here, he stood up. “Goodbye, Brooke.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Of course. It’s a beautiful day, and I don’t plan on spending another second of it with you.” Shade stood up and walked a few feet before she stopped him.
“I don’t understand. Why…?”
Shade paused, turning back to her. “What? Oh … I forgot to tell you. Evie said goodbye, too.” He began to walk away again. “Enjoy the sun, Brooke. It’s the last day you will ever fuckin’ feel it on your face.”
“Shade … wait!”
He didn’t stop. Walking away, he could hear the fear and frustration at his presence when she had thought she was out of his reach.
Shade dropped down in the lounge chair next to the woman who had helped him exact his revenge by being the perfect distraction.
“Finish your drink. Our plane leaves in a couple of hours.”
Killyama picked up her drink, staring in puzzlement at Brooke who was finishing her Mojito.
“That’s it?”
“Yes. I’m ready to go home.”
“So, we’re even now for you saving Fat Louise?”
“I told you that, if you came here with me for a week, the slate would be wiped clean.”
“I know, but I didn’t expect us to be staying in separate rooms when you said it.”
“Did you really expect me to cheat on Lily?” Shade asked with a raised brow.
“No, but I thought…”
“That it would be Train here when you arrived?”
Killyama remained silent, taking another sip of her drink.
“For what it’s worth, Train wasn’t happy when I called in all his IOUs. He’s going to be even madder when I tell him about that swimsuit you have on. He’ll probably never play poker with me again, and he’s my second best mark.”
Killyama grinned evilly. “I’ll let you take a picture to give the fucker something to think about. So, The Last Riders all know we’re here this week? How did you explain that to Lily?”
Screams and yells filled the air as people ran to the lounge chair where Brooke was hunched over, her body twisting and turning in excruciating pain.
Shade watched in pure fucking pleasure as she died.
“I told her I needed to set up a trial study for Rachel’s plant.”
Epilogue 1
Four Years Later
“I told you so,” Shade said, coming up behind her to place his arms around her protruding belly.
“What about this time?” Lily said softly.
“That Evie would have her baby first.”
“You bet against your own child?”
Shade shrugged. “King did, too.”
Evie shook her head at the two men as she settled on the couch. Lily handed her baby Sophia, who was sound asleep.
“John, don’t you dare eat that. It’s almost dinner time. Go tell Aunt Beth and Uncle Razer dinner’s ready.” Lily took the cupcake away, watching as John put on his coat before he ran out the front door. Then she pulled the wrapper off and took a bite of the pink cupcake.
“I’m telling,” Shade said, taking the cupcake away just to place the last bite in his mouth.
Evie and King shook their heads at the couple.
“You two shouldn’t fight on your anniversary.” Evie handed the baby to King.
Evie wasn’t the only one to blink back the tears at the expression on King’s face in that moment.
Shade handed his wife a napkin when she asked, “Can you take the turkey out of the oven for me?”
He went to the oven, pulling the gigantic bird out. “Couldn’t you find a bigger one?”
“That was the biggest.” Lily set the platter on the counter for him to transfer the turkey to before she went to place the sides on the table.
> Shade watched to make sure she didn’t try to lift anything too heavy.
John ran back in, holding the door for Beth and Razer and their children. He was glad he had listened to Lily’s suggestion when she had asked for a bigger dining room when he had rebuilt their home.
Shade relaxed during dinner. They had decided to have a family dinner before Lily and the others went to church. The following day, they would share Christmas dinner at the clubhouse.
Shade stayed home alone when everyone else went to church, using the opportunity to put together a few of the toys Lily had bought for John. He had barely managed to do half before they were back.
As Lily finished cleaning the kitchen, Shade took John upstairs for his bath where he shaved while his son played.
“Daddy?”
“Hmm?”
“Mommy said you married her on Christmas Eve.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m going to marry her on Christmas Eve when I grow up.”
Shade laughed, splashing water on his face then drying off with a towel. Picking another one up, he dried off his son before helping him dress in his pajamas.
“You can’t marry your mother when you grow up,” Shade said as they went into John’s bedroom.
“I can, too!”
Shade pulled the covers down, giving his son a stern glance.
John’s bottom lip trembled as he climbed into bed. “Why can’t I marry her?”
“Because she’s already taken. You have to catch your own.”
“How do I do that? Do I sneak up behind them and grab them?”