“That must be who’s been trying to kill her,” Shade said thoughtfully.
Shade saw the men pause and look at each other. “We weren’t aware someone had tried to kill her yet. We didn’t know until Friday, when Digger escaped, that he was aware of Callie. They found information that he had taken a hit out on Callie.
“Our wives have been tortured by this information. They love Callie and want to be reunited with her, but didn’t attempt to do so because they didn’t want to lead Digger to her. Ice was doing me a favor by trying to put a man in to keep an eye on Callie, and to be honest, make sure she was happy. That’s important to them.
“If you bring Callie here, she can confirm that she knows them. She was just eight, but she should have been old enough that she would recognize one of them. We have them waiting. When you bring Callie, I’ll send for our wives to be brought in.”
“What’re your wives’ names?” Shade questioned.
“Sawyer and Vida. Are you willing to bring Callie?” Colton asked.
“There’s a problem with that. She’s missing,” Shade said, carefully watching their reaction.
Shade could tell from their faces that they didn’t have Lily. They had told them what they knew. Viper could tell, too, which was why he lifted his hand. The two men disappeared from the edge of the cliff.
“You can have your man back. Any idea where Digger would take her?” Viper asked.
“No. He’s been in prison. We don’t know where the houses he operates are or which routes he still has open. The FBI have been trying to find information and can’t. That’s why they didn’t kill the bastard when they took him into custody.”
The sound of a motorbike filled the air as Train pulled into the lot behind Viper. Rip got off the back of the bike, going to his brothers who started cheering.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Shade’s voice snapped out.
“Jackal!” Ice yelled.
The man holding the gun moved it away from Penni’s head, and he gave her a shove forward.
She turned around and spat into his face. “Asshole.”
The men around him broke into jeers as she walked through their midst. When she reached Kaden and Colton, Kaden reached out to touch her, but she jerked her arm away, going straight to her brother and climbing on the back of his bike.
“How long has she been gone?” Ice asked.
“Since this morning,” Shade answered.
“Need some help?” Ice questioned, reaching his hand out for Viper to shake in truce.
Viper shook his hand. “Couldn’t hurt. Tell us what you know about Digger.”
Shade listened to the men, gradually coming to the conclusion that only one man had the power to save Lily.
It was time to call Lucky.
Shade took his cell phone out of his pocket, punching the dial button.
“Hello?”
“I need to see you. I’ll be there in twenty.” Shade disconnected the call, turning to Viper.
“You got this? I’m going to go see Lucky.”
“Go, I can handle this. The Porters are on the way. We’ll divide the town and county up and begin searching,” Viper told him.
“I’ll meet up with you after I drop Penni off and talk to Lucky. I’m going to get us some help,” Shade said.
“We’re going to need it.”
* * *
The knock came ten minutes earlier than he’d said he would be there, but Shade didn’t have time to waste.
“Come in.”
Shade walked into his office, seeing his brother standing by the window.
“Lucky, I wouldn’t ask if I had a choice.” Shade’s harsh voice sounded hollow in the room.
“I’ve stood looking out this window for a lot of years, Shade. It took me over a year after your father opened the investigation into the pipeline going through here to find a connection. Then I had to find a way into the community which wouldn’t arouse suspicion. I’m a month away from closing down a pipeline which runs through nine states, carrying drugs and guns, and you’re asking me to blow my cover for one woman when the men I’m getting ready to arrest have killed hundreds while I’ve had to sit and wait to get enough evidence to bring them all down. We have all the warrants, everything gone because of one woman.”
“Lucky,” Shade said, forced to do what he had never done before. “Brother, please. I can’t lose her. I’m not like you and the others. I can pretend I have emotions, but they’re not there for anyone. There’s nothing inside of me except shadows. Lily drives the shadows away. She feels everything. She can’t even stand to crush a fucking flower under her foot, and I don’t feel anything unless I’m with her. I can’t lose that. I waited so long for her. I’ve loved her for years; she’s only loved me for a few weeks.
“When I first saw her, all I could think about was fucking her. Then I saw her at the lake with Beth and I felt her fear, but I saw the look she gave to Beth. She loved and trusted her, knew that Beth wouldn’t let anything happen to her.” Shade swallowed hard, uncomfortable opening himself up to anyone, especially Lucky. “I wanted her to look at me that way, needed her to look at me that way. I wanted to give her a life away from the darkness I saw had touched her beautiful soul.”
Shade’s face twisted into a painful mask. “I’ve taken countless lives and never felt an ounce of emotion. That’s why they recruited me in the military. One psychologist even joked after my evaluation that I had been born without a soul, and it was true until that day at the lake. I fell in love with her that day. There is no other woman for me; there never will be. Lily is my gateway to Heaven. Without her, the only thing left for me is Hell.
“You used to believe in something more important than that badge you carry. I’m begging you to save me, brother, because as God is my witness, I will kill you if you don’t help me.”
“I wouldn’t do it for anyone else. Not my mother or any brother, not for a million fucking dollars, and especially not because of any fucking threat of yours. But I will for Lily.”
“Thank you.” Shade’s mind caught on something. “Wait a minute. You said you have the warrants? I think I know how we can get Lily back and serve those warrants at the same time. Call your boss.”
It took less than thirty minutes and several phone calls from both Lucky and Shade where they made promises which would have to be kept later when the government wanted their skills. However, neither man argued, agreeing to their terms.
“Lily is worth the price,” Lucky conceded then hung up the phone. “It’s all set. In thirty minutes, the warrants will be served.” He looked down at the phone. “We just sold our souls to get her back.”
Shade smiled grimly. “Then they got the short end of the stick. They’ll have to go to Hell to collect.”
Chapter 69
Shade stood outside Knox’s office, waiting for Lucky. They had found Lily, and she was safely inside with Beth. His hand still shook with the thought of being in the police car with Knox and Lucky when the call had come over that she had been found, and there was
a shootout in progress. Knox had floored the pedal, flying toward the location.
When they had arrived, he had been forced to wait for the FBI to give the all-clear and then gone ballistic when the Porters, who had managed to beat all the law enforcement officers there, had asked for an ambulance.
The moment he had walked in and seen Lily safe would remain in his memory for the rest of his life. Afterward, they had brought her to the sheriff’s office for a statement. As soon as they were done, he could take her home. It was going to be a while before he was going to let her out of his sight again.
Unfortunately, Lily was about to find out that another person she trusted wasn’t what they seemed.
“Ready?” Knox asked as he approached.
“Where’s Lucky?”
“He’s finishing up a call. He’ll be right in,” Knox said, opening the door.
“How did the Porters find me?” Lily was asking.
“I have no idea,” Shade heard Beth answer.
“I can answer that question.” Knox took a seat behind his desk.
Lily waited expectantly. “Well?”
“We’re waiting on someone. We promised we would until he arrived.” Shade walked to stand beside her chair, taking her hand.
Razer came into the office then, shutting the door behind him.
“What’s wrong?” Shade could tell Lily had figured out the news they had wasn’t going to be good.
“Nothing. There’s just a few things Razer and I haven’t told you. It’s not because we didn’t want to; it was because we couldn’t,” Shade answered as Razer moved to stare down at his wife.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Knox called out.
The door opened and Lucky came inside, closing the door with a serious expression instead of the affable one he normally wore around Lily and Beth. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, which Shade was sure was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the suits he usually had on.
The women gaping at him in shock weren’t staring at the jeans and shirt, though; they were gawking at the ATF jacket and hat he wore.