Shade's Fall

by Jamie Begley

“I thought Beth would have been here by now,” Lily stated, noticing Train and Cash were pouring drinks at the bar.

  “Beth won’t be here tonight. Mrs. Langley had surgery to remove her gall bladder and she’s staying with her at the hospital,” Evie said, taking a seat across from her.

  Lily looked at Shade sharply before her eyes went back to the bar where several members were going back and forth, taking beers.

  “But I need to talk to her.”

  “I’m sure you do, but it’s not going to make a difference.” Shade replied.

  Lily’s hand went to her wrist as Viper and Winter came in through the front door. A breath of relief left Lily. Winter would drive her back to college or drop her off at her house.

  Viper stopped at the bar long enough to take a beer and the couple came to sit down on the couch, forcing Lily to slide closer to Shade.

  Winter sat next to Lily. “I’m relieved to see you up. How’s it going?” Winter asked.

  “Fine,” Lily said, not letting her eyes go to the beer bottle in Viper’s hand. “Do you think you could give me a ride back to my house? I really need to get back to school.”

  “You’re going to be staying here. Didn’t Shade tell you?”

  “He mentioned it, but—”

  “Did he tell you why?” Viper asked, looking at Shade.

  “Yes, he did. Someone tried to hit me with a car then break in my house, but at school, I’ll be perfectly safe.”

  “Lily, when Cash followed the prints to who tried to break into your house, they led to the house behind yours. Someone’s been watching you for some time.”

  “That house belongs to a couple who vacation here a couple of times a year. It’s usually empty,” Lily explained.

  “Knox traced the ownership of the house to a corporation and that’s as far as he can get. Cash said that whoever has been staying there is watching your house. There were video cameras, Lily.”

  Lily felt frightened that someone would invade their privacy to that extent.

  Winter took her hand. “That’s not all.”

  “Your dorm room had listening devices planted there. There’s really no safe place for you to stay other than here, for now. Cash and Knox are both trying to find out who could be doing this, but until they do, you have to be patient. At your home, you would inevitably be alone, but what if Beth or Razer’s presence didn’t deter them? You don’t want them hurt because you didn’t take our help, do you?” Viper’s harsh words had her shaking her head in denial.

  “Of course not.”

  “Good, then everything is settled.” Lily was glad Winter was relieved. She just wished she could say the same thing.

  “I was afraid you wouldn’t listen to reason. I’m sure Beth will be relieved, too. She doesn’t want you unhappy, but she wants you safe,” Viper told her.

  “I know.” Lily didn’t know what else to do or say. She really didn’t want to stay here. They were obviously used to living a lifestyle that she didn’t fit into; however, it was the only option she had available right then.

  Viper took another drink of his beer and someone turned the music up louder. Winter and Evie started talking about Mrs. Langley while Lily half-listened as her eyes wandered the room, which had several sitting areas. The members had spread out throughout the large room.

  Her gaze caught on Bliss sitting with Cash. She had leaned forward and her top had fallen open at her breasts. Cash’s hands had come out, tracing the outline of a tattoo that Lily couldn’t see.

  She hastily turned her gaze away, joining into the conversation with Evie and Winter. She felt Shade get up then return. He handed her a bottled water while she saw he had a beer in his hand.

  Lily ran her hand nervously through her hair. She desperately wanted to snap her rubber band, yet she didn’t want him asking why in front of the others.

  She noticed then Cash and Bliss walking up the steps to the upper floor.

  Winter leaned sideways, breaking off her conversation with Evie. “The members will watch how they behave around you for a while, but eventually you’ll walk into an embarrassing situation. Just do what I do: leave the room.” Winter’s face was blood red as she talked, letting Lily know she was as uncomfortable as Lily was discussing the topic.

  “At least she did the first few times,” Viper corrected her, cutting into the conversation.

  Winter threw Viper a dirty look.

  “Bring it on, pretty girl,” Viper warned.

  Winter’s face went an even darker shade of red.

  Evie got up. “Anyone want another beer?”

  “I’ll take one,” Viper spoke up.

  Lily started fiddling with the rubber band around her wrist.

  “Sorry, Lily. The men might refrain from acting inappropriate around you, but there’s no way to keep them from their alcohol.” Winter said.

  Lily couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing. “I guess beer outranks sex.”

  They laughed in return and Lily began to get as comfortable as she could, which wasn’t much, but it was a start. When none of the men drank excessively or acted out of control, Lily had the feeling they were trying to accumulate her slowly. She didn’t know whether to be charmed or angry at their behavior.

  Evie sank back down in her chair, taking a long swallow of her own beer.

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Lily’s face went pale at Evie’s suggestion of her taking a drink. “I was only joking,” Evie said in apology.

  Shade’s hand went to her face. “Stop it, Lily. No one expects you to drink. Okay? Evie was only joking like she would with anyone else.”

  Lily nodded her head. Would she never be able to act normal? Lily didn’t feel like she fit in anywhere.

  “I think living here for a while might be good for me.” Lily always tried to look on the bright side of things. “I need to get used to being around different people. This will make me quit being sensitive about people drinking around me. I wonder if cowboys drink a lot.” Lily looked at Evie this time, being the one to make a joke.

  “Like a fish,” she answered.

  Chapter 15

  Lily stifled her yawn as she looked at her cards. She and Shade had been playing several games of poker with Winter and Viper.

  “It’s time for bed if you’re going to start back at the factory tomorrow,” Shade told Lily when Winter reached forward to claim her winnings, which were mainly IOUs for punishments. Lily had been told they usually played for money, but Winter preferred to play for punishments; that way, when she got in trouble and had to pull a punishment, she would cash in one of her IOUs.

  “I haven’t had to do a punishment in six months,” she bragged.

  Viper ruffled his wife’s hair. “Unless it was the ones you wanted.”

  Winter slapped his hands away. Lily got to her feet, smiling down at the couple. “I’ll probably have to find another way to pay you back for my IOUs. I probably won’t be around long enough to pay all those back.”

  Winter looked doubtfully up at Lily, but replied, “I’m sure we’ll work out an arrangement.”

  “Goodnight,” Lily said, following Shade to the door that went downstairs. They went down the steps, Lily feeling terrible about taking Shade’s room from him for the next several days.

  She went into his room, going to get her pajamas, which were sitting on the chair.

  She stiffened when the bedroom door closed and Shade went to one side of the bed, pulling off his t-shirt as he went.

  “What are you doing?” Lily asked, shocked.

  “Going to bed.”

  “Oh, where am I sleeping?”

  “In the bed next to me.”

  “No, I’m not.” Lily shook her head.

  “Yes, you are.”

  “No, Shade, I’m not.”

  “I don’t sleep on couches.”

  “Then I will,” Lily said firmly.

  “What are you going to do if one of the brothers stumbles into the downstairs d
runk?” Lily looked at the door fearfully as Shade continued, “This room is off-limits, but the other rooms, not so much. We have an open-bedroom policy.”

  “Even Winter and Viper?”

  “You think you’re going to put Viper out of his bed?” Shade asked with a raised brow.

  No, she didn’t. No one was going to make Viper do anything he didn’t want to do, and she had seen the obvious way Viper’s hand had intentionally stroked his wife’s thigh under the table. It was hard to miss with Winter constantly swatting it away.

  “No, but maybe Evie?”

  “Evie doesn’t sleep alone; none of the women do. Go get changed, Lily. I’m tired. It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve shared a room.”

  Lily went into the bathroom, getting changed into her pajamas. When she was done, she went back into the bedroom to see Shade was already in bed. She came to a stop, knowing she couldn’t get in the bed with him.

  Sighing, Shade got out of bed, moving the chair out of the corner. Sliding it over, he took her arm and led her to the corner. “This is your safe place in the bedroom. Anytime anything scares you or makes you feel uncomfortable, you can come here. I won’t come near you here.”

  Shade turned and walked away, Lily couldn’t tear her eyes away from his lean body. Shade didn’t have an ounce of fat on him, but his muscles were firm and lithe.

  Shade climbed back into bed, pulling the thin blanket over him.

  “Can I have a blanket?”

  “No,” he said, turning out the light.

  The light from the bathroom remained on, keeping the bedroom from being dark. Thanking God for small mercies, she stood there, debating what to do next. She could wait until he fell asleep and maneuver the covers away from him or at least take the pillow, but she really didn’t like being sneaky.

  After standing for several minutes, she reached out to pull the large chair toward her.

  “Leave the chair where it is.”

  Lily could not believe how mean he was being to her, but she didn’t dare take the chair anyway.

  She stood there a while before she quietly slid down the wall, sitting on the floor as she waited for him to say something. When he didn’t, she closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall.

  Lily dozed off, waking several times during the night to try to make herself more comfortable.

  She woke up completely around six-thirty, stiffly getting to her feet. Not trying to be quiet, she looked in the drawers for her underwear, slamming each one closed until she found what she was looking for, hoping she would wake Shade and deprive him of a little sleep. She then went to the closet, opening the door.

  “Wear the purple one.”

  Lily jumped, startled, turning to see him watching her from the bed. Aware she had succeeded in waking him, she took the purple dress and closed the closet with a snap.

  Lily went to the bathroom, taking her time in the shower. She had dressed and was blow drying her hair when a knock sounded on the door.

  “Unless you want to share, you need to hurry up.”

  Lily unplugged the hairdryer and picked up the brush, taking her time to brush out her hair.

  Finally she unlocked the door. Expecting Shade to move to the side, she found herself pressed up against the bathroom door.

  “Lily, I’m coming to the conclusion that you’re a little spoiled, and while I won’t mind doing so occasionally after you’ve earned such rewards from me, now is not the time to piss me off.”

  Lily gasped as she felt his penis behind his shorts press against her mound with just the material of the shorts and her dress between them.

  Lily started to panic when he stepped away, going into the bathroom. She could tell he wasn’t going to wait for her to leave before he used the restroom, so she shut the door hastily before he could take care of his business. She almost went to her corner, but she was wary of him making her stand the entire morning there. She instead busied herself by making the bed and straightening the room.

  Shade opened the bathroom door, coming out with just a towel wrapped around his lean waist.

  Lily ran to the corner, not appreciating the mocking laughter as he removed his clothes from the drawers. She turned to the wall when he started to drop the towel. She heard the rustling of his clothes as he dressed and the stamping of his feet as he put on his boots.

  “Let’s go eat breakfast, unless you want to stand there longer.”

  Lily moved to follow him, but he stopped her with his hand going to her jaw, making her look him in the face. She didn’t try to hide her resentment.

  “That’s two, for slamming the drawers.”

  “Two what?” Lily asked in confusion.

  “Two smacks on your ass. I’ll keep a total and Friday will be the day we clean the slate and start over,” Shade said, ushering her out of the door.

  “You have lost your mind if you think I’m going to stand still and let you spank me.”

  “You won’t be standing; your ass will be turned over my knee.”

  “Sure, Shade. Anything you say, Shade,” Lily said mockingly, too angry to be scared.

  Today was only Wednesday. She planned to be long gone before Friday rolled around. In the meantime, let him count as high as he wants to; his hand isn’t going anywhere near my butt again, Lily thought confidently.

  * * *

  “Can’t you go any faster?” Georgia complained.

  The day hadn’t started off the best; she was tired and grumpy from sleeping in the corner and her mind was coming up empty with alternative places to stay. Leave it to Georgia to catch her distraction.

  “Yes. I’m sorry I’m taking so long.” Lily really wanted to say something unkind, yet she bit back the response. Shade’s bad manners were rubbing off on her. She was afraid because she hadn’t even been back a full day and Lily wanted to snap back at the woman.

  During break, she had called Charles to find he had left town again. She thought about calling Miranda, but she had a small child and Lily didn’t really want to endanger them. Besides that, she had a feeling she was still angry with her.

  She had one other option and she wanted to talk to Beth before she did. She could stay with Penni; she was sure. It would solve all their problems by getting her out of Kentucky until they could find out who was watching and trying to hurt her. It would be a win-win situation.

  The day ended without further comment from Georgia, and Lily walked with Shade back to his room.

  Their workout session and dinner were spent with Lily saying as little as possible to the man. She was disappointed to see that Beth didn’t show up again that night, and Winter also was a no-show with a PTA meeting. She was stuck with Shade, who didn’t seem to mind her silent treatment.

  After dinner, she thought he would go into the main room, and she was about to excuse herself when he surprised her.

  “I need to check on some work going on at my house. Do you want to come with me?” he asked.

  “Sure.” Lily walked out the back door with him into the huge backyard.

  Beth had told her one of the reasons Viper’s brother, Gavin, had wanted this property was because of the amount of land. Shade’s house was being built behind Beth and Razer’s. It was nestled up higher than the main house and Beth’s with a wraparound porch and a main path, which led to each of them before it divided: one side leading to Beth’s and the other to Shade’s.

  Shade opened the door, coming into what seemed to be the living room and dining room combo. It was an open-concept house where you could see through the whole downstairs. The walls were all dry-walled and the subfloors had been laid.

  Shade walked into the kitchen where none of the cabinets or anything had been placed. There was a small, fold-up table and two metal chairs sitting in the room with several books lying on top.

  Shade looked around the room, moving from one area to the other.

  Lily looked at him curiously. “What are you doing?”

  “Trying t
o figure out where I want the island to go and which wall for the appliances.”

  “Start with where you want the sink, which is obviously by the window.” She pointed toward said window.

  “Why by the window?”

  “So you can look out while you do the dishes,” Lily explained.

  “What about the stove?”

  Lily looked around the room and pointed to the wall on the right. “That way you can keep an eye on the room while you’re cooking; the other wall you would have your back to the room.

  “That’s true, but the exhaust fan would break the line of sight.”

  Lily agreed, temporarily forgetting she was angry at him.

  Shade finally decided to place it against the wall Lily had pointed out.

  He sat down at the table, going through floor samples, which Lily helped him narrow down to hardwood then the type of wood. Next he picked out cabinets, but when Lily made a face, he turned over several more pages until she found one she thought would suit the style of the house.

  “I’m surprised. I thought you would try to talk me into a country-looking kitchen, but you’re guiding me into a more modern look.”

  Lily smiled. “I’m surprised you know the difference. I like the modern look for the clean lines and angles.”

  “I do, too.” Shade closed the books. “That’s enough for today. It will take a couple of weeks to get it done then I can pick out the fixtures for the bathrooms.”

  “Make sure you have one put in like you do now. Your shower is amazing.”

  “I like it, too, but I was thinking of going a little bigger here.”

  “How much bigger do you need? It’s already big enough for several people.” It dawned on Lily as soon as the words were out of her mouth that he had probably shared his shower many times with the women members. Lily closed the book she was looking at with a snap, getting to her feet without looking at him.

  “Ready?” she asked. “If you need to stay, I can go back by myself.”

  “I’m finished,” Shade replied, going to the door, turning off the lights on the way.

  They walked back to the house, and instead of going through the kitchen, he led her through the door, which led directly downstairs.