A shot rang out from the back of the house. “Got one,” Lily heard Rachel’s yell.
“Is that Rachel?” Lily asked.
“Hell, yes, there’s nobody better with a twenty-two. If they try coming through that back door, they’ll be meeting the undertaker in town,” Tate said, taking a bead on someone outside and letting go with a shot. “Greer, you take the ones on the right. Dustin, the left.
“Which ones you going to take?” Greer asked, shooting again.
“I’m going to take the rest of the ones you two miss,” Tate answered, letting go with several shots, one after the other.
As Tate stopped for a second as if he was listening to something, Lily saw the black earpiece in his ear. He must have been listening to someone talking because moments later, she heard him tell them to send for an ambulance.
“They’ll be here in five. Brothers, if you got them, shoot them. I don’t want a motherfucker left standing. They’ll laugh us out of the county if they hear the police had to help us.”
At that, the men began shooting in earnest, and Lily had to put her hands over her ears.
Another round of gunfire sounded from the back.
“Got two more!” Rachel yelled.
Lily caught King’s astounded expression. “What were you saying about my town dealing with men like you?”
“Hold up. They want us to quit shooting. They’re afraid we’ll shoot them. Pussies are scared to come any closer,” Tate said, shooting once more before standing up. “Let’s go see if any of them are breathing. Dustin, you stay here with Rachel and Lily.”
Still more gunfire was coming from the back.
“Rachel, quit shooting. Get out here!” Tate yelled.
Rachel came running into the room, carrying a rifle in her hand. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and Lily could tell she was having as much fun as her brothers.
She dropped down next to Lily on the floor. “I got a couple more. Did you keep count of how many you shot?” she asked her brothers.
Tate and Greer were opening the door. “More than you,” Greer bragged before they went out the door.
She turned to Lily. “Did he?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t keep count,” Lily replied, dumbfounded by her attitude.
Rachel flashed her a grin that was as full of it as her brother’s. “They like to throw it up to me that they’re better shots. I’ll get a copy of the police report from Knox and count them up.”
She turned and saw King. “You’re the guy who broke down in town.” She raised her gun to point it at him.
“He’s okay, Rachel. He’s my father.”
Rachel lowered her gun. “He’s the one who kidnapped you?” Rachel asked.
“Yes,” Lily answered her question. She would tell her the rest of it later.
“Dammit,” Rachel cursed.
“What?” Lily asked.
“That’s strike three.”
Lily heard several feet running from outside, and then the door pushed open for Shade, Viper and Razer to run in.
“Shade.” Lily couldn’t help her broken sob when she said his name. She’d been so scared she wasn’t going to see him again.
“Lily.”
If she’d ever doubted her husband’s love for her, all she would need to do is remember his face when he saw her. He ran, picking her up and holding her tightly in his arms. All the fear he had suffered and the relief at finding her safe showed his love more than a thousand words.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” She hugged him back then stood still. “Are you crying?” she asked, astounded.
“No.”
Chapter 41
“Can we go home yet?” Lily asked again. She was sitting on a chair in Knox’s office, waiting for Shade with Beth sitting next to her, holding her hand.
“They’ll let us know. It shouldn’t be much longer.”
Knox had led Shade and her in here after they had left the house that King had taken her to. The ambulance had taken away King while two other ambulances had to be called along with the coroners from three counties to deal with the bodies.
“How did the Porters find me?” Lily asked.
“I have no idea,” Beth responded as Knox and Shade came in.
“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. Lily could tell from their faces that the news they had wasn’t going to be good.
“What’s wrong?”
“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 her question as Razer moved to stare down at his wife.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Knox called out.
The door opened and Pastor Dean came inside, closing the door with a serious expression instead of the affable one he normally wore. He was also dressed as she had never seen him before. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which was unusual enough, but the ATF jacket and hat was what had both her and Beth sitting in shock.
“Beth, Lily.”
“Why are you wearing that?” Lily asked, standing up, her face tuning pale.
“Because I’m an ATF Special Agent.”
Lily wanted to run from the room, but that was the old Lily who always ran away, afraid to face her nightmares. She wasn’t going to run this time.
“I’ve been undercover since I took over your father’s church. It’s taken me this long, and over forty agents, to shut down a pipeline that carried drugs and firearms through nine different states.”
Lily stood, listening to him, and all she could think of was how much she had confided in him over the years.
“When Cash joined the military, he never forgot you two. He was especially sickened with Beth’s treatment and he knew it wouldn’t be much longer before Lily would be receiving the same. Shade’s father, Will Hunter, had retired, and so Cash asked him to stop by Treepoint to check on you two.”
Lily’s eyes flew to Shade at the mention of the former Sheriff.
“I was going to tell you when Dad came back into town next week. Think, Lily; why would I hide that from you when I’ve confessed to much worse than that?”
Lily nodded, believing him.
“When he stayed here those few days, Will decided he liked it enough to stay indefinitely. He and his wife both were tired of moving around so much and wanted a break from it.
“They settled here, and as you both know, it wasn’t long before he gained enough respect to become Sheriff. That’s where his military training came in handy. He soon discovered the pipeline and notified the proper authorities.” Dean walked further into the office, leaning against the corner of Knox’s desk.
“This is where the conversation becomes confidential.” He stared at both of the women with silent warning. “I had left the military and joined The Last Riders. I had been in the Seals and had served as a military Chaplin, but when I left the service, I no longer felt the call to serve as a pastor, so I left that part of my life behind. But I wasn’t content. I missed the action of being in the military, so when the CIA approached The Last Riders to become a paramilitary group, we accepted.
“That’s how we ended up in Treepoint to begin an investigation. The ATF offered me a position as a Special Agent to lead the investigation, but I had to go undercover to do so. The people who had begun developing leads ended up dead, so I waited for a way to enter the community that would be above suspicion.”
“Our parents’ death created the perfect opportunity,” Beth said; her face had gone as white as Lily’s as she gazed at Razer.
“Sadly, yes. I’m sorry.” Dean paused then continued, “I became Pastor Dean and began my investigat
ion. It’s taken me all these years to gather enough evidence to win my cases. I was a week away from making my arrests. I even had the warrants ready to go, but it all came crashing down today. “
“Why today?” Beth asked. Lily watched her sister calmly asking questions while she just wanted to get out of there.
“Because of Lily. We pooled all our available resources together, but to do that, I had to break my cover.”
Lily felt sickened. She was hurt that Pastor Dean wasn’t the man he’d pretended to be, but she didn’t want his work to have been in vain, nor did she want the criminals, who were hurting others, to remain free.
“I’m sorry,” Lily said.
“Thanks to Shade’s quick thinking, we were able to serve the warrants in a two-hour mass bust and were able to arrest three-fourths of the people we were after, and we’re confident we’ll be able to locate the remaining ones.”
“How?” Lily asked, relieved.
“We had interagency cooperation. It was one of the deals Shade made for The Last Riders. In return, they sold the pending patents’ right to a technical computer system for pennies on the dollar than they would have made.
Lily and Beth realized what all The Last Riders had given up. They had sacrificed millions of dollars for Lily’s rescue.
“One of the conditions was that they had to use their technology to help find you.”
Lily remembered the plane buzzing overhead while she had been in the house.
“When you were located, the Porters were the closest. That’s how they got there first. They’re never going to let us live it down. They want Dustin’s record expunged for their cooperation. I’ll see they get what they want. They deserve it.” Pastor Dean stood up straight, looking at Lily.
She honestly didn’t know what to say to the man; she had admired him for years as a role model, as someone to look up to. She took a shuddering breath, stepping forward. She reached up, kissing him on his cheek. “Thank you.”
She heard a chair scrape and she spun around, seeing Shade couldn’t hide his expression fast enough.
“Don’t you dare,” Lily said, pointing a finger at him. Shade managed to control himself, taking a seat back in the vacant chair.
“I think you just returned the favor,” Dean said, smiling.
When Beth would have gotten up, Razer pressed her back down in her chair with a hand on her shoulder.
“I have to go. I still have a lot of reports to finish today. I also have to find a new minister for the church.”
Lily didn’t know how anyone would live up to the standard he had set.
“You never know… you missed the military when you left it; you may miss the church,” Lily said with hope.
Dean looked at both sisters briefly before going to the door and opening it. “Perhaps. I was blessed to meet two angels, so miracles can happen. We’ll have to wait and see,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“Show-off,” Shade said, standing up. “I called you an angel first, remember that.”
Lily laughed, breaking the tension. “Can we go home now?”
“Yes,” Shade said, still irritated
“Can I make a stop on the way and see my dad?” Lily asked.
“Yes.”
Lily laughed at his short response, reaching up to kiss him on his cheek. “Does that make it better?”
His blue eyes smiled down at her as he put his arm around her shoulders.
She turned to Beth, who had lost her paleness and was now giving Razer heck with her eyes for not confiding in her. He was going to have a lot of making up to do. Lily thought about suggesting a new shower; it might do the trick.
“Would you like to go, Beth?”
“Yes. I’m looking forward to meeting him. When I first saw him, when he brought you, Dad said he was from the adoption agency.”
“That reminds me, Lily. That strongbox you found contained your fake birth certificate. Cash sent it off to a buddy of his, and they tracked down your real one. It came in the afternoon mail.” Knox handed it to her.
Lily took the envelope, staring down at it. After all these years, she didn’t need a paper to tell her a single thing. It had come too late. She already knew who she was.
Chapter 42
Lily was sitting on the side of the bed, brushing her hair, with Shade lying down on his side in the bed, watching her.
“What’s going to happen to him?” Lily asked.
“Not much, since you’ve already told Knox that you weren’t kidnapped, it was a family reunion. Several government agencies aren’t very happy with you right now.”
Lily shrugged her shoulders, not concerned. “How about that man who was after him?”
“He’s a different matter. Since he believes in letting everyone do his dirty work for him, he wasn’t hurt. He’s in Knox’s jail, waiting for the Texas Rangers to come and get him. I imagine he’s planning more song and dance, holding the whereabouts of those women to himself.”
“I hope not. I’m going to pray for him to let those women go tonight.”
“You do that, Lily. I have a feeling he’s going to need your prayers tonight,” Shade said, stroking her back.
Lily set her hairbrush on the table then stood up, looking down into her husband’s eyes. “It’s my turn.”
She watched Shade’s grin widen as he scooted over on the bed, patting the mattress. She knew exactly what he was expecting, what she always chose—him making sweet, passionate love to her where she felt like the most precious woman on earth. She knew she was blessed and would remember to thank God every day.
Lily shook her head. “Uh, uh. I want you to stand up.”
Shade didn’t try to hide his surprise. He scooted out of the bed, standing next to it. She went around the room, turning the overhead light off, leaving the bedside lamps on. Then she went to his cabinet, opening the side that was his. Turning, she walked to stand directly in front of him where she took off her robe and tossed it onto the chair by their bed.
Looking at Shade’s astonished expression as she stood completely naked, she knelt in front of him, placing her hands on her lap, palms up. She lowered her head to her chest, giving him the complete submission Shade would never demand or ask from her.
He stood there in silence for several seconds.
“You did very well, Lily. Thank you.” She heard him clear his throat. “The other night I told you that you were not allowed to kiss other men to show your gratitude, yet you did so today, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I also said one man in particular you were not allowed to touch. Who was it?”
“Pastor Dean, Sir.”
“Have you got anything to say for yourself?
“I’m very sorry, Sir. I won’t do it again.”
“Thank you for your apology, but that won’t get you out of your punishment.”
“I didn’t think it would, Sir. I deserve your punishment for disobeying you.”
As Shade went to his cabinet, she wanted to watch what he was doing, yet she kept her eyes forward.
“Lay down on the bed.”
Lily immediately went to the bed and lay down. She heard a package open and close then Shade was on the bed, bending between her thighs. She felt something cold and slick then Shade was sliding something inside of her.
“Sir?”
“I didn’t give you permission to talk.”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
She felt another cold object inserted inside of her and then Shade climbed off the bed, going to the bathroom. Lily heard the running water.
“You did very well, Lily. Since this is the first time I used them on you, I will tell you that I inserted two metal balls inside of you. They will add to our enjoyment tonight. Now, I want you to get up and get dressed.”
Lily almost broke and spoke; instead, she dressed in the clothes that Shade handed her: a new pair of tight, black jeans and a sweatshirt then a thick jacket and boots. Lily dressed with
out talking. Shade also dressed and then waited for her by the bedroom door.
They left their house, walking behind it, down the pathway. When Shade got on the bike, she expected him to hand her a helmet, but he didn’t. She couldn’t hide her grin, getting on behind him.
The metal balls had generated a thrill of excitement as she had walked. She could already feel herself getting wet and warm. She thought sitting down would decrease the effect; she was wrong, especially when the throbbing, roaring motorcycle went wide open on a dark mountain road. She couldn’t prevent her moans after five minutes. She didn’t have an orgasm; no, it was a tease. The balls and the throbbing motorcycle drove her from one peak after another without letting her come. Her hands held onto the front of his jeans for dear life while all she wanted was to rip those jeans open and beg him to take her.
It was one of the warmer days of winter. It was cold but not unbearable. As Shade slowed his bike, turning into a clearing, Lily recognized they were in a private cove off the lake where she had first seen Shade and the other Last Riders. Shade cut the bike off not far from the water. They sat there in the quiet for a few minutes, but Lily couldn’t sit without moving around on the seat.
“I remember the day I saw you here in the lake. I’ve thought of how beautiful you were and how frightened you looked. I wanted to protect and fuck you at the same time. I thought the years I had to wait for you were a nightmare, but all those days and years combined didn’t equal the torture of not knowing where you were today and that I couldn’t protect you.”
Lily didn’t care if she got in trouble; she got off the bike, coming around to face him. She touched his face, rubbing her thumb over his smooth cheek. “Shade, I’m not going to say I’m not afraid of dying because I am. Everyone is. But today, what I was most afraid of wasn’t dying; it was the fear of being separated from you. I prayed that, if I died, I would forget you because I knew, if I remembered you, I would be in Hell.”
Shade jerked her to him, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth, exploring every part as if he was memorizing the feel and taste of her. When Lily’s mouth broke away from his passionate kiss, gasping for breath—her hands full of his t-shirt—Shade was gasping as much as she was.