Shade wrapped a towel around his hips, leaving both women in bed with Razer as he went to his own room. Lying in the bed, he stared up at the dark ceiling for hours before he finally managed to find sleep.

Chapter 2

Razer had been right; it was a small town, and he saw her again much sooner than he had expected. The weather was warm, and several of the brothers wanted to go for a swim at the nearby lake. The women packed a couple coolers with beer before they headed out.

Shade was starting his bike when Sam climbed on behind him. He almost told her to get off then noticed the other brothers already had bitches on the back of their bikes. He would have preferred Evie or Jewell; at least they wouldn’t cling to him like a fucking leech. Regardless, the ride to the lake relaxed him despite Sam’s presence.

As Razer slowed down, making the turn onto the isolated spot where they could party in private, Shade was surprised to see Beth Cornett kneeling on a blanket while her sister swam.

He climbed off his bike without taking his eyes off Lily, who had frozen when she saw the motorcycles pull into the small lot. Shade swallowed hard as his eyes slid down the curves of her body while she merely stood in the water, her hands going to her breasts to cover the flesh left exposed by the pink bikini she was wearing. He was grateful the sunglasses he was wearing were dark enough to hide the lust he was sure would be visible, until he saw the terror in her beautiful face.

With so many eyes on her, she was petrified.

“Mind if we join you?” Razer asked as he walked up to Beth.

“Not at all, but as you can see, we’re about to leave.” Beth looked worriedly at Lily.

“We can’t tempt you to stay?” Shade heard Razer ask.

“No. We’ve been here awhile, and the sun is getting to us.”

“I bet that isn’t all that’s getting to you,” Sam said snidely, brushing up next to Razer. Her sharp gaze was pointed at Beth’s swimsuit top.

Everyone noticed how Beth blushed.

“Ignore her. She’s a bitch, but I’m sure you know that since you’ve lived around her longer than I have. Hi, I’m Evie.”

Shade was thankful for Evie and her kindness. They needed to know the people who lived in the town. It was the only way to gain trust and, therefore, answers.

“Hi,” Beth acknowledged while continuing not to take her eyes off Lily.

Standing, Beth pulled on her shorts self-consciously and was about to reach for her T-shirt when Razer made his move, already bending down to get it then holding it in his hand, playfully not letting go at her sharp tug.

“Everything all right?” Razer was staring at the still-frozen Lily.

“Yes, everything is fine.” Beth got a hold of her shirt then put it on.

“She okay?” At Evie’s question, Shade looked around at The Last Riders and saw the looks of concern they had for Lily, who was beginning to tremble.

“Hey, we can leave,” Razer offered, which Shade was part glad about, not wanting to scare the poor girl any further, and part sad because he wanted to watch her, talk to her, hold her, chase her fears away.

“No … No, it’s fine.” With the blanket in her hands, Beth walked slowly toward her sister. “Lily, I finished packing everything. Are you ready to leave?”

Shade watched as Beth tried to coax her out of the water.

Lily shied away from her, back into the water, and Beth stopped.

“Lily, please. They won’t hurt you. They haven’t even started drinking yet. You have nothing to be afraid of. Have I ever let any harm come to you?”

A small moan passed Lily’s trembling lips as she took a hesitant step toward Beth, and Shade felt a primal urge to protect her at the sound.

“That’s it, sweetheart," Beth praised.

“For Heaven’s sake, leave, bitches. No one wants you here anyway.” Sam’s loud mouth had Shade clenching his hands into fists. He wanted to shut the stupid bitch up, but he didn’t want to make a sudden move that would frighten Lily further.

“Shut up,” Evie hissed quietly.

“Why do I have to shut the fuck up? That skinny slut thinks she’s better than us—”

Fortunately, Evie smacked Sam on the mouth, silencing her. “I told you to shut up.”

The other women surrounded her, moving Sam away from the water so Beth would have a clear path to get Lily to their car.

“Beth…” Hearing Lily’s broken voice for the first time, Shade knew he would never forget it.

“Come on, sweetheart; a few more steps.”

Lily walked within reach of Beth as Shade motioned the brothers back, giving the women even more room. He gritted his teeth as Beth wrapped Lily protectively into her arms and pulled her from the water. She was almost paralyzed with fear, her eyes blank and focused on the terror in her mind.

Shade easily recognized the signs of someone who had been traumatized. Having fought overseas, it wasn’t the first time he had seen an incapacitating panic attack. He wanted to snatch the woman from her sister’s arms and be the one to protect her. However, he forced himself to stand still as Razer said something to Beth before she drove away.

“Let me go.” Sam tore her arm away from Evie’s tight grip. “I don’t know why you’re all acting like pussies around those stuck-up bitches.” She kicked off her tennis shoes before removing her shorts. “I’m going swimming. Any of you going to join me?” She ran into the water, her white ass jiggling until the water covered her.

Train and Rider both jumped into the water as the other women took off their own clothes.

Shade made no move to join them; instead, going to the cooler to pull out a beer. Taking a long swallow, he sat down on his bike and watched the others skinny-dip and get drunk.

No one tried to coax him into participating. When he wanted to join in, he would. If he didn’t, he would remain alone, watching over them to make sure they were all safe and no one was hurt from partying too hard. Right then, he wasn’t interested in getting shit-faced; he was too busy analyzing his reaction to a girl who was too young for him.

No one had ever made him feel the least amount of emotion, and he had been that way for as far back as he could remember. His first memory was of when his mother had reached out to stroke his hair. He had seen the hurt in her eyes when he had pulled away.

She had blamed his father for his being detached because he was constantly gone on deployment and moving them whenever the military gave him a new assignment. His father had tried to bond with him yet couldn’t reach past his emotionless barrier. Eventually, the fights between his parents had escalated until it had resulted in divorce. They had given him a choice of who to live with, and he had chosen his father for the sole reason that he didn’t try to hug or get into Shade’s physical space.

When his father had remarried, Shade was older and had learned to plaster a fake smile on his face and have other kids over to play, pretending to be normal. When Penni had been born, he had said “ooh” and “ahh” like everyone else, having learned what reactions to portray. He had watched and observed others, perfecting the mask he showed the world while inside, he had remained cold and unattached to everyone.

As he had grown older and matured, he had realized there was something seriously fucked-up with him. He felt no attachment to anyone. The deaths of relatives meant nothing to him. Watching others cry and grieve was as foreign to him as those who fell in love. If he had been raised by someone less caring or in an abusive home, he would have probably turned out to be a monster who went off the deep end and eventually took innocent lives.