“I don’t want to scare her,” his father argued back.

“If she doesn’t take you seriously, Lily will be put in danger again. If you tell her the truth, she’ll watch Lily closer or keep her away entirely.”

“Lily’s the one you’re concerned about? What’s going on with you two?” Concerned eyes met his in the mirror.

“Nothing.” Shade looked out the squad car’s windows before opening the door to slide out. “Have your deputies do patrols around her house, too.”

“Anything else?”

“Tell Rachel I said hi.” Shade hadn’t been able to visit his stepmother lately, and he was getting tired of her text messages asking him to come by.

Shade quickly disappeared into the trees bordering the sheriff’s office. He had one more stop to make before he could return to the clubhouse.

He watched the church until he was sure no one was inside except Lucky. The dumb fuck left the doors open until he went to bed at night, in case a parishioner wanted to stop by for a chat. Shade had warned him that, if his cover was blown, anyone out for revenge could walk right in to take him out, but he wouldn’t listen.

Shade didn’t knock on Lucky’s office door; he simply went in and closed the door behind him.

Lucky wasn’t surprised to see him, either.

“Is that all you do, play Peeping Lucky when you’re bored?” Shade took a seat in the chair in front of Lucky’s desk.

“I don’t have a lot to keep me occupied,” Lucky replied, turning away from the window. “How’s your dad?” The comment let Shade know he had seen him get out of his father’s car.

The windows behind his desk faced the sheriff’s office, the ones on the left faced office buildings behind the church, and the windows to the right faced the diner. He had the whole town under his surveillance without leaving his fucking office.

“He’s fine. I was just telling him someone cut Beth’s brake line.” That time, it was Shade watching for Lucky’s reaction.

“Do you know who did it?”

“No, they didn’t leave a calling card behind,” Shade answered sharply.

“I gave Razer his chance. Has he used it?” Lucky decided to change topics and acknowledge the elephant in the room. “I’ve avoided her and her calls, but I’m not waiting forever for Razer to make up his mind.”

“He waited for you. When the other men in the unit left your ass in that village, Razer waited. You kept him waiting for three days while you helped that sick family. Razer got you back to the unit safely when no one else gave a fuck. He put his life on the line for you.”

“I don’t need you to remind me; I remember. What am I supposed to do, just pretend I don’t care about her?”

“Let’s be real, Lucky; you don’t. She’s a beautiful woman, and you haven’t had any pussy for a couple of years. I told you to pretend to go on a sabbatical for a couple of days and visit the Ohio clubhouse.”

“I won’t do that.”

Shade shook his head. “Then, brother, I suggest you pull out the soap and grab a shower, because Beth isn’t going to be the one to help you with your blue balls. Razer will make his move.”

Lucky took a seat behind his desk, picking up a pencil to hold in a tight grip. “What did you come here for, Shade?”

“Don’t be mad at me, brother. You want a pretty woman to keep your bed warm while you find your pipeline? Find someone else.”

“She’s perfect,” Lucky said unhappily.

“What were you planning on doing with her after the investigation is over?”

“It might have worked out, and we would have had a long and happy marriage.”

“Yeah, and pigs might fucking fly. You and Razer are just alike. You both like variety in your beer and pussy.”

“I would have stayed faithful,” Lucky snapped.

“If you had married her, of that I have no doubt. Once you make a vow, you always keep it. That’s why you want to get married, so you don’t break your holy vow before you get done with your case. But what about afterward? You keep saying you’re leaving the church when it’s over. Beth would be left behind along with the church.”

“Churches allow divorces now.”

“Leaving you a clear conscience to divorce her. Jesus, save me from hypocrites.”

“I’m not a hypocrite. Our marriage could have worked out.” The pencil broke in his hand.

“I guess we’ll never know, will we? She’s Razer’s.” Shade made sure Lucky heard the finality in his voice.

“Why did you come here?” Lucky repeated.

“I need a favor.”

Lucky burst out laughing. “You want a favor from me after pissing me off? What do you want?”

“I want you to keep an ear out for anything you hear about Charles.”

“Lily’s boyfriend?”

“He’s not her boyfriend,” Shade snapped.

“Now who’s pissed?”

“Just do it.” Shade stood up from the chair.

“Why should I help you out? I don’t owe you any favors,” Lucky mocked.

“Not yet, but you will. Sooner or later, everyone eventually needs my help. Think of it as insurance for the future.”

Lucky studied him steadily. “All right. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

“You do that.” Shade walked to the door, opening it.

“When I need a favor.”

Shade slammed the door behind him. The pious bastard would make him pay a high price for any information he found out, but Shade believed in preparing for the future. He wanted information to use against Charles if he ever needed it.

Shade had learned to be a good judge of character, and he had a feeling church boy wasn’t as squeaky clean as he pretended.

* * *

Shade sat at the bar drinking his whiskey. He moved slightly to his left, trying to discern through the dim lighting exactly how close Lily’s sister was letting the brothers get. When she scanned the crowded room to see if anyone was watching, he made sure to drop his gaze to his drink. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her off. He wanted to draw her closer.

One thing he had learned since becoming interested in Lily was that the sisters were close. Where one went, the other did, too. It was what he was counting on.

His lips quirked when Razer and Beth stood up to leave together, but then Shade’s smile disappeared seconds later when he heard shots from outside.

“Outside, now! I heard gunfire!” Shade yelled, running out the back door of the bar, where he had heard the shot coming from the surrounding mountain. When he didn’t see or hear anything he ran to the front of the parking lot where he saw Razer standing by Beth’s car.

Razer motioned for him to stay with Beth, as he disconnected from a call and took off into the woods with Rider and Knox.

“Stay down!” Shade snapped when he saw Beth’s head begin to rise.

His experienced gaze studied the wooded hillside. He wished he had been standing outside when the shot had been fired; the flash would have shown him where the shooter had hidden. From the direction Razer, Rider, and Knox had taken off, the shooter had chosen the best view of Beth’s car. She had been the target.