Shade(109)

“Thanks, Sir.”

Her sarcastic tone had him crossing his arms over his chest as he widened his stance.

“Would you like a lesson I give when I believe someone is being disrespectful?” Shade snapped.

“No, Sir.” Lily rushed to the bathroom.

Shade was on his way to his bedroom to get changed when he heard her locking the door behind her.





Chapter 45



Shade sat in the darkness of the truck he had borrowed from Cash after cashing in one of his IOUs. He was watching Lily as she walked next to the fucker who was courting a death wish if he didn’t move his arm. He relaxed when he saw Lily move slightly away, keeping a few inches between them. He didn’t like them holding hands, but he could handle it.

He had planned to come up with another lame-ass excuse to spend the evening with her, but Razer had told him Charles had beaten him to the punch. He hadn’t had to deal with him before then because he had been out of town, but Charles was back and apparently thought he and Lily would continue dating.

Shade got out of the truck as soon as they had walked far enough around the lake that they couldn’t see the car. Keeping to the shadows in case they doubled back, Shade made it quickly to Charles’s car, kneeling down by the back tire. He slipped his knife out of his boot and thrust it into the rubber before moving to the front and doing the same. As soon as he heard the hissing air, he returned to the truck, sliding back behind the wheel.

Taking out his cell phone, he gave Rider a call to give him a heads-up that Razer would be calling him shortly, so he needed to finish his business with Kaley. He wanted his ass ready to roll when Razer called to give Lily a ride home.

Shade then sat back and patiently waited for the couple to return. When they returned only a short time later, he was surprised. He had thought they would be gone much longer since it was the first time they had seen each other in a long time.

Charles held the car door open for Lily, letting her slide inside, before he played the gentleman and tucked in her yellow dress so it wouldn’t get caught in the door. He then walked around the front of the car, pausing when he was on the driver’s side.#p#分页标题#e#

Charles bent down by the front tire then stood and walked to the back. After a minute, he got inside the car with Lily.

Shade knew exactly who they would be forced to call. Charles’s daddy was out of town, and Lyle, the only one who had a tow truck in town, was always drunk after nine. If you were unlucky enough to need his services at that time of night, it was hit or miss whether or not he would pick up his phone. Often, if he did, you wished he hadn’t.

His cell phone rang, and Shade answered it without taking his eyes off the car Lily was sitting in.

“Yeah?”

“Razer called, said Lily had a flat tire. I’m already in the truck. Be there in a minute,” Rider said.

“Thanks, brother.” Shade disconnected the call, the smile playing on the edges of his lips disappearing when he saw Lily lean across the seat and kiss Charles. Shade wanted to rip the steering wheel off. The only reason he didn’t was because he needed the fucking thing to drive Lily home when Rider arrived.

Twenty minutes later, Rider parked his truck behind Charles’s car, leaving the headlights on so, if they looked back, they would be blinded by the light.

Shade started Cash’s truck and drove forward, parking it next to Rider’s. As Shade climbed out, both Charles and Lily climbed out of the car.

“What’s going on, Lily?” Rider asked as he walked to stand next to Charles and stared down at the car with the two flat tires.

“We went for a walk and when we came back, the tires were flat,” Charles explained.

“I’ll get it loaded onto the trailer and drop it off at the garage,” Rider said.

“I’ll give you both a ride home,” Shade offered, moving forward.

Nobody said anything as the two men loaded Charles’s car onto the trailer. When they finished, Rider climbed back into his truck while Shade went to Cash’s truck and opened the passenger door for them.

Lily climbed into the truck first, holding her dress down as she slid across the seat, and then Charles jumped in. Shade closed the door, restraining himself from slamming it.

As Shade climbed into the driver’s seat and started the truck, Lily tugged her dress down over her knees. He backed the truck up and turned around, making sure to brush his arm against her breast as he shifted the gears. She stiffened, but she couldn’t shift away from his touch in the crowded confines of the truck.

The silence could be cut with a knife, and Shade saw Lily reach for the red rubber band; however, before she could snap it, his hand covered hers. She quickly slid her hand away from his, laying both on her lap.