“No, I made a roast, and everything’s done. So, if it’s not Razer, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing important,” Beth prevaricated.
“If it’s not important, then tell me. I’m getting tired of everyone treating me like a child.”
“Okay, okay, you win,” Beth said, giving in to Lily’s demand. “I received a text message today, and I don’t know who it’s from.”
“What did it say?”
Beth took her cell phone out of her pocket, pulling the message up.
“Oh, my God. They called you a slut,” Lily whispered.
Beth nodded, taking the cell phone back. “If Georgia was still alive, I would think it was her. Could it possibly be one of her friends?”
“Possibly. They were just as mean as she was, but why would they send that message to you?”
“I don’t know. I showed Razer when I came home this afternoon, and he said he would check it out.”
Shade was willing to bet that was what he was doing right then and why he had sent Beth over ahead of him.
“Then I’m sure he’ll take care of it. If he doesn’t, I’ll tell Shade to,” Lily said reassuringly. Standing up with difficultly, she looked down at her sister. “Help me set the table?”
Beth stood up, smiling wryly. “You think Shade can solve everything, including world hunger,” she teased.
“He probably could if everyone would listen to him. He’s very smart,” Lily said, making her way into the kitchen.
“Yes, he is,” Beth stated, looking up the staircase and meeting his eyes, only breaking contact when a knock sounded on the door.
While Beth opened the door for Razer who came inside and hugged his wife, Shade came down the steps.
“Dinner ready?”
“Almost,” Beth answered her husband before going into the kitchen.
“You hear?” Razer asked in a low voice.
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“Yes.”
“When I find out who sent that message, I’m going to rip their throat out.” Razer kept his harsh threat subdued so the women couldn’t hear.
“Any luck?”
“Disposable phone,” Razer answered, watching the women chat as they set the tables. “We never did find out who fucked our bikes up, and now someone we don’t know is texting Beth. Someone tried to poison Lily. Could it be possible that someone is targeting us? The Freedom Riders?”
“I don’t fucking know. I’m sure Brooke is the one who tried to poison Lily, but I can’t imagine the odds of them not being connected. It’s too much of a coincidence that this is happening at once.”
“I agree.”
“Dinner’s ready,” Lily said, trying to lift the heavy roast.
“Don’t you dare,” Shade snapped.
Lily hastily stepped away as Shade picked the heavy dish up.
“I could have managed,” Lily said, rolling her eyes as she took her chair.
“That’s a pretty dress you have on tonight, Beth,” Shade complimented, ignoring Lily’s crestfallen expression when he didn’t mention how pretty she looked in her new maternity dress.
“Thank you, Shade.”
“I love the pattern. It really suits you.” Shade took his seat, staring with determination at Lily. “I’ll have to remember it. It would look fantastic on Lily.”
While his wife glared at him, Shade picked up a roll, biting into it. He was keeping count of his lovely wife’s punishments, and she was on number sixteen. When the baby came and she had regained her strength, his dear wife was going to be reminded of every time she had misbehaved. She wanted proof that she was special, so he was going to give it to her one stroke at a time.
Chapter 89
“We’re out of eggs. Do you want to eat breakfast at the clubhouse?” Lily asked when he came downstairs.
“Sounds good.” Shade opened the door for her as they went outside.
“Looks like there was a large crowd at the clubhouse last night.”
The front porch had a view of the parking lot where there were row after row of motorcycles lined up, ready to ride when Viper gave the word.
Viper had given his order, and the brothers from Ohio had arrived the day before after the Freedom Riders had beaten up Drake Hall when he had refused to sell a piece of property to them. Viper and Cash both shared the opinion that whatever attack the Freedom Riders had planned was imminent, and Shade agreed.
When it went down, Viper wanted him with the women instead of the brothers, which chaffed at Shade, but he also had to agree he was right. If the Freedom Riders couldn’t be stopped in time, the lives of the women were going to be left in the hands of the man who stayed behind, and Shade didn’t want Lily’s life in anyone’s hands but his.