Lily nodded her head still trying to catch her breath. “Lily, breathe slowly,” Shade ordered her in a hard voice.
Lily jumped, but her breaths gradually slowed. Shade took a step back giving her some room.
“Can we go now?” Lily said, her soft voice gaining strength. Lily sidled pass Shade making sure her body didn’t come into contact with his.
“Yes.” Shade backed away giving her enough room to slide by him.
Shade opened the bedroom door, letting Lily go ahead of him following her outside.
Lily walked out the door coming to a sudden stop, finding the yard filled with The Last Riders. Winter watched from the back of Viper’s bike as Beth jumped off of Razer’s bike running to her sister, nearly knocking her down. Shade’s hand on Lily’s back held her steady. Winter smiled. After the sisters talked for a few minutes, they moved toward Razer’s bike.
Shade got on his bike and started the motor. Viper had Knox ride it up the old mountain road to be waiting on Shade. Knox was now riding with Rider. Viper fired his engine too, waiting.
Shade rode his bike up next to Lily.
“Lily,” Winter could tell by her face she didn’t want to ride on that bike, she wanted the safety of her sisters arms. She wasn’t ready to lose her comforting strength after the nightmare of the night. Winter heard Beth ask Razer to call Mick to bring her car.
“Get on Lily, I’m taking you home.” Shade’s firm voice had Lily moving reluctantly towards him. She climbed on behind him, holding his sides with her legs, and trembling hands taking his helmet. As soon as it was on, Shade throttled his engine.
“Let’s go home, pretty girl.” Viper pulled out in the lead with the other’s following down the winding road. Winter wasn’t afraid of riding in the dark anymore. With The Last Riders, she didn’t have anything left to fear.
Chapter 18
Winter nervously smoothed down her skirt. Viper grasped her hand giving it a squeeze.
“Don’t look so nervous,” Viper said smoothly.
He wasn’t helping; Viper was part of the problem. He was dressed in one of his suits looking like the cold-hearted bastard before her assault.
“That’s easy for you to say, they’re too scared of you to say anything nasty.”
“If they know what’s good for them, they won’t say anything nasty about you either,” Viper said in a threatening voice.
Ms. Richards came out of the closed doors of the School Board’s meeting.
“They are going to call us back in a few minutes. They are going to open the meeting to the public. I wish you would have taken my advice and waited for your hearing.”
Her lawyer didn’t sound very happy with her decision. Winter could understand her apprehension, looking around the hallway at the public ready to fill the meeting room. All the women of The Last Rider’s were present. That morning as she was leaving she found everyone waiting for her in the kitchen, including Viper who had disappeared while she was in the shower.
All the women dressed in their regular clothes brought Winter to a standstill. They had informed her that they were going with her to the meeting. Of course afterward they planned on dragging her to the local tattoo shop for her long overdue tat.
Viper had told her, the day after the deputy’s attack, that all eight original members had given her their vote for trying to save Lily’s life. Winter had managed to avoid the tattoo until now. The women were determined that it was time that she made it official, she was a Last Rider. Winter gave in with a smile knowing they were right.
Ms. Richards, on the other hand, was not as moved as she was by their show of support, asking snidely if she wanted her job. Winter had remained quiet, sucking up the haughty woman’s comment. When Viper would have let the woman have it, Winter merely shook her head pleadingly, just wanting to get the ordeal over.
The doors to the school board meeting opened, giving the public entrance to the rest of the meeting. As they were about to go through the door, the outside door opened and the biker bitches came through the door. Winter’s face paled at their appearance. They were wearing their tight blue jeans and leather jackets with biker boot heels. Winter seriously wanted to melt in a puddle. Beth, seeing them come through the doorway, hurried forward hoping to prevent them from coming into the meeting.
“Sex Piston, did you need something?” Beth asked quickly, hoping to get them out of the building before they were seen.
“Nope, when you texted me this morning saying you couldn’t keep your hair appointment and why, we decided to come too. If it was important enough for The Last Riders women to be here, then we needed to be here. The bitch needs all the support she can get.” Sex Piston nodded her head at Winter.