“How much?”
“Fifty thousand. Not only that, another deposit of thirty was put in first thing this morning. This is the first day the banks have been open since Christmas. Someone paid her not only to start the fire, but to start an argument at the church,” Shade concluded.
“Why start an argument at the church?”
“I think to try to rattle Lily into running out of the church. A month ago … Hell, two weeks ago, it would have worked. Whoever wants her dead is getting desperate to try to get to her. We don’t leave her alone, so someone was trying to make their own opportunity.”
“I’ll call Knox to come here and pick these papers up. I’m not going to leave the church from now on when Lily’s here.” Lucky’s voice was grim over the phone line.
“I’ll call you if I find anything else out. Once Knox has the proof from the bank, he’s going to arrest Georgia. I took him her coffee cup, so if the DNA matches the evidence found from the fire, we have her ass, and we may be able to find out what the fuck is going on,” Shade’s anger carried through the phone line.
“All right, I’ll talk to you later, Shade.”
“Later, Dean.”
*
“Why the truck?” Lily asked, climbing inside Rider’s truck. Usually, Shade rode his motorcycle to pick her up.
Shade stared back at her from behind his sunglasses. “I wanted to talk to you on the way home,” he said, making no effort to put the truck in gear.
“Is something wrong?” Lily questioned, frowning.
“Knox arrested Georgia this afternoon.”
“Why? What did she do?” Lily’s breath caught in surprise.
“She’s the one who set the basement on fire.”
“What? Why would she do something like that?” Lily asked, shocked.
“Someone paid her fifty thousand dollars. The same person who probably tried to run you down on the street and attempted to break into your house,” Shade explained.
“Who?”
“I don’t know. Knox is questioning her now. He’s going to be at the club tonight, so we can find out more then.”
She sat quietly, staring out the window as he drove them home.
“You better tell Knox to keep an eye on her. When she was younger, she tried to kill herself twice. This is going to humiliate her, Shade,” Lily warned.
As soon as he parked the truck, Shade made the call to Knox. Then they went to their house to get changed before going over to eat dinner at the clubhouse. This was their first party since they had gotten married, and she had made an effort to dress up for him.
She had worn a skirt which he was surprised she owned. Almost all her dresses and skirts came down to her calves. This one came barely a half an inch above her knees.
Shade grinned. He was willing to bet she considered it risqué. He liked it, though, because it hugged her perfect ass.
The soft pink sweater she wore with it showed the top globes of her breasts when it slid off her shoulder. Shade wanted to tug it down all the way yet decided to save that deed for later.
“You look pretty tonight,” Lily complimented Beth after they had walked into the clubhouse.
Shade frowned behind her back. She had been glowing with confidence before they had walked in the door. It finally clicked with him that she was trying to be sexy. His angel just had to walk in the door to get his attention. He didn’t give a shit how she dressed.
“You do, too. I might have to borrow that sweater,” Beth said enviously.
“You can have it. It won’t quit sliding down my shoulders.” Lily pulled it back up in frustration.
“That’s what makes it so pretty,” Winter said, coming up behind her.
Shade fixed himself a plate of food, letting the women bolster Lily’s ego for the moment; he would show her later how much his dick appreciated her effort.
The women decided to play cards, ignoring the men. Shade and the brothers sat on the chairs and couch, talking quietly about who could have hired Georgia and if the money in her account could be traced.
Shade was sitting on the end of the couch with his feet on the coffee table while Viper sat at the other end. Razer was sprawled on the chair next to the couch.
He saw Lily approaching and warned the other two men. She wore an angry frown, while Winter was sending sneaky looks his way. She must have spilled the beans about the card game being rigged.
Lily noticed they had stopped talking and turned to leave but Shade caught her hand, dragging her down to sit on his lap.
Viper began talking about their clubhouse in Ohio and the new recruits they had wanting to join.
“Got one wanting to go for the patch here,” Shade said, lacing his hand through Lily’s.
She lost her angry expression, rubbing her thumb back against his.
“Who?” Viper asked, his eyes going around the room.