“I want you to promise me you won’t kill Brooke.”
Shade shook his head. “I won’t make you a promise I can’t keep.”
“Please, Shade, please. If she dies, then you’ll be blamed, and my baby isn’t going to be raised without a father the way I was. Please, Shade, promise me…” she cried, holding her stomach and crying out in pain.
“Okay,” he snapped. “I promise I won’t lay a hand on her.” When she frowned up at him, he continued, “Nor will I shoot her.”
“Or The Last Riders.”
Shade remained quiet until she began whimpering. He gave in only when a tear slid down her cheek. “All right.”
“Thank you.” Lily lay back on the bed, relaxing.
His eyes narrowed on her face before going back to the monitor.
“Did you just manipulate me into getting your way?”
She grinned up at him unremorsefully. “I learned from a Master.”
Chapter 91
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Lily breathed, stroking his son’s cheek with a gentle finger.
“Yes,” Shade said, staring down at her.
“You did great, Lily,” Beth complimented as she reached out to hold her nephew.
Lily was about to hand him over when the door opened. Fat Louise stood at the door with Cade by her side.
“Can we come in?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” Shade answered, stepping back from the bed to lean against the wall as the couple entered.
Fat Louise went to Lily’s side and looked down at his son. “He’s gorgeous. He looks just like Shade.”
“Would you like to hold your godchild?” Lily offered.
“May I?”
Both Lily and Beth were smiling with affection at Fat Louise as Lily lifted their child to the woman. She tenderly took him, cradling the baby to her chest. As emotionless as Shade was, even he felt a twinge when the woman stared at the baby.
Cade’s face was filled with concern for his woman yet gradually relaxed as Fat Louise told Lily everything she had bought for her godchild.
“It’s in the car. I figured it’s too much to fit in the room with all the visitors I’m sure you’re having.”
“Cade and I can go put it in the truck,” Shade offered, already heading toward the door.
“Hi, Shade. Congratulations,” Rachel greeted him on her way in as they were leaving.
“Rachel.” Shade nodded. “Go on in. I’ll be back in a few,” he said, sending Lily a reassuring glance before going out the door.
Once outside, he stared in dismay at the loaded backseat and trunk.
“Don’t blame me.” Cade raised his hands in the air. “Some of this is from the rest of the crew who are coming over later. I’m just the delivery man.”
“At least I didn’t have to sit through a baby shower,” Shade grunted, lifting one heavy box.
“You dodged the bullet on that one. They had one planned for tonight,” Cade told him as he followed him to Rider’s truck with an armful of stuffed animals.
“My kid’s already saving his father’s ass.”
When they finally went back inside to Lily and the baby’s hospital room, it was unnaturally quiet and Shade sensed the tension in the room. Beth’s face was pale, while Fat Louise and Rachel both looked troubled. Lily was the only one acting normal as she held the baby, chatting about breastfeeding.
Shade and Cade hastily left the room, going to the lobby for a cup of coffee.
Fat Louise and Rachel came out a few minutes later, and Fat Louise placed an arm around Cade’s waist as she stood next to him.
“Anything happen when we were gone?” Shade asked curiously.
“Nothing important.” Fat Louise lowered her lashes. “Cade, we need to go. I need to get back to work.”
Shade frowned and was about to ask Rachel what had gone on inside the room when his cell phone rang.
He answered it, seeing Cash’s name on the caller ID. “Yes?”
“We have a problem. Brooke isn’t here in Georgia, or if she is, I can’t find her. I’m going to stay a couple of days to make sure she isn’t hiding out at her father’s instead of with her mother. I’ll check on what friends she has, too. Evie is texting me some names, and she’s also going to call her family members to find out where she may be hiding.”
“Thanks, Cash. I know it’s hard being away from Rachel when you just got married.”
“Brother, I owe that bitch, too,” Cash said, hanging up.
Shade slid his phone back into his pocket. It would be hard for Evie to talk to her family again, so Shade wouldn’t have wanted her to unless it was important.
The brothers were taking shifts to protect Lily, and when Shade returned to his wife’s room Train was standing outside, keeping guard. Until Brooke was found, not only Lily’s safety was at risk, but also his son’s.
When he went back inside the room, Lily was holding the baby as Beth sat on the bed next to her. Shade was about to probe further into the women’s strange behavior when the door opened behind him. The three people entering the room had him staring in surprise.