Shade was guessing from her worried frown that one or more of the children had been in trouble since the death of Lewis.
“I’ll take care of it,” Lucky said as the front door to the house that Lucky was parked in front of opened, and Jenna came outside.
She was dressed in a short, black skirt and a red, silky blouse. She used to work at Mick’s until King’s new restaurant had opened, and then she had been hired to work there. Shade had recognized her house when he had pulled out. Several of the brothers had partied there throughout the years since they had come to Treepoint. Jenna at one time had even tried to become a member of The Last Riders, but her temperament with the other women had kept her from getting all the votes she had needed.
“I thought you left,” Jenna said, coming to Lucky’s side and placing an arm around his waist.
“I was side-tracked,” Lucky said without moving away from the woman.
Shade didn’t miss the hurt look that flashed briefly across Willa’s face, and he was sure Lucky hadn’t missed it, either.
“Who…?” Jenna stared at the bike sitting in her driveway then at the children standing near. “You fucking brats. You need to have the—”
“Shut up, Jenna!” Lucky interrupted. “They didn’t do it.”
“Then who?” Her eyes went to Willa. “You jealous bitch.” Her hand flew out, smacking Willa across the face before Lucky or Shade could stop her.
Willa cried out, her hand going to her cheek.
Lucky grabbed Jenna back while Shade stepped forward, fury storming through his body.
“Go to work, Jenna. I’ll deal with you later,” Lucky said harshly.
Jenna paled. Nodding her head, she went to her car and got inside, but not without shooting a retributive look toward Willa as she drove away.
“If she touches Willa again, we’re going to have a problem,” Shade warned. “She’s a friend of Lily’s.”
“I’ll talk to her tonight,” Lucky said, reaching out to pry Willa’s hand away from her face, but Willa jerked away from Lucky’s touch.
“Since you don’t want my help cleaning the paint off, there’s no need for us to be here. Shade, go ahead and call Knox. I’ll talk to him when he comes. Let’s go, kids.” Willa bustled the kids inside her house, the flaming red hand print on her cheek standing out starkly.
Lucky winced at the sound of her front door closing. Any other woman would have slammed it shut, yet the quiet sound of the door closing was a testament to the embarrassment the woman had just suffered.
“Don’t say a fucking thing,” Lucky said between clenched teeth.
Shade simply took out his phone, calling Knox and asking him to come to Jenna’s house.
“On my way,” Knox said, hanging up.
“I have to get back to the hospital.” Shade slid the phone back into his pocket. “You going to send Knox over there?” He nodded at Willa’s house where the two older girls were staring out the curtained windows.
“No, they didn’t see anything. If they had, they would have said something.”
“They didn’t do it. Whoever trashed mine and Razer’s bikes did this.”
“I figured that out too late. I let my temper get away from me when I saw that word,” Lucky confessed.
Shade could understand how it would have struck a sensitive cord in Lucky.
“I’ll stop by in a day or two to apologize, since I don’t think she wants to hear anything I have to say right now.”
“I don’t think that woman wants to ever see you again, much less hear anything you have to say.”
“I won’t be getting a cupcake from her anytime soon; that’s for sure,” Lucky agreed glumly.
“I’ve had Jenna’s pussy and Willa’s cupcakes. I know which one I would’ve chosen, but you were never the smartest brother in the club.”
Chapter 92
Lily sat on the couch, playing with John, while he worked on the laptop next to them.
“Can you watch him while I go upstairs to get changed? He spit-up on me.”
“Of course,” Shade said, closing the computer before taking John from her.
“It always surprises me how easily you handle him,” Lily said, rising.
“I helped with Penni,” Shade told her as she went up the steps.
Shade bent his leg, placing it on the other one then laying his son on his lap. The baby’s blue eyes stared up at him as he sucked on his fist. Everyone who saw him remarked on how much he looked like Shade but he disagreed, seeing Lily in his cheeks and eyes. The blue was gradually fading, and a purple tint was beginning to appear. His son was going to have Lily’s eyes.
Over the first two months of his son’s life, Shade had become adept at pretending around Lily that he felt all the fatherly feelings he was supposed to have. Instead, when he looked at him, he felt the same void he did with everyone except his wife. However, he had been successful at keeping everyone in the dark about Penni when she was a baby, so he saw no reason he couldn’t do the same with John.