“Then, one of my girls got hurt bad. I went there to settle a score and as I was leaving, I heard kids laughing—little girls. It’s an unmistakable sound. I looked over at the playground and I saw you. You looked exactly like my sister had at that age. When Brenda came outside to get you, yelling at you to go inside, I knew what that bitch had done.
“I made her come to my office. She said she didn’t tell me about you because she was afraid I would kill her. She was right. It was everything I could do not to kill her that day. The only reason I didn’t was because I knew that I didn’t want you hurt like Ariel. You were too beautiful to drag into my world.
“I gave her money for you. She had enough to move out of that rat hole, but she stayed there to be closer to her suppliers. I knew she was doing drugs, so I paid Marshall to move in with her to keep an eye on you, to protect you. Instead, he became another one of your tormentors.
“I had no idea what she was doing to you until that night when Marshall called. He was so mad at Brenda for letting another man have you that he called me. I don’t think the dumb bastard thought I would ask you. I knew the son of a bitch wouldn’t care if Brenda fucked fifty men.” His voice was full of disgust.
“So you killed them then started the fire.”
“I enjoyed it. I wish I could have brought them back to life and done it again.” His eyes blazed hatred for the people he had so ruthlessly killed.
“How did Beth’s parents come to adopt me?”
“Saul Cornett was my uncle. I called him and asked him if he would take you. He said he would, but he told me that if he did, I had to agree to stay away. He wasn’t going to endanger his child. He knew Ariel had been killed because of me. I had an acquaintance in the morgue that falsified papers of a body there, showing you had died in the fire. I wanted to make sure no one would ever think to look for you.”
“So, he was my great-uncle?”
“Yes. He was a religious fanatic, but I knew he wouldn’t touch you.” Lily didn’t tell him that her adopted father had been a sadist who had tortured Beth. Lily wondered if he hadn’t touched her because of Beth and the Sheriff’s threats or because of King.
“You’re the one who owned the house behind ours?”
King smiled at her ingenuity. “Yes. That way I could keep an eye on you. I would always vacation there during the summer because you were outside more often. You grew into a beautiful woman, Lily. I heard you got married during Christmas.”
Lily nodded her head. “Small town gossip. I suppose you know everything about me, probably from just talking to a waitress at the diner.”
King nodded his head. “All except one thing. Are you happy? When I would see you during my trips, you always seemed so reserved, I never could tell.” Lily thought she heard a small break in his voice when he asked the question.
“Yes, I’m very happy. I couldn’t have asked for a better sister. I have friends who I care about, and I love my husband, Shade. He’s everything to me,” she said softly, seeing her answer was important to him.
King nodded his head.
“Take me back to him. Shade and The Last Riders can keep me safe from whoever wants to hurt you.”
“You’ve almost been killed twice because Digger has a hit out on you. I have to take care of Digger or you’ll never have a normal life,” King said resolutely.
“How do you plan to stop him?” Lily saw she wasn’t going to change his mind.
“I have a meeting scheduled in two hours. I’m going to let him have me. Once he kills me, you become unimportant. Of course, I’m planning on taking the bastard with me to Hell.”
*
When the Last Riders pulled into the parking lot of Rosie’s bar, The Predators were already there waiting.
Viper and Cash pulled to the front while Shade rode his bike to the other side of Viper where the three waited.
Ice and Max rode their bikes forward, and the men faced each other down.
“Where’s Rip?” Ice’s cold eyes searched the riders behind them.
“You mean, Eightball?” Viper asked sarcastically. He pointed to the mountain ridge to their left. Two men moved to the edge, one held with a gun to his head.
“Are you going to tell us why you planted a traitor in our club and what the fuck it’s got to do with Lily? Or is your brother going to take a leap of faith?” Viper finished, turning back to Ice.
Ice gave a whistle and two bikes at the back of the lot moved. Penni stood with a gun to her head. The terrified look on her face made Shade want his rifle; however, he knew the men wanted their brother as much as he wanted his sister.
“Ice, man, this wasn’t part of the plan.” Two men toward the back got off their bikes, walking forward. Shade remembered the one with the goatee from the diner. The second one was recognizable to anyone that could turn a television set on.
“I told you I would let you talk, Colton. You got ten minutes before I do my own fucking talking.”