“Hi, I’m Lily.” She placed her hand in his, which he shook.
“Hi, Lily. That’s Ice.” He nodded his head toward the blond. “The big guy there is Max, and the ugly one next to him is Jackal.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Lily smiled before continuing, “I didn’t mean to disturb your lunch. I wanted to thank your friends.”
“I’m sure they enjoyed it, knowing them. Take care, Lily,” Colton said, his gentle gaze the direct opposite of his bad-boy appearance.
“I will.” Lily smiled again, moving away and almost bumping into Shade who had come to stand behind her.
She didn’t appreciate the warning glare he gave the men. He ignored her own glare, though, leading her away from the table and back to The Last Riders who hadn’t moved away from the door.
They waited until she was outside before giving her hell.
“What were you thinking, Lily?” Beth started.
“I was thinking that I would do the polite thing and thank them for helping me out of a difficult situation.”
“You can’t get friendly with another motorcycle club,” Evie said.
“I don’t know why not.” When several would have opened their mouths, Lily put up her hand. “I wasn’t getting friendly. I was thanking them. I can be friends with anyone I want. I’m friends with Stud.” Lily mentioned the president of the Destructors, yet it was a stretch calling him a friend. From the dubious expressions centered on her, she knew she wasn’t pulling one over on them.
Lily noticed Viper and Shade were talking quietly to themselves, and when she and Beth turned to walk home, Razer hung back.
“You two go ahead. I’ll be there in a few,” Razer said.
Lily hesitated, somehow knowing they were going to confront the men inside when they came out, and they wanted her and Beth gone.
Lily faced Viper, touching his arm gently. “Leave them alone, please, Viper. They don’t want trouble and I approached them.”
“They came inside seeing our bikes were outside,” Viper replied.
“Please, Viper.”
“I’ll give in this time, Lily, but don’t ask me to back down again,” Viper replied.
Lily reached up, kissing Viper on his cheek. “Thank you,” she said before moving away.
“Let’s go home.” This time Razer’s voice was amused as he guided the women toward their home.
Lily looked back in time to see Shade punch Viper in the stomach. Gasping, she turned to go back again.
“Keep going, Lily.” This time Razer’s voice held definite amusement.
“Why did Shade just punch Viper?”
“I have no idea.” Lily could tell that he knew perfectly well what was going on, but he wasn’t going to tell on his friend.
Lily looked at her sister.
“Men,” was Beth’s only answer, rolling her eyes at their strange behavior.
*
Lily didn’t have to worry about eating lunch with Shade the next day--he wasn’t working. It was the first time since she had begun to work at the factory that he hadn’t been there.
In his place, Rider ran the factory that day with his easy, good humor.
Evie brought her a tray of food, which she ate at the picnic table by herself while Rider went to the house for lunch.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Georgia’s whole demeanor changed. Lily couldn’t help thinking, once again, that the woman was not nice. Her intimidation had turned to a new low; she had begun to manipulate the schedule, giving those that weren’t in her favor less hours.
Lily really was still looking for the best in Georgia, but she wasn’t making it easy. She was short and curvy; however, her grumpy appearance made her unattractive until one of The Last Riders was in the factory, then she lit up like a sparkler.
At the end of the day, with still no Shade, Lily drove home, strangely let down from not doing her workout with him.
*
Joker inserted the nozzle into his bike’s tank, keeping a wary eye out as Dale filled his own tank on the opposite side of the pump. When he finished, he got back on his bike, impatiently waiting.
“Hurry up. I want to be at Jake’s before it gets dark. That turn-off is hard enough to see in the daylight.”
Dale hung the nozzle back up, screwing the lid back on his tank. “Are you sure that nobody is going to think to look for us at your cousin’s house?”
“No, I never mentioned him. I never took Crazy Bitch to meet him because he lives at the top of the fucking mountain and she hates heights. She would have pissed herself looking off the side of the road.”
His cousin lived on Black Mountain in a home that had been passed down for generations. No one would find them there. They would hide out with Jake and his wife until the law gave up looking for them.