Ray pushed the buggy to his car. Opening the trunk, he started putting the groceries in the back of his BMW, not worried about jarring the secret compartment hiding his equipment. He didn’t make mistakes; well, except when he had paid someone to do a job he should have done himself.
When he had missed his target with the car and hadn’t been given another opportunity to make it look like an accident, he had tried to get in her house. He had been planning to play with the woman before slitting her throat, but he had heard the bike of that scary fucker who was always watching her. He’d had to lay low after that. The one tracking him had almost caught him twice.
His mistake had been not to have hired someone smarter to start the fire. She hadn’t even started a decent fight. She had been the one to come running out of that church.
Never mind. The next time he was out on a job, he would swing by and check on her. He couldn’t let her live now; he had already spent his fee. Once paid, he made sure he completed a job.
When he rose up from putting the last bag in the trunk, Ray noticed his wife’s horror-stricken face. It was the last thing he saw before darkness descended.
*
Georgia sat down at the picnic table at the minimum-security prison. Taking the cigarette out of her pocket, she lit it, taking a deep breath before releasing it.
She looked around the yard. Her eyes lit on the brunette sitting across the yard with a frightened look on her face. Fresh meat.
Georgia had seen them bring her in that morning. Georgia was going to have to introduce herself at lunch and make sure that, when that new bitch opened her commissary account, she picked up a few things for her. She would, too. She would be too scared not to. She reminded her of that mousey little Willa. Well, she would handle her just like she’d handled Willa—with an iron fist.
She took another deep draw of her last cigarette, inhaling the smoke as darkness descended.
*
When Rider’s truck pulled to a stop on The Last Riders’ parking lot, Shade opened the passenger side door, getting out. The other doors opened as Rider and Cash hopped out. Shade opened the back door, reaching inside and pulling out his canvas bag, looping it over his shoulder before slamming the truck door closed. He then moved around to the bed of the truck, reaching inside to help Cash pull out the big ice cooler.
“You go ahead; we got this.” Rider grinned, coming around the back of the truck.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Have fun.” He smiled mockingly, reaching inside the truck bed for the fishing poles.
“Later,” Shade said to both men, turning toward the path that led to his house.
He was halfway there when he saw her running toward him, her purple dress and black hair blowing in the breeze. Spring flowers she had planted lined the pathway.
His somber expression broke into a smile as he came to a stop, lifting his shades to the top of his head so he could see her clearly. When she got close, he held out his arms and Lily jumped into them, her mouth already turned up for his kiss. He gave her the kiss he knew she wanted; he’d take his when he got her inside their home.
“Did you have a good fishing trip? Did you catch anything?” Lily asked, gazing up at him with love shining in her violet eyes.
“Yeah, two big fish and a small fry.”
“Was it fun?”
“Always.” He looked down into her shining violet eyes. “Did you miss me?”
“Always.”
Epilogue 2
“Where is she?” Vida screamed from the bed.
“She’s right here,” Lily replied, setting her purse down on the chair. “My flight was delayed.”
She went to the other side of the bed, grasping the hand Vida handed her and was immediately squeezed tight. Lily watched the midwife between Vida’s legs and the nurse standing by the necessary equipment. Colton was standing on the other side of the midwife, looking ready to pass out.
Vida screamed.
Lily looked down at her in sympathy. “You do know they invented epidurals just for this purpose?”
“I wanted a natural childbirth. I did it with Lexi and Axel,” Vida panted.
“I told you it wasn’t a good idea then, either,” Lily reminded her.
“I did, too,” Sawyer chimed in.
“Will you two not pick on me when I’m in labor? I know I should have taken the fucking drugs, but it’s too late now.”
The three women looked at the midwife. She nodded back.
Vida’s head fell back as she screamed in pain.
“I don’t remember it hurting this bad,” Lily said, biting her lip in worry for her friend.
“That’s because you took the drugs,” Vida said, grimacing in pain.
“And because your doctor was scared to death of Shade. I thought that doctor was going to have a heart attack by the time you delivered John. That’s why he refused to deliver that one.” She nodded her head at Lily’s protruding belly.
“Shade’s out in the waiting room. Do you want me to go get him?” Lily asked, only half-teasing. Her friend was in a lot of pain.
“No!” everyone in the room yelled.