"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Lily."

"You don't deserve her."

"I know," Shade said, walking out of the shadows, not taking his eyes off Lily as she walked back toward the clubhouse.

"It's a good thing they're all dead or we would be riding tonight."

"It seems they're all dead but one," Shade said thoughtfully, turning to his brother.

Dean frowned at him. "Which one?"

"The one who gave her to Beth's parents."

"You think that something from her past may be why someone is trying to kill her?"

"Whoever has been watching her house has been doing it for years. Who else could it be?" Shade said, coming to the only conclusion that made any sense.

"d.a.m.n."

"Talk to Knox, tell him what we found out tonight. I'm going to talk to Beth and see if she remembers anything from when Lily first came to live with them. At this point, any adoption papers, even fake ones, would be a lead." Shade's only hope of finding the papers was Beth.

"I'll talk to him before he leaves tonight."

"Let's get inside. I don't want Lily alone tonight."

They walked up the path together. Shade was about to go inside when Dean's hand on his arm stopped him. "Promise me one thing."

"What?" Shade asked.

"If we find out whoever took her could have stopped that s.h.i.t, I get him first."

Lily wearily climbed into bed, pulling the covers over her as she shivered. The click of the door opening and closing barely drew her notice; she couldn't stop her teeth from chattering.

The covers were briefly pulled back and Shade's warm body enveloped hers as he pressed against her back. His arm circled her waist, drawing her closer. The covers were pulled over them, wrapping her in a coc.o.o.n of warmth.

"Shade?"

"Yes?"

"That day in the diner when I had that panic attack, there was a little girl at one of the tables. What happened?"

"I had left with you, but Knox told me that Diamond had seen you staring at the family. Knox talked to them. The little girl was placed in her grandmother's custody."

"It's funny how things turn out, isn't it?"

"I don't think it's funny at all," Shade said, pulling her tighter.

"I believe sometimes it's meant for us to have to bear trials so that we can recognize how to help others." Lily's voice grew drowsy.

"Go to sleep." Shade's voice was soothing in the darkness. It was then Lily realized the room was encased in darkness. She hadn't turned the bathroom light on.

Her hand laced through Shade's, confident he would keep her safe while she slept.

When Lily beat Rachel to the store in the morning, there was already a line forming outside. Pastor Dean was waiting for her inside. He looked as if he hadn't slept.

"Are you sick?" Lily asked.

"No. I just woke up this morning with a headache. I'll be fine as soon as I get my coffee. Rachel's stopping by the diner before she gets here."

"Great." Lily stood by the door, anxious to let the people in. They had already taken applications earlier in the week and had decided how everyone would be allowed to take things they needed, giving each family a limit of store credit based on their financial need.

Rachel maneuvered through the crowd, bringing each person a steaming cup of coffee.

"Are we ready for this?" She grinned when she finally came inside.

"Yes." Lily was fired up, ready to help those who stood waiting.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a long day." With that said, Pastor Dean opened the door.

At first, they were nearly overwhelmed by the number of those coming in; however, Lily had organized the paperwork over the last week, and because they were the ones who had stocked the store, they were able to help the customers find the items they needed quickly.

They easily worked out a method for moving people through: Rachel and Pastor Dean worked the store, and when people found the items they needed, they would then be sent to Lily at the counter. She would check the amount of aide they had available for the month, then bag their items for them. It was a rewarding experience for Lily, seeing those in need were given simple basics that would make their lives easier.

By midday, the customers had slowed to a trickle, so Pastor Dean excused himself, explaining he was scheduled to give a counseling session.

"If I didn't know better, I would think Pastor Dean had a hangover." Rachel's speculative voice drew her attention from filing paperwork.

"I'm sure you're wrong. He told me he had a headache this morning."

"I have three brothers; I'm very familiar with the signs of a hangover. Pastor Dean has all the symptoms. Did you see his face when I handed him his sandwich?"

"Yes, but I'm not a fan of meatloaf sandwiches, either. I'm sure it gets old having to eat other's cooked food all the time."

"Maybe." Rachel's tone still sounded doubtful.

Lily didn't get the chance to talk about it further because the door opened and closed, bringing in more customers. Lily worked steadily as a member of the congregation came in searching for winter coats for her children. Lily knelt in front of the little five-yearold, helping her zip a jacket up.

Her little hand tugged the fur collar up, brushing her face with the soft fur. "Can I have this one, Mama?"

The mother looked inquiringly at Lily.

"Of course you can." Lily smiled at the little girl's excited face.

Standing up, she searched through the racks until she found one for her older brother. Going through a plastic tub, she then found each of them gloves.

She bagged everything up, handing the mother the large bag.

"Thank you." The woman started to say something else then gripped the bag tighter in her hand.

Lily knew what the woman wanted to ask without being told. Coming out from behind the counter, she put her arm around her shoulders.

"I think Mom needs a little something for herself." Lily led her to another coat rack, going through several before the woman found one that would fit.

"There. Now everyone has a new coat." Lily reached out, hugging the smiling woman. "Come back the first of December. We'll have the Christmas section open and you can choose some toys for them."

The woman nodded. "I will. I don't like to take help, but Brian was hurt on a construction job. He's been looking for something that's not as strenuous, but he hasn't found anything yet. I have several applications out, but no one's hiring."

"That's why we opened the store. We're happy to help," Lily said matter-of-factly, sensitive to the woman's pride.

"Thank you, Lily."

"Bye, Christy." Lily watched the small family leave, filled with a sense of satisfaction.

"It makes all of our hard work worth it, doesn't it?" Rachel said, straightening one of the clothes racks.

"Yes, it does."

Rachel went to lock the door, staring out the window. "Now that's one man I wouldn't mind fighting my brothers over," she said.

Lily kept filing the paperwork but glanced up briefly, noticing Rachel still staring out the window. "Who?" Lily asked curiously.

"There's someone new in town. He's talking on his cell phone. The hood to his car is up. Jeez, Lily, he's dressed in a suit. I bet he was driving through town and his car broke down. Darn, why can't someone who looks like that move to town?"

"That good?"

"Oh, yeah. If I knew anything about cars, I would have been gone five minutes ago. That car looks expensive, too. Good looking and has money. What else could a woman ask for?"

"Maybe he's a jerk," Lily warned.

"I wouldn't care," Rachel said reverently.

Lily laughed, coming out from behind the counter and walking toward the window.

"Where?" she asked Rachel, gazing out the window.

"There." She pointed out the window. "He's going inside the diner."

Lily saw a tall, broad shoulder man walking into the diner. She only managed to catch a brief glimpse of his back as he walked inside. He had jet-black hair and even Lily could tell the suit he wore was expensive.

The car parked in front of the diner was one of the luxury models she had seen advertised on television.

"Maybe it'll take a couple of days for him to fix his car," Rachel said hopefully.

Lily grinned at her friend before turning away. "You could always go to the diner and get us some coffee," Lily suggested.

"You think?" Rachel grinned back.

"Go for it."

Rachel grabbed her purse, taking off out the door before Lily could suggest it twice.

Lily went back to work, and Rachel was gone quite a while before she walked back into the store carrying the coffee.

"How did it go?" Lily asked curiously.

"We were right. He was pa.s.sing through when his car broke down. He's even better looking close-up, too, but he's older than I thought. My brothers would lock me up and throw away the key if I tried to get to know him better."

"Did you get his number?" Lily wanted to know how bold Rachel had gotten with the stranger.

"No, but I did get his name," she said triumphantly.

"Oh, what was it?" Lily asked.

"King."

Chapter 31.

"Well, that's different."

"I know. Isn't it cool?" Rachel said, setting the coffee down on the counter.

"Did he say where he was from?" Lily pulled a stool up to the counter, taking one of the coffees.

"I forgot to ask." Rachel looked nonplussed for a second. "Oh, well, it really doesn't matter. He already has two strikes against him: he's too old and he's from out of town."

Not long after, Lily saw Shade pull up outside. She threw her empty coffee cup away in the nearby trashcan. "I'll see you next week."

"Bye, Lily."

Until Pastor Dean could find someone to run the store, it would only be able to stay open on Wednesdays and Sat.u.r.days. The store really needed to be open more frequently during the winter; she worried about so many going without their basic needs during the winter months.

Lily climbed onto the bike behind Shade after putting on her helmet, noticing the broken-down car was already gone.

When they got back to the clubhouse, she recognized s.e.x Piston and her crew's car. Killyama was leaning against it with her arms folded, glaring at Rider as he talked to her.