Shade
Page 49
Shade stared into a small window covered by a curtain, finding a small part which wasn’t covered and gave him a small glimpse of what was happening inside. He then raised a finger, showing someone inside had a weapon.
“I’m not going to press charges,” Diamond was saying.
Rachel was standing next to her while Tate and Greer stood by a table with Dustin.
“I’ll pay for the damages,” Rachel burst out.
“That’s not necessary,” Diamond said. “The couch was the only thing I had to throw out, and I like my new one.”
As the other brothers stared at each other, Shade realized the Porters had been the ones responsible for Diamond’s office being trashed.
“What are we going to do? She’s going to go to the sheriff,” Greer asked his brothers.
“No, I’m not. We’re going to the sheriff together.” Diamond kept her voice firm. “Dustin will always be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life if he doesn’t. He’s going to face it and get it over with then start over.”
“My brother isn’t going to jail,” Greer said angrily.
“No, he’s not. Samantha died because of her kidneys, not the blow to her head. I can get the charge dropped to involuntary manslaughter. I’ll talk to Caleb to see if we can work out a deal.”
“Listen to her, Greer,” Rachel said, going to her brother and trying to take the gun from him.
“They’re not going to offer him a deal! They’ve been trying to lock one of us away for years, and all because of that slut, they’re going to get one of us!”
“I told you not to call her that!” Dustin said.
“You were always blind where that bitch was concerned! I told you to stay away from that stuck-up pussy, and did you listen to me? Hell no! Now look at the mess we’re in all because you had to have that slut!”
Rachel attempted to take the shotgun away from Greer again before her brothers came to blows, and Diamond went forward to get Rachel back when the gun went off.
Everyone froze in shock. Diamond took a breath of relief when she realized the shot went through the back of the sofa.
“Thank God,” Rachel said.
With that, Shade gave the signal, letting Knox crash open the door. As The Last Riders came into the room, Knox went straight to Diamond.
“Are you okay?” Knox asked Diamond.
She batted his hands away. “I’m fine. Why are you here?”
“Beth called Lily to see what you wanted. Knowing your track record about going at things alone, I had a feeling you would come here,” Knox explained angrily.
“I didn’t need anyone’s help. The gun went off accidently,” Diamond snapped back.
“Guns don’t fucking go off by accident if you’re not holding one,” Knox said, looking at Greer who was staring guiltily at his sister.
“I’m sorry, Rachel,” Greer apologized to his sister.
“I’ve told you that temper of yours is going to get someone killed,” Rachel told her brother.
Shade wanted to beat the shit out of the three brothers for being stupid enough to fight over a weapon with women nearby. One of them could have been killed. However, from their pale faces, they already realized their mistake.
“Diamond, take Rachel outside and wait for me,” Knox ordered, staring at Greer with deadly intent.
“We’re not going anywhere.” Diamond refused to leave as The Last Riders spread throughout the room.
Rider and Razer were by Dustin, Cash and Viper were next to Tate, and Greer had Train and Crash standing by him. Rachel was shaking, still standing next to Greer, while Shade stood by the door, making sure the Porter brothers didn’t make a run for it. He was always the last means of defense because no one got past him.
“I didn’t ask.” Knox lifted her off her feet, turning toward the door.
“Stop it, Knox. You don’t even know what’s going on. I’m Dustin’s lawyer, and I came out here to discuss his court case with him.”
“Which one? The one where he sold pot to an undercover cop or for Sam’s death?” Knox mocked her.
“Put me down!”
Cash took Rachel’s arm, moving her away from Greer.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” Greer yelled, moving forward, but Viper had him in a second, held immobile as Rachel struggled against Cash.
“Stop it, and listen to me. He didn’t mean for the gun to go off. Rachel tried to take the gun from him. You know he wouldn’t hurt his sister. Knox, calm down and listen to me.” Diamond quit trying to struggle against him, letting her body go pliant. Turning against him until she was plastered against his front, she took his face in her hands, drawing his furious gaze back to hers. “They had no intention of hurting me.”
Knox released her.
“Let her go, Cash,” Viper ordered.
Cash freed a still struggling Rachel who turned, planting her foot in his balls.
Cash went immediately to his knees.
“Don’t ever fucking touch me again.” She started for the downed man again.
Shade laughed, moving forward to save the brother by blocking Cash.
“I think he got the message, Rachel,” Shade told her.
Rachel pulled her shirt down, which had ridden up her flat stomach, before planting her hands on her hips.
“You’re going to buy me a new door, Knox.” She turned around and pointed her finger at Greer. “You’re going to get your ass out of bed in the morning and buy me a new couch.” Turning to Viper, she let him have it, too. “Next time you come to my house, fucking knock first.” She looked around at a smirking Shade to see Cash trying to get to his feet.
Shade offered him a hand, but was met with an angry scowl.
“You have a whole club of women to haul around, so don’t touch me again or the only thing you’re going to be able to touch them with are your damn fingers.”
Taking a deep breath, she turned to Diamond. “Now, can you help Dustin or not?”
“Yes,” Diamond said softly. “I’ll go with him to the sheriff’s office to make a statement. I’ll talk to the Commonwealth’s Attorney to try to work out a deal, but he knows he doesn’t have much of a case. I sent for the coroner’s report from Frankfort; Samantha Bedford was in bad shape. She needed a kidney transplant and wasn’t even aware she had a problem. I talked to her grandmother; it could have possibly been what killed her mother. It was a genetic condition the family was unaware of.”
“Could my kid have it?” Dustin asked.
Shade whistled silently to himself, realizing the kid they had been searching for was Dustin’s. Vincent Bedford wouldn’t have been happy when he found out Sam was pregnant by one of the Porters. They supplied practically the whole state with weed.
“Possibly. Dustin, right now we have to deal with Samantha’s death. I’ll do what I can to see how I can get more help for you to find your child, okay?”
“All right. I don’t have a choice, do I?” Dustin said unhappily.
“No. I’m sorry, you don’t. Samantha made several bad decisions, but I do think she cared about you, Dustin, and if she did, she would have seen your child was taken care of. You have to hold on to that hope.”
“I’m not going to press charges,” Diamond was saying.
Rachel was standing next to her while Tate and Greer stood by a table with Dustin.
“I’ll pay for the damages,” Rachel burst out.
“That’s not necessary,” Diamond said. “The couch was the only thing I had to throw out, and I like my new one.”
As the other brothers stared at each other, Shade realized the Porters had been the ones responsible for Diamond’s office being trashed.
“What are we going to do? She’s going to go to the sheriff,” Greer asked his brothers.
“No, I’m not. We’re going to the sheriff together.” Diamond kept her voice firm. “Dustin will always be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life if he doesn’t. He’s going to face it and get it over with then start over.”
“My brother isn’t going to jail,” Greer said angrily.
“No, he’s not. Samantha died because of her kidneys, not the blow to her head. I can get the charge dropped to involuntary manslaughter. I’ll talk to Caleb to see if we can work out a deal.”
“Listen to her, Greer,” Rachel said, going to her brother and trying to take the gun from him.
“They’re not going to offer him a deal! They’ve been trying to lock one of us away for years, and all because of that slut, they’re going to get one of us!”
“I told you not to call her that!” Dustin said.
“You were always blind where that bitch was concerned! I told you to stay away from that stuck-up pussy, and did you listen to me? Hell no! Now look at the mess we’re in all because you had to have that slut!”
Rachel attempted to take the shotgun away from Greer again before her brothers came to blows, and Diamond went forward to get Rachel back when the gun went off.
Everyone froze in shock. Diamond took a breath of relief when she realized the shot went through the back of the sofa.
“Thank God,” Rachel said.
With that, Shade gave the signal, letting Knox crash open the door. As The Last Riders came into the room, Knox went straight to Diamond.
“Are you okay?” Knox asked Diamond.
She batted his hands away. “I’m fine. Why are you here?”
“Beth called Lily to see what you wanted. Knowing your track record about going at things alone, I had a feeling you would come here,” Knox explained angrily.
“I didn’t need anyone’s help. The gun went off accidently,” Diamond snapped back.
“Guns don’t fucking go off by accident if you’re not holding one,” Knox said, looking at Greer who was staring guiltily at his sister.
“I’m sorry, Rachel,” Greer apologized to his sister.
“I’ve told you that temper of yours is going to get someone killed,” Rachel told her brother.
Shade wanted to beat the shit out of the three brothers for being stupid enough to fight over a weapon with women nearby. One of them could have been killed. However, from their pale faces, they already realized their mistake.
“Diamond, take Rachel outside and wait for me,” Knox ordered, staring at Greer with deadly intent.
“We’re not going anywhere.” Diamond refused to leave as The Last Riders spread throughout the room.
Rider and Razer were by Dustin, Cash and Viper were next to Tate, and Greer had Train and Crash standing by him. Rachel was shaking, still standing next to Greer, while Shade stood by the door, making sure the Porter brothers didn’t make a run for it. He was always the last means of defense because no one got past him.
“I didn’t ask.” Knox lifted her off her feet, turning toward the door.
“Stop it, Knox. You don’t even know what’s going on. I’m Dustin’s lawyer, and I came out here to discuss his court case with him.”
“Which one? The one where he sold pot to an undercover cop or for Sam’s death?” Knox mocked her.
“Put me down!”
Cash took Rachel’s arm, moving her away from Greer.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” Greer yelled, moving forward, but Viper had him in a second, held immobile as Rachel struggled against Cash.
“Stop it, and listen to me. He didn’t mean for the gun to go off. Rachel tried to take the gun from him. You know he wouldn’t hurt his sister. Knox, calm down and listen to me.” Diamond quit trying to struggle against him, letting her body go pliant. Turning against him until she was plastered against his front, she took his face in her hands, drawing his furious gaze back to hers. “They had no intention of hurting me.”
Knox released her.
“Let her go, Cash,” Viper ordered.
Cash freed a still struggling Rachel who turned, planting her foot in his balls.
Cash went immediately to his knees.
“Don’t ever fucking touch me again.” She started for the downed man again.
Shade laughed, moving forward to save the brother by blocking Cash.
“I think he got the message, Rachel,” Shade told her.
Rachel pulled her shirt down, which had ridden up her flat stomach, before planting her hands on her hips.
“You’re going to buy me a new door, Knox.” She turned around and pointed her finger at Greer. “You’re going to get your ass out of bed in the morning and buy me a new couch.” Turning to Viper, she let him have it, too. “Next time you come to my house, fucking knock first.” She looked around at a smirking Shade to see Cash trying to get to his feet.
Shade offered him a hand, but was met with an angry scowl.
“You have a whole club of women to haul around, so don’t touch me again or the only thing you’re going to be able to touch them with are your damn fingers.”
Taking a deep breath, she turned to Diamond. “Now, can you help Dustin or not?”
“Yes,” Diamond said softly. “I’ll go with him to the sheriff’s office to make a statement. I’ll talk to the Commonwealth’s Attorney to try to work out a deal, but he knows he doesn’t have much of a case. I sent for the coroner’s report from Frankfort; Samantha Bedford was in bad shape. She needed a kidney transplant and wasn’t even aware she had a problem. I talked to her grandmother; it could have possibly been what killed her mother. It was a genetic condition the family was unaware of.”
“Could my kid have it?” Dustin asked.
Shade whistled silently to himself, realizing the kid they had been searching for was Dustin’s. Vincent Bedford wouldn’t have been happy when he found out Sam was pregnant by one of the Porters. They supplied practically the whole state with weed.
“Possibly. Dustin, right now we have to deal with Samantha’s death. I’ll do what I can to see how I can get more help for you to find your child, okay?”
“All right. I don’t have a choice, do I?” Dustin said unhappily.
“No. I’m sorry, you don’t. Samantha made several bad decisions, but I do think she cared about you, Dustin, and if she did, she would have seen your child was taken care of. You have to hold on to that hope.”
