Authors: Jamie Begley
“Good morning, husband.”
“Good morning, siren.” He slid one hand inside the front of her robe, cupping her breast in his hand.
She swatted his hand away. “Go sit down; breakfast is ready. I need to get changed. I invited Dustin to bring my accounts by so you’ll quit worrying.”
“I’m only concerned because you let your customers run up big bills or don’t pay you at all. From what I can tell from what paperwork you have shown me, King and about five other customers are paying you.” Lucky sneaked one of the oatmeal raisin cookies as she placed his plate on the table.
“I told you I love baking, and my customers pay me when they get paid.”
“Why does the restaurant of Charles’s father owe such a large bill, then?”
Lucky was aware Lily’s old boyfriend had gone to school with Willa, also.
“Oh, he’s behind in taxes, but he’s going to get caught up with me after they’re paid.”
“Owing taxes didn’t keep him from buying Charles that new truck.”
Willa poured him a cup of coffee. Bending down, she placed a kiss on his cheek. “You worry too much.”
“I’m going to talk to them,” Lucky said firmly.
“Don’t you dare.” She placed the coffee pot back on the burner. “You’ll hurt their feelings.”
Thankfully, Lucky had just swallowed the bite of bacon he had taken, or he would have choked on that choice of words.
“I’ve got to go get changed. Promise me you won’t be mean to Dustin if he comes before I get back.”
When Lucky took another bite of his bacon, remaining silent, Willa went to the cookie jar, taking out a cookie that Lucky saw as she paused by the table.
“I’ll try.” He took the cookie she handed him, chewing it thoughtfully.
He needed to start exercising more, or Willa was going to make him fat. He missed the exercise equipment at the clubhouse. He and the brothers would compete to see who could lift the most weights. Missing the time they hung out together grew worse each day.
He looked up when he saw Dustin standing in the doorway.
“Willa texted me and told me to come on in.”
If Lucky hadn’t known Dustin for years, he would have never recognized the young man standing in the doorway. He was wearing a grey suit that was not only clean, but pressed, and his dress shoes were more expensive than the ones on Lucky’s own feet.
“Fix yourself a plate. Willa left plenty on the counter.”
“I’ll just pour myself some coffee.” Dustin placed his briefcase on the table before going to the counter.
Lucky finished his breakfast while Dustin drank his coffee as he opened his briefcase.
“How long have you been Willa’s accountant?”
“Since I gained custody of my son. I had gone by Willa’s house to pick up a cake for his birthday. I was a dollar fifty short, but she wouldn’t take the money. I had just earned my high school diploma, and she asked what interested me. I told her money, just joking around, but she offered me a scholarship and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“I thought she was crazier than shit, but I worked hard in college and discovered that I have a head for numbers. Then she offered me the job because her accountant wanted to retire. I almost shit myself when he showed me all this, though.” Dustin looked down at the papers in his hand before handing them to him.
Lucky moved his dirty dishes aside as he began going through the paperwork.
“Willa’s great-grandfather founded a company that made millions. When her father and his wife passed, Willa inherited as their only child.
“I didn’t start taking a salary from Willa until she began making money on my investments.” Dustin pointed at one of the columns. “This is the normal commission a broker would make.”
Dustin began going over the paperwork, intermittently pausing to answer a text.
“Have you built up other clients?”
“Rachel and Cash, even though I didn’t want to. Cash threatened to kick my ass if I didn’t. Shade, Angus Berry, Drake, and a couple of investments of King’s.” Dustin paused, answering another text.
Lucky went through the paperwork for over an hour before he leaned back in his chair, dismayed at what he had found out about his wife. The numbers were so large they were beginning to run together.
“Exactly how rich is my wife?”
“I would say richer than God, but I don’t think you would appreciate the analogy,” Dustin joked, getting up to refill his coffee. He sat back down then handed Lucky a lone paper that he had kept to the side. “I need you to sign this.”
“What is…?” Lucky picked up the paper, going pale as he read over it.
“It makes you beneficiary of her estate.”
Lucky tossed the paper to him. “I’m not going to sign that.”
“It doesn’t matter if you do or not. I just wanted to witness for Diamond that you received a copy.”
“Diamond?”
“Knox’s wife is Willa’s attorney. My office is next to hers, and Diamond had to be in court this morning with Tate, so she asked if I would take care of it for her. Willa asked Diamond to explain the way her estate will be split, but since she couldn’t be here, she gave me permission.”
“Who was the beneficiary before she changed it?” Lucky asked hoarsely.
”I’m familiar with the details because I was in the meetings with Diamond when she was writing the will. She wanted my advice on how to split her estate.
“Willa has several beneficiaries. Seventy percent of her fortune goes to you, but that’s subject to change depending on the number of children you have. It decreases with each child. She wants her children taken care of, but doesn’t want to leave them enough to spoil them.” Dustin’s mouth twitched. “She keeps going back and forth between five and ten percent.”
“The other thirty percent?”
“The children she fostered split ten percent, and Lily, Beth, Rachel, Angus Berry, and last week she added Killyama—though I couldn’t understand why, something about a broom—will split the remaining twenty percent.” Dustin’s phone dinged with another incoming text. “This doesn’t include her house and two other investments. The house is paid for and, upon Willa’s death, remains in the direct family, unable to be sold.”
“Why?”
“Willa wants a home for her children in case they ever need it. The two investment profits go to various charities that she decides on each year.”
“You can tell Willa to come back down now.” Lucky nodded toward the cell phone in Dustin’s hand when it dinged.
“How did—”
“It doesn’t usually take my wife two hours to get changed,” he said wryly.
“Willa is very sensitive,” Dustin confided.
Unless Lucky was mistaken, the youngest Porter brother had a crush on Willa.
Lucky burst out laughing. “My wife is a tightwad. Did you know she won’t buy anything unless it’s on sale? I settled for an ugly green tile in her bathroom shower because it was twenty percent cheaper per tile. I thought she was broke. I didn’t even think to check her finances out before we married.”
“It could be emasculating for a man to have a wife as rich as Willa is.”
“I think my masculinity will survive.”
Lucky caught his wife’s apprehensive look as she came into the room. As she drew nearer, he put his arm around her waist.
“We’re changing the tile color.”
When she started to argue, Lucky forestalled her. “I think we can afford those two children you want, but I was hoping to sweet-talk you into four.”
Happiness filled her face. “Really?”
“Yep. On one condition. You have to talk Dustin into becoming my accountant.”
Chapter 25
“I can’t believe it!” Willa closed her computer, so excited she wanted to tell Lucky the good news. She had entered a contest to win a state-of-the-art smart home computer system and won.
Knowing Lucky was in his office, working, she decided to peek in and tell him. She practically skipped to his office, wanting to gloat that she wasn’t going to have to pay a penny for the system he wanted. She was so excited she forgot to knock. Opening the door, she saw him sitting in the chair by his window and Willa stopped, looking at the tired lines of his sleeping face.
She wanted to wake him and tell him to come to bed. If she did, though, he would do what he did every night—make love to her then disappear until morning. As a result, Willa quietly left his office without waking him.
Going to her bedroom, she sat down on the side of her bed. She stared at the clock on the nightstand, seeing it was only seven in the evening.
Picking up her cell phone, she made a call she should have made two weeks ago.
“Hello? Willa?”
“Hi, Lily. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“No, I’m just feeding John. What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering, if it’s not too much trouble, could I borrow that cookbook of your mother’s? I’m bored, and nighttime is my favorite time to cook.”
Lily paused. “I could bring it to you.”
“No! Like I said, I’m bored, and I could use the fresh air.”
Again she was met with silence, although she thought she heard voices in the background.
“That’s fine, Willa. I’ll see you when you get here.”
“Thanks, Lily. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Willa put on her tennis shoes then ran a brush through her hair and tugged it up into a ponytail. Grabbing her purse and keys, she left Lucky a quick note, placing it on the mirror of the dresser so he would see it when he entered the bedroom. He usually didn’t come upstairs until nine, and she expected to be back long before that, but she didn’t want him to worry if he finished his work early.
It was getting dark when she pulled into The Last Riders’ parking lot. It was filled with motorcycles and several club members were standing around, shooting her curious glances as she got out of her van.
She went up the side walkway that led to Lily’s house. As she passed the clubhouse, Willa heard loud music and saw the kitchen filled with people. Before she could get to Lily’s house, Lily came out the front door with the cookbook in her hand. Willa was disappointed. She had hoped to find Shade alone with Lily in their house.
“Here you go, Willa.” Lily handed her the cookbook.
Willa took it. “I didn’t mean to bring you out,” Willa apologized.
She was about to ask if she could speak to Shade when Lily shook her head.
“I needed to escape for a moment. Beth and Diamond are playing cards. Shade had already left to get some beer for the clubhouse, or he could have dropped it off to you.”
“That’s okay. It’s such a pretty night that I wanted to get out.” Willa turned to go back down the path. “Thanks, Lily.”
She left Lily, walking back toward the parking lot. Willa wanted to confide in Lily and ask her advice. However, Lucky wouldn’t be happy if he found out she had discussed him with her friend. It was a good thing Shade wasn’t home. There was only one person she needed to talk to, and that was her husband.
The parking lot was even fuller as she made her way to her van with her head down, only looking up when she reached her vehicle
“Evening, Willa.”
Shade was sitting on his bike. She could have sworn there was a black one parked there when she pulled up, not the cherry red he was sitting on. Rider was standing next to him with two twelve-packs of beer under his arms.
“Shade, Rider.” She gave them a nod.
Rider gave her a wink.
“They’re waiting for the beer,” Shade reminded him with a frown.
“Oh, yeah. Later, Willa.”
“Good night, Rider.”
Shade remained sitting on the motorcycle with his blue eyes on her. She was about to get into her van when she looked at the bike he was sitting on again.
“That looks like Lucky’s bike.”
“It used to be. It’s a club bike now until someone claims it.”
Willa froze. “A club bike?”
“It’s a rule—when you leave the Last Rider’s, you give up the bike you joined with.”
“That’s not fair.”
“I hate to tell you this, Willa, but biker clubs aren’t known to be fair.”
Willa swallowed hard. She should get back in her van and drive into town, but she didn’t.
Her hand holding her keys dropped to her side. “Do you know what’s bothering Lucky?”
Shade stared back at her, his expression impassive. It was the only one she saw him wear unless Lily was there. Several times, she had been brave enough to look into his eyes and seen … nothing—no emotion, no soul—and she was terrified that, unless she found a way to reach Lucky one day, she would wake and see the same thing in his eyes.
“Yeah.”
Willa licked her dry lips. “He’s dying inside, isn’t he?”
“He died a long time ago and doesn’t want to admit it. That’s his problem.”
“What’s wrong with him?” she whispered.
“How bad do you want to know?”
Willa blinked back tears. “Please, Shade … help me.”
“He’ll hate me if I tell you … Not that I care a rat’s ass, but what I tell you could just as easily destroy your marriage as save it. Are you willing to take the risk?”
“I love Lucky, Shade. Nothing you tell me is going to change that.”
“We’ll see.” Shade stood up from the bike, motioning her up the steps to the clubhouse.
Willa went up the steep steps in front of Shade, and two bikers she didn’t recognize were standing in front of the front door when she reached the top. Both looked intimidating, blocking the doorway.
“It’s cool, RIP, Fang.”
The two men moved out of the way.
“They’re recruits from Ohio,” Shade explained.
Willa didn’t ever want to visit Ohio if that’s where they lived. She hoped they went home soon.
Shade moved to stand in front of the door. The music was even louder than when she had arrived.
“Lucky tell you about the Friday parties?”
Willa nodded her head.
Shade opened the door, motioning for her to go inside. From what she could see, she didn’t want to go in any farther, even though no one in the hallway paid her any attention. They were too busy having sex.
She recognized Jewell with her legs wrapped around Train’s hips as he bucked against her. Jewell was holding onto the rails of the steps with her T-shirt pulled up over her breasts, and she wasn’t wearing anything from the waist down. Train wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his jeans were unzipped as his cock thrust into Jewell.