Train's Clash (The Last Riders Book 9) (22 page)

Killyama turned to where Train had pointed.

“Lily’s here?”

“Yes, I told you she comes sometimes.”

Killyama took another look around the room. It was a couple of seconds before she realized that something was different from the last party she had attended. The women were dressed as slutty as before—she certainly couldn’t throw rocks in that direction since she was dressed just as suggestively. What had changed was their behavior.

“I get it. Who is the club putting on the show for? Lily or my friends?” She raised her brow, daring him to deny it. The men might not be keeping their hands to themselves, but the atmosphere was still PG rated.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Train deadpanned. “You sure I can’t get you a drink?”

“I’m sure. Dude, be real with me.” She placed a hand on his arm to keep him from slipping away.

Train sighed. “For her and them. Lily doesn’t feel comfortable—”

“You don’t have to explain it to me.” She stared down at her painted toenails. “You wanted my friends here a lot tonight, didn’t you?”

“I want you to be as comfortable in my club as I am in yours. I love living here. We’re like a family, like your friends are to you. If I have to make peace with them, that’s what I’m going to do.”

She hated it when men made flowery speeches, but Train had hit her heart with a punch she hadn’t been expecting. Her friends were her most vulnerable spot. She loved them. That Train wanted them to like him as much she wanted his friends to like her put her in an awkward position, one she had never been in before.

“I was dreading coming here tonight. If you hadn’t invited Sex Piston, I don’t know if I would have,” she confessed, still staring down at her toes. She could walk into a room stark naked and not feel embarrassed, but exposing herself emotionally was almost impossible for her.

“Why?”

“I know the club hates me after what went down with Sasha. I don’t want you to have to pick between me and your friends any more than you want me to have to choose between you and my friends.”

“Look at me.” Train’s commanding voice had her raising her eyes. “None of the brothers or the women hate you. Sasha told us how you had one of the guards watch out for her, and she’s had her charges dropped. If we hadn’t been forced to act, she would still be running from the law. So it’s all good, okay?”

“Okay.” She made sure to keep her eyes steady when he mentioned being forced to act, feeling relieved that Shade had kept his word about her involvement in getting Sasha’s charges dropped. “How about you get me a shot of tequila, and I’ll find us a place to sit?”

“I can do that.” He brushed his knuckles over the globes of her breasts. “Did I tell you I like your top? Leather suits you.”

She turned so he could get a look at her ass in the tight leather pants. “I was wondering when you were going to say something. A woman likes to be appreciated when she dresses up for her man.”

The desire blazing in his eyes was better than any words he could use to compliment her.

“So, you’re admitting I’m your man?”

“I guess I am.”

Train frowned. “Damn.”

“What?” she asked, instead of angrily drilling one of her heels into his foot. If he didn’t want to be her man, he could go …

“I told Mick I didn’t have a woman. You made a liar out of me.”

As satisfied as Gollum with a can of tuna, she strutted away from him, calling out, “Don’t forget my tequila.”

She was so busy strutting she accidently bumped into a woman who was going toward the same couch.

“Sorry, my bad,” Killyama apologized to the gorgeous redhead next to Cash.

“It was my fault. I was admiring your top.” Rachel’s friendly flattery would normally have her returning the compliment with one of her own, or thanking her. Before she could do either, Rachel’s face turned blood red and she changed directions toward the bar with a surprised Cash following.

Killyama searched her memories to remember if she had insulted the woman before. If what Train had said was true about The Last Riders not holding a grudge against her, Rachel’s behavior was inexplicable.

Shrugging, she went to the couch. Stud stood up to let her have his seat, sitting on the arm of the couch next to Sex Piston. Shade had taken the chair in front of it, with Lily on his lap. Evie was standing next to them, talking to Lily. When she saw her taking a seat, she gave her a smile before saying she was going to find King.

“Do I stink or something?” Killyama lowered her voice so Shade and Stud wouldn’t hear her embarrassing question.

Sex Piston inconspicuously sniffed. “No, why?” she answered from out of the corner of her mouth as she lifted her beer to disguise their conversation.

“Rachel and Evie took off like their tails were on fire. Evie, I can understand, but I never laid a hand on Rachel.”

“Maybe you’re imagining it?”

“Maybe.” She shifted away from Sex Piston as Train managed to find room to sit down next to her.

“You’re a little close, aren’t you?” Killyama wiggled on the couch cushions, managing to give herself breathing room and regretting cinching the corset so tightly.

“I like being close to you. If you don’t have enough room, you could sit on my lap.”

“Never mind. I’m good.” Sex Piston had said she didn’t smell, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

She tried to remember what she had eaten that night. Maybe she should go to her car and grab the pack of gum she always kept stashed there.

She was sidetracked when Stud and Train started talking about his new bike.

“Have you decided what color you want to paint it?”

Train turned toward her. “What do you think?”

“Black,” she answered without thinking.

“Can’t be black. That’s Stud’s bike’s color.”

“Why does that matter?”

“When I race him again, it’ll be easier for you to see which one of us is in the lead.”

Stud laughed. “Should I be worried?”

“Yes.” Train placed a possessive hand on her thigh. “It’s hard for a man to see his woman rooting for another man, even if you like him.”

“Can’t say I blame you. It’s why I started racing again. Sex Piston didn’t give me the time of day until she saw one of my races.”

Sex Piston didn’t deny the accusation because it was the truth. Stud had been going nowhere in his attempts to catch her until she had seen the race they had all gone to.

“Watching you race might have gotten you in my bed, but it was your kids that let you steal my heart.”

Stud leaned down to whisper something into Sex Piston’s ear that had love simmering in her eyes.

“How did the conference go with your girls’ teacher?” Train asked, turning to Stud and taking his attention away from Sex Piston.

“Sex Piston and I decided we don’t want them to become foreign exchange students. It’s an excellent program, but we don’t feel comfortable having another couple we don’t know take responsibility for them. The girls haven’t talked to us in a week.”

Train nodded in agreement. “If I had kids, I wouldn’t have been able to do it, either.” He stared down at the beer in his hand. “You remember Penni, Shade’s sister?”

Stud’s mouth twitched. “Yes, she’s hard to forget.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think you know this, but Penni has a friend who was born in Paris. Grace moved to the United States when she was older. She actually works with Penni. I mentioned to Penni that you two were having a problem trying to decide what to do, and she talked to Grace. She called a friend of hers who still lives in Paris, and she offered to let the girls stay with her for the summer or a school term. Seems when her daughter was vacating in America, she was killed. She said it would give her something to do—taking the girls shopping and sightseeing.”

Sex Piston and Stud stared at Train, speechless at the offer. Killyama melted against Train.

“I’m sure Jonas could check her out for you before you two decide whether that would be an option worth considering. If you want, I can text you her information. She said to think it over, and if you decide not to do it, she wouldn’t mind letting your family visit for a vacation. You would have to pay for your plane tickets and expenses, but it would save you money on hotel rooms.”

Killyama gave Sex Piston the drink she hadn’t touched yet, watching the stunned woman suck it down in one gulp. Then Stud and Sex Piston stared at each other. For once, she let Stud take the lead.

“That’s very generous. If you text me her number, I’ll check her out and talk to Sex Piston before I contact her. If we watch our pennies and save, we might actually be able to take them ourselves if we take her up on her offer and stay with her.”

“I hope it works out for you. I’m sure it sucks with the girls giving you the silent treatment.”

“I can handle that. It’s when they start charging us for babysitting that I get mad. Tonight, they’re charging me twenty bucks an hour, a piece for Rocky and Star. They offered to babysit Fat Louise’s baby for free, just to rub it in.”

“That’s why, when I have kids, I’m only having boys,” Train joked.

“Take it from me, boys are a handful,” Beth disagreed as her and Razer joined the conversation. “Chance and Noah have me afraid of having more children. Lily, Evie, and Stori are the only ones who can babysitting for us anymore.”

“They aren’t that bad. They’re just a little rambunctious,” Lily spoke out in her nephews’ defense.

“I don’t mind babysitting if they can’t help you out,” Killyama offered.

Beth gave her a warm look. “I know. They still ask when you’re coming to babysit them again.”

“When did you babysit them?” Train asked.

“I don’t know … A couple of times.” Killyama looked at him curiously. His troubled expression had her wondering what he was thinking. Did he think she couldn’t handle the two boys? Like Lily said, they were rambunctious, but they weren’t any worse than all four of Sex Piston’s kids.

Train stood up, asking her to come with him.

Letting him take her hand, she followed him to where the members were dancing.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” he answered shortly, staring across the club room. When she saw his attention was on the women, she began moving stiffly against him.

“Dude, if you want to dance with another bitch, I can leave.”

“I want to dance with
you
. I just had something on my mind.” He shook off whatever was bothering him, his eyes once again intent on her.

“You know, if it works out with Meri and Keri, you’re going to become Sex Piston’s new best friend.”

“I doubt that. You pretty much have that job sealed.”

“Sex Piston is my best friend, but I’m not hers. She doesn’t pick favorites.”

“Women always pick favorites. They say they don’t, but they do,” he ruminated out loud.

She didn’t question him, trying to be sensitive, which was hard for her. Was he thinking about his sisters when he had said that? Or his mother? She couldn’t blame him for feeling resentful that his mother had chosen his father over the safety of his sisters. Or was he thinking about the women in the club?

She stared around the room as Train had done a few minutes ago, wondering which man was the women’s favorite. It was a toss-up. She thought it might be Train, but she was biased because he was the most attractive to her. However, the other women had more intimate details that could make another more attractive. Sasha had certainly been able to list Train’s attributes. Shade, Rider, and Viper wouldn’t have a problem finding a bed to share, either. She would have to ask Beth or Lily the next time they had their monthly lunch date.

Killyama almost lost her balance in her borrowed high heels when she saw some of the women avert their eyes when she was caught staring directly at them.

She got a deathly sick feeling in her stomach. Train had wanted to know when she had babysat Beth’s kids in the past, because he was worried she might have seen something when she was coming and going from Beth’s house.

He had said women chose favorites. That meant he didn’t think the men did. In fact, Train didn’t need to pick a favorite woman. Her man had done them all.

“
S
how
me where the restroom is.” Killyama commandeered Beth as soon as the men left to play a game of pool.

Beth broke off her conversation with Sex Piston. “You know where it is. It’s around the corner and passed the steps. You can’t miss it—”

Killyama linked her arm with hers as they made their way through the crowd.

“It’s a small bathroom. It doesn’t have stalls …” Beth protested.

“I know.”

Beth stopped arguing, following meekly beside her.

She heard Sex Piston and Lily fall in step behind them, curious to what was going on.

Killyama had noticed Rachel went in the direction of the bathroom. When she saw the group of women going in the same direction, Rachel started heading back into the main room.

“Keep going, bitch. I want to talk to you.” Killyama knew her suspicions had been correct when she saw Rachel blanch.

“Killyama, please don’t make any trouble,” Lily pleaded.

“I’m not going to touch the bitch. I just want to talk to her.”

Rachel fell in step with the group of women.

When Killyama opened the bathroom door, the women crowded inside. Sex Piston had to stand on the other side of the toilet just to make room for everyone.

Her eyes going to Beth and Lily for assurance, Rachel stuttered, “Wh-What did you—”

“You’ve done Train, haven’t you?”

Her pale face turned red, her shaking hand going to the sink to steady herself. “No … Yes … But …”

“That’s all I needed to know. I don’t do men who have fucked around with married women.” She tried to press through the women to reach for the doorknob.

“Beth, please stop her!” Rachel yelled over her head.

Beth didn’t move from the door, blocking her exit.

“Bitch, I don’t need details.” She turned back to face the humiliated woman, her hands clenched at her sides.

“Please let me explain … Please?” Rachel avoided both Killyama and Sex Piston’s gazes. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Just spit it out,” she snapped.

“All right! You know how the men aren’t shy about letting others watch them have sex?”

“Yes.”

“Cash let Train watch,” she delicately explained. “Sometimes the men invite them into their beds, too.”

“You could have said no.”

Rachel nodded. “Yes, I could have, but I didn’t. The men have a way of getting you so wound up that you kind of … lose—kind of … like it.”

“How many times have you liked it?” she asked sharply.

“Two … Maybe three,” she confessed. “But not since I found out he was interested in you. I don’t think he’s been with any other women since you spent the night here.”

“That’s why you were avoiding me earlier?”

“Yes. It’s so embarrassing …”

“What about the other women? He’s done them all, hasn’t he?”

“No,” Lily sputtered.

“No,” Beth denied.

“Maybe not you two, but I think he has all the others.” Rachel bit her lip at the confession.

“Move,” Killyama ordered Lily so she could put down the lid of the toilet. Sitting down, she stared at the three women.

Sex Piston stayed put, listening to every word. Shockingly, she didn’t confront Rachel. What she did do was turn toward Killyama and put her hand on her shoulder.

“Beth, tell her.”

Beth’s face went as shamefaced as Rachel’s, her eyes going to Lily’s.

Killyama could tell that Lily didn’t know what her sister was going to say, but she gave her support, anyway. “Go ahead.”

“I was intimate with Rider. It was before I was married to Razer,” Beth hurriedly clarified herself. “Killyama, all of the married women have been intimate with at least one of the men.”

“I haven’t, but … I did have sex with another couple in the room.” Lily looked like she was going to pass out from her admission.

Killyama stood up, letting Lily have the only seat in the room.

Sex Piston gave a low whistle. “I want to know what they’re selling. If I bottle it, I would make a fortune.” She mused for a moment. “I know my uptight sister hasn’t …” She broke off when Lily buried her face in her hands.

“Oh, my fu—” Killyama broke off when Lily rose her eyes to hers.

The woman wasn’t shy about another couple watching her and Shade, yet she was getting upset because Killyama was about to take the Lord’s name in vain? It was screwed up.

“I give the fucker’s credit. They’re smarter than the Destructors. If they find out …” She broke off as she began laughing.

Sex Piston didn’t share her amusement.

“If Stud invited any of the brothers in our bedroom, he’ll need a surgeon to pull my boot out of his ass.”

Rachel shook her head. “You think that now, then it happens somehow.” She raised her hands up in question.

“I think I know why.” Beth looked undecided about telling them something.

“You might as well tell me. It’s not like I won’t find out, anyway,” Killyama said shrewdly.

“I don’t know if I should. I could get trouble … If anyone else finds out—”

“We’re all sisters here.” Or, they were until that bathroom door opened. Right now, Stud wasn’t the only one who would need a surgeon when she was finished. There wouldn’t be enough surgeons in Kentucky to put Train back together.

“Winter told me something, and when I asked Razer about it, he said Viper may have, but he hadn’t. I don’t believe him, though.” Beth’s troubled eyes met theirs. “Winter said that the men pick their replacement in case something happens to them. I think, when they share like Cash did, or let them watch like Shade had, it’s with the one they chose to watch over us if something happens.”

“That can’t be true,” Lily protested.

“It better not be.” Rachel’s red hair practically bristled.

“Rider comes over a lot. He goes to Willa’s a lot, too,” Beth mused.

“That’s because you both are always cooking.” Lily shook her head. Then her eyes grew thoughtful.

“So Train is Winter and your replacement?” Killyama looked at Rachel’s furious expression.

“He must be. Cash could have at least given me a choice if that’s true.”

“Who would you have you chosen?” Killyama couldn’t help asking.

Rachel’s face turned fire engine red. “I really hate to admit it, but I would have chosen Train, too. Of course that was before he became involved with you.”

“Of course.” Killyama rolled her eyes up to the low ceiling. “Who would you have picked, Beth?”

“Rider.” Beth’s red face was the only explanation she needed.

“Lily?”

“Knox.”

“You think Winter would have chosen Train?”

Both Beth and Lily answered, “Yes.”

“So, it stands to reason, Shade is Diamond’s replacement.”

The women nodded their agreement.

“If—and it’s a big if—Train gets serious, I wonder who he would pick for me?”

Rachel, Beth, and Lily stared at each other, and then turned toward her in unison.

“Rider,” Killyama repeated Beth’s answer, seeing if the three women agreed.

They all nodded.

“Rider it is, then.” Killyama squeezed through the women.

“What are you going to do?” It was easy to see that Rachel was the smartest of the three. Sex Piston didn’t count; she knew her well enough to know she was going to turn the tables on the men.

“If Train thinks he needs a replacement for if anything happens to him, who am I to argue? I think he should be afraid of dying.”

“Really? Why?”

How Lily could still be so innocent when she was married to Shade beat the hell out of her. Seeing she still didn’t understand, though, Killyama took pity on her. The other women’s panicked faces showed they didn’t need a picture or a map drawn out for them.

“Because I’m going to kill the fucker.”