29
Penni brushed the tickle attacking her noise away as she woke up. Blinking, she stared up at the baby blues of her nephew. Lily’s giggle had her turning her sleepy gaze toward Lily as she picked up John.
“I’m sorry. He was playing on his blanket when I went to make his breakfast.”
Penni raised up on the couch she had fallen asleep on last night after Jackal had left. “That’s okay. I didn’t mean sleep so late. I’ll never get back on schedule when I get back to work.”
“Maybe Kaden will fire you, and you’ll move to Kentucky. I’m going to miss seeing you every day.”
“You have plenty friends to keep you occupied.”
Lily’s face fell as she sat down on the couch beside her. “Are you mad at me because of Killyama?”
“Kind of.” She and Lily had been friends long enough that she felt Lily could have given her a heads up.
“I’m sorry, Penni. I should have told you, especially when I egged you on to try to make Train interested in you. As far as I know, it was the one time, and the two fight all the time. Killyama insults him more than flirts with him. But that’s no excuse. I guess I’ve been missing you so much I lost my judgement. That and I’m not allowed to talk about anything that involves the men.”
“The bro code?”
“Yes.” Lily laid her head on her shoulder. “Can you forgive me?”
John sat on Lily’s lap, tugging at the dangling tie of her blouse.
“That depends on whether you make me French toast for breakfast.”
“With strawberries?”
“I forgive you.” Penni hugged Lily then lifted John onto her lap. “Your mama knows I can’t resist a good meal. Is that how you get Shade to stop being mad at you?”
“Yeah, sure.” Lily blushed, getting off the couch.
“Jackal said the way to his heart is through his dick.” Penni fell back on the couch cushions, laughing when Lily’s face turned even redder.
Lily picked up one of the pillows, hitting her with it, making sure she didn’t hit John.
Penni only shook her head at Lily as she left to make breakfast.
A knock came to door as they were finishing breakfast. Penni smiled when Lily opened the door to find Jackal filling the doorway.
He came in, sitting down at the table with them.
“You want some breakfast?” Lily offered.
“No thanks. I’m not hungry.”
Penni knew Jackal wasn’t a man who smiled a lot, but his flinty expression had her wondering what troubled him so early in the day.
“Willa is going to take Genny clothes shopping in Lexington.”
“That’s a good idea. I told her to help herself to my clothes, but nothing is like having your own.”
Was his distant behavior just because of the fire last night?
Penni reached out, covering his hand with hers and giving it a tight squeeze.
He pulled his away. “Genny asked if you want to go.”
If she went, they wouldn’t be able to sneak out to the hotel tonight. It would take at least three hours to drive there, so by the time they shopped and drove back, it would be late.
“Willa wants to make a day out of it, staying for dinner and then staying in a hotel and driving back tomorrow. She thinks giving Genny a day away from Treepoint will help instead of having to drive back and forth to work and seeing the shell of her house.”
“Is it safe? I thought Viper wanted us to stay near the club.” Penni asked. She wanted to help by spending time with Genny, but dammit, she had waited a long time to lose her virginity, and since making her mind up that Jackal would be the one, she was anxious to be with him.
“Viper will send Cash and Shade with you.”
Yep, they would be safe.
“Then of course I’ll go.” Penni’s disappointment burned a hole in her chest.
“Since Shade is coming, do you think you could go?” Penni asked Lily just as Lily got a text message from Shade.
“Looks like John and I are going, too. We’re going to have so much fun!”
“Yippee,” Penni said, trying to cheer herself up.
“I’ll go and get John and myself ready.” Lily picked John up from his highchair.
“Go ahead. I’ll be up in a minute.” Penni rose from the table when Jackal stood up, heading toward the door. Penni caught his hand as he was about leave. “Is something wrong?”
Jackal didn’t smile. “No. You go and spend time with Genny.”
“I was looking forward to tonight.”
“I was, too. We can do it another night when this mess is over.”
Penni’s face fell. “Are you trying to tell me that you want to wait to make love to me until after we get back to Queen City?”
“I think that’s for the best.” He didn’t meet her eyes, which wasn’t like him.
“I don’t understand. If you’re changing your mind about us, then just tell me so.” Penni felt a sharp pain she had never experienced before. Maybe she should cancel going with Genny and go to a doctor.
Before she could analyze where the sharp pain was coming from, Penni found herself pinned against the wall next to the front door.
“I haven’t changed shit about how I feel about you. You’re mine. You have been since I made you get on my bike and duct taped your hands around my waist. I can’t feel bad about it, even if I know it made you hate me, but I did what I had to for the club. I will always do what I have to do for the club.
“I never had a home before the Predators. I had been living on the fucking streets since I was fourteen years old. The only time I had a roof over my head was when I was in juvie. My father made sure that he scared potential foster parents from taking me in.”
“I’m so sorry, Jackal.”
Penni had her parents, Shade, and even Shade’s father had been kind to her, making sure she had felt like a part of their family. Meanwhile, Jackal had no one. His father was the one he should have been protected from.
“Don’t be. I’m not the first runaway who found themselves on the streets, and I won’t be the last. We live in a fucked world, and it just becomes more fucked every day.”
“That’s not true … There are good people everywhere.”
“That may be true, but they didn’t do shit to help me. I survived by doing anything and everything I had to in order to put food in my stomach and sleep in a bed. I’m not going to lie; I’ve done things that would make you sick. It makes me sick.
“Ice took one look at me, Hennessy, and DJ and fed us, gave us our rooms, and gave us a family. DJ was willing to give it up for the drugs, Hennessy for DJ, but me? Hell no. I’ll stand behind the Predators until I’m dead and gone.”
Penni felt the tears slip out of the corners of her eyes. Jackal brushed them away with his callused thumbs.
“I understand.”
“You don’t, but you will. There are going to be a lot of fights between you and me over the club. There’s going to be times you hate me and walk away, but I’m not going to let you go.”
“You’re not?”
“Hell no.”
Penni let her head drop down on Jackal’s chest. “Is that a promise?”
“It’s an oath.” Jackal’s arms tightened around her, nearly cutting off her breath before he loosened his hold and stepped back.
She watched him go, wanting to pull back and barricade the door against the world. Lily would complain, but she would get over it.
Penni shook her head. It was a sad when she was thinking about taking her sister-law and nephew hostage just so she could have sex.
“Dammit, am I ever going to get laid?” she asked the closed door.
“Uh … Are you talking to me?” Lily said, coming down the steps.
Penni turned around to face her friend. “Do you know how many men have tried to get me to sleep with them?”
“Uh … No, and I probably don’t want to know.”
“Hundreds.” Penni’s
anger had her exaggerating. “I damn near shot one’s dick off.”
“Okay …”
Penni released a loud sigh.
Lily juggled John on her hip. “Feel better?”
“Not yet, but I will by the time I get dressed and ready to go.”
Penni stomped upstairs to her room, going to the window to slide it open. Raising her hand, she threw her negative emotions out, and there were a lot. When she was done, she slammed the window back down before they could return to her. If that didn’t help her to get laid, nothing would.
She rubbed her hands together, as if she were shaking them off. Bolstered by a fresh aura, Penni dressed, and by the time she had come downstairs where Shade was now waiting with Lily, she was in a better mood.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
“The others are waiting in the parking lot,” Shade said as he carried John and Lily packed the diaper bag.
Penni raised her eyebrows when she saw Winter sitting in one of the backseats with Genny. Beth and Razer were sitting in a car with their two children, parked alongside Lily’s van.
Penni climbed into one of the backseats as Shade buckled John’s car seat.
“I didn’t know Beth was coming.” Lily waved at Beth as she got in the front seat.
Shade slid behind the steering wheel, and Cash got in the back seat. Then Shade drove out of the parking lot with Razer following behind.
“We thought you women deserved a break,” Shade commented.
Penni saw Winter’s frozen expression.
Lily and Shade talked as the car traveled out of town.
“What about Willa?” Penni asked as they passed the church.
“Willa and Lucky are ahead of us,” Cash answered from the seat behind hers.
Penni and Lily talked during the drive while Genny and Winter remained silent. When she tried to talk either of the women, their replies were monosyllabic. It was a relief when they reached the shopping mall.
“I hope you’re ready for me to spend all your money?” Penni teased her brother.
“Viper is financing this shopping trip, so buy whatever you want,” Winter chimed in before Shade could answer.
“Which store should we hit first?” Penni asked Genny.
“You pick.”
“Let’s start at the end and work our way back down to where the cars are parked,” Winter voiced her opinion.
“That sounds good.” Genny showed her first smile since they had left Treepoint when Willa and Lucky rose from a bench.
The large group walked through the streaming crowds, coming to a stop in front of a department store.
“Why don’t you men go take the kids to the food court while we shop here?” Winter asked Shade who was closest to her.
“We stay together.” Shade started past Winter who remained standing still.
“This store has security at both entrances. It’ll be easier for us to shop without the kids.”
“That’s a good idea.” Beth nodded, agreeing with Winter. “I can text you when we’re ready to go to another store.”
Shade looked down at the twin stroller that Chance was already trying to climb out of. “Text me when you’re in the checkout line,” Shade gave in, taking the stroller from Lily as Razer wheeled the twins to the food court.
Lucky and Cash looked relieved to get away from the store.
“I know he wasn’t looking forward to waiting for us to shop.” Willa smiled at the women as they walked into the store.
They found the women’s department, each going their own way to look at the multitude of clothes. Penni and Winter took the same rack, sliding the clothes as they looked.
“You don’t find it strange that the men were so ready for us to go shopping on a Friday night?”
Penni looked up from the clothes to see Winter staring at her. “Why does it matter that it’s Friday?”
Penni saw the women move from their rack to the one she was at, giving Winter strange looks.
“Well?” Penni asked, seeing the women’s eyes warring with each other.
Winter jerked her gaze away from the other women. “Friday night is party night.”
“Every night is a party with The Last Riders,” Penni scoffed, pulling out a red flaring skirt she was thinking about trying on.
“Not like Friday. Look around us, Penni? Do you see Viper here, even though he asked me to get off early? It was when I was in the van that I found out he wasn’t coming.” Winter’s eyes stared fixedly on the clothes.
“So you think he is going to use the opportunity of you being gone to cheat?” Willa whispered.
Winter lifted her gaze. “Yes or … Jackal.”
“Jackal was as disappointed as I that we couldn’t be together to night. We had plans ... until Genny asked me to come.”
Genny shook her head. “I didn’t ask you. Willa called and asked me this morning. I’m glad you’re here, but I didn’t ask.”
The women looked at Willa.
“Lucky suggested I ask Genny today. He said we could make a day out of it.”
“That’s what Razer told me when Lily asked me if I wanted to come.”
Penni thought about how Jackal had looked so sincere when he had told her about his childhood …
“I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.”
“Want to find out?” Winter dropped any pretenses that she was looking at clothes.
“How?” all of the women answered, their suspicions making her nervous.
Winter looked Penni straight on. “We can leave and go back to Treepoint while they’re busy with the kids. They won’t even know we’re missing until the store closes.”
“You can take my car.” Willa reached into her purse for her keys.
“We’re going to look crazy when we walk in, and they ask why we left.” Penni’s trust in Jackal was beginning to slip. It didn’t help that all of the women were convinced the men were up to no good.
“What if they just wanted us gone to handle the situation with Hennessy?” Penni grasped at a final straw.
“Do you really think Viper would let his best men leave if he were expecting trouble?”
Winter had her there. They would keep them back to protect the clubhouse.
Penni took the keys out of Winter’s hand. “I’ll drive.”
30
“You want me to take the bullet for you?” Stump took a beer out the cooler behind the bar.
“If I thought you could keep your mouth shut, I would.” Jackal stifled the urge to knock Stump’s teeth out.
“I never could keep a secret.”
“Maybe you’re the one we need to watch.” He surveyed the clubroom, searching for the woman who was the first target.
“If you want to fuck me, all you have to do is ask.”
Jackal choked on his beer, managing to get away from the bar before he dunked Stump’s head into the cooler.
He used the opportunity to head over to Cruz who was close to Raci. She and Jewel were talking to another woman, sitting on the middle steps. Jackal and Cruz’s backs were turned to the them, but they would be able to hear as they talked.
“You ready to go back on Sunday?”
Viper had decided that was the bait they would drop to make them expose the traitor and draw the cartel out.
“Hell yes. If I listen to that old bitch bang on the wall next to my head much longer, I’m going to strangle her,” Cruz complained. “How did Viper keep her from coming down tonight?”
“I gave her the last of what Greer brought. She won’t want to leave that room.”
Jackal didn’t feel guilty. The old woman had more color in her fleshy face since she had been in the clubhouse. Cash had called Evie to stay the night with Mag until Rachel came back the next day. Rachel had taken Cash’s daughter to spend the night with her brothers at their house as suggested.
It was like a wall of dominoes that he felt was about to crash around him. Jackal hoped the women wouldn’t l
et it slip to Penni if he touched a woman. Otherwise, she was going to hate him more than before.
“You want go play a video game in the basement?” Jackal threw out the bait. If neither came down, he could cross two off his list.
“No thanks,” Cruz declined. “I think I’ll go get another beer.”
The men parted, going through the room. Jackal went through the kitchen and down the basement steps. The room was empty.
Sitting down, he turned on the Xbox. It was hard to wait to see if one of the women would show.
After ten minutes had passed, Jackal was about to stop playing the game when he heard someone coming down the steps.
He watched her feet appear then saw Raci’s grin as she practically bounced across the basement. She was wearing a black miniskirt that came to the tops of her thighs with a blue off-the-shoulder top that showed her tits.
“Can I play?” She sat down next to him, watching him play.
“Go for it.” Jackal motioned for the controller next to the Xbox then restarted the game to see if she really wanted to play or if her intent was to get information out of him.
When her breasts brushed against his arm, he had his answer.
“How long have you been a Predator?”
“Twelve years,” Jackal answered noncommittally, wanting her to think he wasn’t aware that she really wanted to find out.
“That’s a long time,” she practically cooed.
“Yeah.”
“Do you like being in their club? I like being in The Last Riders, but it’s boring sometimes.”
“It’s okay.” Jackal shrugged, keeping his eyes on the TV screen.
“I bet you’re really good at being a Predator. What position do you hold?” She pressed her tits harder against his arm.
“I’m their enforcer.”
“Wow. Train is our enforcer.”
He almost snorted at her lie.
Raci dropped her hand to his thigh, and Jackal dropped the controller, turning toward her.
“Is this one of the times you’re bored?”
Raci nodded, settling on the couch cushion. “It gets boring fucking the same men all the time. I could talk to Viper about him getting you in if you want.”