Hostage
Page 8
Jackal buried his hands in his pockets. He was going to have to help. Jackal considered himself a hard-ass, but he did have a soft spot that had gotten him in trouble a time or two.
“When’s the last time Grace heard from Penni? She sure she just didn’t forget to call?”
“She’s sure. Penni and Grace have grown close since they’ve been working together.”
Stump came down the steps with a mocking smile. Jackal nearly wasn’t able to stop himself from planting a fist on his smirking face.
“She sure Penni didn’t go see her brother or his friends this weekend?”
“Penni would have mentioned it to her. Why?”
“I found her toy boyfriend in the drawer beside her bed.” Stump waved a picture. It took Jackal a second to recognize it.
“Who’s that?” Ice turned to Jackal, expecting him to have the answer he wanted.
Jackal wondered if he expected him to know because it was his job as the club enforcer or because Jackal would have made it his business to know everything that concerned Penni.
“Train.” Jackal stepped forward, snatching the photo from Stump.
Penni was standing next to Train. The tall man had his arm casually wrapped around her shoulder. Train’s expression was carefully remote. Penni’s wasn’t. Jackal wanted to tear the picture into a million pieces. Instead, he tucked into his back pocket.
“He’s one of The Last Riders.”
“You think they could be together?” Stump asked as he took the beer Max handed him. The two men dropped onto the couch, hiking their boots onto the coffee table, carelessly dropping magazines to the floor.
“How have you kept Casey from throwing your ass out the door?” Jackal bent down to pick up the magazines, hitting the tips of Max and Stump’s boots to make the brothers lower them to the floor.
“She’d miss my dick too bad to throw me out!” Max jammed his elbow into Stump’s side.
“Maybe Penni got tired of needing batteries and decided to drive to Treepoint.” Stump jammed his elbow back into Max’s side as the two dumbass each laughed at their lame jokes.
Jackal couldn’t handle the two stupid men any longer.
Using the magazines, he began battering them as they tried to avoid the vicious blows.
Ice held Jackal back. “I don’t think so. Penni wouldn’t have left Grace so worried for her.”
“Me, either.” Jackal hated to admit it to Ice.
The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into Penni’s disappearance personally. He thought she was safer away from Queen City until his temper cooled.
A sudden thought had him coming to the perfect solution for both his and Ice’s problems.
“Call Shade. Let him find out what happened to her.”
“I thought that, too, right up until Grace told me the name of the place where she stopped for gas.”
Jackal could tell from Ice’s expression that he wasn’t happy with his answer.
“Grace said Penni was at a place called the Hay and Fiddle.”
Jackal and the brothers all stared at Ice in disbelief. Only Penni would find the one place in a million she should have never gone into. Hell, there wasn’t a Predator who would willingly walk into the den of the most bloodthirsty road bandits known to ride a bike.
Max and Stump stared at Ice then Jackal. “You’re fucked.”
Jackal stiffened. “Why am I fucked? It’s Ice problem, not mine.” He stubbornly crossed his arms.
“If the Road Kingz have Penni, they won’t give her back.” Max leaned toward Jackal as he watched his reaction. Max always came across as a cuddly teddy bear to the opposite sex, but he was the club’s pain in the ass. He loved to aggravate the brothers in every way he could. The only one worse than Max was Stump, and the evil smile curling his bottom lip had Jackal’s asshole clenching tight.
“I think we should let them have her.” Jackal shrugged. “They’ll give her back in a couple of days.”
The men both knew he was bluffing.
“Are you telling me that Hennessy can’t deal with Penni?”
Jackal still felt the bee stings on his back. “I’m telling you those motherfuckers will throw her back on our doorstep.”
4
“You hungry?”
“No.” Penni rested her bruised cheek on her knee. Curling into a ball, she tried to ignore the man standing in the doorway of the room she had been dragged into.
After the intimidating biker president had forced her into the back seat of her car, she had watched as they had used fuel from their own bikes to start the sluggish motor.
She had made sure to look out the window so she could remember the way she had been taken. That’s what kidnapping victims do, Penni had told herself despite the darkness out her window making it difficult to spot any signs she could use to find help.
“Hennessy’s not going to give a fuck if you’re hungry or not.” Cruz placed the take-out bag on the bottom of the bed she was sitting on.
Penni lifted her head to glare at the biker who had uncaringly forced her into the messy bedroom that made her skin crawl at the thought of the germs she guessed were on the filthy mattress.
She was tempted to reach out with her foot and kick the food into his face.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.”
Penni arrogantly sniffed the air as he bent over to grab the bag. Reaching inside, he pulled out a hamburger and took a large bite of the cholesterol ridden burger that had her wishing Shade and The Last Riders were there to rip out his clogged arteries before letting her dance on what was left of his heart.
“I’m not frightened of you or your men.” Penni stubbornly stuck out her chin. “A smart man would let me go.”
Cruz wiped his greasy hand on his jeans. “I’ve never been accused of being smart.”
“That’s a shocker.”
Penni included the dark man entering the bedroom into her fierce glare.
“You threatening my men again?”
She clenched her fingers on her thigh. “If you know what’s good for you—”
Hennessy’s laughter had Penni ready to jump off the bed to claw out his eyes.
“My brother and his friends are going to make you wish you had never been born.”
“Let me guess; he will come for you, and he will kill me? Does he have a particular skill that I need to be worried about?”
If the man standing at the bottom of the bed hadn’t been holding her captive, Penni would have found him very attractive. Even Lily and Grace, whom she considered her BFFs, would find him attractive, and they each had handsome men keeping them warm.
“Actually, he does,” Penni taunted. “He damn sure has more men at his back than I saw riding with you.”
Hennessy’s smile disappeared. In a split second, he was bent over the bed and over her.
Penni winced as his hand clenched her jaw. Bravely, she stared up into his eyes.
“Your brother belongs to a motorcycle club?”
“Maybe,” she spat out.
“Is that why you were at the Hay and Fiddle?”
“No. My brother wouldn’t be interested in a club like yours,” she retorted.
“What’s the name of your brother’s club?”
“When’s the last time Grace heard from Penni? She sure she just didn’t forget to call?”
“She’s sure. Penni and Grace have grown close since they’ve been working together.”
Stump came down the steps with a mocking smile. Jackal nearly wasn’t able to stop himself from planting a fist on his smirking face.
“She sure Penni didn’t go see her brother or his friends this weekend?”
“Penni would have mentioned it to her. Why?”
“I found her toy boyfriend in the drawer beside her bed.” Stump waved a picture. It took Jackal a second to recognize it.
“Who’s that?” Ice turned to Jackal, expecting him to have the answer he wanted.
Jackal wondered if he expected him to know because it was his job as the club enforcer or because Jackal would have made it his business to know everything that concerned Penni.
“Train.” Jackal stepped forward, snatching the photo from Stump.
Penni was standing next to Train. The tall man had his arm casually wrapped around her shoulder. Train’s expression was carefully remote. Penni’s wasn’t. Jackal wanted to tear the picture into a million pieces. Instead, he tucked into his back pocket.
“He’s one of The Last Riders.”
“You think they could be together?” Stump asked as he took the beer Max handed him. The two men dropped onto the couch, hiking their boots onto the coffee table, carelessly dropping magazines to the floor.
“How have you kept Casey from throwing your ass out the door?” Jackal bent down to pick up the magazines, hitting the tips of Max and Stump’s boots to make the brothers lower them to the floor.
“She’d miss my dick too bad to throw me out!” Max jammed his elbow into Stump’s side.
“Maybe Penni got tired of needing batteries and decided to drive to Treepoint.” Stump jammed his elbow back into Max’s side as the two dumbass each laughed at their lame jokes.
Jackal couldn’t handle the two stupid men any longer.
Using the magazines, he began battering them as they tried to avoid the vicious blows.
Ice held Jackal back. “I don’t think so. Penni wouldn’t have left Grace so worried for her.”
“Me, either.” Jackal hated to admit it to Ice.
The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into Penni’s disappearance personally. He thought she was safer away from Queen City until his temper cooled.
A sudden thought had him coming to the perfect solution for both his and Ice’s problems.
“Call Shade. Let him find out what happened to her.”
“I thought that, too, right up until Grace told me the name of the place where she stopped for gas.”
Jackal could tell from Ice’s expression that he wasn’t happy with his answer.
“Grace said Penni was at a place called the Hay and Fiddle.”
Jackal and the brothers all stared at Ice in disbelief. Only Penni would find the one place in a million she should have never gone into. Hell, there wasn’t a Predator who would willingly walk into the den of the most bloodthirsty road bandits known to ride a bike.
Max and Stump stared at Ice then Jackal. “You’re fucked.”
Jackal stiffened. “Why am I fucked? It’s Ice problem, not mine.” He stubbornly crossed his arms.
“If the Road Kingz have Penni, they won’t give her back.” Max leaned toward Jackal as he watched his reaction. Max always came across as a cuddly teddy bear to the opposite sex, but he was the club’s pain in the ass. He loved to aggravate the brothers in every way he could. The only one worse than Max was Stump, and the evil smile curling his bottom lip had Jackal’s asshole clenching tight.
“I think we should let them have her.” Jackal shrugged. “They’ll give her back in a couple of days.”
The men both knew he was bluffing.
“Are you telling me that Hennessy can’t deal with Penni?”
Jackal still felt the bee stings on his back. “I’m telling you those motherfuckers will throw her back on our doorstep.”
4
“You hungry?”
“No.” Penni rested her bruised cheek on her knee. Curling into a ball, she tried to ignore the man standing in the doorway of the room she had been dragged into.
After the intimidating biker president had forced her into the back seat of her car, she had watched as they had used fuel from their own bikes to start the sluggish motor.
She had made sure to look out the window so she could remember the way she had been taken. That’s what kidnapping victims do, Penni had told herself despite the darkness out her window making it difficult to spot any signs she could use to find help.
“Hennessy’s not going to give a fuck if you’re hungry or not.” Cruz placed the take-out bag on the bottom of the bed she was sitting on.
Penni lifted her head to glare at the biker who had uncaringly forced her into the messy bedroom that made her skin crawl at the thought of the germs she guessed were on the filthy mattress.
She was tempted to reach out with her foot and kick the food into his face.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.”
Penni arrogantly sniffed the air as he bent over to grab the bag. Reaching inside, he pulled out a hamburger and took a large bite of the cholesterol ridden burger that had her wishing Shade and The Last Riders were there to rip out his clogged arteries before letting her dance on what was left of his heart.
“I’m not frightened of you or your men.” Penni stubbornly stuck out her chin. “A smart man would let me go.”
Cruz wiped his greasy hand on his jeans. “I’ve never been accused of being smart.”
“That’s a shocker.”
Penni included the dark man entering the bedroom into her fierce glare.
“You threatening my men again?”
She clenched her fingers on her thigh. “If you know what’s good for you—”
Hennessy’s laughter had Penni ready to jump off the bed to claw out his eyes.
“My brother and his friends are going to make you wish you had never been born.”
“Let me guess; he will come for you, and he will kill me? Does he have a particular skill that I need to be worried about?”
If the man standing at the bottom of the bed hadn’t been holding her captive, Penni would have found him very attractive. Even Lily and Grace, whom she considered her BFFs, would find him attractive, and they each had handsome men keeping them warm.
“Actually, he does,” Penni taunted. “He damn sure has more men at his back than I saw riding with you.”
Hennessy’s smile disappeared. In a split second, he was bent over the bed and over her.
Penni winced as his hand clenched her jaw. Bravely, she stared up into his eyes.
“Your brother belongs to a motorcycle club?”
“Maybe,” she spat out.
“Is that why you were at the Hay and Fiddle?”
“No. My brother wouldn’t be interested in a club like yours,” she retorted.
“What’s the name of your brother’s club?”
