Jackal began laughing, reaching inside his pocket to take out her phone and giving it back to her. “So that’s how you found her.”
Penni bounced on the balls on her feet, staring at her brother proudly. “I call him every Friday night. I knew, when I missed calling him, he would track my phone.”
“I don’t leave anything to chance when I care about someone,” Shade warned Jackal.
“I thought you didn’t love me.”
“I don’t.”
Penni smiled, knowing he was lying. Shade believed admitting to love someone made him weak. However, he had proved he could love when he had fallen in love the first time he had met Lily. As crazy as Penni made him, she knew he loved her, too.
“You’re both fucking nuts.” Jackal looked back and forth between them at Shade’s words.
“It runs in the family.” Penni intertwined her arm with Shade’s. “Come on; I can’t cook worth shit, so I can’t help Lily, but I’ll make you some toast.”
“You’ll burn it, and I won’t be able to choke it down like I usually do. I think Jackal loosened one of my front teeth.”
Penni glared at Jackal over her shoulder.
“Shade, the manager of the hotel called. He said he found your dick in the lost and found.”
Penni almost tripped when Shade spun toward Jackal. The two were going at it before she could regain her footing.
“Viper! Train! Knox!” Penni screamed, knowing better than to try to break the two men apart.
The men ran outside the back of the clubhouse, quickly breaking the men apart.
“Motherfucker, who started it this time!”
Knox put Shade in a head lock as Jackal tore away from Train’s restraining hold. Before Jackal could strike out, though, Penni took a stance in front of him.
“Don’t you dare hit him!”
Jackal, whose eyes were on Shade, turned to Penni, who had moved to protect Train. Varied expressions crossed his face, which she couldn’t understand, but thankfully, he stopped fighting, giving The Last Riders time to diffuse the situation.
“Go home,” Viper barked his order out to Shade before he grabbed the back of Jackal’s T-shirt, tossing him in the direction of the clubhouse. “Go inside.”
Left with no choice since Train and Knox were escorting him, he shared steely glances, letting them all know the fight wasn’t over.
“Brother, you’ve got a problem with Jackal; I’ve got that. But I can’t give Jackal back to Ice dead.”
“He called me a pussy,” Shade managed to speak from between clenched teeth.
Penni hoped Lily’s dentist was on speed dial.
“I don’t care if he calls you a douchebag; ignore it. Got me?”
Shade reluctantly nodded his head.
Viper took a deep breath, turning toward her. “Winter is dying to see you to make sure you’re all right. I’ll tell her to come over after Shade eats his breakfast. Maybe that’ll put him in a better mood.”
“I wouldn’t count on it, but Lily will be there, so he’ll behave.”
Penni followed behind Shade as he walked to his house, deciding to keep quiet so that he could retain his temper before going inside to Lily.
Shade stopped on his front porch.
“He was just being a jackass.” Penni couldn’t believe she was trying to make amends for Jackal.
“Stay away from him and Hennessy while they’re here.”
“Hennessy’s here, too?” Her mouth dropped open. “But why?”
“Hennessy was hurt at the shootout. Viper brought him here so he could recuperate instead of getting arrested. The Unjust Soldiers would had killed him before he could have made it out of ER.”
“That was nice of Viper,” Penni said suspiciously.
“Yes, it was. Don’t repay him by putting your nose where it doesn’t belong. Jackal and Hennessy both have to make amends before they leave. Viper won’t tolerate you butting in, even though you’re my sister.”
“I understand.”
“I hope you do, Penni,” Shade answered grimly. “Don’t expect me to get in a fight between you and The Last Riders. You’ll lose.”
19
The backyard was filled with The Last Riders. Jackal sat on the picnic table, drinking the beer Rider had handed him before sitting down beside him.
“How in the fuck did Shade manage to catch her?” Jackal tipped his beer toward Lily who was sitting at a patio table with Shade, Penni, and Train.
Rider chuckled. “He paid for a personality transplant.”
“His doctor should be sued for malpractice.”
“You should have known him before he married Lily.”