“I need a shower. Want to party, Rave?” Jackal’s voice rose so she could hear him from the other end of the bar.
Rave covered the bottom half of her face as she heaved at the thought. “Sorry, Jackal. Another night?”
The club wouldn’t let him forget anytime soon that his pride had taken a hit. A big hit.
As an enforcer in a club the size of the Predators’, his reputation not only reflected on himself, but on Ice for picking him. An enforcer who wasn’t feared became a liability.
“I’ll party with you, Jackal,” Rita spoke up, ignoring the brothers’ laughter.
Jackal’s eyebrows rose. He hadn’t fucked Rita since she had landed on Ice’s shit list.
“I’ll even wash your back for you,” she offered.
“Why not? Give me enough time to get most of the stench off before coming to my room.”
“I’ve got some shower gel that will get rid the smell right off. I’ll run to my room and meet you there.”
Any humor on Ice’s face evaporated as Rita darted toward her bedroom. “You’re better off waiting for Penni to get back and smacking her ass.”
Jackal shook his head. “Rita is a raving bitch, but I can handle that. What I’m tired of is Penni chasing after every man in Queen City who wears an expensive suit and turning that snobby nose up at me.”
“I don’t think that’s why she doesn’t like you—” Rave started to speak up then hastily snapped her mouth closed at Jackal’s glare.
“It doesn’t matter.” Jackal slammed his fist down on the counter of the bar. “Fuck her. It’s not like I was in love with the girl.”
Max pounded his hand on his back.” Fuck her,” he agreed, showing his support then grimacing as he wiped his damp hand off on the sleeve of Ice’s T-shirt. “The bitches all look good in the dark. No need to put up with the shit Penni’s dishing out.”
“You’re right! She’s not the hottest tail in Queen City.”
“There you go!” Max’s encouragement had Jackal’s sore pride finally kicking in.
“Thanks, brother!” Jackal missed the appalled look behind his back as Max tried to avoid coming into contact with Jackal’s soggy clothes.
Ice leaned against the bar, watching as Max and the men snickered as Jackal cockily headed toward his bedroom. “Since when do you give a flying fuck who Jackal does?”
“Can you seriously imagine Penni as Jackal’s old lady?”
Ice frowned at the brothers’ expectant faces. Obviously, all of them believed he would agree with them.
“You don’t think Jackal could handle Penni?”
“Brother, I think she’d shoot off his dick.”
2
Penni stepped out of her car. She had barely managed to pull into the parking lot before her car had died. It wasn’t the only thing not working.
Penni gave a frustrated sigh when she tried to call Grace back. Blanking, she glared at the cell screen, hoping the bars would mysteriously reappear.
“What the hell?” She had just had phone service when she’d talked to Grace. Penni had decided to call Grace back to have her help find a road service.
A car was parked beside the dark bar, the dark windows showing no welcoming gleam from inside. The only thing that resembled a saloon was the crooked sign and the music she could hear escaping from inside.
Penni snagged her purse from inside the car, sliding the strap firmly over her shoulder. The assortment of self-defense weapons she had inside gave her flagging confidence a boost as she walked toward the front door. With her other hand, she kept trying to call Grace back.
Her fingers trembled as she opened the door. Penni’s instincts screamed, telling her to run, and Shade had always warned her to follow her instincts. However, before she could take her brother’s advice, she felt the door jerked from her grasp.
Panni gasped as a man barreled into her. Horror had her gasp becoming a scream when she realized the man’s chest was covered in blood. The lethal weapon poking out of his back seemed incongruous. Her first instinct was to try removing the weapon, but her survival instincts kicked in when she realized there were two occupants involved in the deadly duel.
Unable to stop herself, Penni reached forward to aid the man who seemed to need the most help with the vicious weapon sticking out from his back.
His brown face was filled with agony. He appeared to be Shade’s age, in his thirties. While Shade was lean and athletic though, this man had a slim frame, which wasn’t a match against the muscular guy intent on finishing the fight that had started before she had come in the door.