Hostage (Predators MC 3)(60)

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Jackal held out his arms. “I’ll take her. I had a big breakfast.”

Penni gave him a strange look as she handed the little girl over.

Jackal stared down at the baby. She had a thin layer of red hair across the top of her scalp. Her tiny bow mouth scrunched into a cry, and Jackal tilted her upward so she could see her mama. Her gurgling had him smiling down. “Your mama looks better than me, doesn’t she?”

“You’re damn comfortable holding a baby for a man who claims not to have any,” Mag snapped.

“Mag!” Rachel protested.

“It’s okay.” Jackal flipped the blanket back over the baby’s feet when her movements loosened it. “I have a friend who has several children. Sometimes, he has to work late, and I watch them until he gets off. He’s married now, but I’ll watch them if they want to go to the movies or something.”

“That’s nice of you.” Penni smiled, placing a big chicken breast on the plate in front of him.

“Damn, girl. He just said he babysat them, not gave birth to them.” Mag eyed the food on his plate then the chicken leg Rachel had placed on hers.

“Remember your cholesterol,” Cash said then mockingly took a big bite from the largest breast on his plate.

“At my age, cholesterol is the last thing I need to be worried about. A good fart could cause a heart attack.”

When Rachel was done eating, she took the baby, and Jackal got up to fill his plate, adding a heaping mound of potatoes.

“I thought you weren’t hungry?” Penni watched as he put two biscuits onto his plate.

“I’ve changed my mind.” Jackal buttered his biscuits as Mag took Cash’s beer away. “Remind me when I get done eating that I need to make a phone call.”

“Who do you need to call?”

“I’m going to cancel my gym membership.” If Mag was an example of getting old gracefully, he wanted to die young.





23





“Are you sure I’m not disturbing you guys?” Penni heard Genny’s question as she mopped the kitchen floor.

Penni grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, avoiding going downstairs to workout, something she had promised she would do after eating the home cooking that was making her jeans skintight.

Train, Hennessy, Cruz, Jackal, and Rider were sitting at the kitchen table, playing cards while Genny had finished serving lunch and was cleaning the kitchen.

Hennessy looked much better since the day they had arrived two weeks ago. Still, it had taken Rider and Jackal to get the large man down the steps.

As she mopped, Genny brushed against Hennessy chair. He moved his chair to the side, and Genny’s arm grazed his shoulder. Penni saw her flinch away to mop farther away from him.

“If you need me to move, just say so.”

Genny stopped. “I’m finished.” She put the mop in the bucket, carrying them down the stairs.

“I guess she doesn’t like to be touched by the black man.” Hennessy’s snide comment had the men at the table stiffening.

Penni’s temper exploded, knowing Genny had heard the comment before she had closed the door. “It had nothing to do with your color; it was your size.” Penni slammed her water bottle on the table. “You’ve been in your bedroom since you got here, so let me you tell for a freaking fact that Genny, nor any of The Last Riders, give a damn what color you are. They didn’t care when they saved your life, even though you kidnapped me and kept me hostage. Genny didn’t care what color you were when she washed your dirty clothes, cooked your food all week, and even made those cinnamon rolls for your breakfast when she heard how much you liked them. I noticed last night when Knox came over to dinner that she’s skittish around him, too. You are a jerk … whatever color you are.”

Penni snapped her mouth closed, stomping out of the kitchen and going to the basement. She almost said something to Genny, but from her expression, she could tell she didn’t want to talk.

She stretched for a couple minutes then turned on the treadmill.

“Hennessy’s just irritated from being cooped up,” Jackal said as he came up behind her.

“He had no business taking it out on Genny.” Penni turned to see Genny dump a handful of clothes in the dryer.

Jackal raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not disagreeing with you; I’m explaining.”

“He’s a grown man. He doesn’t need you to apologize for him, and I’m not the one who deserves an apology.”

“It’s okay,” Genny said softly.

“No, it’s not. The next time you fix him a plate of food, bash him upside his head with it.”