Hostage (Predators MC 3)(65)

“I’ve been dealing with her temper since I met her. Penni’s going to be a part of my life whether you like it or not.”

Shade shrugged. “I’m just giving you a warning. Whether you take it or not is up to you.”

“Since we’re all friendly and shit, I’ll give you my own warning: she’s going to be my property. If you interfere, I’ll take that as a sign of aggression against me and the Predators.”

“I don’t see any of your brothers backing you right now,” Shade mocked.

If he weren’t Penni’s brother, his snide comment would be the last sentence out of his mouth for the two months it took until his jaw healed. But he was, and Jackal had learned that, whenever Penni felt Shade or The Last Riders had been threatened, it took her a while to get over it.

“My brothers are exactly where I need them to be.”

“I’m sure King was glad to see some friends from home.”

Jackal didn’t deny that several of the Predators were watching The Last Riders. Ice might not be in Treepoint, but he wouldn’t leave Jackal without someone who could be there within minutes if he called.

“If we’re done shooting the shit, I’m going to see what Viper wants. Trying to argue with you is like trying to watch paint dry. It takes all day.”

Shade waved his hand toward the stairs, letting him go first. Jackal didn’t hesitate. If Shade attacked a man, he would do it facing him, not from his back.

Jackal knocked before entering Viper’s bedroom. Cash, Knox, Lucky, and Hennessy were in the room. The man whose presence surprised him was Ice.

Ice held out his hand and the brothers shook before taking the chairs surrounding the couch on the opposite side of the bed.

“Glad to see you,” Jackal said, taking a seat on the couch with Ice sitting next to him. “I didn’t think I would see you for a few more days.”

“Oceane died. Grace wants to stay with her father and brother. I was in the way, so I decided to get this business finished.” Ice’s expression was somber. Jackal knew how close Grace was to her parents.

“Penni …”

“Grace is calling her now.”

Jackal nodded. He wanted to leave the room and make sure she was okay, but from the faces surrounding them, the men had more important things to discuss. As enforcer, he had to stay with Ice, regardless of whether his woman needed him or not.

Viper sat down on one of the chairs with Shade taking the one next to him.

“I’ll take the door,” Cash said, leaving the room. Jackal knew Viper wouldn’t want any of the women coming in to disturb the meeting about to take place.

“Why didn’t you call Shade when you found out she had been kidnapped?” Viper started the meeting between the two heads of their clubs.

Ice sat forward on the couch, his hands resting on his thighs. “I was going to call and let you deal with the Road Kingz, but Hennessy used to be a brother, and Jackal convinced me to let him handle it. Hennessy saved Jackal’s life when a deal went down the shithole, and Jackal felt he owed him. He didn’t want Shade killing him.”

“I didn’t need his help,” Hennessy broke into the conversation.

“Shut up,” Ice ordered. “You can answer to Viper for kidnapping Penni. I’m explaining my own actions in this cluster-fuck.”

“Penni could have been killed or hurt if I hadn’t shown up when I did.” Viper’s controlled rage had all the men tensing.

“I didn’t expect him to piss off another fucking club or that he was balls deep in bed with a cartel.” Ice remained unflustered, giving Viper the time he needed to vent.

They had screwed up, and now they were going to man up, whether they wanted to listen to his recriminations or not.

Viper looked at Hennessy. “Now you want me to talk?”

“It would be to your advantage.”

Before Hennessy could answer, a knock came to the door, and two men Jackal had never met before entered.

“This is Stud and Cade. Stud is the President of the Blue Horsemen.”

“How many biker clubs does this bitch know?” Hennessy asked, running his hand over his bald head.

“Stud and Cade aren’t here because of Penni. They’re here because of the cartel,” Viper explained, his mouth twitching at Hennessy’s aggravated expression.

Cade took a step forward. “The cartel is responsible for my wife’s father and her sister’s death. If they’ve targeted you, you’re not going to get away from them alive.”

Jackal looked at the grim faces in the room. All this shit for nothing. Hennessy’s club wasn’t big enough to deal with the fallout from the cartel and The Last Riders. One was bad enough; two was the end. Hennessy’s fixed stare said he knew it, too.