Hostage (Predators MC #3) (27 page)

Both froze when Fade pulled out his gun. The two pussies then tried to run, but Max blocked them, his arm knocking the bigger guy in the gut.

Keg fell to his knees, vomiting.

“Damn.” Max laughed. “He pissed himself.”

“Here, you can take my money!” Reefer tried to dig into his pockets, but Fade stopped him, twisting his hands behind his back.

“I don’t want your fucking money. I’m giving you another chance to call your mommy. If you screw it up, I’m gonna take you somewhere else, and your mommy will be burying your body instead of being here to drive you to the hospital. Give him his cell phone, Fade.”

Reefer almost dropped the cell phone. He was barely able to press the buttons as Fade watched him with the barrel of his gun held against Reefer’s temple.

They listened as Reefer followed his orders then gave the phone back to Fade, who crushed it under his boot.

“I’ve got to get to work,” Max reminded him.

“Just take my money and go. I don’t want trouble.” Reefer had gone from a punk-ass to a whiny bitch.

“Did it feel good when you killed those ducks?”

“Huh?” Reefer’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t …”

Jackal punched him in his lying mouth. “Lie to me, and I’ll cut out your tongue.”

Fade pulled a long, vicious knife out of his boot. “You didn’t have a problem bragging about it during the pot parties you’ve been giving.”

“You’re going to hurt me over fucking ducks?” Reefer’s wide-eyed appearance showed disbelief, unable to comprehend that Jackal was threatening him over something as inconsequential as ducks.

“I like ducks, especially the ones my woman loves.”

“Hey, man, I didn’t know your bitch was—”

“Now you do.” Jackal punched him in his stomach.

Reefer took a punch better than his friend—at least he didn’t vomit.

Keg tried to get up to help his friend, but Max grabbed his shoulder.

“A smart man would stay down and let the punk-bitch take the beating that’s coming to him.”

Keg took Max’s advice, staying down.

Jackal kicked him in the ribs, and when he fell down, he planted his foot on Reefer’s chest. “How does it feel to have someone kick the shit out of you?”

“Please, stop …”

“That was only for the first one you killed. You killed five. I’m just getting started.”

* * *

M
ax waved
to them as he turned his bike toward the street where he worked. Jackal and Fade were pulling into the parking lot as Ice got off his bike.

“How’d it go?” Ice asked as they went into the club together.

“He was crying for his mommy when we left him.” Fade snickered.

“He’s lucky I left enough of him for her to take to the hospital.” Jackal went inside to his bedroom then came back to the bar to pour himself a drink. “He’s learned a hard lesson about keeping his fucking mouth shut.”

Ice lifted a brow at his choice of drink. “Since when do you drink rum?”

“I’ve developed a taste for it.” Jackal was taking another sip when Ice’s cell phone rang. The expression that came over his face had Jackal ready to get the men out of their beds.

He was the first one heading toward the hallway when he heard Ice’s yell.

“Get out! Get out of the clubhouse!”

Jackal opened Stump’s door, seeing him in bed with Rave. They were already moving.

Jackal then ran down the hallway, slamming open doors and making sure the men and women were getting out. In the last room, Isla was trying to heave Buzzard out of bed.

“Get out! I’ll get him.” Jackal went to the bed, lifting Buzzard to his feet. “Brother, you picked the wrong time to get drunk off your ass.”

“It was the brownies. I ate most of the them.”

Ice ran to help them. They were going out the door when the explosion hit the club.

“Son of a bitch,
run
!” Ice roared.

The explosion sent a ball of fire chasing them, knocking them to the concrete. Jackal grabbed Buzzard’s arm, lifting him and half-dragging him across the pavement to the end of the parking lot.

Fade and Griffen were trying to pull the bikes back, but they gave up when another explosion shook the clubhouse. Consequently, the brothers simply stood back, watching their clubhouse disintegrate until the police and the two firetrucks’ sirens had them moving farther away.

Ice stonily stared at the fire that was destroying the clubhouse. “If Lucky hadn’t called, we would all be dead.”

Jackal hated himself at that moment. He had failed as an enforcer. If Lucky hadn’t given them the warning, each of them would be dead, burnt to the point that even their families wouldn’t have been able to identify them.

“Who did it?” Jackal already knew, but he wanted it confirmed before he set his wrath on the one deserving his vengeance.

“Raul, Fat’s Louise’s ex-brother-in-law. He escaped from the Mexican prison. They didn’t even know he was missing until this morning. Lucky was with the team that was extraditing Raul to the United States. He didn’t have time to warn Hennessy before the bomb he planted killed three of his men. If Lucky hadn’t called us, we would have been hit, too.”

Jackal wondered which of the hanger-on’s in the club last night had planted the bomb. Raul would be long gone, hiding out with someone who could protect him.

“I’m going to kill the bastard,” Jackal vowed.

Cars were lined up on the street to watch the fire. One car braked, and then Grace was running toward Ice, throwing herself into his arms.

“Oh, God! Are you okay?”

Ice pulled her close. “I’m fine. I told you I was okay when I called.”

Grace burst into tears. “I’ve never been so afraid in my whole life. I couldn’t bear to lose you and my mother—”

“I’m here, Grace. The bastard didn’t come close to taking us out,” Ice lied to keep Grace from knowing how close she had been to losing her husband.

Jackal recognized the car double-parking beside Grace’s. Penni’s terrified face had his stomach churning, but he braced himself for what he had to do.

When she threw herself into his arms, Jackal kept them to his sides, stepping back.

Her startled face stared back at him. “Are you okay? What happened? Why didn’t you call me? Grace called—”

“Go home.”

“I’m not leaving … Are you hurt?”

“No, I don’t have a mark on me.” Jackal ignored the burning pain on his back where the fire had scorched his T-shirt. The injury he felt from when he had dragged Buzzard across the pavement was hidden where she couldn’t see.

“Thank God you aren’t hurt.”

“It wasn’t God who saved us; it was Lucky.”

“Lucky? How did he save you? Is he here?” Penni looked at the faces in the crowd.

“No, he called Ice, warning us to get out. If hadn’t, we would be dead. I failed the club.” Self-loathing filled him, hurting him more than the blisters on his back.

“You blame yourself for this?”

“Who else is here to blame but me? I should have known the cartel wasn’t going to allow their men to be killed without repercussions.”

“Jackal—”

“Go, Penni.” Jackal reached into his pocket, taking out his keychain and sliding off the key for Penni’s condo, trying to give it to her.

She shook her head, tears brimming her eyes. “I don’t understand—”

“You were right; I’m never going to walk away from the Predators. If I hadn’t had my mind on fucking you, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You’re blaming me?” Penni whispered.

“Aren’t you listening to me!” Jackal yelled. “I’m blaming myself. I didn’t do my job, and because of me, these men almost died!”

Penni took a step back at the anger he didn’t try to hide.

“Get out of here! I don’t want to see your face again.” Jackal shoved her key in her hand. “Go.”

Jackal would never forget how she looked when she turned to flee from his harsh words.

Grace caught her, going with her while giving him dirty looks as she helped Penni into her car.

“Brother, this is not your fault. Go after her before it’s too late,” Ice said, breaking through the agonizing pain of having his soul ripped out of him.

“It’s already too late.”

T
he green room
was larger than most with several rooms where the performers could rest before going on stage. This one had several couches and plush chairs that would fit all the members of the band with a table placed against the wall for all of Genny’s cooking.

“How does it look?” Genny asked apprehensively.

“It looks fantastic. You did a great job.” Penni pushed several of the bottled waters into the ice bowl.

“I’m getting better.”

That’s an understatement
, Penni thought. The young woman had successfully made sushi that would give the finest restaurant a run for their money.

“Take a break. You and your crew can break it down when the band gets back on the bus after the show.”

“Thanks. Where are we heading this time?”

“New Jersey.” It was a stop that was halfway through their tour. It would be another two weeks before they made it back to Queen City.

“I’ve never been to New Jersey. I’m excited.”

“Me, too.” Penni remembered when she had first toured with Mouth2Mouth. Each new city had held something new to discover. Now, they just ran together.

Genny yawned. “If you need anything, just call.”

“I will.”

Penni sat down on one of the chairs when Genny left, listening to the music coming from the stage. She closed her eyes, seeing Jackal’s face, and her hand went to her heart.

The ache had grown each day since he had told her he never wanted to see her again. She was dying inside, and it wasn’t anything a doctor could fix. She knew it because she had tried that. The doctor’s answer had been to prescribe anxiety medication, which she hadn’t filled.

She hadn’t believed a broken heart could affect her so badly. She knew better now. She had known it would be heartbreaking if Jackal had grown tired her. The reality, though, was killing her.

“What’s up, butterfly?”

The voice from the doorway had her lifting her head.

“Shade?” Penni used her hand to raise herself from the chair.

Her brother’s penetrating gaze bore into her. He didn’t say anything, just held out his arms for her.

Penni took faltering steps until she found her enclosed in his arms, laying her head on his chest.

“What … are … you doing here?” she managed to get out.

“You didn’t sound like yourself when you called me.”

Penni gave him a slight smile. “I’m just tired from being on the road.”

“Is that all? It doesn’t have anything to do with Jackal?”

She dropped her arms, turning toward the food table. “Are you hungry?”

“No, I’m not hungry. You should eat some food yourself, though. You look like you’ve lost weight.”

“Not really. I just took off the weight I gained from Lily’s cooking.”

“If you keep losing weight, I’m going to tell her, and she’ll come and put it back on.”

Penni shrugged. “That might not be necessary. I’m thinking about coming for a visit when the tour ends. I’m missing you, Lily, and John.”

“Really? That would be good. It would be better than what you have planned for when you get back to Queen City.”

“How do you know what I have planned?”

“Grace said you’re planning on tasering Jackal’s ass to make him listen to you.”

“I might have been exaggerating,” Penni lied, glad she had left her purse on the bus. “I said that because, when I tried to call him, he wouldn’t answer my calls. I’ve texted him, but he won’t even answer those, and I’ve sent over a hundred. I begged Grace to ask him to call me. I even took a flight back to Queen City to talk to him, hoping that giving him a week alone after the bombing would make him ready to talk to me again. Casey told me he was living in a hotel room, but they wouldn’t give me the room number. The hotel manager called the police on me.” Penni shook her head wearily. “I almost called you to come down and help me knock some sense into him,” she admitted ruefully.

“Why didn’t you?” Shade’s unemotional voice didn’t hint how he would have responded to her request.

“I didn’t want you to think I was chasing after Jackal the way I did Train.”

“Penni, I can see the difference between the way you feel about them. You love Jackal. You never loved Train.”

“I know.” She choked back a sob. “Has Ice told you how Jackal is doing? He won’t say anything to Grace because he knows she’ll tell me.”

“Sit down, Penni.”

She wanted to remain standing, but she walked across the room, sitting on the couch.

Shade waited until she was seated before he sat down next to her, taking her hand and holding it tightly.

“I’ve seen Jackal. Physically, he’s fine. He’s actually why I’m here.” Shade’s face became closed off. “He wants you to stop calling and texting him.” When Penni tried to jerk her hand away, Shade held it more tightly. “I know this isn’t easy, but what you’re doing is distracting him, and he can’t deal with that right now.

“Jackal has been with me and Cade, searching for Raul. The son of a bitch almost cost twenty men their lives, and Jackal would have been one of them if I hadn’t called in time. He had to leave you behind to do a job he feels needs to be done, or none of us are going to be safe. Not Lily, John, the Last Riders, or the Predators and their families.

“Hennessy lost three men, and Jackal wants that to be the last three people who are killed because of that cartel. Cade and I are flying home, though. I can’t leave Lily and John any longer, and Cade’s baby is due anytime. Jackal, Fade, and Hennessy are trying find him on their own with the DEA’s help.”

“All he had to do was tell me. I can understand wanting to keep his friends safe. I can handle Jackal being in danger. It scares me to death, but I can deal with that. It’s losing him I can’t—”

“You’re missing Jackal’s point of sending me here. It’s not so you will feel better and think you can wait for him until this situation is finished. He wants you to understand the relationship is over. He wants the texts and calls to stop. He wants you to move on with your life.”

“How am I supposed to do that? I hear his voice in my heart. My mind tells me it’s over, but my heart won’t give up. I can’t give up. I love Jackal. I always will.”

The silence between them was broken when they heard Kaden tell the audience “Good night,” and the band began to play their final song of the night.

T
he song had never been so
poignantly beautiful to Penni.

“I need to go. The band will be coming in.”

Shade looked down at her. Taking her hands, he helped her to her feet. “I have a flight to catch. Take care, butterfly.” Shade hugged her tightly.

“You haven’t called me a butterfly since I was a little girl.” Penni laid a hand on Shade’s beating heart.

“I remember you always wanted to jump on the bed when I tried to make you go to sleep, telling me to catch you.”

Penni felt a lone tear slip down her cheek. “I felt invincible then. I’m all grown up now, and I know I’m not. Jackal wants me to forget about him. He gave back the key to my apartment, even sent you here to make sure I get his message, but he didn’t send me back the most important thing I need. Tell Jackal, until I get that back … I’ll be waiting.”

Shade brushed her tears away. “I’ll tell him.”

Watching Shade walk away was the hardest thing she had done in her life. She wanted Shade to take her to Jackal. However, she gathered every ounce of control she was capable of and watched him walk out the door, taking the only link of talking to Jackal with him.

She was still Jackal’s woman, even though he didn’t want to accept it. When he had made her his woman, she had become a Predator. What a Predator takes, they don’t give back, and she wasn’t giving Jackal back.

He’s mine.