“We can stand here all night to see who wins this argument, or we can go find Striker. I’m going to get another drink. Let me know when you two goons make up your minds.”
Hennessy dropped his hand from her arm. “Let’s go. I’ll take the lead. When she sees Striker, tap me on my back.”
“Will do.” Jackal pulled her closer to his side.
As they began skirting the outer edge of the bar, Penni inspected each face for the one she was looking for. They were all either young or old, and some were downright scary. Penni pushed closer to Jackal until she wound her arm through his.
“Scared?”
“What do you think? Some of these men would terrify their own mothers.” She shuddered when a biker with a Mohawk caught her eye. Not wanting him to think she was staring at him because he was ugly, Penni forced a trembling smile to her lips.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Uh … uh…” She didn’t know if she should answer, but politeness won out. “Penni.”
“Wanna dance?” The biker drew closer.
“Keep going,” Jackal cautioned her.
Penni swallowed hard as the friendly biker tried to keep up with their trek through the crowd.
“There isn’t any music.”
“I don’t need music to dance with you.”
This man might have been the first charming biker she had ever met.
“Quit talking to him.” Jackal used his shoulder to force the smooth-talking biker back.
“Cunt, you talking to me?”
Penni’s mouth dropped open when her charming biker became a raving maniac. The biker took the bottle he was holding and crashed it on top of Jackal’s skull.
She reacted without thinking, wanting Hennessy and his men to help Jackal, but they were so busy trying to find Striker that they hadn’t noticed the attack taking place on the side of the bar. Trying to find their attention, Penni reached out to tap Hennessy on his back.
Hennessy turned around. “Where is he…?”
Penni screamed as another biker who had been standing close when the lothario decided to butt in crashed a stool into Hennessy’s chest before he could finish turning around.
Penni began to fall back, pushed by the building momentum of the fighting between the Road Kingz, who were trying to protect their stunned president, and the other men in the bar.
Penni saw the floor rushing toward her, and then her vision unexpectedly cleared to see Ice’s cold face as he hauled her to her feet.
“You have her?” Jackal asked, hurrying to their side.
“I have her.”
Jackal’s forehead had blood running from his scalp. Penni reached out to wipe it away yet received a glare for her effort. After securing her to him again, she found herself pinned against a wall with Jackal blocking her from the massive fight that had spread from where they were to encompass the whole bar.
Jackal hit anyone who came near her. Hennessy was taking on two men who nearly equaled him in size. Penni saw Max tear one away, punching him in the nose. She felt bile rising in her throat as blood sprayed from those unfortunate enough to be fighting close to him.
Penni couldn’t help herself; she moved to help the man.
“Don’t you fucking move.”
She froze when Jackal spoke, not taking his eyes off the fight.
“Ice, the one on your left!” Jackal yelled out as a biker fighting Cruz began flashing a knife.
Ice moved in behind the man who was about to gut Cruz. As he held the man from behind, Ice snapped his hand down on the man’s wrist, breaking his hold on the knife.
“The bartender has a gun,” Ice grunted out as he kicked away the knife that had fallen to the floor.
Shots were fired toward the ceiling.
“Son of a bitch! He’ll cause a shootout!” Jackal reacted before the second shot hit the ceiling.
Penni found herself thrown over Jackal’s shoulder as he and the Road Kingz ran out a door with an exit sign. She pounded on his back as she tried to throw herself from his shoulder.
“Why are you running? The cops are here.” Penni saw her escape slipping away as they continued to run, not stopping until they barreled into their hotel room.
She sat up on the bed where Jackal had dumped her as the Predators and Road Kingz crowded into their room.
Jackal opened the connecting door, giving them breathing room. They needed it. Hennessy and Max were bent over, gasping for breath. Evidently, the two men’s exercising routine didn’t include running.
“What in the fuck happened?” Hennessy was finally able to gasp out.
Jackal frowned at Penni. She sensed his hesitation to admit her involvement.
“It was my fault,” she confessed. “A biker asked me to dance, but to be fair, it wasn’t all my fault.”
Jackal stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “Yes, it was. If you had just kept walking—”
“Was I just supposed to let him beat you up? If I hadn’t tapped on Hennessy’s back, he would have—” A startled scream escaped Penni as Hennessy lunged at her.
“So help me God, I’m going to strangle her with her own tongue.”
“Jackal, lock her in the bathroom until Hennessy and I talk. It’ll give him time to cool down.”
Before she could object, she found herself pushed into the bathroom. Penni considered banging on the door then changed her mind. She didn’t want to talk to them, either. The assholes were blaming her! They were the ones who had kidnaped her!
She slid down the closed door, sitting on the bathroom floor. Her hands mimicked a series of snapping motions that she had seen Jackal use on anyone who had come too close during the fight.
Bravely, she yelled out, “My brother would have whipped all their asses!”
A fist pounded on the door at her outburst.
Tilting her head to the side, she tried to listen to what was going on in the other room. The sound of shuffling had her rising to lock the door. Then Penni lifted her chin to rest on her bent knees.
“Big brother, where are you when I need you?”
11
Jackal pushed his plate away. “So now I’m getting the silent treatment?”
Hennessy had found a hole-in-the-wall café to feed them lunch.
Penni’s silence was unexpectedly pissing him off. Other than her lips tightening, she didn’t respond.
Hennessy mocked him from the next table, lifting his coffee cup to salute him.
He should fucking get on his bike and leave Ice to deal with the mess Penni had created. After all, Hennessy had boasted last night that he didn’t need his or the Predators’ help. So fuck it!
The waitress laid the check in front of him. Snatching it up, he was about to slide out of the booth when Penni looked up from her untouched plate.
“I’m sorry I screwed up.” Her subdued apology was a fireball to his nuts.
“It’s okay. We’ll find Striker.”
What the hell? What crap had just come out of his mouth? It would be a fucking miracle if Striker were still in town.
“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do from now on. No more screw-ups, I promise.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Even he had trouble swallowing that load of bullshit, but if it took that miserable expression off her face, then it would be worth the muted “pussy-whipped” that Hennessy mumbled as he stood.
Hennessy dropped his hand from her arm. “Let’s go. I’ll take the lead. When she sees Striker, tap me on my back.”
“Will do.” Jackal pulled her closer to his side.
As they began skirting the outer edge of the bar, Penni inspected each face for the one she was looking for. They were all either young or old, and some were downright scary. Penni pushed closer to Jackal until she wound her arm through his.
“Scared?”
“What do you think? Some of these men would terrify their own mothers.” She shuddered when a biker with a Mohawk caught her eye. Not wanting him to think she was staring at him because he was ugly, Penni forced a trembling smile to her lips.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Uh … uh…” She didn’t know if she should answer, but politeness won out. “Penni.”
“Wanna dance?” The biker drew closer.
“Keep going,” Jackal cautioned her.
Penni swallowed hard as the friendly biker tried to keep up with their trek through the crowd.
“There isn’t any music.”
“I don’t need music to dance with you.”
This man might have been the first charming biker she had ever met.
“Quit talking to him.” Jackal used his shoulder to force the smooth-talking biker back.
“Cunt, you talking to me?”
Penni’s mouth dropped open when her charming biker became a raving maniac. The biker took the bottle he was holding and crashed it on top of Jackal’s skull.
She reacted without thinking, wanting Hennessy and his men to help Jackal, but they were so busy trying to find Striker that they hadn’t noticed the attack taking place on the side of the bar. Trying to find their attention, Penni reached out to tap Hennessy on his back.
Hennessy turned around. “Where is he…?”
Penni screamed as another biker who had been standing close when the lothario decided to butt in crashed a stool into Hennessy’s chest before he could finish turning around.
Penni began to fall back, pushed by the building momentum of the fighting between the Road Kingz, who were trying to protect their stunned president, and the other men in the bar.
Penni saw the floor rushing toward her, and then her vision unexpectedly cleared to see Ice’s cold face as he hauled her to her feet.
“You have her?” Jackal asked, hurrying to their side.
“I have her.”
Jackal’s forehead had blood running from his scalp. Penni reached out to wipe it away yet received a glare for her effort. After securing her to him again, she found herself pinned against a wall with Jackal blocking her from the massive fight that had spread from where they were to encompass the whole bar.
Jackal hit anyone who came near her. Hennessy was taking on two men who nearly equaled him in size. Penni saw Max tear one away, punching him in the nose. She felt bile rising in her throat as blood sprayed from those unfortunate enough to be fighting close to him.
Penni couldn’t help herself; she moved to help the man.
“Don’t you fucking move.”
She froze when Jackal spoke, not taking his eyes off the fight.
“Ice, the one on your left!” Jackal yelled out as a biker fighting Cruz began flashing a knife.
Ice moved in behind the man who was about to gut Cruz. As he held the man from behind, Ice snapped his hand down on the man’s wrist, breaking his hold on the knife.
“The bartender has a gun,” Ice grunted out as he kicked away the knife that had fallen to the floor.
Shots were fired toward the ceiling.
“Son of a bitch! He’ll cause a shootout!” Jackal reacted before the second shot hit the ceiling.
Penni found herself thrown over Jackal’s shoulder as he and the Road Kingz ran out a door with an exit sign. She pounded on his back as she tried to throw herself from his shoulder.
“Why are you running? The cops are here.” Penni saw her escape slipping away as they continued to run, not stopping until they barreled into their hotel room.
She sat up on the bed where Jackal had dumped her as the Predators and Road Kingz crowded into their room.
Jackal opened the connecting door, giving them breathing room. They needed it. Hennessy and Max were bent over, gasping for breath. Evidently, the two men’s exercising routine didn’t include running.
“What in the fuck happened?” Hennessy was finally able to gasp out.
Jackal frowned at Penni. She sensed his hesitation to admit her involvement.
“It was my fault,” she confessed. “A biker asked me to dance, but to be fair, it wasn’t all my fault.”
Jackal stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “Yes, it was. If you had just kept walking—”
“Was I just supposed to let him beat you up? If I hadn’t tapped on Hennessy’s back, he would have—” A startled scream escaped Penni as Hennessy lunged at her.
“So help me God, I’m going to strangle her with her own tongue.”
“Jackal, lock her in the bathroom until Hennessy and I talk. It’ll give him time to cool down.”
Before she could object, she found herself pushed into the bathroom. Penni considered banging on the door then changed her mind. She didn’t want to talk to them, either. The assholes were blaming her! They were the ones who had kidnaped her!
She slid down the closed door, sitting on the bathroom floor. Her hands mimicked a series of snapping motions that she had seen Jackal use on anyone who had come too close during the fight.
Bravely, she yelled out, “My brother would have whipped all their asses!”
A fist pounded on the door at her outburst.
Tilting her head to the side, she tried to listen to what was going on in the other room. The sound of shuffling had her rising to lock the door. Then Penni lifted her chin to rest on her bent knees.
“Big brother, where are you when I need you?”
11
Jackal pushed his plate away. “So now I’m getting the silent treatment?”
Hennessy had found a hole-in-the-wall café to feed them lunch.
Penni’s silence was unexpectedly pissing him off. Other than her lips tightening, she didn’t respond.
Hennessy mocked him from the next table, lifting his coffee cup to salute him.
He should fucking get on his bike and leave Ice to deal with the mess Penni had created. After all, Hennessy had boasted last night that he didn’t need his or the Predators’ help. So fuck it!
The waitress laid the check in front of him. Snatching it up, he was about to slide out of the booth when Penni looked up from her untouched plate.
“I’m sorry I screwed up.” Her subdued apology was a fireball to his nuts.
“It’s okay. We’ll find Striker.”
What the hell? What crap had just come out of his mouth? It would be a fucking miracle if Striker were still in town.
“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do from now on. No more screw-ups, I promise.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Even he had trouble swallowing that load of bullshit, but if it took that miserable expression off her face, then it would be worth the muted “pussy-whipped” that Hennessy mumbled as he stood.
