“You make us look bad for making our husbands give us shopping money,” Casey complained.
“I made Ice fork over some, too. I asked for his credit card this morning before he left. He’s in a better mood before I get him out of bed,” Grace confided.
“I’ll have to try that. Max holds onto his wallet like it will save him from drowning.”
“Grace, wait,” Jackal cut in.
Grace and the other two women turned back to Jackal.
“Where is Penni? I rode by her condo, but she wasn’t there. I called Shade, but he thought she was at her condo. He even checked her cell phone, and it showed she was at home. When I broke into her apartment, though, it was empty. Ice said he didn’t know where she was, either. So, where is she?”
Jackal ran a hand through his long hair. He hadn’t wanted to call, too afraid she would hang up on him. His plan to show up at her door and beg his way back into her life had failed.
“Penni made us promised not to tell you,” Grace told him. “She said, if you want to see her, you know where to find her.”
Frustrated, Jackal stared at her. “If I knew where she was, I wouldn’t have driven to her condo or to her office. I even checked to make sure she wasn’t feeding the ducks before I came here. So, where is she?”
“We can’t tell you,” Vida said, giving him a sympathetic glance.
“Is she with a man? Is that why you won’t tell—”
“Penni said you would know how to find her,” Grace cut him off. “Get some rest. Ice told us you haven’t had time to sleep since you killed Raul. When you get some sleep and are thinking more clearly, you’ll know how to find her.”
Jackal wanted to throw a bar stool at the wall. Ice must have known he was at his breaking point, because he blocked the women from his view.
They left, laughing as they walked away.
Jackal pressed his fingers against his tired eyes. “They think I deserve to suffer.”
“Brother, go to bed. I saved the end of the hall for you. It has a brand new bed. It’ll feel good after sleeping in all those hotel rooms.”
Jackal had to admit to himself he was too tired to ride anywhere until he got some sleep.
“I’ll get a couple hours sleep, but if I can’t figure out where Penni is, your wife will be my next stop, and I won’t be taking no for an answer the next time.”
Ice nodded. “I’ll warn her. Go to sleep.”
Jackal nodded, passing Ice who stopped him, holding out his hand.
“I’m glad you’re back, brother. It hasn’t been the same without you.”
“Thanks, Ice. I won’t let you down ever again.”
“You’ve never let me down, Jackal, not once.”
The two men leaned into each other, slapping each other on their backs before stepping back.
Jackal finally made his way down the hallway, seeing Ice had added more rooms to the new clubhouse. He was too tired to appreciate the changes, though. Right now, all he had on his mind was getting enough sleep to figure out where Penni was.
He had googled her tour schedule. Mouth2Mouth’s next concert was a month away. If he couldn’t find her by then, he would drive there, even if it took him all night.
Jackal went into the room Ice had told him was his. Turning on the light switch, he closed the door behind him. There was a large bed taking up half the room.
Jackal sat down on the end of the bed. It reminded him of the one Penni had picked out before the clubhouse had been destroyed.
Jackal ran his hand over the metal frame then dropped his hands into his lap. Penni’s face swam in front of him.
Jackal buried his face in his hands. “Where are you?” he groaned out.
Suddenly, he lifted his head. Jerking himself to his feet, he strode down the hall, coming to a stop in the clubroom. The men turned to stare at him.
“I know where she is,” Jackal said huskily.
Ice stood up from the new, blue La-Z-Boy rocker. “I knew you were a smart man and would figure it out. Grace left her car here. I’ll drive you because no way in hell are you driving yourself.”
“Where is she?” Max yelled out before they could get out the door.
“Fuck you, Max. You figure it out.”
Ice found a parking space, and Jackal opened the car door, beginning to get out.
“I’ll wait ten minutes to make sure she’s there. I was supposed to call Grace and tell her if you left the clubhouse so Penni would be there until you showed up.”
“Thanks, Ice.”
“No problem.”
Jackal went into the Purple Pussycat. He strode through the room and up the stairs to the large door where he keyed in the code for the bouncers that gave them access to each room of the club.
Jackal’s heart beat hard as he neared the door where Penni and he had stayed when they had made love the first time.
Henry was talking to one of the bartenders, but he turned to watch him cross the room.
Jackal keyed in his number, but the door didn’t turn. Henry had overridden the door’s commands.
“What are the numbers?”
Henry raised a brow at Jackal’s menacing tone.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about it.” Sherri’s, Henry’s girlfriend, gloating face showed she didn’t know she was risking her own life by thwarting his attempts to enter the room that Jackal was even more sure Penni was in. There was an easier way to find out without killing the woman, though.
Jackal went to the middle door where the bouncers could look into both rooms while the clients used their services. Jackal keyed in his number again, and this time, it worked.
Jackal gave Henry a killing look before going inside.
The mirror showed that the room on the left was empty. Jackal stepped to the right mirror, and his breath caught. Penni was sitting on the bed, facing the two-way mirror and staring down at the phone in her hand.
Jackal hadn’t cried since he was kid when his mother hadn’t come home, and his father had made fun of him for it. But he cried now, knowing no one could see him.
It had been six months since he had last seen her. Shade had offered to send pictures of her, but Jackal had told him no. Jackal had known that, if he had seen her, he would have broken and gone to her. However, he’d had an oath to keep, and he had been determined to keep it. Too many lives depended on him succeeding, and one of those lives was hers.
His blood still ran cold at the thought of her being there when the explosives had been detonated. If he hadn’t scheduled the meeting with Reefer to sell him a dime bag, they would have been in his bed at the clubhouse that Saturday morning. The only reason Ice had been up was because Ice had made it a rule that, when someone was out on a job, someone had to keep watch, and he had known the rest of the brothers wouldn’t want to get up so early.
He saw that Penni had lost weight. She had been a tiny thing before, but now she looked so fragile a gust of wind could blow her away.
He walked closer to the mirror, wanting to run from the room and into the one she was waiting in. Knowing Henry wouldn’t give him the number until she told him to was the only thing stopping him. He couldn’t even fucking call her since her cell phone was at her condo, and he didn’t know the number to the one she was holding.
“I made Ice fork over some, too. I asked for his credit card this morning before he left. He’s in a better mood before I get him out of bed,” Grace confided.
“I’ll have to try that. Max holds onto his wallet like it will save him from drowning.”
“Grace, wait,” Jackal cut in.
Grace and the other two women turned back to Jackal.
“Where is Penni? I rode by her condo, but she wasn’t there. I called Shade, but he thought she was at her condo. He even checked her cell phone, and it showed she was at home. When I broke into her apartment, though, it was empty. Ice said he didn’t know where she was, either. So, where is she?”
Jackal ran a hand through his long hair. He hadn’t wanted to call, too afraid she would hang up on him. His plan to show up at her door and beg his way back into her life had failed.
“Penni made us promised not to tell you,” Grace told him. “She said, if you want to see her, you know where to find her.”
Frustrated, Jackal stared at her. “If I knew where she was, I wouldn’t have driven to her condo or to her office. I even checked to make sure she wasn’t feeding the ducks before I came here. So, where is she?”
“We can’t tell you,” Vida said, giving him a sympathetic glance.
“Is she with a man? Is that why you won’t tell—”
“Penni said you would know how to find her,” Grace cut him off. “Get some rest. Ice told us you haven’t had time to sleep since you killed Raul. When you get some sleep and are thinking more clearly, you’ll know how to find her.”
Jackal wanted to throw a bar stool at the wall. Ice must have known he was at his breaking point, because he blocked the women from his view.
They left, laughing as they walked away.
Jackal pressed his fingers against his tired eyes. “They think I deserve to suffer.”
“Brother, go to bed. I saved the end of the hall for you. It has a brand new bed. It’ll feel good after sleeping in all those hotel rooms.”
Jackal had to admit to himself he was too tired to ride anywhere until he got some sleep.
“I’ll get a couple hours sleep, but if I can’t figure out where Penni is, your wife will be my next stop, and I won’t be taking no for an answer the next time.”
Ice nodded. “I’ll warn her. Go to sleep.”
Jackal nodded, passing Ice who stopped him, holding out his hand.
“I’m glad you’re back, brother. It hasn’t been the same without you.”
“Thanks, Ice. I won’t let you down ever again.”
“You’ve never let me down, Jackal, not once.”
The two men leaned into each other, slapping each other on their backs before stepping back.
Jackal finally made his way down the hallway, seeing Ice had added more rooms to the new clubhouse. He was too tired to appreciate the changes, though. Right now, all he had on his mind was getting enough sleep to figure out where Penni was.
He had googled her tour schedule. Mouth2Mouth’s next concert was a month away. If he couldn’t find her by then, he would drive there, even if it took him all night.
Jackal went into the room Ice had told him was his. Turning on the light switch, he closed the door behind him. There was a large bed taking up half the room.
Jackal sat down on the end of the bed. It reminded him of the one Penni had picked out before the clubhouse had been destroyed.
Jackal ran his hand over the metal frame then dropped his hands into his lap. Penni’s face swam in front of him.
Jackal buried his face in his hands. “Where are you?” he groaned out.
Suddenly, he lifted his head. Jerking himself to his feet, he strode down the hall, coming to a stop in the clubroom. The men turned to stare at him.
“I know where she is,” Jackal said huskily.
Ice stood up from the new, blue La-Z-Boy rocker. “I knew you were a smart man and would figure it out. Grace left her car here. I’ll drive you because no way in hell are you driving yourself.”
“Where is she?” Max yelled out before they could get out the door.
“Fuck you, Max. You figure it out.”
Ice found a parking space, and Jackal opened the car door, beginning to get out.
“I’ll wait ten minutes to make sure she’s there. I was supposed to call Grace and tell her if you left the clubhouse so Penni would be there until you showed up.”
“Thanks, Ice.”
“No problem.”
Jackal went into the Purple Pussycat. He strode through the room and up the stairs to the large door where he keyed in the code for the bouncers that gave them access to each room of the club.
Jackal’s heart beat hard as he neared the door where Penni and he had stayed when they had made love the first time.
Henry was talking to one of the bartenders, but he turned to watch him cross the room.
Jackal keyed in his number, but the door didn’t turn. Henry had overridden the door’s commands.
“What are the numbers?”
Henry raised a brow at Jackal’s menacing tone.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about it.” Sherri’s, Henry’s girlfriend, gloating face showed she didn’t know she was risking her own life by thwarting his attempts to enter the room that Jackal was even more sure Penni was in. There was an easier way to find out without killing the woman, though.
Jackal went to the middle door where the bouncers could look into both rooms while the clients used their services. Jackal keyed in his number again, and this time, it worked.
Jackal gave Henry a killing look before going inside.
The mirror showed that the room on the left was empty. Jackal stepped to the right mirror, and his breath caught. Penni was sitting on the bed, facing the two-way mirror and staring down at the phone in her hand.
Jackal hadn’t cried since he was kid when his mother hadn’t come home, and his father had made fun of him for it. But he cried now, knowing no one could see him.
It had been six months since he had last seen her. Shade had offered to send pictures of her, but Jackal had told him no. Jackal had known that, if he had seen her, he would have broken and gone to her. However, he’d had an oath to keep, and he had been determined to keep it. Too many lives depended on him succeeding, and one of those lives was hers.
His blood still ran cold at the thought of her being there when the explosives had been detonated. If he hadn’t scheduled the meeting with Reefer to sell him a dime bag, they would have been in his bed at the clubhouse that Saturday morning. The only reason Ice had been up was because Ice had made it a rule that, when someone was out on a job, someone had to keep watch, and he had known the rest of the brothers wouldn’t want to get up so early.
He saw that Penni had lost weight. She had been a tiny thing before, but now she looked so fragile a gust of wind could blow her away.
He walked closer to the mirror, wanting to run from the room and into the one she was waiting in. Knowing Henry wouldn’t give him the number until she told him to was the only thing stopping him. He couldn’t even fucking call her since her cell phone was at her condo, and he didn’t know the number to the one she was holding.
