“Ice will take care of Grace.”

Her hand dropped. He was lying to her. She could spot one a mile away.

“Let’s get some sleep. We leave at first light.”

Penni felt the shot of adrenaline she had experienced when Jackal had entered the room wear off. Sitting on the side of the bed, she stood back up when she saw Jackal lie down, making himself comfortable.

“You’re not sleeping here!” Penni insisted, reaching down to shove his shoulder and make him move.

“There isn’t an empty bed in the clubhouse, and I’m not fucking sleeping on the floor.”

“I don’t care where you sleep as long as it’s not with me.”

Jackal stretched out his arms, tugging her down to the bed. A long leg wrapped over her, holding her in place. Penni began to struggle against him but stopped when a seductive whisper had her freezing.

“Go to sleep,” Jackal ordered. “It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve slept together.”

Penni moved to the side, burying her face in the crook of her arm. Just like anytime she began to feel nervous, she moved her hands upward toward the stars she wasn’t able to see.

The stars were filled with good energy, guiding her to a calm when she needed to release her inner turmoil. It was a lot easier than going to a psychiatrist or prison when she wanted to knock sense into someone.

Jackal wove his fingers between hers, pressing them to her belly. “Go to sleep, Penni.”

Wearily, she decided she was on her own tonight. The universe had other souls to be concerned with.

Her mind went back to Grace and Oceane. It always took Penni a long time to settle down into sleep. Shade had told her that normal people lived their life on cruise control, while she pushed the speed limits.

She concentrated on their linked hands, unconsciously gripping his hands more tightly, sinking into the warmth at her back as her lids lowered. Some things in the universe were inevitable.

Why was Jackal the only one who seemed able to shift her mind to neutral and calm the constant turmoil in her soul? Penni should have been grateful to have someone to lean on while playing the Road Kingz’ hostage. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her savior may be the devil in disguise.

7

“Get dressed.” Jackal dropped his saddlebag onto the bed then watched as Penni opened the bag. It didn’t take long before he got the reaction he was waiting for.

“These are my clothes?” She picked up her clothes, giving him an accusing glare.

“Ice used the key you left for Grace to water your plants and feed the ducks.”

Jackal could tell she was torn between having her privacy invaded or leaving her precious plants and ducks without proper care.

“Is Ice taking care of my things?”

Jackal’s amusement had Penni throwing the empty saddlebag at him.

Dodging the missile, he sat down on the foot of the bed. “Calm down. Grace would kick Ice’s ass if anything happened to your precious plants and ducks. How did you get railroaded into taking care of a pond of ducks, anyway?”

“They’re not ducks. They’re swans. I was elected into the position during the yearly HOA.”

“You were elected? You mean more than one person volunteered to feed them?”

Penni nodded eagerly. “Yes, well, I mean … One other person volunteered to feed them, but nobody liked her.”

“But they liked you?”

“Yes. I offered to pay for their food. The feed had gone up in price, and I offered to pay.”

“Why? You haven’t lived there long.”

“Because they’re beautiful.”

Jackal stared at Penni. Her expression went soft, and her blue eyes looked luminescent. He shifted on the bed.

He had been attracted to her since he had seen her walking out of the hotel lobby in Queen City. In his experience, when women saw the Predators, they either ran the other way or turned into provocative whores. Penni had flipped him off because he was parked in the wrong space. Then, when he had kidnapped her then released her, she had shown her disgust in him by spitting on him.

After Ice had married Grace, he had seen Penni at a couple of the parties that Grace had invited her to. It had only fueled his attraction.

Jackal had discovered she made friends easily, but only kept a few. It was the same with him. And she had dated most of the men in Queen City. They didn’t last long, and if they did, they joined the ranks of her friends.

He’d had no intention of being a friend. Playing the waiting game, he had patiently used any excuse to come into contact with her, only to become the brunt of her insults. Why Jackal had put up with it was uncertain. It was as if a part of her were calling out to him.

It was why he had been so pissed off when she had stood him up. When Penni had said sorry last night, Jackal had believed her, but he had also noticed that her contrition had been brief.

Jackal tilted his head as he studied Penni. King had warned him long ago that there was more to her than showed. Jackal agreed. He didn’t think he would live long enough to figure her out.

His stiff dick was tired of waiting, and he had missed having her in his bed like when they had gone to Treepoint. The Spring Rally was a four-day ride. That gave him four nights to build a fire that Penni would beg for him to put out.

Penni stared at him suspiciously as she headed into the bathroom. “What? Why are you staring at me like that?”

Jackal smoothed out his features as he picked up his saddlebag. “Nothing. Get changed. Hennessy is getting the bikes gassed up.”

“Why can’t we just take off while they’re gone?”

“A guard is outside.”

Disappointed, Penni went inside the bathroom.

Jackal had already considered making a run for it with her. However, they wouldn’t make it out of the clubhouse. The Road Kingz’ fate was in Penni’s hands. If they didn’t find Striker, none of them would come out alive.

When Ice had told him that the Road Kingz had Penni, he had been ready to call Shade and hand the mess over to him. However, it would have been a death warrant for Hennessy, and Jackal hadn’t been able to forget the fact that he had saved his life. Then Ice had further convinced him it was a bad idea.

Ice saw the benefit of having the Road Kingz if they ever needed to join forces. It was a risky move, but Ice had given his approval, letting Jackal face the Road Kingz alone.

Jackal stood when Penni came out of the bathroom. Her jeans looked like an old pair, hugging her slender legs snuggly. The blue, long-sleeved T-shirt was tight with a bright rainbow plastered across the front of her taut breasts. It was going to be a long ride to Riverside, California.

“Ready?” He dug his fingers into his back pockets to keep himself from touching the firm thrust of her breasts.

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.” Jackal knocked on the bedroom door. Hennessy had assigned Core to stay with them until they were ready.

Jackal took Penni’s arm, leading her to the clubroom where Hennessy waited.

As they approached, Hennessy nodded toward Core. “Go on outside. We’ll be there in a minute.”

What he wanted to say, he didn’t want his man to hear. Jackal had a feeling he knew what had his former friend incensed.