“I’ll show you crazy if you hurt Jackal again.”

“I don’t need you to take up for me,” Jackal said defensively.

“Isn’t this the man you threatened to cut the dick off of for kidnapping you?” Shade quipped.

“I think I’ll go inside and make some breakfast.” Lily took John from Shade, hurrying inside her house and away from the confrontation.

“He deserved it then, but not this time.”

“Jackal’s right; he can take care of himself.”

If he were the one responsible for Shade’s black eyes, Penni had to agree.

“Why is he here, anyway?”

Shade’s face became remote. “That’s none of your business. Jackal is going to stay here until Ice comes to have a talk with Viper.”

From their closed expressions, Penni wouldn’t find out until they were ready to tell. She knew whom she was going to have to talk to in order to make sure Jackal or any of the Predators didn’t face any repercussions for trying to help her.

“I can’t understand why The Last Riders are angry when all they tried to do was help.”

“They could have saved their asses if they had just called me when they found out you were missing.”

“Because Hennessy used to be a Predator, they probably figured you would kill him. They were being loyal, and I know damn well how much that means to you.”

“How about loyalty to King? They promised him they would watch out for you.”

“I’ve told you I can take care of myself. You and King didn’t need to ask the Predators to watch over me. Besides, I let you put that tracking device on my phone.”

Jackal began laughing, reaching inside his pocket to take out her phone and giving it back to her. “So that’s how you found her.”

Penni bounced on the balls on her feet, staring at her brother proudly. “I call him every Friday night. I knew, when I missed calling him, he would track my phone.”

“I don’t leave anything to chance when I care about someone,” Shade warned Jackal.

“I thought you didn’t love me.”

“I don’t.”

Penni smiled, knowing he was lying. Shade believed admitting to love someone made him weak. However, he had proved he could love when he had fallen in love the first time he had met Lily. As crazy as Penni made him, she knew he loved her, too.

“You’re both fucking nuts.” Jackal looked back and forth between them at Shade’s words.

“It runs in the family.” Penni intertwined her arm with Shade’s. “Come on; I can’t cook worth shit, so I can’t help Lily, but I’ll make you some toast.”

“You’ll burn it, and I won’t be able to choke it down like I usually do. I think Jackal loosened one of my front teeth.”

Penni glared at Jackal over her shoulder.

“Shade, the manager of the hotel called. He said he found your dick in the lost and found.”

Penni almost tripped when Shade spun toward Jackal. The two were going at it before she could regain her footing.

“Viper! Train! Knox!” Penni screamed, knowing better than to try to break the two men apart.

The men ran outside the back of the clubhouse, quickly breaking the men apart.

“Motherfucker, who started it this time!”

Knox put Shade in a head lock as Jackal tore away from Train’s restraining hold. Before Jackal could strike out, though, Penni took a stance in front of him.

“Don’t you dare hit him!”

Jackal, whose eyes were on Shade, turned to Penni, who had moved to protect Train. Varied expressions crossed his face, which she couldn’t understand, but thankfully, he stopped fighting, giving The Last Riders time to diffuse the situation.

“Go home,” Viper barked his order out to Shade before he grabbed the back of Jackal’s T-shirt, tossing him in the direction of the clubhouse. “Go inside.”

Left with no choice since Train and Knox were escorting him, he shared steely glances, letting them all know the fight wasn’t over.

“Brother, you’ve got a problem with Jackal; I’ve got that. But I can’t give Jackal back to Ice dead.”

“He called me a pussy,” Shade managed to speak from between clenched teeth.

Penni hoped Lily’s dentist was on speed dial.

“I don’t care if he calls you a douchebag; ignore it. Got me?”

Shade reluctantly nodded his head.

Viper took a deep breath, turning toward her. “Winter is dying to see you to make sure you’re all right. I’ll tell her to come over after Shade eats his breakfast. Maybe that’ll put him in a better mood.”

“I wouldn’t count on it, but Lily will be there, so he’ll behave.”

Penni followed behind Shade as he walked to his house, deciding to keep quiet so that he could retain his temper before going inside to Lily.

Shade stopped on his front porch.

“He was just being a jackass.” Penni couldn’t believe she was trying to make amends for Jackal.

“Stay away from him and Hennessy while they’re here.”

“Hennessy’s here, too?” Her mouth dropped open. “But why?”

“Hennessy was hurt at the shootout. Viper brought him here so he could recuperate instead of getting arrested. The Unjust Soldiers would had killed him before he could have made it out of ER.”

“That was nice of Viper,” Penni said suspiciously.

“Yes, it was. Don’t repay him by putting your nose where it doesn’t belong. Jackal and Hennessy both have to make amends before they leave. Viper won’t tolerate you butting in, even though you’re my sister.”

“I understand.”

“I hope you do, Penni,” Shade answered grimly. “Don’t expect me to get in a fight between you and The Last Riders. You’ll lose.”

19

The backyard was filled with The Last Riders. Jackal sat on the picnic table, drinking the beer Rider had handed him before sitting down beside him.

“How in the fuck did Shade manage to catch her?” Jackal tipped his beer toward Lily who was sitting at a patio table with Shade, Penni, and Train.

Rider chuckled. “He paid for a personality transplant.”

“His doctor should be sued for malpractice.”

“You should have known him before he married Lily.”

“Bad?”

“More like painful. He had to wait a long time before she noticed him.”

“His sister is following in his example.” Jackal watched Penni flirt with Train. As they talked, Penni used any reason to reach out and touch Train.

Jackal wanted to walk across the yard, steal her away, carry her to his room, and spank her ass until she couldn’t sit for a week.

Two problems stopped him: One, he was forced to share a room with Rider. Two, Rider would enjoy it as much he would.

Rider cast him a sidelong look. “Train thinks of Penni as a little sister.”

“You should tell her. She’s making a fool of herself.”

“If you spent any time with Penni, you’d know telling her anything she doesn’t want to hear goes in one ear and out the other.”