Hostage (Predators MC #3) (9 page)

“
B
ack up
, sister; I need more room.”

Yes, she did.

Penni took a step back as the woman danced to “Bad to the Bone” that was spilling out of the speakers,

Penni found herself eye level with a large pair of breasts that were so perky she was amazed they weren’t slapping her in the face.

“You think she’ll be offended if I ask her the name of who did her breasts?” She elbowed Jackal in his gut when he didn’t answer.

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” If she ever got home again, she would never have to see him again.

The line was creeping closer with five women in front of her.

“Sweetie, you’re going to have to take that shirt off.” The woman in front of her stared back at her as if she wouldn’t be caught dead in the purple sweatshirt she was wearing.

“I’m cold.”

The women standing nearby were nodding their heads with big smiles.

“That’s kinda the point.” She snickered. “The cold makes your nipples bigger. Wait until they pour the cold water on them.”

“Obviously, the organizers haven’t heard of hypothermia,” Penni said snidely.

“You’re kidding, right? Most of the men here can’t even spell hypothermia.”

Penni smiled. She liked a woman who could be as salty as her. “My name is Penni.”

“I’m Mandy.”

She winced at the response that came out as a breathy voice, a cross between a sex kitten and a sixteen-year-old.

The line was down to four. The water from the stage sprayed on her trembling legs.

“Sweetie, if you move, it’ll warm you up.”

“Hell, it’d warm me up, too.”

If the man didn’t shut up and put his eyes back in his head, she was going to plant her elbow in his crotch instead of his stomach.

The line was down to three. The music switched over to “What Do You Want from Me.” The woman at the front of the stage was dancing, her nude body swaying to the music, her voluptuous form hiding the thong within her folds of flesh.

Why the hell am I doing this?
Penni jammed her hands into her sweatshirt pockets. There were enough people around her that someone should come to her aid if she screamed for help. Dammit, she was agile enough that she could take a leap off the stage and disappear into the crowd.

“Don’t do it.” Jackal’s low warning had Penni hesitating. “Hennessy would have you out of here in a second.”

There were at least two dozen people standing on the stage and at least three hundred in the audience. Penni debated yelling out for help.

The line was down to two. It was now or never.

She took a step to the side, preparing herself to start screaming bloody murder. She was prepared to take her chances with Hennessy’s fury rather than flaunt her pint-sized boobs.

“Trust me.” He knew she wasn’t going to do it. “You’ll let loose a powder keg. How do you think this will go if a fight breaks out with so many people around? Remember what it was like last night? Most of the clubs are packing and drunk. By the time the cops broke up the fight, almost all of them would leave in body bags, including us.”

Dammit, he was right. She was going to have to do it.

Penni didn’t care if the Road Kingz were hurt; they had put themselves in this position. The Predators, on the other hand, were there to try to help her. Penni wouldn’t be able to look Grace in the face if anything happened to Ice. She had enough on her plate dealing with her mother’s sickness. Grace didn’t need her husband getting killed.

The line was down to one. The DJ started “Motorcycle Mama,” nodding to Misty that it was her turn.

“Good luck, sweetie.”

Penni forced herself not stare at Misty’s breasts as she wished her good luck.

“You’re next.” Jackal’s quiet reminder was unnecessary.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Penni clenched her hands into fists as she watched Misty strut to the front of the stage.

“You need to take off your top.”

“If you say one more word, I’ll take your knife away and stab you.”

Jackal shut up.

The DJ started “Highway to Hell” as Misty began to walk to the rear of the stage where all the women were dancing in a line, giving the men in the audience a chance to choose who was going to be the winner.

Penni turned to see if she could let any other woman go, but the line was empty. She was the last one.

I’m going to have to do it
, Penni kept telling herself as she lifted the bottom of the sweatshirt over her head. Goose bumps broke out over her body as she shivered. Maybe it was getting dark enough that the men wouldn’t be able to see her that well.

Someone at the edge of the stage flicked on a switch, surrounding the stage in blazing lights.

“That’s about right.”

“What did you say?” Jackal stepped back when she took a step toward him.

Penni looked down at her pretty dusty rose bra and unclipped it, tugging off the fragile material and handing it to Jackal.

“I want that back. It cost me a freaking fortune.”

She looked at the biker waiting with the water hose then at the women on stage, shorts plastered to their body. Reaching into her jean pocket, she pulled out her cell phone, handing it to Jackal.

He was smart enough not to open his mouth, simply shoving it into his jacket pocket with her bra.

Penni bravely walked toward the stage. When she got back to Queen City, she was going to make Henry give the women strippers a raise. It was worse than she thought, but it was easier than she imagined.

The man at the front of the stage who was pouring the water over the women’s bodies wasn’t given the chance to douse her. Jackal’s cruel visage had him handing the water hose over. She was so preoccupied with the freezing water hitting her body she didn’t have time to be embarrassed. The other women had been hit with the water on their breasts or pussy. Jackal aimed at the top of her shorts. Her breasts were still wet, but she wasn’t hit full force the way the other women had been.

Jackal jerked his head toward the crowd, reminding her of the reason for making a fool of herself.

She swayed toward the front of the stage, carefully scanning the audience for Striker.

Please be here
, Penni pleaded to whatever powers in the universe that were listening as she tried to take her mind off the cold water. Of course, she didn’t hold out much hope anyone was listening with the loud music playing.

Her eyes were shifting from the middle of the crowd when she saw him. Excited, she turned toward Jackal.

“He’s over there, standing with the bikers with the orange happy faces on their jackets.”

Jackal immediately handed the water hose back to the biker he had taken from then took out his cell phone from his jacket. “You sure?”

“Yes.” Penni could barely answer him through her chattering teeth. She moved toward the steps off the stage as he talked to whomever was on the other end.

“Not yet.” Jackal blocked her before she could reach them. “What is he wearing?”

She had been so busy looking for his hair she hadn’t noticed his clothes. Penni turned to look again, but could not find him. She wanted to scream and cry at the same time. Where had he—

Then she saw him again when one of the men he was standing next to moved.

“He’s wearing an orange T-shirt—” Before she could say anything else, Jackal was leading her down the steps.

Cruz appeared.

“Take her to the hotel room,” Jackal ordered, wrapping a large towel around her shoulder that he had taken from a stack by the steps.

“Did you see him?”

Penni grabbed a handful of his leather jacket before he could leave, excited that her ordeal was almost over.

“I saw him, baby. Get changed. When I get back, I’ll take you home.”

Penni lowered her lashes so he couldn’t see the happy tears in her eyes.

“No way. I used to envy anyone who rode a motorcycle. From now on, my ass is only sitting in a car.”

W
here is he
?
Penni had expected Jackal back an hour ago.

She sat there, staring blankly at the television screen, not watching the movie she had turned on to fill the silence in the room.

She turned and jumped up when heard the door open, her expectant smile dying as she saw Cruz in the doorway instead of Jackal.

“Hennessy wants you.”

Confused, she slid her bare feet into her tennis shoes. “Where’s Jackal?”

“He’s waiting, too.”

She wouldn’t find anything out being stuck in the hotel room. It wasn’t like she had a choice, anyway. Therefore, Penni went with Cruz, climbing onto his bike sitting outside the door.

The streets were strangely quiet as they passed the businesses that had been busy just an hour ago. Where were all the bikers in the bars? Her silent questions went unanswered as Cruz’s bike rode outside the city.

Penni began to feel afraid. Had Hennessy decided to kill her after all and bury her body in the desert?

As they rode, Penni saw the orange glow of a huge fire in the sky. Cruz slowed his speed, and Penni was able to see motorcycles parked in front of a huge bonfire.

Cruz maneuvered his bike through the swarming crowd. Relieved, she saw Jackal sitting on his bike with Hennessy and the Road Kingz. After they were parked next to Jackal, she leaped off Cruz’s bike, anxious to go home. At this point, she was even willing to ride Jackal’s bike to Queen City.

“Are you ready to leave?”

Penni didn’t like the grim expression on Jackal’s face as she eagerly came to a stop next to his motorcycle. Hennessy didn’t appear to be in a better mood than Jackal.

“There’s been a snag,” Jackal confirmed the dread she had been feeling when she had seen the Road Kingz stop talking when they had spotted her.

“I don’t care. You told me that, if I found Striker, you would let me leave. I’m holding you to your word. I want to leave now!” Penni demanded, facing Hennessy, her hands clenched on her hips, trying not to strike him. His men would probably kill her for disrespect, but Penni was at the point of not caring.

Jackal reached out, lifting her off her feet to sit sideways across the front of his bike. “Penni, I know you’re upset. Calm down and take a deep breath. It’s almost over. We only have one thing left to do, and Hennessy said we can ride out of here tonight.”

Penni clenched her jaw shut, unconsciously leaning back against Jackal’s chest.

“We talked to Striker. Unfortunately, he found another buyer.” Hennessy’s face looked so angry it was frightening. “Since he already took our money and doesn’t want to give me the product he has for sale, we’re at a stalemate.”

“What does this have to do with me? I can’t make him—”

“Yes, you can. I mentioned your connection to The Last Riders. Evidently, Striker has heard of them.”

Penni felt the angry flush heat her cheeks. She tried to pull away from Jackal. “Who told you about The Last Riders?”

“I did,” Jackal admitted. “I had to give him a reason to keep you alive. You might not have figured it out yet, but Hennessy doesn’t really like you.”

“Really? Let me tell you how I feel about him.” Penni shot her tennis shoes out, trying to kick him.

Jackal slid his hand intimately down her thigh, forcing her to stop kicking out. Cruz, who had made the mistake of stepping in between Hennessy and her when she had lashed out, found himself doubled over in pain.

“I’m killing the fucking bitch …”

Penni found that funny since he was still unable to move.

“Touch me, motherfucker, and—”

“You two shut the hell up.” Hennessy helped his enforcer stand up. “Take a walk,” he continued when Cruz managed to move. “Your brother teach you that language?”

“No, his friend Knox did. Want to meet him?”

While Knox and Hennessy were the same size and both shared the same lack of hair, Penni bet on Knox beating the shit out of him. Knox would jerk one of those diamond earrings out of Hennessy’s ear and use it as a tongue ring. The thought had her twitching in humor, making the men believe she had lost her mind.

“I’ll pass. The Last Riders might have everyone afraid of them in Kentucky, but I’ll put my money on any of these clubs from California.”

“You’d lose,” Penni confidently contradicted him. “You may not have heard of The Last Riders, but Striker’s heard enough that he’s going to hand over what you’re wanting.”

“That doesn’t mean shit—”

“You two stop arguing. I’d like to enjoy the music before Striker gets here. Cruz, go find us some beers. Hennessy, those bitches over there have been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes.”

Penni refused to look up at Jackal as the men stepped away.

“You cold?”

She remained silent, and Penni heard his sigh above her.

“The silent treatment again?”

She bit down on her lip to keep from replying.

“Your blaming me for Hennessy making you stay?”

This time, she couldn’t hold her tongue. “I blame you for telling him about The Last Riders and for not keeping your promise to get me out of here tonight.”

“Baby, I’m good, but I can’t perform miracles. You might think that Hennessy listens to me and we’re friends, but we’re not. He’s keeping you close because he thinks you’re too much trouble.”

“If he thinks I’m a pain in the butt now, wait until he meets Shade.”

Penni heard the amusement in his voice when he said, “I don’t think he’s wanting an introduction.”

“He may not have a choice,” she muttered.

His voice became hard as he lifted her chin up so she could see his serious eyes. “Have you managed to contact Shade?”

“Why do you care? I thought you said you’re not his friend.”

“You’re the one I care about,” he said impatiently. “If Shade and The Last Riders show up, I don’t want you hurt if—”

“Shade would make sure I wasn’t hurt. You don’t care about me,” Penni denied his assertion.

“Then why in the fuck am I sitting with you?”

She frowned. “Because of Ice. You’d do anything he told you to do.”

Jackal’s hold loosened, his touch becoming a gentle caress. “Baby, I’m the enforcer, but not even for Ice would I let one of the other men play babysitter.”

“Hennessy has Cruz watching me, and he’s an enforcer.”

Jackal laughed. “Because you’re a lot of trouble, and the Road Kingz don’t know how to handle you. The Predators wouldn’t have the same trouble. Either Stump or Fade would have been able to watch over you.”

Her thoughts became a whirlwind as she tried to think of how she felt about Jackal’s admission.

“So, you like me?” Penni probed.

“Yeah.”

“You like all women.”

“No, I don’t. I have sex with a lot of women; that doesn’t mean I like them all.”

Penni turned her face. She had known that becoming involved with Jackal would be like watching a car wreck in slow motion. Now the asshole wanted to give her fair warning that it was going to hurt. No thanks.

When she fell in love, Penni was going to have a love like Shade and Lily shared. It was going to be all or nothing. Whatever Jackal was offering by laying his cards on the table, she was going to walk away with it.

Shade had taught her long ago how to spot a card shark, and Jackal had dealt her a losing hand.