Hostage (Predators MC 3)

“I’m going back to bed. You and Grace can deal with Penni. I don’t know why we would even give a rat’s ass about wherever she is.”

“Grace is out of town, visiting her parents. If she doesn’t show up soon, Grace will catch the next flight into Queen City.”

“What’s wrong with that? I’m surprised you’re not booking her flight for her. She’s visiting her parents a lot lately.”

Ice’s eye’s shifted away from him.

Jackal had assumed Ice’s marriage seemed to be going well; had he been mistaken?

Jackal knew better than to stick his nose into any of Ice’s business. After all, when Ice wasn’t with Grace, the club President became a man to fear. However, it was becoming more and more obvious something was going on with Grace.

“Grace’s mother is sick.”

That bombshell had all the brothers staring at Ice in shock.

Jackal straightened from the couch. “How bad is she?”

“Bad.”

Jackal didn’t know Oceane personally, only from the snide comments Ice said his mother-in-law constantly slipped in during conversations when she visited. To keep them from fighting, Grace would occasionally fly to visit her parents.

Jackal buried his hands in his pockets. He was going to have to help. Jackal considered himself a hard-ass, but he did have a soft spot that had gotten him in trouble a time or two.

“When’s the last time Grace heard from Penni? She sure she just didn’t forget to call?”

“She’s sure. Penni and Grace have grown close since they’ve been working together.”

Stump came down the steps with a mocking smile. Jackal nearly wasn’t able to stop himself from planting a fist on his smirking face.

“She sure Penni didn’t go see her brother or his friends this weekend?”

“Penni would have mentioned it to her. Why?”

“I found her toy boyfriend in the drawer beside her bed.” Stump waved a picture. It took Jackal a second to recognize it.

“Who’s that?” Ice turned to Jackal, expecting him to have the answer he wanted.

Jackal wondered if he expected him to know because it was his job as the club enforcer or because Jackal would have made it his business to know everything that concerned Penni.

“Train.” Jackal stepped forward, snatching the photo from Stump.

Penni was standing next to Train. The tall man had his arm casually wrapped around her shoulder. Train’s expression was carefully remote. Penni’s wasn’t. Jackal wanted to tear the picture into a million pieces. Instead, he tucked into his back pocket.

“He’s one of The Last Riders.”

“You think they could be together?” Stump asked as he took the beer Max handed him. The two men dropped onto the couch, hiking their boots onto the coffee table, carelessly dropping magazines to the floor.

“How have you kept Casey from throwing your ass out the door?” Jackal bent down to pick up the magazines, hitting the tips of Max and Stump’s boots to make the brothers lower them to the floor.

“She’d miss my dick too bad to throw me out!” Max jammed his elbow into Stump’s side.

“Maybe Penni got tired of needing batteries and decided to drive to Treepoint.” Stump jammed his elbow back into Max’s side as the two dumbass each laughed at their lame jokes.

Jackal couldn’t handle the two stupid men any longer.

Using the magazines, he began battering them as they tried to avoid the vicious blows.

Ice held Jackal back. “I don’t think so. Penni wouldn’t have left Grace so worried for her.”

“Me, either.” Jackal hated to admit it to Ice.

The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into Penni’s disappearance personally. He thought she was safer away from Queen City until his temper cooled.

A sudden thought had him coming to the perfect solution for both his and Ice’s problems.

“Call Shade. Let him find out what happened to her.”

“I thought that, too, right up until Grace told me the name of the place where she stopped for gas.”

Jackal could tell from Ice’s expression that he wasn’t happy with his answer.

“Grace said Penni was at a place called the Hay and Fiddle.”

Jackal and the brothers all stared at Ice in disbelief. Only Penni would find the one place in a million she should have never gone into. Hell, there wasn’t a Predator who would willingly walk into the den of the most bloodthirsty road bandits known to ride a bike.

Max and Stump stared at Ice then Jackal. “You’re fucked.”

Jackal stiffened. “Why am I fucked? It’s Ice problem, not mine.” He stubbornly crossed his arms.

“If the Road Kingz have Penni, they won’t give her back.” Max leaned toward Jackal as he watched his reaction. Max always came across as a cuddly teddy bear to the opposite sex, but he was the club’s pain in the ass. He loved to aggravate the brothers in every way he could. The only one worse than Max was Stump, and the evil smile curling his bottom lip had Jackal’s asshole clenching tight.