Hostage (Predators MC 3)

Son of a bitch! Penni breathed in through her nose and out her mouth, calming herself again.

The son of a freaking bastard-bitch-snake-in-the-fucking-grass deserved more than the three bullets she had sprayed down the steps.

When she couldn’t think of any other names to call the ass-wipe, Penni decided to go to bed. She couldn’t leave before Lily returned from Lexington, but when she did, Penni decided it would be time to head out.

She knew Shade would try to talk it her out of it, but she didn’t care. If the cartel was stupid enough to try to intimidate her, it would be the last thing they ever did. With the mood she was in, she could take on the whole freaking cartel. Maybe she could give them Jackal…

The next morning, Penni was up early. She showered and got dressed in a pair of grey leggings and a black and grey T-shirt that had crisscross straps on the back. The outfit was deceptively simple, the shirt falling past her hips. The leggings were tight and showed off her bottom, and the expanse of her back was left bare.

Penni turned her back to the full-length mirror, turning her head to see the full effect. She smacked her ass. The five pounds she had gained looked good on her.

She had finished packing her bags when Penni heard Shade and Lily come in. She zipped her suitcase, leaving it on the bed. She would ask Shade to pack it into the car when she was ready to leave.

Penni took her time coming down the steps, seeing Lily holding John as Shade set down the shopping bags on the couch. Shade and Lily watched her as she came to a stop.

“Did you know?”

“Lily, take John upstairs and put him down for a nap. Wait for me in the bedroom.”

Her friend sent her a sympathetic glance, but followed Shade’s order.

Penni went toward the living room. “Don’t tell me you’re angry at Lily.”

“My wife lied to me when I repeatedly asked her where you and Winter were. She has a habit of keeping information from me when it involves the women. Her loyalty belongs to me, not to every harebrained idea the women come up with.”

“You trying to rationalize the men deliberately wanting us out of the house so they could cheat?”

Penni shivered at the blue eyes that drilled into hers.

“Viper didn’t want Winter out of the house so he could cheat, and I didn’t know which man had been picked to try to get information out of the woman they believed was betraying the club.”

“What?” Penni’s voice rose.

Shade waved his hand to silence her. “I had my suspicions it was Jackal, but that was left to Viper and Ice. If they had asked me my opinion, I would have chosen Jackal, too. Only someone from the club would have known Genny was going to the store. We needed to know who it was before someone was seriously hurt.”

“They chose Jackal?”

“Yes.”

Penni stared down at the floor. “Did they give him a choice?”

“I’m assuming yes.”

There was a whole clubhouse of men; Jackal could have said no. It had come down to a choice between the Predators and her, and he had chosen the Predators.

“Did he find out who the traitor was?”

“Viper told us it was Raci this morning. He’s going to call a meeting to vote whether she stays in the club or goes. They won’t vote her out, though. Raci has been a good member for years. Her cousin and cousin’s husband were taken by the cartel. Raci was trying to save their lives.”

Shade had never discussed club business with her, but he knew Penni would see Raci every time she came for a visit. Poor Genny. She would be the one who would have to look at Raci every day and know she was responsible for almost getting her killed and the destruction of her home.

“Thank you for telling me.”

Shade held out his hand. “Where’s the gun?”

Penni went to the kitchen, taking it off the top of the refrigerator and giving it to Shade.

“Did you leave any bullets?” Shade defrosted slightly when she handed it to him.

“A couple. If he hadn’t run like a sissy, I would have emptied the chamber.”

“Don’t be too hard on him. I would have run when I saw a gun in your hand, too.”

Penni punched her brother in his shoulder.

“Ouch, that hurt.” Shade actually smiled at her.

Damn, Lily was good for him.

“I’m leaving after lunch.”

Shade’s smile dropped at her words.

“Listen. Please listen. When I’m done, if you still say to stay, I will. Okay?”

Shade nodded. “Tell me the plan.”

Penni made her way to the clubhouse where she found Genny busy cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast.

“I thought I would give you a break by fixing lunch if you don’t mind?”

Genny kept mopping, answering, “I don’t mind at all.”