Shade shook his head at Viper. “Yes, he was.”

“What do you want, Shade?” Jackal huffed. “You have Penni back. I didn’t harm a hair on her head. I’m thinking we don’t have shit to talk about, so get the fuck out of my room.”

Shade lost his indolent air. Striding across the room, he shot out his fist, punching him in the gut. “I think we have a shitload to discuss.”

Jackal doubled over, his hands going to his thighs, wheezing out, “That the best you can do? I’m not going to fight you when you have a dozen of your brothers waiting to take their turns.”

“None of them will touch you,” Shade promised. “It’s one of the perks of being the enforcer for The Last Riders. And it was my sister you were snuggled up with in that bed.”

“Like I said, I didn’t touch her. I was here to protect her. She was kidnapped by—”

“I know what shit went down. The Last Riders will deal with Hennessy and his men when we get back to Treepoint. Viper sent some of the brothers to escort the Road Kingz; we don’t want to keep them waiting. Get your things. I don’t want to be far behind them.”

“I’m not going to Treepoint.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Viper told him. “When Ice didn’t call Shade, it became the Predators’ problem. King paid the Predators for protection, and what did the club do? Get her the hell out of there? No, you dragged her to a rally to make sure the Road Kingz didn’t lose their ass in a drug deal a five-year-old could have pulled off. You nearly got her killed and would have if The Last Riders hadn’t bailed you out. When we showed up to get you out of the shootout, the Unjust Soldiers thought The Last Rider’s became involved to get a share of the money you stole from them.”

Jackal shook his head. “You’ve lost your fucking mind. I got her out of there myself with no help from you or The Last Riders.”

Viper’s voice became mocking. “Really? You didn’t see our men making two rows for you to ride through? You think Moses showed up to save your ass?” Viper scoffed. “Hell, your ass would have been crows’ bait if we hadn’t held the crowd back. Rider was the one who kept you from running the bitch down that couldn’t move fast enough. Didn’t you hear those bullets? I did. I put down four of the bikers who tried to take out Hennessy.

“The Last Riders have their own punishment in store for him and his men who are still alive after that dude double-crossed him.

“When we get to Treepoint, we’ll settle the score with The Road Kingz. Then we’ll settle with the Predators when Ice gets there. He can help deal with the fallout from the Unjust Soldiers. Until then, you’re going.”

“Where is Ice?” Jackal reached into his pocket, cussing himself for falling asleep last night and not calling him then. Scrolling, he saw over ten missed calls.

“Grace’s mother took a turn for the worse,” Viper informed him. “Ice agreed to make reparations after he deals with Oceane.”

Jackal snorted. “Like you fucking care.”

“We don’t take our grievances out on women,” Shade said coolly. “Ice knew he fucked up, but we’ll take that up with him. You’re our collateral until he comes to Treepoint. Since I have a personal stake—being Penni’s bother—I thought you would be the best choice.”

“Tit for tat?”

“You think this is a fucking joke?” Shade jerked his knee up, crashing it into Jackal’s face as he was bent over, tying his boots.

Jackal fell back on the bed. He raised his hand to his face, holding his now bloody nose.

“The Unjust Soldiers saw Hennessy toss you the fucking bag with the drugs,” Viper informed him. “You think they aren’t going to try to get it? Striker might be dead, but the Unjust Soldiers aren’t, and they will be calling. They don’t care that Hennessy was doubled-crossed; they lost the drugs and some of their men. Now they are out for vengeance, and The Last Riders are stuck in the fucking middle.”

Shade opened the closet door, taking the duffle bag and handing it to Viper. Viper set it on the table, unzipping it and looking inside before he zipped it back up.

“It’s a death warrant.” Viper kicked the chair back away from the table. “Why didn’t Hennessy fucking let the Unjust Soldiers have them?”

Jackal used the blanket from the bed to stop the blood. “He couldn’t. Hennessy still owes the money to the cartel he bought them from. Hennessy didn’t have the money. Striker stole it from him. The only option he had left was to get the drugs back so that he can sell them to repay the cartel.”

“Striker was fucking the Road Kingz and the Unjust Soldiers?” Rider picked up the chair, sitting down on it. “It’s a shame the fucker is dead; he would have made a hell of a Last Rider.”

Viper’s anger showed he didn’t agree. Picking up Jackal’s wallet, he took out his credit card and threw it at Rider. “Go pay for the room and damages.”

“Why are you mad at me? We’re all thinking the same thing.”

“None of us think like you. Hurry up. I want to get back to Treepoint.”

Rider turned serious, losing his joking attitude. They were all concerned about leaving their women alone. And one of those women was Jackal’s. Penni might not be there yet, but she would be.

Jackal got up, shoving his dirty clothes from the night before into his saddlebag. Going to the bathroom, he then wet a wash cloth to clean his face.

He gingerly touched his broken nose. If he wasn’t ugly before, he was now. His nose was swollen, and his eyes were turning black and blue.

Shade appeared in the mirror behind him. “Let me see.”

“Fuck off.” Jackal tried to barge past him, but Shade shoved him against the bathroom door, his forearm braced against Jackal’s neck.

Jackal simply stood still. He was bigger than Shade, but Jackal didn’t want Penni pissed off if he hurt her brother. However, he would make sure she knew Shade was responsible for the marks on his face.

He stood still as Shade straightened his nose then released him. Then Jackal held on to the door knob to keep himself from hitting Shade.

“I did you a favor. It kind of even’s out your face.”

“Thanks.” Jackal slid past him, slamming the door in Shade’s face.

He expected Shade to be angry; what he didn’t expect was that he would light a fuse that careened them into the bedroom, taking out Viper, Train, and Crash as several others tried to get out of their way.

“What the hell happened?” Viper grunted as he, Train, and Knox held Shade down.

Jackal rose from the floor, using the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe off the blood that had started to pour again. “Shade wanted a pissing contest, and he got one.”

18

“You want me to make you some breakfast?”

“I’m not hungry. We ate at the diner before we came here.” Penni sat on the railing of her sister-in-law’s front porch.

Lily yawned as she held her son on the swing that Shade had put up for her.

“Want to tell me why you showed up at my door step at seven in the morning?”