The next morning, the three of us are eating breakfast — pancakes, because Noah asked for them, and bacon, because hello, bacon — when Jenna suddenly says, “Uh-oh.”

“What?” I set down my coffee mug and look at her curiously.

“Uh. I just thought of something.” She glances at Noah. “Bug, Cas and I are going to go in the bedroom for a couple minutes to talk about something. You holler if you need anything, okay?”

Noah rolls his eyes. “Mom, if it’s grown-up stuff, you don’t need to leave. It’s too boring for me to listen to, anyway.”

I laugh. “You got a point, Noah.” But I get up and follow Jenna into the bedroom, anyway.

“You sure this isn’t just an excuse to get me into bed?” I murmur as I grab her ass.

“Sadly, no,” she shakes her head. “I just thought of something kind of… I don’t know. Weird.”

“What is it?”

She sits down on the bed and I sit with her. “You know when my dad came over a couple days ago to talk to me about the loan deal with the club?”

“Yeah.” I still don’t know what to do about it like Jenna asked me to, and I’m a little afraid she’s going to ask me about it.

“Well,” she continues, “The whole conversation with him felt really weird to me at the time. I couldn’t figure out why he thought I would have any influence with the club. Why he thought I’d be able to change their minds.” She looks at me, her expression strange. “He said, ‘You have Angel’s ear. And Casper’s.’ I didn’t think about it much at the time, but the more I think about it, the more it bugs me. There’s no way he should know I’d have your ear. I’m almost positive he shouldn’t know about you and me.”

“Huh.” I’m quiet for a moment, thinking. “So you think, what? That Angel’s figured out about us? You think he told your dad?” I ask.

“I dunno,” she frowns. “No, not really. It doesn’t make sense. If he does know about us, he sure hasn’t said anything to me about it. You’d think he’d have asked one of us to make sure, first.”

I turn it over in my head for a few seconds. “Yeah, I don’t think it was Angel,” I say finally. “Something tells me he won’t take it quietly, when he does find out.”

“You think he’s going to want to fight you?” Jenna looks at me.

“Yeah. But don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine. He’ll land a few punches, and we’ll call it a day.” I wasn’t really sure it’d be dealt with that easily, but no reason to alarm Jenna about that now.

“So, if it’s not Angel — and like I said, I don’t think it is — what do you think is going on?” I ask.

“I’m not sure,” she says slowly. “Maybe Dad’s having me watched, or something?”

“That’s fucked up,” I say angrily. “Who would have someone spying on their own kid?”

“Yeah, I know. It does sound crazy, but I can’t think of anything else.” She shakes her head. “The thing is, I get the feeling my dad’s involved in something. Maybe something bad.” She meets my gaze. “He seemed really desperate for this loan with the Lords to go through when I talked to him. I get the feeling that whatever he’s involved in, maybe he’s not the one in control. He seemed so worn out and stressed when I saw him.” She pauses, and then frowns, almost like she’s disagreeing with herself. “Cas, do you think it’s possible he’s being blackmailed?”

I open my mouth to reassure her, but then something clicks in my head.

The Abe Abbott I know is a wheelin’, dealin’ son of a bitch. I’d never say that to Jenna about her own father, but it’s true.

The shit he’s been involved in, she doesn’t know the half of. And I’m not about to tell her any of it.

But if there’s one thing I do know about him, it’s that he’s not above breaking the law to get what he wants. And he’s sure as hell not above playing people off each other to get what he wants.

Including his own daughter, I’d bet.

He’s no stranger to corruption. And if he’s scared of something? That’s not a good fucking sign. If he’s scared, then he has good reason to be. I’d guarantee it.

“Cas?” Jenna interrupts my thoughts. “What are you thinking?”

“I have to go out for a little bit.” I tell her, rising. “Call Jewel and get her to take Noah if you can. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

* * *

I come back to Jenna’s place to find her alone.

“I brought you a present,” I tell her when she lets me in.

“A present?” Jenna’s confused. “What, you ran out to get me flowers or something?”

“Hardly,” I say grimly.

I reach back and pull the gun out of the waistband of my jeans. Jenna lets out a little shriek when she sees it.

“Jesus, Cas…” she breathes.

“It’s for you to protect yourself." My eyes lock on hers. “And to protect Noah.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?”

I take a deep breath and let it out. “I think it’s better to consider the possibility.”

Jenna is frightened, but she doesn’t argue.

“Do you know how to shoot?” I ask her.

“No,” she answers in a small voice.

I nod. “I thought maybe you didn’t. Come on,” I say, pushing open her door. “We’re going to the range.”

The gun is a Smith and Wesson Shield, nine millimeter. It’s a big enough pistol to stop someone in his tracks, but still small enough and easy enough to handle that it should be less intimidating for someone like Jenna, who’s small and who’s never shot a gun before.

Once we’re at the range, I grab us some targets and some eye and ear protection. I explain some of the basics, show her the magazine and how to load ammo into it, and talk to her about recoil. I let her ask as many questions as she wants and give her some time to handle the gun while it’s unloaded, so she can start to feel more comfortable with it.

I can tell she’s a little scared at first, and that’s as it should be. It always worries me when some jackass picks up a gun for the first time and acts like it’s a goddamn water pistol. When it’s time for her to shoot, she takes it seriously and gives it all her concentration. I see right away that she’s got a good eye. She’s a quick study, and after helping her figure out the sights, she’s shooting consistently within a few inches of the bullseye after an hour.

We quit when I can see she’s starting to get tired. I’m feeling a little better knowing that she’s at least capable of handling the gun. Jenna seems to look a little less worried, too. She even asks me if we can come back to the range again soon, to practice.

“Of course, darlin’,” I tell her, pulling her in for a kiss. “You’re a natural, do you know that?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she smiles, but I can tell she’s proud of herself. And she should be.

We walk out of the range, and when we get to my bike, Jenna puts a hand on my arm. “Thanks for doing this for me, Cas. But the more I think about it, the more I think we’re probably overreacting about Dad.” She shakes her head. “We must have just slipped up and he saw us together. Or maybe one of his friends saw us and said something. Dad’s got a lot of friends in this town. It’s probably nothing.”

“You may be right,” I nod. “But just in case, I want you to keep the gun handy. I’ll come back home with you and figure out a safe place to store it so you can get to it quickly, but it’s still away from Noah.”

“Okay. And Cas?”

“Yeah?”

“Please do what you can for my dad.” Her voice is sad. “That’s all I’ll ask.”

I cup her chin and raise her face to mine. “I promise, babe. I’ll do whatever I can.”