Jackal parked his motorcycle a few inches from the door of the Road Kingz’ clubhouse. One of the soldiers standing guard outside snapped to attention, his hand going behind his back. Not taking his eyes from Jackal, he opened the door and yelled out to someone inside the club.

Jackal tuned off his motor and waited expectantly for the shit to hit the fan. It didn’t take long before the front door was thrust open.

He lifted his hands in the air as the Road Kingz gathered in a show of force. Then Jackal carefully slid off his bike, making sure to keep his hands visible as he lowered them to his sides.

He searched the faces of the men threatening to attack any second.

“Hennessy? Since when do have to hide behind your men?” It might not have been a smart move to call him out, but Jackal didn’t have time to play the bullshit game with the rival club.

The tall, dark man easily stepped around the men standing in front of him. Hennessy’s gleaming white teeth were bared in an unwelcoming snarl.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Jackal?”

“I thought I’d come for a visit.”

The Road Kingz’ president looked at the white do-rag on his head. A mirthless smile was Hennessy’s only response. The man had always been an asshole.

“We need to talk.”

“We don’t have shit to talk about. Get your ass off my club’s property before one of my men takes that white rag and shoves it up your ass.”

“I’m doing you a solid by coming here.”

“Really?” Contemptuously, Hennessy walked around him.

Jackal didn’t move as Hennessy lifted his black leather jacket, searching for weapons. Then Jackal received no warning before there was a hard shove to his back. Managing to catch himself, he moved toward the doorway that the men had moved away from so he could enter.

Jackal scrutinized the place as he crossed the threshold of the clubhouse. Damn, his brothers didn’t know how good they had it. The Predators’ clubhouse was like the Marriot compared to the Road Kingz’.

The large room was filled with broken pieces of furniture, empty beer and liquor bottles littering every available space. The lone trashcan was filled to capacity with empty bottles scattered on the floor. Jackal pictured the lazy bottom dwellers pitching the empties, too busy playing video games and smoking joints to take out the trash.

Hennessy didn’t give a fuck about Jackal’s opinion.

“You’re not going to offer me a beer? It’s been a long drive.”

The Glock Hennessy pulled out from his back showed the large man was fed up with Jackal’s attempt at small talk.

“I’d tell you that you have five seconds to tell me what you want, but you’ve already used three of them.” Hennessy pressed the Glock to his temple. “And don’t think I don’t know why you’re here. That bitch yours?”

“Hell no.” Jackal stared him in the eyes so that Hennessy could see he was telling the truth.

“You didn’t tell me you had a sister when we were in juvie.”

“She’s not my sister.”

“So if she’s not your sister or your bitch, why are you standing in my club?”

“She a friend of the Predators’.”

“Shit.” Hennessy snorted sarcastically. “You’re lying. The Predators don’t have any friends. I can vouch for that.” He lowered his weapon, replacing it behind his back.

“Technically, she is. Ice’s old lady is Penni’s employee. Ice is worried that his woman won’t get paid since she’s not there to sign the check.”

“Don’t make me pull out my gun again. This time, I’ll shoot your lying ass.”

Jackal sighed. “Ice has gotten soft in his old age. His woman and Penni are friends. Ice doesn’t want her upset since they found out her mother’s dying.”

No hint of compassion touched Hennessy’s chiseled features. “She’s not here anymore.”

Jackal arched his brow humorlessly. “Now who’s lying? I told you I was doing a solid. I didn’t take part when the Predators tossed you and DJ out of the club—”

“You didn’t step in, either, did you, brother?” Hennessy snarled.

“No, I didn’t. I would’ve if you would have been willing to cut DJ loose.”

“He’s dead.” Hennessy didn’t show any of the pain Jackal was sure he was feeling.

“Sorry.”

Hennessy shrugged. “It’s been coming for months.”

Jackal agreed. Some souls were doomed from birth. DJ had been one of them.

DJ, Hennessy, and Jackal had joined the Predators around the same time, each coming from a screwed up childhood, searching for some place to call home. Jackal had found it with the Predators. Hennessy could have, too, but he hadn’t wanted to leave DJ. DJ had nearly gotten them all killed during a buy. He had been weak, and the Predators had cut him loose. Hennessy had known DJ wouldn’t have survived without him taking his back. It seemed even that hadn’t been enough to keep him alive.

“I don’t want to butt into your club’s business, but Ice is willing to pay for her and make sure there won’t be any blowback to the Road Kingz.” Jackal didn’t know how Ice was going to keep that promise. Penni would drive to the police station as soon as she was released. The only reason Jackal hadn’t been arrested when he had kidnapped her was Shade had explained how the Predators had helped reunite Lily and her childhood friends.

“She’s not here.” Hennessy repeated. He had been the best poker player in the club when he had been a Predator.

“Penni was on the phone with Grace when her car ran out of gas.”

His face didn’t twitch at Jackal’s words.

Sighing, he nodded his head at the cell phone sitting on top of the trash can.

Hennessy furiously smashed his elbow into the face of the soldier standing next to him. “I told you to get rid of it.”

“I can see how you managed to take control of the Road Kingz,” Jackal remarked.

At one time, the Road Kingz had made bikers quiver in fear. It had been a long time since then, and most of the members had aged or ended up in prison. Before Hennessy had taken over, the Predators would have struck the Road Kingz’ clubhouse and stolen her back before they would have been able to retaliate. However, Hennessy being there made it more difficult.

Without him, the Road Kingz were like a snake with its head cut off—useless.

To give Hennessy credit, he had begun restoring the club’s reputation with fights that had made the news. Jackal had actually been surprised when he had checked out the Road Kingz that Hennessy wasn’t still in prison.

“Like I said, Ice is willing to make it worthwhile to the club. The Predators would even be willing to get Rita to clean the clubhouse.” Getting rid of Rita would be a bonus for both Ice and him. He had made the mistake of using her to take his anger out on Penni. Now the bitch thought she was his lady, despite his angry protests.

Jackal could see the Road Kingz were tempted by the offer. Colt, Arkansas was a rural county. It couldn’t be easy to find women to become club whores.

“You’re sure there won’t be any blow back?”

Jackal nodded. “Ice said he would give his word.”

“Fine. You can have her back next Sunday.”

Jackal felt his victory slipping out of his grasp. “That’s not going to work for Ice.”

“That’s the deal, the only one you’re going to get,” Hennessey stated. “Count yourself lucky. That bitch is a pain in the ass.”

Jackal took a step forward, his eyes narrowing malevolently at the men surrounded him. “Then we’re going to have a problem.”

“The only one with a problem is the Predators. Get his ass out of here,” Hennessy ordered the soldier he had punched.

The soldier didn’t hesitate. Reaching out, he took Jackal’s shoulder, shoving him in the back. Jackal spun, breaking the restraining hold before the others could interfere. Placing his arm around his neck, Jackal put him in a choke-hold, holding his head to the side.

“I’ll snap his fucking neck if they don’t back off.”

Hennessy didn’t move. “Hell, you’ll be doing me a favor.”

He might not care, but his men did. Jackal saw the discord brewing among the others in the club.

“I told you I was doing you a solid.” Jackal made sure Hennessy knew the repercussions if he didn’t listen to reason. “Brother, you’ve stepped into a pile of dog shit, and I’m trying to help you scrape it off before you get buried in it.”

“Let Apoc go. I’m not talking until you do.”

“I thought you didn’t care.”

“I don’t, but Cruz is getting ready to put a bullet in that big head of yours. If you want me to listen, I suggest you let him go.”

Jackal tossed Apoc toward the Road Kingz, and two men moved toward him, but Hennessy motioned them back.

“You remember King?”

This time, Jackal got the reaction he wanted. Fear entered Hennessy’s eyes.

“What about him?”

“Penni is under King’s protection.” She would be if Ice called him.

“Then why didn’t he call me?” Hennessy was no fool.

“I knew, if I called King to ask you to release Penni, you would be a dead man.”

Hennessy stared at him doubtfully. King didn’t bother himself in other people’s business unless there was a profit to be made. Jackal would have to give him the partial truth while protecting King’s secret.

“King is friends with Penni’s brother.”

“Does this bitch know everybody?” Finally, Hennessy’s frustration was beginning to show. Penni did have that effect on men, which was why Jackal had taken his time to try to charm Penni into his bed.

Jackal had used his contacts to find out any information on her. With the exception of her parents, she only had one brother. Her parents were an open book, working nine-to-five jobs, while her brother was a different story.

Shade was shrouded in mystery with little or no information available. Fortunately for King, who had wanted to know everything about his son-in-law, Jackal knew how to pay for the information he needed. Shade had entered the Navy at eighteen and stayed there until he had finished his tour. That was his official record. His unofficial record was buried and attainable only to those who had the clearance to see the carnage he was capable off.

Shade was an assassin who took out his targets without leaving a trace. He demanded a high fee for his expertise, but Jackal didn’t think many of the recent deaths were contracted. Those had been done for free, enemies of The Last Riders.

The part that had made the hair on the back of his neck stand up was his psychological report, performed when he had applied to the Navy SEALs. Jackal considered himself fucked up, but Shade was seriously fucked. At least he knew he had issues. Shade, on the other hand, didn’t care. Shade was an unemotional bastard with only one weakness—Lily.

The first time he had met Shade, Jackal had looked into his eyes and seen death. The man was a natural born killer. Even knowing what he had found out hadn’t prepared him for the soulless eyes staring back at him, though. They had stared at each other, recognizing each other’s capacity to deal death without remorse. Kind recognized kind. One predator recognized another.

The difference between the two men was that Jackal was willing to bet most of Shade’s kills had been sanctioned, while his own had been a matter of survival.

The corner of Jackal’s mouth curled into the only semblance of a smile his scarred flesh allowed. “She tell you about her brother?”

“Jesus, now I’m supposed to be afraid of her brother?” Hennessy kicked out at a chair, forcing the laughing, gathered men to step back. “Shut up! You pussies are afraid of King, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be afraid of someone before—”

“You ever hear about The Last Riders?”

“No.” Hennessey picked up the chair. Sitting down, he leaned forward, placing his hand on his thigh. “I don’t give a fuck who her brother is. I don’t care who The Last Riders are. Tell King I’ll give my word to give her back, but she has a job to do for me first.”

Jackal stiffened. “Doing your men?”

“My men haven’t touched her.”

“Then why keep her prisoner?”

“I need to ride with her to the Spring Rally.”

Hennessy wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t jeopardize his men’s lives unless he had no choice.

“Talk.”

Jackal could see Hennessy was weighing his options.

“Core?”

A man walked from behind his back when Hennessy called his name. “I’ve heard of The Last Riders. The Road Kingz won’t win against them.”

“I’d take your enforcer’s advice. I wouldn’t have warned you had it been anyone else. When you saved my life and took me to Gert to patch me up, I told you then I pay my debts. But, brother, you’re making it hard for me.

“I found out about The Last Riders because of King. Before then, I thought he was the meanest son of a bitch I had ever met. He wasn’t. The Last Riders are filled with them. They’ll kill for each other, and what makes them even more dangerous is they’ll fucking die for each other.

“Shade is their enforcer. He is the one you will not escape from. He is the reason the Road Kingz or even the Predators can’t defeat them. I thought of taking on Shade, and King laughed at me. Fucking laughed at me!”

“And King would drag The Last Riders into a war with us?”

Jackal shook his head. “King wouldn’t, but Shade would. Shade is Penni’s brother.”