Penni snatched the coffee from the cup holder.

“Dammit!” She slammed down the empty coffee cup into the hapless cup holder. That wasn’t the only thing on empty. The red light was flashing in the dim lighting.

Hearing the phone ring, Penni pressed her hand to the steering wheel, answering the call.

“Hello?”

“How did the concert go?” Grace’s voice filled the interior of her car.

“Great. It went off without a hitch.”

“Where are you now?” Grace asked.

“About three hours away from home.”

“You’re making good time. Why didn’t you just catch the bus back?”

“Too many roadies.” Penni squinted at the gas gauge. Was it her imagination, or was the red light becoming brighter in the dim lighting of the car?

Grace’s voice sharpened. “Kaden warned the men no women were allowed on the tour bus. He said the roadies should drive their own cars.”

“It’s easier said than done,” Penni commented wryly.

“Not when Kaden hears about this. He’s going to be furious.”

“He’s not going to know. Sawyer and Kaden wanted a small vacation. They’re on their way to Kaden’s cabin, which is why I’m driving my own car.”

Grace laughed. “When are you going to get tired of keeping the band out of trouble?”

“I don’t know. Maybe about the time I can stop renting and buy myself a big home. Even better, when someone buys me an even bigger diamond ring,” Penni joked. “Or when Kaden fires me.” This time, she was only half-joking. While she was considered friends with him and his wife, he expected the business to stay separate.

“You should tell him before he finds out on his own,” Grace warned.

“Nope. I’m not a stool pigeon.”

“You’re not going to listen to me?” Grace muttered then changed the subject. Penni’s friends were all too familiar with the stubborn streak that would make a Rocky Mountain jackass proud. “I need to be off Monday. I’m sorry about the notice—”

“Thank God!”

“Penni?”

“Sorry, I found an exit. I’m almost out of gas.” She gripped the steering wheel as she drove the lonely road.

“How many times have I told you to fill up your car before you drive?”

“Hindsight is a pain in the ass!”

“Where are you?”

“Calm down! Jesus, I’m fine.” At least, she thought so.

The red sign hanging in front of a bar glinted through her windshield then turned off as she drove closer. Her prayers had been answered. She wasn’t stranded on a highway during the middle of the night, but the uneasy feeling brushing at the back of her neck had her vowing to delete the numerous True Nightmares shows she loved to watch.

She reluctantly slowed to a stop in front of what seemed to be an old saloon.

“What’s going on?”

Grace’s demanding voice had her nearly jumping out of her skin.

“Nothing. I need some gas and, if I’m lucky, some coffee. Take whatever time you need. I’ll talk to you when I see you Tuesday.”

“Wait … Why are you being so nice? You were just bitching at me last night because I came in late yesterday.”

“Because you were late since you were boinking Ice.” Penni stared around the empty parking lot. Despite what her misgivings were telling her and all the hours of watching True Nightmares had shown her, she ignored the folly of what she was about to do. “I need to go. The bar’s closing.”

“Bar?” Grace shrieked. “What bar?”

“Actually, I think it’s a saloon.”

“Call me back as soon as you get back on the road.”

“Don’t be such a worrywart. Get to bed. Give Oceane a kiss for me and another one for that handsome father of yours.”

“She heard you.”

Penni smiled, hearing feminine laughter that relieved the stress of the situation she had found herself in, all because she had been too stubborn to ride the bus with the band.

“She said to be careful,” Grace passed on her mother’s words.

“Tell her I’ll be fine. What could go wrong at a saloon called Hay and Fiddle?”

* * *

Jackal didn’t miss the glances that came his way as he entered the clubhouse. Ice’s mouth had dropped open at the rough appearance of his clothes. Even Max was stunned by the dirty condition of the clothes Jackal couldn’t hide as he limped into the packed clubhouse.

“Give me a whiskey!” Jackal snarled at Rave who wasn’t able to hide her reaction to the rank smell that had reached her before he had.

She nearly dropped the whiskey bottle before hurriedly pouring his drink and escaping to the opposite end of the bar.

“What the hell happened to you?” Ice, as club president, didn’t make it a habit to stick his nose into the brothers’ business, but this was one thing he couldn’t ignore.

Jackal finished his whiskey before answering, “I had a date with Penni.” Jackal didn’t know which one burned worst: his pride or the whiskey. He wasn’t going to be able to downplay just how big a fool he had made of himself tonight.

“Grace told me Penni was out of town tonight.” Ice shifted away, his nostrils flaring at the rank smell stealing through the clubhouse.

Jackal’s mouth tightened as he reached for the whiskey bottle that Rave had set near for him. He hadn’t kept his interest in Penni a secret from the club.

“So I take it that you didn’t know?” Ice probed.

“That’s a fucking understatement.” Even when he had been the poorest in his high school class, the rich bitches had lined up to take him to the movies on a Friday night.

Ice poured more whiskey into his glass as the brothers gathered to listen.

“What happened?”

“She stood me up. Penni told me to meet her at the back of her house. Not only was she not there, but her whole yard was covered in bees.”

Ice was the only one of his friends who didn’t try to hide the fact that he was laughing at him.

Jackal pushed Stump back toward Max when they began waving their hands in the air to dissipate the stink coming from his clothes.

“What did you say to her?”

“She’s not answering the phone.” Jackal grasped the glass in his hand to keep himself from smashing it against the wall.

“That’s some fucked up shit. He could have been hurt.” Rita wrapped her arm around his waist. Jackal kind of admired her for not showing an aversion to the odor fouling the surrounding air.

“Are you going to finally listen to me and quit chasing after that fruitcake?”

Jackal was aware Ice already knew the answer to his question because of the mocking sneer on his lips.

He stared down at his whiskey glass as Ice poured him another one. “I’m never afraid of a challenge.”

“Brother, she’s one bitch that you would be better off stepping back from. You’ve had a hard-on ever since you met her.” Max snorted. “It’s not like you have a chance with her, anyway. You would have to wear a bulletproof vest under your leather to fuck the girl.”

“I’m not worried about Shade. He’ll eventually get used to Penni being my old lady. Besides, he lives in Kentucky.”

“You keep telling yourself that.” Max shook his head, but Jackal didn’t give a shit.

“Penni and I will be good together. If I had never taken her hostage, we would have already been together. I didn’t expect her to hold a grudge against me for so fucking long.”

“You doing crack?” This time, Ice couldn’t hold back his amusement.

“You watch and see.” Jackal began to get angry at the men for laughing at him. “She’s attracted to me.” Jackal had seen the interest in her eyes during the road trip to Treepoint. Penni hadn’t been able to disguise it when they had returned to Queen City, either.

“I believe in you, Jackal.” Rita licked her lips, dropping her hand down to cup his ass.

Ice rolled his eyes. “You never did explain why you smell like dog shit.”

“Had to jump into the neighbor’s yard, and the son of a bitch had two guard dogs.”

Now Ice couldn’t hold in the laughter. “The only way that fruitcake becomes your old lady is hell freezing over.”

Jackal hated to admit it, but he was finally going to have to agree with Ice. He tugged the hair surrounding his face.

Was it his face? Did she find the scar on his cheek repulsive? Were Max and the rest of the brothers right? Was he just wasting his time?

“I need a shower. Want to party, Rave?” Jackal’s voice rose so she could hear him from the other end of the bar.

Rave covered the bottom half of her face as she heaved at the thought. “Sorry, Jackal. Another night?”

The club wouldn’t let him forget anytime soon that his pride had taken a hit. A big hit.

As an enforcer in a club the size of the Predators’, his reputation not only reflected on himself, but on Ice for picking him. An enforcer who wasn’t feared became a liability.

“I’ll party with you, Jackal,” Rita spoke up, ignoring the brothers’ laughter.

Jackal’s eyebrows rose. He hadn’t fucked Rita since she had landed on Ice’s shit list.

“I’ll even wash your back for you,” she offered.

“Why not? Give me enough time to get most of the stench off before coming to my room.”

“I’ve got some shower gel that will get rid the smell right off. I’ll run to my room and meet you there.”

Any humor on Ice’s face evaporated as Rita darted toward her bedroom. “You’re better off waiting for Penni to get back and smacking her ass.”

Jackal shook his head. “Rita is a raving bitch, but I can handle that. What I’m tired of is Penni chasing after every man in Queen City who wears an expensive suit and turning that snobby nose up at me.”

“I don’t think that’s why she doesn’t like you—” Rave started to speak up then hastily snapped her mouth closed at Jackal’s glare.

“It doesn’t matter.” Jackal slammed his fist down on the counter of the bar. “Fuck her. It’s not like I was in love with the girl.”

Max pounded his hand on his back.” Fuck her,” he agreed, showing his support then grimacing as he wiped his damp hand off on the sleeve of Ice’s T-shirt. “The bitches all look good in the dark. No need to put up with the shit Penni’s dishing out.”

“You’re right! She’s not the hottest tail in Queen City.”

“There you go!” Max’s encouragement had Jackal’s sore pride finally kicking in.

“Thanks, brother!” Jackal missed the appalled look behind his back as Max tried to avoid coming into contact with Jackal’s soggy clothes.

Ice leaned against the bar, watching as Max and the men snickered as Jackal cockily headed toward his bedroom. “Since when do you give a flying fuck who Jackal does?”

“Can you seriously imagine Penni as Jackal’s old lady?”

Ice frowned at the brothers’ expectant faces. Obviously, all of them believed he would agree with them.

“You don’t think Jackal could handle Penni?”

“Brother, I think she’d shoot off his dick.”