Penni moved to get out, yet was forestalled by Jackal, who was blocking her exit.
“Who did you go out with?” Jackal’s question took the smile off Penni’s lips.
“No one you would know. He’s a gentleman and a law-abiding citizen, something you would know nothing about,” she snapped.
Jackal gave a menacing glare. “Why would I want to be either one? The only pussy a gentleman sees is when he’s staring in a mirror. Are you throwing up my record when your own brother—”
“Don’t you dare say anything about my brother!” She leaned forward, putting her face in his. “He’s a better man than you could ever be, you goon!”
Jackal’s face darkened with fury. “Did you just call me a goon?”
“Something wrong with your hearing? Yeah, I called you a goon. Do you do everything Ice tells you to?” Penni blasted Ice with a furious glare. “Do me a favor and tell Jackal to go fuck himself.”
“How about I stick my—” Jackal snarled, getting back in Penni’s face.
“Jackal!” King gave him a warning look. “Perhaps you and Ice should go have a drink on me.”
For a minute, King thought Jackal would ignore him, yet when Ice took his arm, Jackal got up, moving away. To add insult to injury, Penni wiggled her fingers “bye” at his being forced to retreat by Ice.
“I wouldn’t antagonize him,” King advised.
“I can handle Jackal,” she said, gripping her keys tighter in her hand and then shrugging, letting the tension leave her face. “And if I can’t, there’s always Shade to back me up.”
“He’s in Kentucky,” he reminded Penni. “Jackal is here in Texas.”
“Don’t worry, King. I plan on staying away from him.” She stood up. He was startled when she reached over the table, giving him a brief hug. “Talk to Lily. Maybe she’s just as nervous as you are.”
“I doubt that,” he said wryly.
Her bubbly laughter filled the dark club, bringing smiles to several faces.
“Take her some Chinese food. She loves it.”
“Thanks for the tip.”
“No problem.” With that, Penni left him with the first smile he’d had on his face since before Evie had left Queen City.
Glancing over, he saw the predatory look on Jackal’s face as the blonde weaved her way out of his club. The experienced biker and womanizer had no idea who he was stalking. King briefly thought about giving him a heads-up, but Sheena hadn’t listened when he had warned her about that crazy chimp she had pampered and spoiled until it was too late. Therefore, if Jackal thought he was man enough to take on that woman, King could only hope he had 911 on speed dial.
“Sure you don’t want to stay?” Henry asked from his side.
“I’m sure. Keep an eye on that situation.” He nodded at Penni as she went out the door. “If it gets out of hand, call me.”
“She’ll be fine,” Henry assured him.
“It’s not Penni I’m worried about. Jackal has a temper, and she’s used to dealing with a brother who doesn’t have emotions. Jackal is a hot-head, so when she pushes him, she’ll get more than she bargained for.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Henri promised. “You packed?”
“Yes, I was ready to leave a week ago.” King sighed. He had one last piece of business to finish. He nodded to Ice and Jackal who took a seat across from him.
“You talk to Deacon?” King asked the president of the Predators.
“I did; I warned him to back off Desmond.” Desmond had angered Deacon when he had bought a building Deacon wanted. While the two had been business enemies for the last three years, King had always managed to maintain the peace between them. However, now he was leaving, he worried Deacon would make a strike against Desmond.
“Did he listen?”
“He pretended to, even shook my hand and told me he would leave Desmond alone,” Ice stated. “Do I trust his word? Fuck no. I’ve placed a couple of my men on him, so if he tries anything, we’ll be on him like Max on Sherri.” The bikers laughed while Henry stiffened next to him.
King rubbed his temple. It was essential for Henry and the Predators to get along or Queen City would be out of control ten minutes after he left town.
“Max has four kids, all accidents. Desmond better not get hurt because of lack of precautions,” Henry said drily.
King watched Ice and Jackal’s reaction as the men gave Henry a respectful nod. His final doubt over whether Henry would be able to retain control evaporated. The bikers were aware that, with Henry and Desmond, they could keep Queen City in a stranglehold that would be lucrative to all of them.
He had chosen Henry as his bodyguard for a reason—he was able to spot trouble before it could do any damage. If the Predators and Desmond listened to Henry, he would be able to provide them with all the information they needed. The strip club catered to all walks of life, and men would let secrets drop when a beautiful woman was flashing her tits in their face.
He sat back, relaxing. He would miss his club and Queen City, but neither compared to being nearer to Evie and Lily. He was going to have to find a new challenge to keep him occupied.
Chapter 23
As King drove through town, he saw that church service was beginning with the congregation entering the front of the Church. He didn’t see Lily or Evie, so he continued on to the house he had purchased years ago.
It didn’t take long to get situated. He had unpacked his suitcase before he’d tackled the job of opening the windows to let the house freshen out. He was turning from the window after opening it when movement in the house behind his caught his eye. Looking out the window, he saw Evie come out of Lily’s house wearing a bikini and carrying a glass in her hand. He watched as she walked across the yard, sitting down on a lounge chair.
Why was she there? He had expected her to be at church.
Turning from the window, he went out the back door; there was no time like the present to let her know he was in town. It had been three months since he had seen her last. Three months of being away from her had taught him a valuable lesson—he didn’t want to spend another day without her.
He was finally free to pursue the woman who had left him without a backward glance. He had asked Lily about Evie, but the only information she had given him had been vague and incomplete, other than she no longer worked at the factory after accepting a job at a local doctor’s office as a NP.
He walked around the fence, seeing the opening between the two yards that a tree blocked.
She was lying down on the lounger on her back.
“Are you wearing any sunscreen?”
“That would defeat the purpose of lying out for a tan, wouldn’t it?” Her stiff voice showed she wasn’t happy to see him.
King ignored her smart-ass remark, pulling a chair from the patio table to move closer to her. Taking a seat, he lazily let his eyes rove over her glistening body.
“What are you wearing?” She sat up partially, leaning back on her elbows.
His eyes dropped to her breasts displayed by the bikini top she was wearing. The emerald green suit clung to her breasts, leaving her cleavage bare. The sight of her tattoo on her breast no longer aroused his jealousy, though. He had learned too late that, while she had shared her body with certain members of The Last Riders, she hadn’t given her heart to any of them. That had been reserved for a fiancé she had grown up with and now him, if he could get her back.
The only thought that made the months he had been separated from her bearable was the fact that Evie didn’t love lightly, and loyalty meant everything to her, even when it wasn’t deserved. He didn’t deserve it, but he was going to prove to her he was willing to earn it.
“Jeans. Why?”
“Since when do you wear jeans?”
“I’ve worn jeans around you before.”
“Yeah, designer jeans. Those are blue jeans and a t-shirt.”
“I’m retired. I can relax.”
Evie stared up a
t him doubtfully.
“It’s the truth. I’ve turned my legal businesses over to Desmond. Those that aren’t, the Predators took over. I even sold the club to Henry.”
“What about your penthouse?”
“I leased it out for the next six months until you decide where you want to live.”
She sat up straighter, swinging her legs off the side of the lounge chair. “What does it matter what I want? If you cared about what I wanted, your ass wouldn’t be sitting in my backyard.”
“I would have been here sooner, but I wanted to make sure I could leave cleanly. I took care of anything that could lead back to you and Lily.”
“Good, I’m glad for Lily’s sake.” She avoided his eyes.
“Evie, I admitted I fucked up with you. I know you don’t believe me, but I care about you, and I want us to spend some time getting to know each other better without my business and The Last Riders placing a wall between us.”