Page 12 of Jackal

Hawk smirked but said, “Keys has been reviewing the extra cameras setup to make sure something wasn’t missed. He’s got alarms that ping his phone if there’s movement on some of them.”

“So if a stray cat walks past?”

“It’ll wake him up.”

“Maybe he needs some help?” I asked. He was the brains, but he was only one man.

“I offered. He said he’d let me know if he needs help.” Hawk shrugged. “He doesn’t make runs, so he hasn’t got anything keeping him tired.”

“He hardly comes out of that hole.” I’d known Keys for a few years, but he was young. Probably twenty-six, so he hadn’t been around for too long. But he was pretty reclusive. Most guys came out for the parties at least, but he never showed. I leaned in. “You don’t think he’d have anything to do with this, do you?”

“I don’t. But at this rate it’s hard to know who to trust. I had my suspicions about Butch but kept brushing it off because it wasButch. Lesson learned. But while I’m no expert, I know my way around the tech well enough. Keys isn’t hiding anything, and like you said, he never leaves. I want to be hopeful that Butch was the only traitor, but nobody is above suspicion at this rate.”

Hawk cleared his throat and seconds later, Cindy placed breakfast and a full coffee mug in front of me. “Need anything else, hon?”

“No, this is perfect. Thanks so much.”

Cindy started to shuffle away and I cut a huge chunk of pancake and jammed it in my mouth as she said, “Oh, by the way. I’m taking Shiv shopping later,Prez. So, you need to work out who our babysitter is.”

Hawk’s icy gaze shot to his mother. Even though he was her son, he was in charge here now. But it was never like Cindy to back down or be quiet.

I washed the pancake down with a sip of coffee and told them, “I’ll do it. Let me know when.” Hawk had already asked me to be their detail when he was gone, so it made sense I started now.

Cindy gripped my shoulder. “Thanks, Jackal. The mall opens at ten, so finish your breakfast and we’ll meet you outside in half an hour or so. Sound good?”

Looking back at Shivana, I nodded. “Sure thing.” I could spend the day with her. Hell, I’d mostly be hanging back and letting them shop. She probably needed some things to get ready to go home or just wanted to shop here before she left. Women loved shopping. “Great day for a ride. I’ll follow on the Harley.”

Cindy winked then walked away. Turning back to finish my food, an annoyed tick flexed in my jaw as Hawk reclined back, smirking as if he knew I was struggling. “What?”

“You’re an honorable man, Jackal. But it’s not dishonorable if they want it, too. And that one is not holding back.”

Rolling my eyes, I sipped my coffee then said, “She just thinks she knows what she wants. Soon she’ll be gone and all of us andthis place will be a fun memory for her.”

“If you say so.”

Not wanting to continue this conversation, especially with the prez, I went about finishing breakfast.

Chapter 8

Shivana

Nothing like a little oxygen and saline to fix you after a bender. I’d bet my dad was happy with my takeaway from medical school. I still wasn’t sure how they had oxygen tanks and supplies, but like the saline and blood, I would probably never find out. But that’s a great way to bargain your way into using them for personal reasons. I knew as soon as I woke up, I was going to find a way to get to them. It was early and I heard Mama Hen downstairs, so I caught her before she headed to the clubhouse. We found my shoe next to the door on the way out and I put it just inside the door to take upstairs later. I didn’t want to hold her up and needed the goods to get my raging headache to go away.

After sucking the saline bag down in record time, I removed the cannula to the oxygen, took out the IV, and cleaned up after myself. Mama Hen came back for me just like she said aftermaking me swear I wouldn’t leave the room until she got back.

At the time, I had no intention of going anywhere, but afterwards was feeling much better, albeit still needing some carbs. She whipped me up some pancakes, so I sat and stuffed my face and sucked down tea. It probably would have been easier to just go back, get the IV, and set up another drip for it.

“Mama Hen,” I said between hearty bites, “can we go shopping today? I appreciate your stuff, but definitely need some extras of my own. And shoes that aren’t heels or my emergency sneakers.” My sneakers were old and ratty but I liked to carry a pair of comfy shoes when I traveled, just in case. Normally I’d be in heels for work trips, but if I needed to go to the ice machine in the middle of the night, I didn’t want my clicky heels making a racket down the hall at the hotel.

“Of course, hon. Let me finish getting these knuckleheads breakfast, then we can go.”

I was about halfway through my breakfast when Jackal was suddenly at my table. He smelled so good I wanted to lean over and bite him. Since there were others present, I decided to pretend to be a lady.

We had a short exchange, but I didn’t miss how his eyes raked over me, heating every spot they landed on. I wasn’t an expert with men by any means, but I was good at understanding behaviors in general, and this man wanted me just as badly as I wanted him.So what gives?

Mama Hen came back with a new mug of tea steeping and broke up the chat. Good thing, too. I had limited panties for now and being so close to him with those dark, steely eyes scouring me got me flustered every time. Plus, somehow my shoe ended up by the front door and apparently, he’s the one who put it there, so I can only imagine there were parts of last night that I don’t recall.

As he went to join Hawk, I kept eating but dug in the recessesof my brain for a memory of what happened. I remembered him standing with me at the bar, I vaguely recalled drinking a lot of Fireball. But the thought of that made me cringe. I remembered getting sick outside and he was there, then I woke up feeling like death. But how did I get from point A to B to C? Closing my eyes briefly, there was a flash of him in my room, holding the leg of my jeans.

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