Page 81 of Jackal

“Oh, I left it upstairs. I am a mess today.” She looked like a deer in headlights.

“It’s okay. I’ll go grab it. I need to get my clutch from upstairs, anyway,” I said before heading out the door.

We had a few minutes before the car was arriving. I also wanted to check the kitchen to see if there was anything we could use to protect our hair from the elements in transit.

After running to our room to grab my small purse, I went to Eagle and Lacy’s and grabbed her phone, shoving it into my clutch. It was quiet, and Eagle wasn’t in his room, but I noticed the tux was already gone from ours. They must have been in their special man cave, AKA Church.

A few guys were loitering around the bar, but none of the officers. I headed to the kitchen and started poking around for makeshift hair shields. I had just discovered a huge roll of saran wrap when the door popped open.

“Damn, Lil Bird.”

Twirling around, I wanted to grin but my jaw fell open, and my nipples hardened. “My God, you arewearingthat suit. You clean up nice,” I said, ogling Jackal.

He wore his hair back all the time, but it was carefully brushed back into the perfect low ponytail and seemed extra shiny. One of his tattoos peeked just from under the collar of the crisp, white dress shirt.

Walking closer, I wrapped my arms around him, still holdingthe plastic wrap. A familiar bulge was under his tuxedo jacket. “Are we having a James Bond-style shootout today?” He carried most of the time, but he had two on him now, which was unusual. And it seemed he either had on a bullet-proof vest, or he had entirely too many layers for a summer wedding.

“Lil Bird...” His dark eyes seemed to penetrate right into my mind, but not in a sultry way. His brow furrowed and the edges of his lips turned down.

“What’s wrong?” A small knot formed in my stomach.

He looked over my face, then pressed his lips to my forehead. It was incredibly tender, yet I knew something was off.

Trying to keep my composure since the girls could be wandering around and I didn’t want to upset anyone or anything on this day, I pressed my hands to his chest and said, “Jackal, you have to talk to me. What’s happening?”

His hand came to my face, tracing my eyebrow, down my cheek, then over my lips. Something about it, about him, sent a tightening to my chest, and the knot grew.

“Jackal, why are you looking at me like,” I swallowed, trying to control the quiver in my voice, “like it’s the last time you’ll see me?”

He sighed heavily. “Lil Bird. Something is coming. I need you to promise me that if we tell you something, you need to just do it, okay? No questions, no stalling, just go.”

“What do you mean? What’s happening? You mean today? At Lacy’s wedding?” my voice trembled.

“I don’t know for sure. But we’re making contingency plans. I need you to promise. I love you too much to lose you, Lil Bird.”

“Are we in danger?” I asked, fanning at my face just like Lacy when she got teary eyed. “Shit, Jackal. My makeup is done. They’re all dressed. We’re supposed to go get pictures made and you’re telling me something’s about to go down? We have to tell–”

I turned, but he grabbed me, yanking me back to him. “No, Shivana. I need you to trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you, but I can only promise that if you listen. Please.”

Tears welled up, so I leaned forward, hoping they would just hit the floor and not roll down my face. Jackal ran his hand over my back and passed me a paper towel. Snatching it from his hand, I moved away from his touch and dabbed at my eyes.

“I can’t believe this. How am I supposed to not say anything? How can you put me in this position?”

He crowded me against the huge built-in fridge. “Lil Bird, if this wasn’t necessary it wouldn’t be happening. But if we don’t do this, innocent people will be hurt, and this nightmare won’t end.”

Goddammit. “Like me? Like Lacy?Weare innocent. What is happening? You can’t keep this from me. You want me to play along? Then fucking tell me what’s happening,” I whisper-yelled.

Jackal looked at the floor, his jaw ticking as he grinded his teeth. “Shivana, I–”

I smacked his side with the plastic wrap. “No. You don’t get to pull this club business shit when my friends are in danger. Whenyouare putting me in danger.”

“You won’t be in danger.” He finally looked up. “It’s a setup. It’s only gonna look like you are there. I’ll tell you if you promise to help us make sure you and the others get out of there when it’s time.”

Holy shit. He was telling me club business. I shouldn’t have reveled in that realization, but I was shocked. I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I argued with him, but I honestly didn’t think he’d actually tell me anything.

“Does this mean you can get Butch?”

“If today goes as planned, yes. But I won’t lie to you. We still may not get him today. He could be sending his pawns and stay clear of the action. But we’ll get his crew and people like Butchdon’t get loyalty. They’ll crack. We’ll make them crack.”

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