At the mention of his name, I feel a little guilt in my stomach. The need to cut him down to size coursed through me earlier. And the closest axe was Maren.
But I saw the way she looked at her father on the dock that day, how she looked at him this morning, and got a glimpse into her life last night. She’s a quieter soul than I gave her credit for.
And I know exactly what kind of man Caldwell is. He wouldn’t let what I said sit, I’m sure of it, and the easiest person to take that out on once I left?
Maren.
The urge to climb on my bike to go check that she’s okay eats away at me. I’m beginning to realize she’s the kind of woman that doesn’t deserve to be anyone’s collateral damage.
Let alone mine.
After my shower, I check the time and decide to video call Grudge, who answers on the second ring. His dark hair is damp from a shower, but he’s in the Colorado clubhouse.
“Knox,” he says with a grin. “How’s it going?”
“Good. You got a minute? And if Jackal’s there, even better.”
Grudge looks up and then shouts Jackal’s name. It’s not a surprise when Shade appears with him. The two of them claimed a former club girl, Isla, to be their old lady. Not sure how that all works for the three of them, but I’m glad Jackal’s happy.
Me? I couldn’t share. And I have to bank down the odd wave of jealousy that flourishes when I think about sharing Maren.
She’s not even fucking yours.
“Hey,” Jackal says as they settle down at a table and situate the phone so I can see all three of them. “Long time, no see.” His long black hair is tied back off his face.
“I got an update and wondered if you could shed any light on what we learned.”
“Sure thing,” Grudge says. “What do you know?”
I fill them in on the two men and Maren, and them trying to follow the trail to Paltrow. And how they’ve been asking about Jackal’s location.
“So, I got a partial plate,” I say. “North is working on it, but I hear you might have someone who can find it faster. But that’s it. I know it’s a crap shoot, but do you know why those guys might be here? Did Paltrow say anything that might be relevant?”
Jackal shakes his head. “First, how is Maren?”
Utterly fuckable and delicious when she comes, thank you.
“She’s okay.” The words come out tight. I’d debated seeing if one of the club girls had wanted to join me in the shower…but it had felt…unfaithful. Instead, I resorted to jerking one out to memories of how it looked to come on Maren’s stomach and hip. “I believe her when she says she didn’t tell them anything.”
Jackal raises an eyebrow. “You believe a Caldwell? Hell must have frozen over.”
I force myself to not react to that. “Got my reasons. But I honestly believe her, otherwise, they wouldn’t still be here, asking around, questioning her twice.”
“You need our help?” Shade asks. He looks to Grudge. “We could go, right?”
Grudge shakes his head. “I think if people are looking for Jackal in Florida, then Florida is the last place he should be.”
Jackal huffs. “But we don’t know if they’re looking for me. They’re looking for Paltrow, and knowing he was trying to find me is their only lead to where he might have gone.”
“I tend to agree with Grudge,” I say. “Stay clear until we know what we’re dealing with.”
Jackal sits back and folds his arms. “Doesn’t sit right that a woman’s getting hurt instead of me.”
“Or me,” Shade adds.
“I know, brothers,” I say. “But let us work the leads down here. I’ll keep you posted, I promise.”
“Hit me up if you need anything else,” Grudge says.
