Twisted Steel: An MC Anthology: Second Edition

by Elizabeth Knox

  Smothering me.

  “Stop. Pull it together,” Gem ordered sternly, shoving her chair back and getting to her feet.

  The bubble of hysterical laughter that burst from my lips startled my sleeping daughter, and I quickly covered my mouth, holding my breath until I watched her tiny body ease back into a deep sleep.

  The hell was I going to do?

  Gem strutted with all the confidence in the world to me, her hands gripping my face, and her thumbs swiping at the tears that I could no longer contain. “I don’t get paid until I finish my shift, and I have all of a dollar to my name after paying my school fees last week, but maybe some of the girls will be able to help.” Gem was working on getting a degree, and she was almost done. The things we were working for were different, but she was trying just as much to fight her way out of hell as I was.

  Only she was surrounded by a different fire.

  Stripping was never meant to be permanent, but the thing was, it gave us the money we needed, that we possibly wouldn’t get elsewhere. Were we rich? No. But we could pay our bills and feed our family, and usually, have a little bit extra which I’d use to take Kadey out on the weekend or to a movie.

  It was the kind of income I could never get standing behind a fast-food counter or packing groceries, so I kept doing it.

  And things were usually fine until unexpected shit happened, and you suddenly had to find four or five hundred dollars for a device that could save your child’s life.

  “I can’t ask the other girls for money.”

  “You need it.”

  “Everyone here needs it,” I croaked. “I can’t take it from them.”

  She pursed her lips. “Fuck you and your putting everyone else first stubborn ass.” I started to laugh, the tears still streaming, and my nose beginning to run. Because if I wasn’t so fucking sexy before, now this was one for the books. “You’re gonna have to ask Mitchell.”

  I’d rather streak down Main Street.

  But she was right.

  Could it wait a couple of weeks until I saved up? Sure.

  Could Kadey have an allergic reaction tomorrow and die? Yes.

  It was just whether I was willing to play that gamble with my world.

  “I need to get it first thing in the morning, tonight if fucking possible in case they have to order one,” I whispered, holding Gem’s chocolate-colored eyes and letting them warm me through. “Maybe he’ll think of it as charity.”

  “Or maybe you’ll have to suck his dick,” she corrected with a dramatic eye roll. “Just remember what you’re doing it for. Who you’re doing it for.”

  She swept her fingers through my hair, pulling it back from my face as we both looked at Kadey.

  My reason for living.

  For fighting.

  For surviving.

  She deserved more. She deserved better, and I was going to give it to her. No fucking matter what.

  My stomach swirled and turned as I made my way back down the hall. Mitchell owned the strip club slash bar. If you needed to know what kind of bastard this man was, he was the kind who topped up half-full bottles of liquor with water and sold it at twice the price. He was also the kind who didn’t offer extra hours if you were struggling, but instead, offered himself like some kind of tribute and charged you by the minute.

  I pressed my fingers to my lips, holding back that rush of saliva that flooded your mouth when you knew the vomit was coming.

  The asshole was sick, twisted, and in total control of every woman here.

  He knew it.

  We knew it.

  And it made me sick.

  Inhaling deeply through my nose, I pounded hard on his office door with my palm. The low rumble of voices inside pausing for a second before I heard him call out. “Come in!”

  With my tongue pinched between my teeth, I shoved the door open and forced myself to step inside. “Mitchell, I need to chat with you ab—” I froze, realizing there were more than just one set of eyes on me.

  “Missy!” Mitchell crowed happily, rubbing his hands together as he stepped around his desk. “This is Hawk, Exiled Eight MC Vice President. Hawk, this is one of my beautiful ladies, Missy.”

  We eyed each other, that emerald green that I recognized from our brief encounter last week almost warm and comforting, especially in this office where I couldn’t step inside usually without feeling ill.

  His mouth curled at the corner in a gentle smirk. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Okay, so we were doing that.

  “You, too,” I answered through pursed lips, making a note of the three other men in the room wearing club colors.

  “What can I help with?” Mitchell was quick to cut in, sitting back on his desk and spreading his legs like he already knew I needed something and just how he intended on making me pay for it.

  The lump in my throat that tickled my gag reflex threatened to choke me, but I forced it back down, sucking in a deep breath. “I know my shift is over, but I really need to earn a little extra by tomor—”

  Mitchell’s face lit up, and his mouth opened, eagerly ready to bargain his way into a little something for himself, but before he could make an offer, someone beat him to it. “I’ve got a party at the club next weekend,” Hawk announced, getting up from the sofa and taking a couple of steps toward me. He was bigger than I remember, his shoulders broader, the atmosphere around him screaming strength and power. Something that would usually turn me off, but with this man, all I wanted to do was sink inside it. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a roll of bills. “I’d like to hire you.”

  Mitchell’s head snapped to Hawk. “Oh, we’ve never… they don’t usually…”

  Hawk nodded, and one of the boys pushed off the wall and walked over to my blabbering boss, handing him a stack of bills.

  “That’s your cut for letting us borrow her and another girl,” Hawk announced without tearing his eyes from mine. He held out the roll of money. “You dance. You serve drinks. Four hundred each for you and a friend. Paid now. Upfront.”

  That would pay for the EpiPen.

  Plus, leave me with some extra.

  “Done.”

  “Miss—” Mitchell started, but one of the club members near him slapped him hard on the back, startling him a little and making him jump. It was obvious that in this room, with these men, where he was usually king, he’d quickly been dethroned. And I couldn’t help but allow myself to smile for just a second.

  I held out my hand, Hawk placing the roll of money inside and letting his fingers linger for a little longer than they needed to before pulling back. “I got your number from Mitch here,” he announced, stepping around me and moving to the door. “Find a friend to bring along, and I’ll get you the details during the week.”

  There was a second where I could feel a protest tickle my tongue.

  It was an instant reaction when I felt like I was being ordered around.

  A defense mechanism.

  But the retort never came.

  It died there on the end of my tongue, and I suddenly realized something.

  This man had my defenses falling.

  Oh shit.

  5

  HAWK

  “I guess I’ll just take this coffee and drink it myself.”

  I blinked, trying to clear my vision and take in the shadowy figure standing over me. My sister sunk to the ground, shifting her long, old-fashioned dress so it still covered every little bit of skin possible. At this point, I think it was probably just natural for her to do so. After twenty-odd years, those types of things just became natural.

  Especially when they were beaten into you.

  I shuffled my body away from the tree I’d been leaning against, just resting my eyes. “If you drank coffee, I might actually take that threat seriously,” I countered, accepting the takeout cup she extended to me. Her hand drew back, unconsciously resting atop her growing belly, her fingers stroking it gently. “How you feeling?”

  Th
ough she managed a smile, I could feel just how forced it was, refusing to meet her eyes. “The morning sickness this time isn’t pleasant. Neither are the back aches or the way my feet no longer fit in any of my shoes.”

  Grace already had three children with a husband she shared with two other wives. I swear I don’t remember the last time I saw her when she wasn’t expecting. The Valley believed that was basically what women were made for—to produce child after child in search of the one who will finally save them. One pops out and if it’s not the one, they move on and try again.

  Then daughters are raised to do the same when they get older.

  The men were raised to work and care for the millions of fucking children these fucktards are producing.

  I sipped at my coffee, enjoying the way the caffeine seemed to instantly take effect. I had no idea how many hours of sleep I’d had over the past week or so, but I knew it wasn’t many, the boys and I working extra fucking hard to make sure opening night was going to go ahead.

  “I don’t remember you having this many issues with the other kids,” I commented, my brow knotted. “Maybe you should get che—”

  “It’s twins.” My mouth fell open, and she let out a dark laugh. “Yes. My thoughts exactly.”

  Grace was the only sibling I kept in contact with. I knew there were a handful or more who left The Valley but never bothered to find me. I guess because I was the black sheep, the one everyone believed was bad, whether they listened to the prophets’ ramblings or not. I was the bad seed.

  There was a reason, though.

  She and I shared a connection I didn’t have with any of my other siblings.

  We were twins.

  Up until now, the only set in my father’s bloodline, and as far as I was aware, the only set within The Valley.

  While my mother was praised for bringing two babies into the world to offer at Heaven’s gates, things quickly changed as I grew older. People would tell stories about how twins weren’t a blessing, but instead, a curse. Rather than one baby being born with both beauty and sin, the baby was separated into the two.

  Grace was the beauty.

  I was the sin.

  When my constant challenging of the teachings in The Valley finally came to a head, and Bishop stepped in to protect me, Grace chose to stay inside. She believed that was her purpose, though our bond was too strong to be kept apart for long.

  She came to the city every week to supervise the young girls and boys taking classes that needed certification like first-aid certificates or anything that warranted a license.

  Every other week, she came to the park to have her lunch.

  And I just so happened to be there.

  If it were a coincidence, The Valley wouldn’t complain or punish her for mixing with an exile.

  So that was what we went with.

  A bi-weekly coincidence.

  “Be careful,” I warned her gently, the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention.

  Her hand continued to stroke the large baby bump, a smile forming as she looked down at it lovingly. “I know what you’re saying. You’re scared one of them will be like you.”

  My lip curled. “You know what they’ll do if it is.”

  “And if it does come to that,” she murmured, seemingly unfazed by the idea her child may end up with the same fate as me. “I know exactly who to call to protect him.”

  And I would.

  In a fucking second.

  No question.

  Before I could tell her just that, her head whipped around, her attention being pulled to the kids’ playground nearby. The sound of children laughing and screaming always seemed to disappear into the distance, but this sound wasn’t that. It was a deeper tone, a threatening rumble.

  “Why the fuck can’t you ever just sit down and shut the fuck up?” the guy roared, throwing his arms into the air.

  “Men shouldn’t speak to women that way,” Grace scowled, her nose crinkling like she’d smelled something bad. “It’s so…” The rest of the words coming from my sister’s mouth melted away when I finally caught sight of the person this asshole was fucking screaming at.

  “Taylor!” Grace called after me, but I was already on my feet, my growing anger sending shockwaves through the ground as I stomped across the grass.

  “It was none of your goddamn business, Missy!”

  She stood her ground, her chin held high even as this asshole stood over her, practically spitting in her face. “My daughter, my business,” she threw back, completely fucking stoic.

  A picture of strength if you didn’t notice the way her eyes were glittering with building tears.

  The asshole had the nerve to take a step closer, lowering his head and voice. But I heard him loud and clear. “You pull some shit like that again, and I’ll fucking take her—”

  I grabbed the back of his shirt, dragging his dumb ass backward with so much force, he lost his footing and fell straight on his fucking ass. “I’d like to see you fucking try,” I seethed, taking two large steps toward the bastard as he scrambled, slipping on the grass while he tried to get to his feet.

  “Hawk, please. Leave it,” Missy pleaded from behind me. I caught a look at her over my shoulder, the tears loose now, trickling down her cheeks. “Kadey is here.”

  And the last thing she needs to see is another guy beating up her fucking father.

  “This is none of your fucking business,” her ex spat at me, looking to Missy like she was going to back him up. “You just making a point of hanging around bikers now? These the kind of people you want Kadey growing up around?”

  “Go home, Jared,” she hissed, her fingers twisting in the back of my club cut. She gave it a light tug, and while I wanted to get in this guy’s face, I gave in, allowing her to direct me back until she felt like we were at a safe distance.

  Safe enough that if Jared decided to run his mouth, I wouldn’t be able to reach him before he tucked his tail and ran.

  I folded my arms across my chest, half of my body standing protectively in front of Missy, her hand still wrapped tightly in my colors.

  Jared looked between us like he was trying to figure out exactly what the fuck was going on. “This isn’t the end of this conver—”

  “Yes, it is.” His body jerked at my sharp tone. “You come at her again, try and make an issue out of this, get in her fucking face, and I’ll end you, baby daddy or fucking not.”

  His glare was forced, the fear in his eyes far stronger than his attempt to outstare me as he bared his teeth for a second and turned, storming off toward a run-down red Toyota parked at the curb. Neither Missy nor I moved until he pulled away, tires spinning as he pulled out onto the road.

  “Mama!”

  Her hold was gone instantly.

  “Mama, where Daddy go?”

  Missy dropped to her knees just in time for a little girl in blonde pigtails to leap into her arms. “He went home, baby girl,” she croaked before subtly clearing her throat. The little girl reached up, using her thumbs to wipe away the residue of tears from Missy’s cheeks. A gesture it seemed like she had done many times before. “Thank you.”

  “You welcome. Play now?”

  Missy’s eyes quickly flickered to me before she plastered on a smile and inhaled deeply. “This is my friend, Hawk,” she introduced, her tone sweet and smooth and so fucking sexy. Sure, there was something about this woman’s fierce nature that drew me in, but it was something else completely to see that hard ice she seemed to protect herself with begin to melt.

  “Hewwo, Hawk.”

  The unsure whisper brought a smirk to my lips, and I dropped to one knee. She watched me cautiously from her mom’s lap, Missy looking relatively amused by the interaction. “It’s nice to meet you. Katie, is it?”

  “Kadey. With a D, not a T.”

  “My bad. It’s nice to meet you, Kadey.”

  It took less than a second for her to slip from her mom’s arms and take three awfully slow steps toward me.
“What is those?” she mumbled, her fingers brushing the patches on the front of my cut.

  “They are my patches.”

  “I has teddy called Patches.”

  “Kadey,” Missy interrupted with a light chuckle. “I need to talk to Hawk.”

  Kadey continued to stare at my club colors, her little head tilted to the side as she tugged at the sleeves of her Minnie Mouse sweatshirt.

  “I’ll play with her while you talk.” My sister’s soft voice startled me for a second, a reminder I’d just left her across the park in my angry stampede.

  “Shit, sorry,” I cursed. “Missy, this is my sister, Grace.”

  “We play?” Kadey questioned, instantly forgetting me and turning to her new best friend. She grabbed Grace’s hand, dragging her toward the playground before Missy could even open her mouth to protest.

  “She’ll be fine,” I told her, getting to my feet and offering her my hand. “Grace is my complete opposite, and she has three-point-five kids of her own.”

  “Point five?” Missy smirked, allowing me to pull her to her feet.

  “Did you miss the large basketball she had shoved up her dress?” Her laughter was soft but warm, and I was addicted fucking instantly. “So, does your ex spend a lot of time yelling at you in public places?”

  She dusted the grass off her knees, letting out a loud snort. “Yes, often.” I couldn’t control the way my fingers rolled into fists, my gut telling me I should’ve dragged the bastard into the middle of the closest lake and concreted his shoes. Men who broke down women shouldn’t be breathing. I’d spent the first part of my life being taught that was the way things should be—women were inferior and made for breeding. It took me a long time to realize that having a strong woman beside you wasn’t a detriment to you as a man.

  If anything, it made you stronger.

  Because just like chess, queens always protect their kings.

  “Jared has a thing about trying to embarrass me in front of strangers, in front of his friends, wherever he can make himself feel good and make me look bad.” Just when I thought she was about to laugh it off, she sucked in a sharp breath and quickly turned away.