Twisted Steel: An MC Romance Anthology

by Knox, Elizabeth

  “Mornin’, sweetheart. Are you excited for your first day of school?” Slim asks.

  “I am,” I answer, taking a bite of my eggs.

  “Are you tryin’ out for the cheer squad?” he asks, taking a sip of his coffee.

  “Yeah, I think so,” I say. “Shy, I’ll call you from school and let you know what happens.”

  “Okay, honey,” she answers, picking up Rayven and handing her to Slim. “I’m gonna get dressed while you eat.”

  I quickly eat my breakfast while she’s changing so we can head out. My nerves are starting to get the better of me and I’m ready to get to school and get the day started. Shy has to come in with me while they finalize the paperwork and get my schedule to me. Then I’ll be shown around before going to my classes. Plus, I need to find time to talk to someone about trying out. If it’s even possible or if I’ll have to wait for basketball season.

  Today has been amazing. I’ve been allowed to double up on my classes so I can graduate early. Instead of going to the end of the year, I’ll be out of high school in January when everyone else is having midterms. I think it’s because I did extra work online before starting school here. This has been a part of my plan since getting my early acceptance to college.

  Then, I talked to Sabrina, the cheerleading coach. She agreed to let me try out since I wasn’t in school last year here. The entire squad and Sabrina immediately said I could be a member. Our first game is in three days and as long as I know the cheers, I can stand on the sidelines. The only thing I won’t be able to do is the halftime routine because there’s no way I’ll learn it in time.

  Now, I’m heading home with Shy. She’s talking a mile a minute about how proud she is of me. Apparently, we’re all going out to dinner tonight to celebrate such a good first day of school for me. Well, not everyone. Just Shy, Slim, the girls, and me. The rest of the club doesn’t know anything about what I’m doing and I want to keep it that way.

  My heart breaks a little more with the knowledge Vault won’t be tagging along to my celebration dinner. Before, he would be here with me now. Shy wouldn’t have to take me and pick me up from school because he wouldn’t let her. But I haven’t learned how to drive yet— something else Vault was supposed to help me with. I’ll have to find out if any of the other guys will be willing to help me. Slim’s got more than enough going on right now.

  I wish Playboy were here too. He’s still in jail while we wait to get him out. Sam was attacked by a man and Playboy saved her. Instead of it being ruled as self-defense, Playboy’s sitting in jail on a murder charge. Slim and a few of the guys are the only ones he’s seeing while he’s inside.

  After picking the girls and Slim up, we head to a small diner in town and my past comes back to get me. The only thing I can see is my parents being brutally murdered in front of me. My breathing speeds up and my chest hurts. It feels like I’m having a heart attack as I get back in the car and lean my head back against the seat. Slim leans in as I put my hand on my chest.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, worry fills me.

  “I can’t breathe. My chest hurts too,” I pant out.

  “Take a deep breath and focus on me. Don’t let your gaze leave my face,” he tells me counting my breaths.

  After a few minutes, my breathing begins to even out and the pain in my chest fades away. Slim never once leaves me as Shy takes the girls inside to get them out of the weather.

  “You okay?” he asks me.

  “Yeah. I’m not sure what happened,” I tell him.

  “You had a panic attack,” he tells me. “What was happenin’ just before it started?”

  “I was thinkin’ about my parents and the night they were killed,” I answer.

  “Small diner. I’m sorry, Annabell, I wasn’t thinkin’ when we came here,” he says.

  “It’s okay. I’m gonna have to get used to it,” I answer, getting out of the car and heading toward the diner.

  I walk in the door and find Shy sitting in a booth with the girls toward the back of the diner. Kinsliegh is in a highchair while Rayven sits in her car seat next to Shy on the seat. Seeing the only seats left over, I slide to the inside of the booth and Slim slides in next to me.

  Our waitress comes over and takes our order within minutes. I order a bacon cheeseburger, fries, gravy on the side, and a chocolate milkshake. I’m not sure what Slim and Shy have, my mind is consumed with thoughts of Vault and how much he’s changed since the loss of his dad. It’s not in a good way either.

  Vault has always been sweet to me. He’s patient, kind, caring, and loving. Whenever we’ve talked, there’s been no pity, condemnation, or anything to make me feel like a child in his voice. He’s treated me like an adult every time we’re together. Vault’s also been my first kiss. No one knows about it though.

  We were sitting outside on the porch of the house one day. Slim and Shy had the girls at the clubhouse but I didn’t want to go with them. So, Vault kept me company. As we were swinging gently back and forth on the porch swing, I started talking to him about my upcoming school year and about my concern of the boys trying to kiss me.

  Before I could stop him, Vault placed a hand on each side of my face and leaned forward. His lips brushed softly against mine in a brief touch. I instinctually closed my eyes as he pulled away, a tremor moving through my body. When our lips touched again, I gasped in shock and Vault took advantage. His tongue entered my mouth and tangled with mine. He coaxed mine to move along with his and I kissed him back. Vault gave me my first kiss so I didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

  That’s when I started to fall in love with the man. Now, I don’t know what to do about the feelings coursing through me. He’s so cold, unfeeling, and harsh with everyone around him. And I’m not someone he’s going to keep from that treatment anymore. Even though I don’t know what’s changed in him toward me.

  Slim and Shy try to bring me into the conversation, but I can’t keep my head in it. My thoughts always drift to Vault and how he’s spiraling out of control. It’s like he doesn’t want to live anymore. If Hound’s not here, he doesn’t want to be alive either. My heart breaks for him. Not in pity or anything like that, but in deep rooted sadness because I know how he feels. I let him in enough to talk me out of it, but he won’t let anyone get close enough to talk to him.

  After eating dinner, we head home. I’m quiet the entire trip home. Shy and Slim talk amongst themselves during the short ride, leaving me to my thoughts. As soon as we enter the house, I make my way to my room and lock myself inside. Throwing myself on the bed, I let my tears fall. Tears for my parents and for the loss I’m feeling of Vault and the man he’s turning into. It’s not someone I want to be around. He’s not someone I want to love anymore.

  3

  Vault

  AFTER THE OTHER day I know I need to apologize to Annabell for yelling at her. She did absolutely nothing wrong and I chewed her a new ass. She’s only been trying to help me get through my grief— something she’s already had to do. The major difference is she has no one she trusts the way I do for her now and I have an entire club to back me up.

  Annabell lost her entire family in a matter of seconds. She has the club, Shy, Slim, and me here for her, but when she first came, she didn’t really talk to anyone. I was the only one she trusted and would open up to. How do I repay her? I yell at her in front of everyone she’s finally starting to let in.

  Walking to Slim and Shy’s house, I try to rehearse what I’m going to say to her. None of the words I’m thinking sound good enough or right for what I did. I am sorry, but I’m not good with words and I don’t know what to say to make things right between us.

  I walk across the porch and knock on the door. Hoping my President isn’t the one to answer the door. I’m not ready to face Slim or anyone else from the club yet. I haven’t been back to the clubhouse since the night I yelled at the young, sweet Annabell. I’ve been ignoring everyone including my brother.

  When I’m not out sco
uring the surrounding towns for any remaining men who killed my dad, I’m at Allure. I don’t fuck with any of the strippers or talk to anyone while I’m there. As soon as I enter the club, I grab a bottle of Jack and sit alone. If any of the guys come in, and I’m sober enough, I make my way to one of the private rooms to continue drinking until I pass out.

  Annabell opens the door and my breath catches. She looks stunning standing in front of me in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Her feet are bare showing her painted toe nails off. She looks at me as if she’s trying to figure out why I’m here while I stare at her like a man needing a tall drink of water to hold off dehydration consuming him.

  “What do you want?” she asks, her voice detached.

  “I want to talk to you for a minute. Will you please come sit with me and talk for a few minutes?” I ask her, not bothering to keep the pleading tone from my voice.

  After looking behind her, Annabell moves out to the porch and shuts the door softly behind her. She walks over to the swing on the side of the porch and sits. I don’t sit next to her even though it’s what I really want to do. Instead, I remain standing in front of her and try to find the words I want to say to her.

  “Bell, I’m sorry I yelled at you the other day. I don’t know why I’m pushin’ everyone away and I can’t seem to stop. Honestly, I just want to be alone most of the time and not see or talk to anyone. You didn’t deserve my anger when you did absolutely nothin’ wrong. Can you forgive me?” I ask her, finally looking at the young woman in front of me.

  “I don’t know, Vault. You’ve been there for me since I came here and I was just trying to help you the same way. If anyone knows how you’re feeling it’s me. Instead of accepting the help, you’re keeping everything inside and letting it eat you alive. I don’t deserve to be treated like that,” she answers.

  I can’t fault her response to me— I did treat her like shit for nothing.

  “I know, Bell. Can you at least think about it?” I ask her.

  Bell is what I call her. I’m the only one who calls her Bell because no one knows it’s my nickname for her. Slim and Shy don’t even know. This is something just for us.

  “Vault, I already forgave you. Grief makes people lash out and not know what they’re doing. The next time, I won’t forgive you so easily. Maybe not at all,” Bell says.

  “Why am I Vault to you now? No one else is here,” I ask.

  “Because that’s who you’re acting like. You’re not acting like Alex, the man who’s spent countless hours already taking care of me and helping me through my own grief. You’re acting like an asshole and not someone I want to be seen with or know,” she tells me honestly.

  Bell’s honesty hurts me in a way I didn’t think it would. I know I’ve been being an asshole, but to say she doesn’t want to be seen with me or know me, cuts deep. It cuts through the pain of losing my dad and makes me realize I’m going to end up pushing her too far if I don’t watch my step.

  “Have you eaten?” Bell suddenly asks.

  “No, I haven’t. Have you?” I ask her, taking the olive branch she’s offering.

  “Not yet. I was doing homework when you knocked,” she answers. “I think Slim and Shy are eating at the clubhouse tonight. So, I was just going to make a sandwich or something simple.”

  “Let me take you to the diner. We’ll grab dinner and you can come back and finish your homework. I want to know how school’s been goin’ too,” I tell her.

  Bell thinks about it for a minute and stands up. She nods her head and goes inside to grab her wallet. The only time she needs that is when she wants to buy something. She’s not going to let me pay for her meal. Bell is keeping me at arm’s length. I’ll have to work my way back into her trust and life if I want to keep her close.

  I walk to my bike and grab her helmet out of my saddlebags. It’s never taken off the bike. She’s been the only female to ride with me. Ever. And I don’t want that to ever change. So, I always keep her helmet with my bike in case we randomly decide to go for a ride.

  “You’re gonna wear shorts for the ride?” I ask her, knowing she never wears anything but jeans on the bike.

  “Yep. If I have the time to change, I can make my own dinner so there’s no point in going with you.”

  Handing over the helmet, I watch her close the straps and wait for me to get on so she can climb on behind me. When she wraps her arms around my waist, there’s still a distance between us. I don’t like it, but I’m not going to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do.

  The ride to the diner isn’t long enough for my liking. I want to keep Annabell wrapped around me and have her want to be wrapped around me. Instead, she wants to keep the distance between us and I completely understand where she’s coming from. I fucked up and I have to fix it somehow.

  As soon as we pull into the parking lot of the diner, I stop the bike and Annabell hops off so I can back it into a spot. She takes her helmet off while I make sure my bike won’t get hit. When I shut the engine off, she hands me her helmet and waits for me to get off the bike.

  Walking into the diner, I let her choose where we sit. She heads toward the back and sits with her back to the door. Annabell knows I always have to sit with my back against the wall so I can watch my surroundings. I slide in the booth across from her and we sit in awkward silence until the waitress comes over to take our order.

  “So, um, how’s school goin’?” I finally ask once the waitress is gone.

  “It’s great,” she answers becoming animated. “I’m graduating early so my schoolwork is crazy, but I love it. And I’m on the cheerleading squad so I have practice and games too. I’ve been busy, but I wouldn’t change it.”

  “That’s good news. Why are you graduatin’ early?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

  “I have an early acceptance into college. If I graduate high school in January, I’ll have a little bit of time before I have to leave for the summer semester. Plus, I did extra work online before I started school. Shy and Slim are the only ones who know I’m doing this,” she answers, averting her gaze from mine.

  “Wow! That’s amazin’, Bell. I’m so proud of you,” I tell her honestly.

  “Thank you,” she replies.

  We eat our dinner in silence. I have no clue what to say to her anymore. And she has no clue what to say to me since I yelled at her. The only time I’ve seen her animated is when she talked about school and cheerleading. Honestly, I won’t mind watching her jump around and do all the moves those cheerleaders do during a game. I’m not sure if I’d be allowed at a game though.

  “So, you mind if I come to a game some time?” I ask her.

  “No. You can do what you want, Vault,” she answers, pushing her plate to the center of the table.

  Looks like that’s the only answer I’m going to get from her. Annabell pulls her wallet out of her pocket and pulls out enough money to cover her portion of the check and a tip. I’m not even going to bother telling her I’ll pay for dinner because I know she’ll put up a fight about it. It’s how she is.

  I pull out my own money and add it to hers sitting on the table and we make our way back out to my bike. I get on while Annabell puts her helmet on and climbs on behind me. She’s still barely holding on to me as we make our way back to her house. When I drop her off at the house, she barely says a word as she hands me her helmet and makes her way inside quick as hell.

  Fuck!

  Before I can leave Slim’s house, my phone rings and I pull it out to see Savannah’s name on my screen. I’m not sure why she’d be calling me, so I answer the phone.

  “’Lo?” I answer.

  “Vault, I need your help. Valor’s at the house and he wants to go through your dad’s things. I’m trying to keep him out of his room and he’s about to tear the door off the hinges to get in. Help me,” she says, fear in her voice like I’ve never heard.

  “On my way.”

  Hanging up the phone, I race from Slim’s to m
ake it to dad’s house. It’s not too far from the clubhouse and I make it there in less than five minutes. When I run in the house, I can hear Valor yelling at Savannah like she’s no better than shit he’s stepped in outside.

  “Zach, what the fuck?” I yell out, turning his attention toward me.

  “Look who it is, the brother no one ever sees or hears from anymore,” my brother says.

  “Yeah. I’m here to tell you to fuckin’ leave Dad’s things alone. It’s not your place to fuckin’ get rid of them when I’m not involved,” I tell him, getting in his face.

  “And you’re never here. You couldn’t even go to the lawyer’s office for the will readin’. So, you can fuck off if you think I give a shit about what you think. The house was left to us along with some money he had put away. I don’t give a fuck what you do, but I’m goin’ through his stuff and decidin’ what goes and what stays,” he answers.

  “Zach, just give me some time. I’m tryin’ to work through my shit,” I plead with him.

  “No, you’re not. You’re out all day lookin’ for somethin’ you’re not gonna find. Then you go to Allure and drink yourself into oblivion so you can sleep for a little while. You’ve pushed everyone away, includin’ Annabell. And fuck you for yellin’ at her when she’s just tryin’ to help you out. No one wants to see you right now,” my brother says.

  I lose my shit. My fist slams into Valor’s face before I can think about it. Savannah’s yelling at the top of her lungs while Valor and I beat the shit out of one another in our dad’s home. His stuff on shelves and pictures hanging on the walls come crashing down all around us.

  I feel someone trying to pry me off my brother, but I’m not stopping. Zach and I continue to pound the shit out of one another for countless minutes. It’s not until Savannah yells at the top of her lungs that we pause. She’s holding her cheek and I can see the redness already spreading from under her hand.

  “I’m sorry,” she mutters, heading toward the kitchen.