Twisted Steel: An MC Anthology: Second Edition by Elizabeth Knox (top 5 ebook reader txt) 📕

door so that they can see that I’m in good shape. I’m hoping that the sight of my whole club showing up is enough to scare whoever is waiting for Dela away. I hope.

Brendan is the first one to hop off his bike. “Wyatt. What’s going on?” He is panicked. He thought something was wrong with me. I don’t think he can lose someone again. Not after what happened with his girlfriend.

Spark and Cody are the next to pull in, followed by Winnie.

“I thought it was a fucking emergency, Wyatt?” Cody said as he looks at me and can see that I’m still in pristine shape.

“Shut the fuck up and get inside. Don’t make any sudden movements.” I let Dela know that there would be a few men coming into the cabin, just to prepare her. She seemed to be okay with it but I don’t want her to view them as a threat if they come in there all aggressively.

“Wyatt?” Spark puts his hand on his gun. The custom red grip sticking out of the holster by his ribs. He gestures toward it trying to figure out if it’s needed right now. He wants to know if they are walking into an ambush.

“No, not yet.”

Spark nods and covers up the gun.

“Just be cool, it’s complicated as fuck.” I shake my head and turn to walk into my cabin. I stand back so the rest of the boys can come in.

I was right to warn her.

The second that the bunch of them walked in she slammed herself against the wall. I watch her eyes jump across the room looking, probably, for another weapon.

I jump to the head of the pack so she can focus in on me. “Hey, easy, these are my brothers. I told you about them. They aren’t going to hurt you either.”

“All of them are your brothers?” She looks over to Winnie who looks nothing like us.

“Well, that one is a stray, he showed up at our door and we couldn’t get him to go the fuck away.” I laugh, and Winnie sucks his teeth.

“Okay.” She relaxed a bit and I angled myself so that I could talk to the boys but still keep her in my line of sight.

“Boys, this is Dela, we ran into each other while I was picking up some traps.”

Cody takes a step closer. “Is that why she has your clothes on? I mean, I know you move fast but jeez, bro.” He chuckles, and I punch him hard enough in the gut before he can finish his first round of laughing.

“This shit look like a fucking joke to you, Cody? Be serious. This is club business. Either you get your fucking head out of your ass or you can get the fuck out,” I bark at him.

“My bad. Okay. Okay,” he wheezes out and struggles to stand up.

“Like I was saying, Dela here ran into me in the woods. She is hiding from someone. She says there are at least fourteen of them.” I raise an eyebrow at the boys and immediately, Spark and Winnie go for the windows to see if they can see anyone outside. I knew they would do whatever they needed to do to make sure that we were all safe.

“Can I talk to her?” Brendan asks me.

“Yeah, easy though,” I whisper the last part. Brendan can come across as incredibly intense sometimes. I don’t want him to scare her off.

He takes a few steps toward Dela and she keeps him in her sights. “How did all fourteen of them manage to get you in the woods? Were you on a hiking trip?”

“No, they live there.”

“Where?”

“At the compound. They all live there.”

Cody looks back over to me. “Is there a cabin up here that can house fourteen people? I was under the impression that all the cabins on this side were smaller.”

“I’ve never seen one.” I shrug, just as confused as he is.

“So, it was just you and the fourteen of them?”

“No, it was me, the other carriers, Emerson, the acolytes, the Mothers, and the servants,” Dela says, still making sure to keep her back to the wall but she is less agitated.

“Wait a minute, wait. How many people in total are in this cabin?” Spark asks from his place by the window.

“I don’t know the exact number. Fifty? Sixty? But the Mothers would never leave. They never leave.”

“Wait a minute. Wait a fucking minute. Are you trying to tell us there is a house out there in the woods with more than fifty people in it?” Winnie asks.

“Yes,” Dela grits out through a clenched jaw.

I know she said that she didn’t take any drugs but the shit that she is talking about sounds ridiculous. It’s just not possible.

“How come we’ve never seen any of them? I mean if there are so many people over there, surely we would have seen one of them by now,” Brendon speaks again.

“We’re not allowed out. Only to the river and under guard, a few carriers at a time. To gather herbs and to wash. I’m not even sure any of the other women would have tried to get your attention if you passed them by. They believe that they are right where they are supposed to be.”

“What happens if you leave?” Spark asks.

“I will be cleansed and made to atone. Penance.” Her head falls forward as if she is embarrassed.

“Cleansed like go back to the river?” Cody speaks now that he’s caught his breath.

“No, we are cleansed in pain. Emerson says it’s the only way to prove our worth to the great goddess Gaia.” Her face is blank but I can hear the emotion in her voice. This is heavy for her.

“Gaia? Cleansed in pain?” Brendan asks, still not understanding what the hell is going on.

“I wandered off farther than I should have in the compound two weeks ago, this was my penance.” She turns around and pulls the overly large shirt off her shoulders.

“What the fuck!” Spark is the