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

I think that part, in particular, may have had a little outside persuasion.

I considered protesting simply because it came as second nature to fight back when people tried to interfere in my life and the choices I made, but this time around, I had to admit I appreciated seeing Mitchell squirm, knowing Hawk had my back on this one.

Tugging my jacket tight around my shoulders, I scanned my keycard at the apartment doors and slipped through them, jogging up the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator. I wanted to get a couple of hours of sleep before Kadey got home, and it was currently 3:09 a.m.

Throwing my apartment door open, I went through the motions.

Closing all the locks.

Kicking off my shoes.

Hanging up my bag.

Tossing my jacket over the back of the sofa.

Then, it was time to take this face full of makeup off.

I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye before I saw the body. He was dressed entirely in black—shoes, pants, and a long-sleeved turtleneck he had pulled up over his mouth and nose, his icy blue eyes and the short blond hair on his head the only two identifying characteristics.

My heart stopped for a second, my entire body freezing as he slipped out from the bathroom. Our apartment was tiny. Both the bedrooms and bathroom came directly off one side of the living room, so we were suddenly standing in the same space.

A strange man.

In my apartment.

“Where is she?”

“Who—” He launched forward, and I jerked back, my back hitting the wall hard and knocking the air from my lungs but also halting my escape. He grabbed a chunk of my hair in his fist and pulled my head forward before slamming it back against the wall.

I felt the plasterboard crack, and a painful jolt shot down my spine like I’d been hit by lightning. Squeezing my eyes closed, I tried to fight past the throbbing pain while he moved away again. Doors opened and slammed closed again. “Where is she!”

Fighting the urge to vomit, I forced my eyes open again, watching him destroy my house through my hazy vision. Keeping my mouth shut, I slowly inched along the wall, using it for support as my body shook. My flight or fight instincts were battling against one another.

I’d just flicked over four locks on my front door. There was no way I could get them undone before he caught me. So essentially, flight was now off the cards.

Inhaling deeply, I tried to slow things down a little.

I needed to be smart.

He was bigger than me.

If he got hold of me, he’d have the upper hand for sure.

I had to put something significant in between the two of us, so if he came at me, there would at least be something to slow him down, and I would have time to react. “Where is who?” I finally questioned, taking another step backward, determined to make it into the kitchen. Our table was pressed into the corner of the room and backing myself into that would only give him the upper hand.

So, the plan? Put the kitchen island between us and find something fucking sharp.

“The girl,” he answered, coming out of her room and focusing his narrowed glare on me once again. I couldn’t stop the shudder that rushed up the back of my neck, his robotic voice like something I imagined hearing in a serial-killer movie, completely devoid of any emotion. “The little girl.”

Kadey?

He wanted Kadey?

My hand gripped the kitchen counter, and I used it to steady myself as my legs began to shake.

He wanted my baby.

It was like a shot of adrenaline straight into my veins. It was hard to explain that mama-bear feeling to a person who’d never experienced it. For me, it was feeling more comfortable having Kadey in the house with me rather than when I was alone. The reason being that I knew, without a doubt, I’d do far more to protect my daughter than I would for myself.

If someone came for me, I was going to fight.

If someone came for her…

… I was going to kill.

“Why do you want my daughter?” I questioned, finally making it to the edge of the kitchen island. I purposely leaned into the hard surface, trying to make myself look less intimidating and more vulnerable. “She’s just a little girl. She hasn’t done anything.”

“Not yet,” he answered, finally taking a step toward me. “But she’s going to do something great.” There was something deep and dark within his stare. It didn’t falter for a second, glued to me as I crept slowly, the kitchen counter now firmly between us. It was almost like he knew I wasn’t going to escape.

That was why he’d let me lock the doors and hang up my bag with my cell inside before he let me know he was here.

He wanted to make sure there was no escape.

No one to call.

This entire situation was calculated.

“What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?” I demanded, my voice cracking despite trying to keep my tone steady and calm like I wasn’t fucking petrified.

In my mind, I was trying to list the items in the house, things I could use as a weapon and could do enough damage to at least slow him down.

“She’s the chosen one.”

“Chosen for what?” My hand settled on the drawer handle, and I slowly edged it out, gritting my teeth as I reached inside. The cool metal handle of a butcher knife felt like heaven against my skin, but I didn’t risk rattling everything else inside to grab it.

He took another step toward me, and my stomach twisted.

I wanted to puke.

Or pass out.

Or both.

Fight.

You have to fucking fight because if he kills you, he’s going to leave here and go looking for Kadey.

If you don’t get out of this alive, you can’t protect her.

“Where. Is. She!” he finally snapped, stepping up to the other side of the island