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

I dress for work in tight jeans and a loose off-the-shoulder top. My dad hated it when I gave up the corporate world to chase the life of a hairdresser at first. It was my plan to help pay my way through nursing school. My parents could not have felt more like failures and I rather enjoyed it.

He and my mother are successful executives. After their vengeful divorce, the only thing they can agree on is that I’m wasting my time.

With my makeup on point and a coffee in hand, I walk the few blocks to the shop I work at. This place is where I can relax and get lost in a world of cut and color. I can let go of expectations and resentment. The worry washes away, and I can enjoy my clients, giving them a few hours of the same peace and beauty. My job is mine and I own it, except upon walking up to the window, I see the owner of the salon is being arrested by the cops.

On the sidewalk, my life changes in the blink of an eye. In slow motion, I see Jana being placed onto the floor face-down by two officers. I can’t hear the words leaving her mouth, but her muffled yelling filters through the glass doors. I stand in amazement, frozen in time. I’m not sure how long I watch the scene before me, but eventually, she’s hauled up from the floor and dragged to the cruiser parked out front. My stomach hits the concrete as I realize the rumors were true.

An audience has joined me in stunned comradery. I’m not sure what will happen next. Do I walk in and get ready for my next appointment? I don’t have to wait too long before Shelly walks out along with a few other stylists from the once upscale business. “Angie,” she whispers as she pulls me in for a hug. Behind her, the doors are locked up by the police department. “We’re out of work.”

Stepping back, I ask, “What happened just now?”

“She was wrapped up in illegal trading and didn’t pay her taxes. I don’t know. It was a whole stream of charges. They told us someone will be in contact to get our stuff out at some point. But we can’t take anything until we’re notified.” I nod along as if I know what to do next.

It is not going to be okay. I use my stellar upbringing to hold it together even though I’m trembling like a leaf on the inside.

Jana had the best cosmetologists and that means I will be competing with them to find a job with none of my tools. My life is locked up behind those doors. “It’ll be okay,” I lamely respond. “Thanks, Shell.”

It takes me two blocks before the unfreeze happens. The panic overrides the shock and I crumble. At this moment, I feel the bottom and I hit hard. For the first time in years, I miss what having a dad and mom would be like. I could call and ask them for help, but I’m not going to show them any weakness. Instead, I dial the number of the one person I could call if I need bail money or to help bury a body, my sister from another mister, and my best friend, Jazzy.

2

Cowboy

“Hey.” A sharp elbow feels like it punctures my ribs. “Cowboy, wake up.”

“Fuck, Topaz, I said no sleeping over. I have work.” Rolling over, I pull the blanket with me. Hopefully, she gets the hint and goes home. A fuck is one thing, sleeping over is another. The weight of the bed changes and I huddle into my pillow with a peaceful sigh.

“You forget you were supposed to run that haul over the mountain today at six?” Blade barks. “Get your ass out of bed and into the shower. I have three kids, asshole. I don’t need another.”

My mind snaps to attention and I sit straight up in bed. Topaz wiggles her fingers at me, laughing on her way out the door with my shirt on. Fuck, it was a favorite shirt of mine and I’ll never hunt it down. I know her game, so she can have it. “Meet me in the kitchen,” Blade growls before he exits, slamming the door behind him. Littered across the floor are multiple pieces of girls’ underwear. The wolfish grin I cannot suppress escapes and takes over my face. That was a wild night last night.

I toss away the covers from my legs and stand . . . or attempt to. I stumble over a black heel on the floor and hop around from the pain. “Sheee-it.” But it gets worst as my hip hits the dresser with the force of my weight behind it. The whiskey bottle on the dresser begins to rock and, in an attempt to save it, I end up knocking it to the floor. The glass shatters as the whiskey sprays everywhere. “How unlucky. Just fucken-fan-tastic.” From my dirty laundry hamper, I toss a few towels over the mess.

I grab a clean one from the other hamper and tie it around my waist. Not all rooms in the clubhouse have a built-in shower and mine does not. Whistling down the hallway, I catch a glare from Blade in the main room. He looks at his watch and then back to me. “Five minutes, Cowboy,” he hollers after me. Blade is not kidding around about acting like a dad, but he sure as fuck ain’t mine. I give him a mock salute and duck into the bathroom.

A prospect is about to jump out when I stop him. “Leave it on. Got to get on the road.” Hanging my towel, I wait for him to move and I take his place. “Bro, I got a broken bottle and chicks’ clothes that need to be picked up.”

“Sure, Cowboy.” I can hear the distaste in his voice, but he