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

a bad feeling this morning after seeing him pull out on his Harley. There was so much rage emanating from him when I watched from the porch. He looked directly at me, and I knew something was wrong.

My mother folds her arms across her chest as she regards me. The one thing she didn’t want to happen has already happened, and there’s nothing she can do to stop it. There’s nothing I can do to change it. I like him. A lot.

At first, I pushed it aside, but when Larkin told me Rogue had been shot, my stomach dropped, and my chest tightened painfully. The only thing that made sense was that I had to see him, to know he’s alive. Even if he couldn’t or didn’t want to see me, I wanted to be there.

“This is what I was afraid of,” Mom says. “You’re too young to be racing after some boy.” Her words hit me right in the chest, slicing through the pain of not knowing if he’s going to make it or not.

Rage explodes through me as tears burn their way down my cheeks. “And that’s the exact same thing you did anyway. Don’t be so hypocritical, Mom. Please?” I stare at her for a long time, shock paints her features. She didn’t expect me to lash out. But I’m right, I know I am. “If you hated this life so much, why didn’t you just leave Dad? Because that’s what this is about. Isn’t it? You’re angry at him, so you’re taking it out on me. And that’s not fair because I’m not you, and Rogue isn’t Dad.”

Pushing by her, I make it to the door before my mother responds, “If you leave, you don’t walk back into this house again.” My hand twists the door handle, and I pull it open. I should apologize. I should go back to her and tell her how much I’m hurting because of what my father did. And I should tell her I’m not going to get stuck in this town, but that’s a lie because I love Anchor Bay, and I can’t walk away from Rogue after he saved my life.

I’m on the porch when she calls my name again, but I ignore her. Swinging my leg over my bicycle, I pedal down the road with my mother screaming my name behind me. I know she won’t follow me. Her anger will force her to stay in the house, and my rage will propel me forward to him.

The only difference is that I’m not my mother. I know how to forgive. She never forgave my dad for leaving, and since the door shut behind him, she’s been angry at me. She doesn’t necessarily blame me for him leaving, but I know she thinks he left because he couldn’t hack being a dad. Which is such bullshit.

Tears stream down my face as I turn onto the main road, which will lead me right to Rogue. The rumble of bikes from behind me calms me somewhat. It’s a sound that reminds me of my dad. A bike pulls up beside me, and I recognize Gunner grinning at me as he signals for me to face forward.

Moments later, we’re pulling up to the hospital where I lock my bike before heading inside. The entrance is filled with men in black leather and tattered jeans. Family. Snake turns to see me enter, and his luminous green eyes have me stilling.

“What are you doing here?” He doesn’t seem angry, and I wonder if my mother called him to tell him I was coming.

“I needed to know if he’s okay,” I admit to him, keeping my voice low so the other guys don’t hear me. But they most probably know why I’m here. And it’s fairly obvious I’ve been crying. When Snake pulls me into his arms, I can’t stop the onslaught of emotion. Tears fall from my lashes, trickling down my cheeks. His large hand circles my back, calming me, and I realize this is what I wanted my mom to do. I needed her to see how much I care. I wanted her to hold me and tell me he’ll be okay, to understand that the heart wants what it wants.

Snake steps back, his hands gripping my shoulders as he holds me steady. When my watery gaze locks on his, I see the emotion swirling in his stare. I’m not sure what clicks in that moment, but something niggles at the back of my mind.

“He’ll be okay. He’s strong and stubborn,” he tells me honestly. Snake leads me to a chair to sit down and settles beside me as we all wait for the doctor to come out of the operating room. The air is stifling, heavy with concern. “You know, your mother is worried about you.”

“Yeah,” I tell him. “She told me if I came here, I shouldn’t return home.” I turn my attention away from the double doors down the hall and meet Snake’s inquiring gaze. “I walked out.”

“You know you have a place to stay at the house,” he tells me, and I nod slowly. He’s never been affectionate toward me. He’s been nice, friendly enough, but this is different, and I wonder if it’s because my dad left that he’s perhaps feeling like he needs to step into that role.

“Thank you. I didn’t think she’d give me an ultimatum.” I was shocked my mother was so angry about it. I knew she wasn’t a fan of Rogue, and I knew why, but for her to tell me not to come home just because I wanted to see if he was okay was surprising.

“Your mother is dealing with a lot.” Snake’s voice is low, a whisper. “There are things that you might not understand yet.”

“Then why doesn’t she tell me? I’m old enough; I’m eighteen. I don’t need to be coddled all the time.” A few guys look our way, and I realize my voice has risen in frustration.