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

halfway out, and brushed a kiss across the back of it. “Hey, beautiful.” He smiled.

Feeling self-conscious, she tried to pull her fingers free, but he wouldn’t let her. “You are beautiful,” he insisted. “The outside will heal, but it’s the inside that counts and yours is fucking gorgeous. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, you hear?”

She looked away, then started getting nervous, her fingers trembling in his grasp.

“Phantom’s dead,” Quake murmured for her ears only. “I made sure you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

She looked at him with alarm in her eyes. Her voice rose sharply, spiked by fear. “What about Khan? Where is he?”

“Who’s Khan?” he asked, needing more information than a name he didn’t recognize.

“The Death’s Head President for the Valley of Fire Chapter. He’s been collecting girls to auction off. There’s a sale somewhere tonight.”

There would be people expecting them. People missing them. Dangerous people who might come looking for a shipment that never arrived—

If Khan hadn’t already called for help.

Fuck.

“Ryder!”

The Viking came running.

“I need an ID on the casualties. See what you can find.” Turning back to Magenta, he sought to reassure her. “We’ll protect you,” he promised. “If this Khan touched you, he won’t ever again, I swear it.”

Ryder was quick to report back. “Sergeant-at-Arms Viper, Vice President Bones, and the driver, a human named Vaughn Kerrigan. The driver wasn’t wearing a cut.”

“Vaughn was the handler,” she grated. “In charge of keeping the women alive and healthy enough to sell. Bastard.”

She spat the word. There was a story there but now wasn’t the time to ask to hear it. It sounded like the handler was someone outside the club. An independent contractor? Mafia? Cartel? It’s hard telling how far the ring reached . . . or who’d be coming after them.

They needed to get the hell out of here.

Stone and Inferno saw the last of the women into the RV. “Doc, you need to go!” Stone called. “If everyone is mobile, exams can wait. We need to be far away from here when the others come back.”

And they would. There was no way they were going to let a cargo this valuable slip away without attempting to recover it.

Doc was already climbing in, ready to take off.

“We’ll be right behind you. Let’s go!”

Quake flew back to his bike and caught up with them down the road. Luck was on their side and the darkness was their friend. They were back in Hell’s Fury territory well before moonrise.

With no better place to go, Doc took the women to his ranch. They needed medical attention. Clothes. Showers. Personal care products. Things that The Order of the Dragon had no experience in. But they could stand guard. Watch the property. Protect the women. See that they stayed safe until someone from their pack or family came for them.

Alerted to what was happening, Eagle Eye hit the supercenter and came out with a cart full of air mattresses and pumps and a second cartload of sweatpants, sweatshirts, warm socks, flip flops, T-shirts, and yoga pants. Cookie made a grocery run and arrived with half a store’s worth of food, milk, juice, soft drinks, and wine. Without knowing how much refrigerator space was available, the cold stuff was iced down and packed in insulated chests.

The women went for the chocolates and wine first thing.

Imagine that.

Quake could hear them from his station outside. He was guarding the rear entrance. Stone was at the front door. Ryder and Inferno were patrolling the grounds. They would take turns covering eight-hour shifts, with four brothers relieving them at ten p.m. where they’d been searching all day. The second shift would start at six a.m. Quake, Stone, Ryder, and Inferno would be on again at two p.m.

From where he stood on the back deck of the house, he could hear the women talking, the phone calls being made.

Magenta went last.

Maybe it was because she lived so close and was among the last to be taken. More than likely it was because it was only 9:45 p.m., in the middle of business hours for The Pole Barn. Even if Magenta had managed to contact Madam Belle, she wouldn’t be free to collect her until the wee hours of the morning, once the last johns had gone.

Maybe Stone would let him give her a ride.

Surely they could do without him for fifteen minutes.

He got on his cell phone and texted his President, asking permission to offer to take Magenta home.

Stone’s answer was no.

Fuck.

Quake sighed. Maybe it was for the best. If Magenta decided to show her appreciation like the other night, he could be gone for hours, leaving his post unmanned.

As if his thoughts had somehow conjured her, she emerged from the house carrying a steaming mug. He stayed where he stood, watching as she made her way toward him, dressed in sweatpants and a baggy top.

“Coffee,” she offered with a hint of a smile, presenting him with the drink. “Careful. It’s hot.”

“Thanks.” Taking it from her, he cradled it to his chest. “How are you holding up?”

“Fine . . . good, I guess. Doc wants me to stay awake for another two-and-a-half hours. Head injury rules or some such shit. Goddamn Phantom . . .”

“If you want to talk about it . . .”

Magenta shrugged a slim shoulder. “No . . . I just want to forget about it. I’ll deal with it when I’m ready. Thanks for riding to my . . . our rescue.”

Quake tilted his head in acknowledgment. “There was no way we were going to leave you in the hands of those jackals. I’m just sorry it took so long to find you. We had no idea where to start looking.”

“Are you sure Phantom’s dead?” she questioned softly, her gaze searching his.

“He won’t be coming back. You don’t need to worry,” he promised her.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Magenta released a deep breath. “Good.”

Quake could only imagine what had been done to her. What she had endured. Perhaps one