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

had just left. Quake could hear the crunch of tires as they pulled away from the house and the engine of a bike following close behind.

“Mayhem rode shotgun,” Inferno told him, trailing him into the kitchen. “To make sure they get back to The Pole Barn safely.”

Hearing it, Quake breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been worried about the Death’s Head MC going after Magenta again. He’d even thought about accompanying her himself.

“So?” Beast questioned, appearing in the doorway.

Moving to the counter, he unloaded the platter and took care of the scraps. “Hmm?”

“You and Magenta?” Beast hedged. “How’d you leave it?”

Quake grinned. “She wants to see me again.”

“You owe me twenty bucks.”

Inferno groaned, tugging out his wallet and slapping the bill in Beast’s outstretched palm. “The son-of-a-bitch is dating one of Belle’s girls. Fucking premium pussy.”

Hearing him talk about Magenta that way pissed Quake off. A growl rising in his throat, he turned on their Vice President. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

“You hooked up with her now?”

Turning to the new voice, the three men eyed their President. Stone stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame with his muscled arms crossed over his chest.

Quake nodded. “Yeah.”

Heaving a breath, their President sighed. “No fucky-fucky until after you win the fight for us in New York. I don’t care how many times you bang her after that, but you don’t touch her until after we come back on Thanksgiving.”

Great. He was going to get a case of blue balls. “Fine,” Quake grated.

Beast slapped him on the back. “Cheer up! Think of all that pent up energy you’ll have. She won’t be able to walk for days by the time you’re done.”

And how many other men would she have slept with by then? The disconcerting thought left a bitter taste in Quake’s mouth. Her job had never bothered him before. Why was he starting to have a problem with it now?

“I need you and Rock training,” Stone reminded him, observing him intently. “You both need to be at your best for this.”

“If a pretty head turns Quake soft, I don’t mind taking his place in the next fight after New York,” Ryder announced, padding into the room.

Bristling at the comment, Quake raised his chin in challenge. “Ain’t nothing going soft here.”

“You mean nothing but your cock now that Magenta isn’t here,” Beast chuckled.

Ignoring the jibe, their President responded to Quake. “Good, because I have a mission for you, Inferno, and Wraith,” Stone informed him. “Something to keep your mind off that piece of tail and put some distance between you.”

Quake didn’t like the sound of that. “What mission?”

“Some of the women we rescued don’t have packs or families. They’re loners. Strays. Doc knows a place, a haven where they’ll be looked after and protected. I need you to take them there. Make sure the jackals don’t try snatching them on the way.”

“It’s just a little road trip,” Inferno joined in. “We’ll be taking Doc’s RV.”

“See that you bring it back in one piece,” Stone warned. “I don’t need you trashing it.”

“As long as the jackals steer the fuck clear, we’ll be good,” Quake swore. “When do we leave?”

“Go, shower, get dressed,” Inferno told him. “We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready. If all goes well, we’ll be back before lunch.”

Dismissed, Quake left the kitchen and headed upstairs. The second he stepped into his room, the scent of Magenta assailed him. It was everywhere. On his sheets, on the pillows, in the air. Breathing in deeply, he closed his eyes for a moment. It was so fucking intoxicating. He almost hated to shower and wash it off his skin but he did it anyway.

Stone had given him a job to do, and he couldn’t afford the distraction.

Nine days, he told himself. Only nine days of doing without. Surely he could manage. He’d be gone for most of it, too busy fighting to miss his red maned wolf.

Maybe he could pick something up for Magenta while he was in the Big Apple. Do some Christmas shopping and get her a gift. He knew she liked movies about giant robots and loved that car of hers. If he could find something personal, it would make it more special.

The idea stuck with him while he showered, dried off, and dressed. He wanted to give Magenta something he knew she would appreciate. A present that would always remind her of him.

Inferno and Wraith were waiting in the common room when he made it downstairs. A lot of clubs displayed their bikes like the prized possessions they were but theirs were parked in a garage, protected from the desert sand and Nevada sun. Strapping on their helmets, they popped their kickstands, pushed them outside, and started them up, heading out with Inferno in the lead and Quake and Wraith following.

Doc was waiting for them when they got to his place. Quake didn’t know what to expect, but there were only four females left to transport. Doc gave them verbal directions and the coordinates to plug into their phones. “I don’t ever put it in the RV’s GPS,” he explained. “Just in case. The Grove is off the radar and we work to keep it that way.”

Inferno had experience driving rigs, so they put him behind the wheel. They’d planned on having Wraith ride in the back, knowing his true voice would calm the women’s fears if they needed him to use it.

That left Quake to ride shotgun in front and watch for trouble.

Doc caught his arm to give him last-minute instructions, he thought. “Everyone who was rescued has been tested for STDs,” he told him quietly. “I’ll let you know if you need to be tested too.”

Christ.

Quake grimaced. “You know.”

Doc crooked a half-grin. “Not by design. I was doing rounds last night, checking on my patients, and, well, she wasn’t alone. Didn’t take much to figure who was keeping her company with your bike still out front and you nowhere around. Then you two left together .