Page 2 of Steel

Closing my eyes, I lean my head back against the tree and try to block out the sickening sounds of flesh hitting flesh, but it’s no use. The sound burns into my brain.

A lizard skitters over the top of my foot, and I bite down on my tongue to keep the squeal inside. Everything is amplified as I wait for them to realize they’re not alone out here and the littlest things make me jumpy.

Any second now, they’re going to step around the tree, say gotcha, and put a bullet between my eyes.

“I swear to you, Killer. I’d never betray you or our club,” the man they called Swirly pleads.

The pernicious laugh echoing through the trees slices against my skin, warning me that Swirly isn’t coming out of these woods alive. If I don’t get a move on, my life will end prematurely as well.

But there is no way I can walk out of here without making sure I have enough evidence to get him justice.

Being brave, I pull in a deep breath and lean around the tree. My fingers twist the lens until I have the crispness I need, and just in time too. No sooner do I focus than Killer pulls a gun from the back of his waistband and settles the barrel against Swirly’s forehead.

“Tell the devil I said hello,” Killer says, wearing a smile that is frightening in its intensity.

Swirly opens his mouth but doesn’t get the chance to utter a word before Killer squeezes the trigger and sends the bullet lodging into his brain.

I try to keep quiet. I really do, but it’s not every day I’m a witness to someone’s murder.

Their heads whip in my direction at my loud gasp, and without a second thought, I take off. My breath explodes from my chest as I race through the trees, jumping over fallen logs and ducking around low-hanging branches. Some snag my clothes, and I waste precious minutes untangling them.

The heavy fall of their boots hitting the ground and growing closer have pitiful whimpers passing my lips.

One of them let loose a crazy laugh and whoops. “Run while you can, girl. When we catch you, we’re gonna have some fun.”

My camera cracks against the trunk of a tree, and I wince as sorrow fills me.

I’ve had this thing for as long as I can remember. It needs to be replaced, but I’ve been unable to let it go. Reed bought the camera for me the first time he noticed my passion for photography. It was my one escape in our cold house, and my brothers were always looking out for me. Our parents were never really the greatest, so it’s always just been Reed, Jedreck, and me. Mother wasn’t anywhere near as bad as our father, Edgar, though. These men remind me a lot of him. They’ve got the same evil running straight through their core.

A gunshot cracks through the air, and I stumble, scraping my hand against the bark of the tree as I catch myself.

Holy shit. That was way too close.

The air brushes against my skin, cooling the tears on my cheeks and leaving wet streaks behind.

I can’t believe I was so stupid. Why did my bleeding heart have to try to do something to help someone who I knew deep down was beyond my help?

Steel’s startling green eyes flash in my mind again.

It’s not the first time it’s happened in the last seven years. I find myself dreaming about him more than I’d like. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m being chased through the woods by two evil bikers intent on putting a bullet in my head that makes him cross my mind at this inappropriate time.

Another shot rings out and this time a sharp pain makes me cry out as my legs buckle under me.

Oh, fuck.

These bastards just shot me in the thigh.

My heart races in my chest as adrenaline surges through my system.

I grit my teeth and climb to my feet.

I’m not as fast as I was considering there’s a bullet in my leg and I’m leaking blood that’s going to lead them right to me. Which means I’m going to have to outsmart them. I don’tknow how familiar they are with these woods, but I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl. Hopefully, that gives me an advantage over them and I can make it back to my car without losing my life. If not, then maybe I can at least make it to the abandoned subdivision on the other side.

Having learned from my time with my brothers, our friends, and our countless games of paintball and tag, I know to never move in a straight line. I zig and zag, which probably saves my life as they fire in my direction a few more times.

When I glance over my shoulder, their faces are blurry, and the shadows of the trees make them seem more sinister than they already are.

I start listing off all the reasons I have to make it out of here with my heart beating.

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