Page 46 of Steel

Havoc swings his door open to climb out. “We will, but Steel thought you might be hungry.”

He walks around the truck and opens my door. The aroma of a grill filters through the truck as I undo Austin’s seat belt, and he hops out of his booster seat.

“Burgers?” Austin jumps out of his seat.

“And hot dogs,” Havoc answers.

“Yes!” Austin jumps up, landing in his superhero pose.

“Are our bags okay out here?” I glance at the back of the truck.

“It’ll be fine. The compound’s on lockdown to outsiders right now.”

The mention of a lockdown should probably make me feel trapped or nervous, but instead, I grab Austin’s hand and feel safe for the first time in a few days.

Havoc leads us through the clubhouse, and it’s eerily empty. Apart from a few guys playing pool, everyone is out back. The large glass doors that look out at the empty desert at the back of the clubhouse are wide open, and it’s a warm day. It’s the perfect time of year in Vegas, when you don’t have to hide from the sun because it’s not yet scalding.

People are everywhere, laughing, barbecuing, and enjoying themselves.

I recognize a few of the men, but many others are new faces. The same goes for the girls walking around in bikini tops like it’s the middle of summer.

There are multiple grills going, and music blasts through the speakers. Everyone is relaxed like it’s a big family get-together. I almost feel like I’m an outsider intruding, but deep down, there’s this strange familiarity, and maybe I’m recognizing my roots for the first time. Seeing a side of what the club offers that extends beyond whatever illegal activities they take part in.

Out here there’s comradery.

Security.

Family.

Maybe I’m starting to understand the appeal.

“A pool.” Austin bounces up and down, tugging my hand.

I follow his gaze to a patch of grass in the distance, where a little blonde girl is splashing around in a kiddie pool.

“Please, Tempe. Can I go play?” He squeezes my hand. “Please. Please.”

I glance down at his T-shirt and shorts, wishing we had a bathing suit. But when I look up to find the other kids aren’t in swimsuits either, I’m thankful.

“Go, have fun.” I lean down and give him a kiss on the forehead.

He darts away, running across the yard to meet the other kids at the pool, and I see Pearl sitting in a lawn chair beside it. She waves at me before going back to the book she’s reading.

“I didn’t realize anyone had kids,” I say to Havoc.

“Most of the guys don’t.” Havoc points to the blonde girl making room for Austin in the pool. “But that’s Legacy’s kid, Bea. She’s a sweetheart.”

Austin sits down in the water facing Bea, showing her his cape. He still refuses to take it off. And it’s a reminder that no matter how comfortable he seems to be around the Twisted Kings, he still has his guard up after everything that happened.

“Tempe.” Luna pops up from where she’s sitting in a lawn chair. “You’re here.”

She jumps to her feet, pulling her purple hair into a ponytail. As she walks over to me, she ties a knot in her T-shirt, hugging it to her stomach. It’s roomy,so her arms swim in it. And it has the words “Good Game” in graffiti font across the front.

Havoc slips away as Luna walks up, making his way over to where Jameson is sitting, drinking a beer. He and a couple of other guys are laughing at something Soul said while Reina is propped on the arm of Jameson’s chair, smiling at him like he’s the center of her universe.

It’s strange seeing him in this environment, where he’s not Jameson.

He’s Steel. Their leader.

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