Page 44 of Steel

Setting him on the ground, I crouch down to bring myself to his eye level. “How about you stay out here with Ghost while I get your things?”

“But I want Super Bear.” He frowns.

“I’ll get him for you.”

After everything he’s already witnessed, I can’t have him seeing this too.

“Hey, Ghost.” Havoc tips his chin at Ghost’s motorcycle. “Austin said he wants to learn to ride. How about you show him that Evolution engine you just rebuilt?”

“The flying one?” Austin’s face lights up when he looks at Ghost’s bike.

“Flying one?” Ghost looks from Austin to me.

“Your bike is black and purple,” I explain. “One of his favorite superheroes flies around on a purple bike.”

And everything with Austin boils down to superheroes.

“I like that.” Ghost looks back at him with an amused smile. “Come on. Let’s check it out.”

Ghost leads Austin over to his motorcycle, and Austin dives into a story about the Avengers as they squat down to look at the details.

“Thanks,” I say to Havoc.

“No problem.”

He guides me toward the house, and the moment I walk through the front door, I’m thankful Sonny warned me before I brought Austin in here. They didn’t just toss the place, they destroyed it.

Frames are broken; glass is shattered. The television is in pieces, and every dish in the kitchen is smashed on the floor. Someone must have cleaned up the blood because it’s no longer there, but I swear I can still see it.

Mom crumpled on the floor.

A metallic scent in the air.

I clutch my stomach as I take it all in; my head swims with the destruction.

“This isn’t about you,” Havoc says, coming up beside me. “They’re just trying to make a point to the club.”

“Looks like they were loud and clear.”

Havoc nods, frowning as he looks around.

My dad was a biker, so I know the danger that comes from associating with the Twisted Kings. But to see it permeating my life when I’ve worked so hard to steer clear feels like a wrecking ball knocking me in the chest.

It doesn’t matter how much space I’ve maintained between me and my bloodline; there’s no avoiding it now.And all I can do is trust the very club I’ve spent my life avoiding with the hope that they’ll keep us safe from whatever my father’s sins are raining down on me and Austin.

“I’m going to grab what I can from the bedrooms,” I tell Havoc before making my way down the hallway.

There’s no use digging through the kitchen or living room with the state they’re in. I already know that once Steel lets us leave the compound, I’ll be starting over. New furniture, new dishes. I can barely afford rent, so I don’t know how I’m going to swing it. But I’ll figure it out as I always do.

Like I did when I was eighteen and had nothing because Mom never stayed in one place for more than a few months. I fought for the life I built once, and I’ll do it again if I have to.

I’ll create a stable life for me and my brother.

Walking into the guest room first, I’m thankful it’s the least destroyed room in the house. It’s turned upside down, but Austin’s belongings are in one piece.

I grab Super Bear first and start packing. Since Mom was always moving around, he already doesn’t have much, so it makes it easy to fit all his belongings in the two bags he arrived at my house with.

When I move to my room, it’s in worse shape than Austin’s. The mirror above the dresser is shattered, andwhoreis spraypainted on the wall above my bed. I’m sure they thought they were being cruel with their threat, but it’s been a year since I’ve had sex. So if anything, it’s a reminder of my pathetic dating life.

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