3. Tempe

3

Tempe

If my father taught me anything from the few times he came around growing up, it’s never to let anyone see your weaknesses—physically or mentally. Staying alert and sharp is the only way to survive in a world where everyone looks out for themselves. And even when an opponent is stronger or in a better position, there’s always a way to use it against them to gain the upper hand if you take the time to look for it.

While my father wasn’t good for much more than half my DNA, that sentiment settles in this moment.

He was one of them.

A Twisted King.

I roll my shoulders back and take the only advice he was good for. I straighten my spine and dust it off, refusing to let Steel sense weakness.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?”

“Yes,” he answers without a pause .

Given his position in the club, I doubt he’s easily rattled. He’s probably rarely challenged. So I’m not surprised he doesn’t flinch at my annoyance. I’m probably the least threatening person he’s been faced with.

“Hey, Steel.” A man walks into the room, glancing between us, and I recognize him as one of the two men who were standing at the bar earlier. “Ghost texted me to say we’ve got trouble.”

The man looks at the one standing beside Steel, who is still typing into his phone, and I assume that must mean he’s Ghost.

Eerie name, but strangely fitting.

Ghost doesn’t look up from his phone as he types away. He might not seem interested in the standoff between me and his president, but something about him tells me he’s still seeing everything.

“Trouble,” Steel repeats, not breaking our staring contest, while the intensity of his gaze has the hair on the back of my neck standing on its ends. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“Why she’s here.” Steel lifts off the wall, popping his knuckles and staring down at me.

I narrow my eyes. “If you must know—”

“That’s why I asked,” he cuts me off.

Impatient asshole.

My fingers clench as I try to keep an even tone. “I’m here to get something.”

I’m trying my hardest not to snap. Just because I’m putting up a strong front doesn’t mean I want to piss him off. The Twisted Kings aren’t known for mercy, and if I don’t tread carefully, I’ll be carried out of here in a body bag.

“What would that something be?” Steel asks, refusing to step back.

I can barely think with him cornering me against the wall.

Much less breathe.

“That’s none of your business.” I grit my teeth.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong, wildfire.” He ticks his head to the side to assess me. “Anything that happens on my property is my business. Don’t like it? Then you shouldn’t have come here in the first place.”

I curl my fingers into fists. My nails dig into my palms, and I bite back a groan as they nearly cut into my skin. Getting angry won’t do me any good, no matter how much of a jerk Steel is.

“I can’t tell you what it is. It’s personal.”

“Personal?” Steel huffs with an unamused chuckle. “So is you standing in the middle of my bedroom. I think we’ve already crossed that line.”

“ Your bedroom?”

He nods, and I glance around again.

Nothing about this room seems fitting for the club president, even with the club brand hanging above the bed. The room is large but mostly empty. There’s nothing unique or telling of the man standing in front of me. Nothing personal to hint at who he is.

Once more, I turn to face him. “I’m in the wrong room.”

“Clearly.” Steel’s jaw ticks. “Question is, who’s room is the right one? ”

I close my eyes and exhale.

I can’t trust Steel when I don’t know what he’ll do after he gets the information he’s after. But if I keep my mouth shut, this might just get worse. And right now, I can’t decide who’s more dangerous, the men who sent me here or the one in front of me. All I know is that I’m at Steel’s mercy, whether I like it or not, so I have to give him something—anything—if I want to see the other side of this.

Opening my eyes, I take a deep breath and choose my words carefully. “I’m here to get something of my father’s.”

Steel’s eyebrows knit in a silent question.

“Helix,” I clarify.

Any hint of kindness wipes from Steel’s expression at the mention of Helix’s name, and Ghost’s attention snaps to me.

A chill runs through the room, but I don’t know why.

I didn’t speak to my father for a couple of years before he died, but he was the Twisted Kings VP at the time, so I expected his name to soften the blow of me sneaking around the clubhouse. But with the sudden change in energy, I sense I was wrong about that.

“You’re Helix’s kid?” Steel’s expression hardens.

“I’m twenty-two. Not a kid.” Not that it matters.

Steel’s jaw clicks with his annoyance. “You’re Tempe?”

He knows my name, and I can’t tell if it’s a good or bad thing.

I nod slowly, trying to ignore the tension crackling in the air.

“What the fuck?” Steel glances over at Ghost. “I thought she checked out?”

“She did.” Ghost tucks his phone away, crossing his arms over his chest. “Helix hadn’t been in contact with her for a couple of years. I couldn’t find any ties, so I crossed her off the list.”

“Why were you looking for ties?” I hate that they’re talking about me like I’m not standing in the room with them, especially when I don’t like the sound of whatever they’re saying.

Steel’s attention snaps to me at my question, and his gaze lands like a cement wrecking ball in the chest. “You have some nerve; I’ll give you that. Walking into my club, thinking you have the right to ask me questions when you’re the daughter of a traitor.”

I swallow hard.

A traitor?

The change in energy makes sense as that word sinks in. My father betrayed them, and I walked in here with a target on my back, not even knowing it.

“I wasn’t close with him,” I try to explain. “My mom raised me. We didn’t even talk until he came to find me a couple of years ago. And even then, I told him I didn’t want anything to do with him or his club.”

“Your presence here says otherwise.”

I understand why he’d think that, but he’s wrong.

“I’m not here because of him.”

“You said you were looking for his room.”

“To get something of his, that’s it. ”

Steel clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth, looking me over. “And what would that be?”

“I don’t know.”

He chuckles again, but there’s no hint of amusement on his face. “You don’t know ?”

“They didn’t tell me.”

“And who are they ?”

“I—” I drag my fingers through my hair, pulling it off my face and knowing my answer isn’t going to make things any better. “I don’t know that either.”

“Havoc.” Steel glances at the man from the bar. “Get her phone.”

Havoc steps toward me, and I shift back against the wall. I’m cornered, so I pull my phone from my pocket before he has the chance to search me. The last thing I want is his hands all over me when there’s nothing on my phone that I’m trying to hide.

“Here, take it.” I hand it over. “There’s nothing on there. I already told you I don’t know who sent me here.”

“You don’t seem to know much for a girl who stepped into a shitload of trouble,” Steel says while Havoc holds my phone up to my face to unlock it. “Why are you really here, Tempe?”

“I told you I don’t—”

“Stop.” Steel’s voice makes me jump. He shifts forward, planting his hand on the wall. “Lie to me again, and you’re not going to like the outcome. Now answer my fucking question.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to ignore Steel towering over me. Trying not to breathe him in .

I’m out of air.

Out of time.

Blinking my eyes open, I lock onto his gaze and find no empathy.

I don’t blame him. My father was a horrible person, and if he was half as bad to his club as he was to his family, I understand why Steel can barely look me in the eyes.

“There’s this guy who came into my work a few months ago.” I steady my breath and try to level my tone. “At first, I didn’t think much of it. Dirty Drakes isn’t the nicest place. We get a lot of drifters, people passing through, college students. He was friendly at first… and then, a little too much.”

Bile rises in my throat thinking about how handsy he was, and Steel’s throat bobs with his swallow at my comment.

“He started coming in more frequently this past week. And that’s when he asked about my dad. I told him I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years before he died, but the guy didn’t seem convinced. Then tonight, he showed up at my house with a few other men. They sent me here.”

“How did they know where you live?” Steel’s jaw clenches.

“I don’t know. When they knocked on the door, I figured it was my mom’s boyfriend, but it wasn’t.”

“Why you?”

“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “And I know you don’t like that answer, but it’s the truth. All he said was I’d fit right into the party, so it would be no big deal.”

Steel glances at Ghost. “If he knew about the party tonight, he’s keeping close tabs.”

Ghost nods, and Steel looks back at me.

“What else?”

“He told me how to get in and where to go. He said he needed me to get something from my dad’s room and that it was hidden in a panel in the wall by the bathroom. A secret compartment that I just had to push once to release the lock. But he didn’t tell me what was in there. He wasn’t exactly forthcoming with information.”

“And you just went along with it?”

“Yeah.” I take a deep breath, my throat burning with my reason. “After they shot my mom, I figured they weren’t bullshitting.”

I dip my chin and pick at my sleeve, finding another speck of blood staining the green cotton. My throat clogs, and my eyes burn as I fight back tears. I can barely remember what happened. It was all so fast.

The pounding at the door.

The scream.

The blood.

When I look up, I see Steel staring at the proof of my story, not that he seems to care when he looks back up at me.

“Havoc, go check Helix’s room for the compartment.”

“Got it, Prez.” Havoc walks out of the room.

Steel lifts off the wall and finally steps back, making some distance between us. “Ghost, put her in a room until I figure out who the fuck sent her here, then meet Soul— ”

“A room? Wait.” My hands are shaking. Panic swells in my chest. “I told you everything. You can’t keep me here. That’s all I know.”

“And you expect me to just accept you at your word? You’re not going anywhere until I figure out what the fuck is going on.”

Steel turns to walk away, and I jump forward and grab his arm, realizing my mistake when he freezes and looks down at me with a glare so cold it has me stepping back.

“Wait. Please.” I brush my hands over my arms. “You don’t understand. I have to go back. If I don’t… they’ll… shit.”

I clutch my stomach and sink against the wall. The room is spinning, and my heart hammers in my chest. My throat burns, and my eyes are on fire as the tears start falling and bile rises in my throat.

Showing weakness is dangerous, but I can’t help it. The walls are closing in, and my insides might as well be splitting open. I wipe the rivers from my cheeks, but the tears won’t stop falling.

Steel steps in front of me, tipping my chin up. “Tempe, finish that sentence. They’ll what?”

I blink up at him, hating that he’s seeing me like this. But I’m out of options, and even if it turns out Steel is the worse of two evils, if I say nothing, he’ll keep me here, and that can’t happen.

“Please.” It’s nearly a whisper as I beg mercy from a man who is better known for inflicting punishment. “Do what you have to do to me. But I’m all Austin has now. Please don’t let them kill my brother.”