Twist's Raven, page 4
“How were the cabins?” Twist asked.
“They were nice. The town was darling, and for a small town, has a very homey feel. But I think that’s why being scrutinized so thoroughly by the town residents and the MC stuck in our heads and gave me that something’s off feeling,” Maureen said.
“I appreciate you doing this. I think even though you obviously have reservations about the town, I want to visit and see if I can connect with Britt,” Twist said.
Maureen grinned and patted his hand. “I wouldn’t expect any less. She’s piqued your interest, and you need to know more. I guess the only question is, do you want Lexi and Booker or someone else to go to town with you as backup?” Maureen asked.
Twist grinned back at the woman who had basically made all Lexi and Booker’s friends family.
“I think it will be fine. I’ll get my stuff together and plan on heading there today,” he said.
“Why don’t you set a check-in time with Booker so that if he doesn’t hear from you, we can send in reinforcements?” Compass asked.
Twist nodded. That was a fantastic idea, but he hoped he wouldn’t need it.
Twist had made good time and pulled into the parking lot of the club’s bar. He thought he’d have a beer and scope out the area. Maybe he’d see Britt and maybe not. He’d be disappointed if he didn’t get to see her.
Despite feeling like he was being lied to with every word out of her mouth, he couldn’t get her off his mind.
He also had the perfect excuse to be around here. Storms were expected to roll through here later this week. Halloween was four days away. He’d received a call that his vehicle was done. He’d asked Pit if their prospects could bring it to him. Pit had offered that when Twist had picked up his bike. But things had changed. Some of the Franks sisters were in town visiting Ariel and had offered to make the drive to drop it off. He’d bet money that Lexi had given them a heads-up on the woman Twist had rescued.
He scoped out the area. The club’s bar was set far enough back from the road to have plenty of parking. They even had a couple spots for big rigs to park. To the right was the club’s towing company with a decent parking lot and a fenced-in area in back. Twist wondered if there was a lot of crime in the small town because the garage had a six-foot chain-link fence with privacy slats. The top of the fence had barbed wire angled outward, making it hard to climb. Twist guessed maybe being on the highway, they might have to worry about someone trying to sneak in.
To the right of the towing company, after the parking lot, was the Honey Creek Badgers RV & Resort. It was nice, with trees offering some shade in places and pull-through RV spots. When Storm Sweeper was delivered, he might see about renting a spot. This would be as good a place as any to storm chase this week.
He pushed open the door and hoped he’d get to see Britt. Even though he hadn’t quite believed her about her parents forcing her to marry, he wanted to check on her. And to see if the chemistry he’d felt that night was from the adrenaline or something special.
He immediately felt at home in the bar, but after his conversation with Compass and Maureen, he was on edge. The warm wood floors and the darker wood bar looked like a cozy place he could kick back, but he still clocked the exits available to him if needed. The bar was in the middle of the design and appeared to have a three-sixty view of the room other than a three-foot-wide column where liquor was on shelves.
Three pool tables were to the right of the bar, situated far enough from tables that the participants could get loud and not bother diners. There were deep booths with brown leather seats over to his left. Tables and chairs were about half full this time of day, and the smell was incredible. He saw a couple of people with what looked like takeout containers, while others had plates of food. He dismissed all the ones he saw as non-threats.
“Welcome to Badgers’ Bar,” the man behind the bar said. Now this guy Twist would class as a threat. His cut identified him as Axel, the Honey Creek Badgers MC Sergeant at Arms. Twist agreed with Compass. Axel was assessing Twist at the same time Twist was assessing him. Trying to appear non-threatening, Twist had worn a faded T-shirt with well-worn jeans, motorcycle boots, and a belt. He’d pulled his shoulder-length hair into a man bun because Lexi told him it made him look more relaxed.
“Thanks,” Twist said, taking a seat at the bar. Despite the guy being on edge, maybe he could get some information from the man.
“Are you here to eat, drink, or both? We’ve got a bar menu, or we can order delivery from the café,” the man said.
“I could eat, and I’m parched from the road. I’d love iced tea if you have it,” Twist said, taking the menus from the man.
“Name’s Axel, and I recognize you from your videos. Does that mean the weather forecasters are correct and we’re in for some storms?” Axel asked.
“Nice to meet you, Axel. I was here to check on an acquaintance, but yeah, it’s looking favorable for a wild week,” Twist said.
Axel chuckled. “Man, could you have your friend go with you again? It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed that hard,” Axel said.
“Umm, that might be a harder sell. He wasn’t very happy we posted it, but in my defense, he grew up in Kansas and Oklahoma. How could he not know that as a storm chaser we were going to chase the storm?”
Axel placed a drink in front of Twist. Twist ordered and considered how best to bring up wanting to find Britt. Axel had seemed to relax while they talked storm chasing, but let’s face it, looks could be deceiving. Twist still felt that little itchiness that not only notified him when storms were close but also reminded him to be fucking aware.
He glanced around the bar again. Now that he was sitting, he could see the booths and tables on the backside of the bar. Blonde hair caught his eye. Britt was sitting right there with two older individuals.
“Hey, I see someone I know. I’m going to go say hi since I have to wait on the food anyway,” Twist said.
“Gotcha, man. If you’re not back when your food gets here, I’ll deliver it there,” Axel said.
Twist nodded his thanks and headed toward the woman he couldn’t get off his mind. He walked up and waited for a pause in the conversation.
“Hey Britt, I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said. He had to chuckle to himself. Britt’s eyes were very expressive. Hers were screaming that she wasn’t happy to see him.
“Oh Britt, you didn’t tell us you knew Twist. We watch your videos all the time,” the older woman said, holding out her hand. “I’m Britt’s mom, Irene.”
The man stood and held out his hand, “Britt’s dad, Samuel. It must be fascinating chasing storms. I’d love to hear sometime how you got into it.”
Twist shook his hand but couldn’t figure out how Britt could be sitting with her family after they’d been trying to force her to marry someone. Had they caught her after the towing company had picked her up?
He stared into her eyes. He had to know, and who cared what her parents thought. They were no parents at all if they were going to make her marry anyone.
“Britt, are you safe? Do you want me to make them leave you alone, or should I take you out of here?” Twist asked. He wasn’t okay with a family member forcing someone to do what they wanted. Britt deserved better than that.
Britt’s face flushed, and she looked down at her plate. Twist waited for Britt to say something. He wasn’t going to fill the silence because he wanted her parents to feel guilty for what they’d done. Despite her being what he’d thought was a strong woman, she could still be being coerced. It could happen to the strongest individual.
“Britt, what is he talking about?” her dad asked.
“Well, if Britt won’t say it, I will. Family should never try to force their child to marry just for a business deal. Family is supposed to have your back through the rough times. I just don’t understand how you both could do that to her,” Twist said, his voice rising higher the longer he talked.
Her dad stared at Twist, then started to chuckle until he was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face.
“I don’t find this funny at all,” Twist said, completely disgusted with her father. Her mom had a smirk on her face while Britt just sat there with her face bright red.
A hand on his back had Twist turning.
“Hey Britt, Mace called and said to bring Twist to the clubhouse. He wants to talk with all of you. His food will be delivered there,” Axel said, motioning to the back door where another man in a Honey Creek Badgers MC cut stood.
What the heck had he gotten into? And why was everyone acting so strange? Twist waited until Britt got up along with her parents and followed them out the door. Twist checked out the man’s cut. He was the club’s Road Captain. Snipe looked like a pretty boy with his tousled brown hair.
Snipe got in the driver’s seat of an older Willys Jeep. The top and doors were off. Twist had to wonder if they would put a top on soon because it was October and snow could happen any time in Nebraska. Britt got into the back with her parents, leaving the passenger seat for him.
Snipe drove them across what looked like a field of some crop. Twist had no idea what would be grown this time of year in Nebraska. A beaten-down path appeared in the crop and seemed to be what Snipe was following. Twist’s neck itched because if you were wanting a good yield from a crop, then you’d have the path at the edge of the field. Each little bit of land was precious. At least, that’s what Maureen talked about. Why would the path be in the middle of the field and have twists and turns? He guessed maybe because they didn’t want the clubhouse connected to the bar by a noticeable route, but the bar was named after the MC. Nothing was making sense.
Snipe pulled up to a huge, two-story farmhouse with a covered wraparound porch. The house had two balconies—one at each end. Twist got out of the Jeep, then held his hand out to help Britt and her parents. Despite not appreciating what her parents had done, he’d been raised a gentleman—and gentlemen opened doors for their elders.
Twist walked into the front room of the clubhouse, taking note of the exits. Every sense he had was screaming that something was off.
“Twist, this is our President, Mace Singleton,” Snipe said.
Twist walked toward Mace, holding out his hand. Mace must be his name and his road name because Mace was what was on his patch.
Mace grasped his hand. Before Twist could let go, a black sack was slipped over his head from behind. He tried to turn, but Mace held one hand while other hands grabbed his arms. He fought by trying to kick or ram his head into someone, but each move was defeated.
In what seemed like seconds, his hands were tied behind his back and his legs were trussed together. A light hand slipped into his pocket, removing his phone and slipping his watch off his wrist.
“Take him to Time Out until we know more,” Mace directed.
Arms slid around his chest while hands grasped his ankles. He was deeply regretting telling his friends he could do this alone. But in his defense, he’d never dreamed he’d be tied up and, from what he could tell, being carried down stairs. Twist counted steps and turns as they took him somewhere underground. The air smelled different, and the only sounds were the footsteps of the people carting him to whatever the hell Time Out was.
He was set on his feet.
“I’m going to untie your feet to make you a little more comfortable. Try anything and I’ll truss you up like a Thanksgiving turkey and let you deal with that,” Snipe cautioned.
Twist nodded, though what he wanted to do was fight and hit Snipe in the face. The odds were against him, so he’d bide his time. The only thing he had going for him was a midnight check-in with Booker. At least at that point, Booker would know something had gone wrong. Depending on what the MC was into, Twist could be dead and buried in a field by that time. This was one of those times when his overconfidence could find him pushing up daisies, or given the farmland he was surrounded by, he might be nutrients for corn or another crop. He’d been so sure he could handle anything, but he’d never considered this.
But despite tying him up, they hadn’t hit him, hurt him, or done anything he would think someone who wanted him gone would do. Twist wasn’t sure what he stepped in, but it was obviously more than an MC of former military who liked to ride bikes—which was how they’d been described on the internet.
Chapter Eight
“What the hell?” Britt yelled at Mace.
He might be their President but putting someone who wasn’t deemed an enemy in Time Out seemed excessive.
“Now, calm down. We’re not planning to hurt him—unless he’s not who he seems to be. I just need to make sure he can’t hurt us. I placed a call and am waiting for a call back. Once we get confirmation he’s on the up and up, then you can bring him into the fold if you’d like, but a storm chaser would make a great lookout guy to select people ripe for trafficking,” Mace said.
Britt stared at the man she trusted to lead them, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t upset about what had happened. Listening to his explanation made sense, but it had still been a shock when Snipe, Buzzard, Quicksilver, and Mace had Twist trussed up so fast.
But at least someone was thinking. When Twist had approached, at first she’d been stunned but pleased. When her dad had introduced himself, she’d tried to figure out what to say to keep her original cover story, but she’d drawn a blank. The woman who could come up with plans A through C in no time flat was struck dumb at the sound of Twist’s deep, sexy voice and his arms bulging in his tight-fitting T-shirt. His cut, though, had been noticeably absent, which had her wondering if he had known the bar was owned by an MC.
“I’m going to check into his phone while we wait,” Quicksilver said, walking back toward one of their computer rooms. One of the things they’d done was plan redundancies. There were separate computers with the same information on them located in the Time Out tunnels and also in a separate basement hidden under the RV Resort’s cabin with the office and laundry.
Redundancies are what you get when the majority of the members are conspiracy theorists and plan for the day everything goes tits up.
Britt always saw what others called conspiracies, but Britt called them possibilities. It’s one of the reasons she was called Raven. Besides noticing every little thing, she was able to take all the information and formulate what could possibly happen. It allowed her team to plan for all the possibilities. She was a little irritated with herself for not having a plan D when they ran the quest that Twist interrupted. The rest area was rarely used so her plans A, B, and C had what to do in case things went awry, but she hadn’t considered a hero pulling in at just the right time. She’d do better next time, though the runaway bride wouldn’t be able to be used again. That idea was now burned.
“I don’t like what happened, but maybe I’m not objective about him. How long until your contact will call back?” Britt asked, pacing the room.
Buzzard slid his arm around her. “Little sis planning on getting her some with her hero?”
Britt shook off his arm. “Seriously, little sis?”
“I’m trying it out. Since we’re a family, it’s obvious I can’t be the younger brother. I’m older, outweigh you by one hundred pounds, and I can be super annoying when you’re trying to read or do your Legos. That sounds like an older brother,” Buzzard said, grinning.
Britt rolled her eyes. She loved these men, but sometimes they really got on her nerves. She wasn’t sure she would have made it through serving without them, but she was an adult. At least now, they weren’t all stuck in a confined vehicle. She could always retreat to her room.
“Why does everything with you come back to getting some?” she asked Buzzard.
Snipe laughed as he walked by. “Because the hottie Buzzard was interested in turned out to be crazy. Poor Buzzard is on the self-love train for a while.”
Buzzard shoved Snipe. Britt snickered. They acted like teenagers sometimes, but she still loved them.
“How do you know what happened with her? Have you been reading my texts?” Buzzard growled.
“Hey, I get bored on surveillance sometimes. If you all don’t want your life scrutinized, then I suggest getting a little better encryption on your electronic devices.”
Britt poked Snipe in the chest. “You better be staying out of my phone,” she said.
“Chill. Hey, the food is ready from the bar. Are we going to let him eat?” Snipe asked.
Mace held up a finger and answered his phone. He walked away, most likely so she couldn’t listen in, which made her a little angry. Twist had come looking for her. There was no other reason he’d end up at the Honey Creek Badgers MC’s properties.
Did he come looking for her to check on her just as a nice guy, or was he interested in her? It had been too long since she’d genuinely been interested in a man for more than a one-night stand. If Twist was deemed trustworthy by Mace, she had a decision to make. Did she want to bring him into the fold? And did Mace really mean that he could know everything? So far, no one besides their original members and family knew exactly what the Honey Creek Badgers MC was into.
She drummed her fingers on the counter, keeping an eye out for Mace. This waiting was different from when she was on surveillance. How nervous she was told her there wasn’t a question if she’d tell Twist. He was the first man to interest her and make her want to share with him.
Mace walked back in, staring at Britt. “So we have a little delay. My contact said they didn’t want to confirm anything regarding Twist over the phone. He, along with a couple of others, are going to be riding up. They’re leaving now. They should be here in the next hour or so. Until then, Twist can stay by himself in Time Out.”
“Okay. I’ll wait. I get you’re keeping everyone safe, and honestly, I was so surprised to see him that I couldn’t think how to explain I was sitting with the supposed parents who were pushing me toward a forced marriage.”
Mace nodded. “I’ll always do what’s best for the group whether you like it or not.”
