Page 1 of Twist’s Raven (31 Days of Trick or Treat: Biker & Mobster #6)

Chapter One

B ritt “Raven” Meadows checked her outfit in the mirror, then removed it, packing it in the go-bag.

A year after leaving the Army, she still didn’t quite recognize herself in the mirror.

In the Army, her hair had been confined in ponytails or a low bun.

Now, she rarely confined her blonde hair, which had grown in the last year—reaching past her shoulder blades.

But then, they’d all changed. Britt had been blessed that she’d grown up in a small town with her best friends.

Abby, Gracelyn, Izzy, Baylee, Rue, Britt, and Charity had dubbed themselves the Honey Creek Girls.

They’d been inseparable until graduation, which wasn’t surprising with how small their class had been.

Only sixty in their graduating class, but that was because kids were bused in from surrounding farms and even another county.

But after graduation, they all kept in touch.

And they’d never said goodbye. It was always See You Later .

Britt had celebrated every joy with her best friends, either in person if she was able to make it home, like with Gracelyn and Lane’s wedding, or through a video call when she saw Lane Jr., Gracelyn’s son, minutes after his birth.

They’d always been there for each other—except for that one time.

Britt had thought everything would be fine but woke up to…

Nope, Britt could not go back to that dark time, or she wouldn’t be able to focus on their quest tonight.

Rue, who in vented video games, had come up with that one.

Britt had to say calling it a quest fit, though—an adventurous expedition to find or obtain something went a little deeper.

In their case, it was the quest to find those who had shortened the lives of their friend, Charity, and Gracelyn’s husband, Lane.

And if, along the way, they stamped out some people involved in human trafficking and pedophilia, all the better. The world would be a better place.

Tonight’s quest needed to go off without a hitch.

Raven had chosen Snipe and Buzzard because she’d worked with them in the Army.

When Raven had decided to leave and join the Honey Creek Badgers MC to avenge her friends’ deaths, the guys had gotten out with her and joined the MC.

She was also taking Hoax, aka Rue. Rue and Buzzard would be in the surveillance vehicle, and Snipe would be overwatch.

Once she’d left the main area, he’d be picked up by Axel, one of Charity’s brothers, in the semitruck.

They’d planned every part of the quest, including alibis for all of them.

She slid on her leathers, carrying her bag up the stairs from their underground area.

All quest items were kept in their hidden bunker, which was under the cabins and part of the garden on the property.

She tossed her go-bag in the surveillance RV before making her way through the tunnel and up the stairs to the farmhouse, which served as their above-ground clubhouse.

She’d ride her bike over to the MC’s bar, party a little bit, then she’d play the drunk, though her drinks would be water or tea disguised as liquor.

One of the guys would say he was going to put her to bed, but instead, she’d be taken to the rendezvous spot for this quest.

Then from there, she’d play it by ear, within reason. As she headed toward her bike, Mace stopped her, holding his little daughter.

“You be careful. No extra chances,” Mace said.

Mace was one of Charity’s brothers and had been a Special Agent with the FBI before he decided to form the club.

Britt had been right there saying yes when he detailed his plan to avenge his sister and Gracelyn’s husband.

Britt had known when they all said yes that this wouldn’t be a one-time thing but a lifelong choice to work against the evil that had taken her friends.

But sometimes, sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.

She may have left the Army, but the concept of This We’ll Defend was still a cornerstone of her personality.

They had contingency after contingency, especially with some of their group having children.

Mace and Rue, his wife, never went on the same quest, just in case things went sideways.

Because being a part of the quests didn’t guarantee anyone would come home.

They were trying to trap dangerous people.

But Raven considered the risk worth the reward.

“You got it,” she said, kissing Danielle’s forehead. Mace and Rue had named her Charity’s middle name. They’d considered Charity, but Mace couldn’t handle calling his daughter that every day.