WRAITH (Iron Kings MC, #1)

by Franca Storm

  Get a grip.

  I forced myself to shake it off as Finn crooked two fingers, gesturing for me to bring it.

  I swung my right fist.

  His arm swept down in an arc, deflecting it with ease, like he was swatting away a tiny insect.

  “You’re dropping your shoulder, giving away your intent,” he told me.

  I tried again.

  I still didn’t make contact, but he smiled. “Better. Move into the punch. The power comes from your hips. Widen your stance before you do it or you’ll destabilize yourself.”

  Following his instructions, I went for it, trying determinedly to strike his upturned palm, again and again.

  But his rapid-fire reactions were impressive, faster than I’d ever seen from anyone.

  “Stop hesitating,” he said. “This is life and death, Ashley. Take me down!”

  “Argh!” I roared in frustration.

  My anger propelled my fist at him so hard and fast that he only just managed to stop it from striking him, catching it in the palm of his hand.

  Grinning widely, he said, “That’s more like it.”

  9

  ~Wraith~

  THERE IT WAS.

  Ducking and weaving, as her fists flew, I smiled to myself.

  I’d known she’d possessed a spark. But what I was seeing from her now was a full-on raging fire.

  She came at me with the determined furor of someone hellbent on proving what they were really made of.

  To herself.

  To her father.

  And, clearly, most definitely, to me.

  I knew she’d grown up in an intensely overbearing, suffocating situation.

  It had trapped her in a submissive, withdrawn state. She’d had no air available to ignite the spark to her inner fire that was blazing now. She hadn’t known her own potential.

  Well, I was going to make sure she recognized it now.

  And I wouldn’t let her forget it either.

  Scott’s policy when it came to safeguarding Ashley was foolish. Part of her protection had to involve her learning how to protect herself. While I had no intention of her having to do that, it was ridiculous and stupid to deny that it could happen. Life wasn’t always predictable. Things happened. But Scott couldn’t acknowledge that awful truth, the harsh reality that her protection might fail one day. I understood it, but I wouldn’t agree with it. I was fucking well training her.

  Besides, it would also give her a confidence that she’d been lacking when it came to dealing with this threat, something that would take away a great deal of her fear.

  Without warning, Ashley abruptly switched up her attack.

  She swept her leg at me.

  I lost my balance and went down hard, hitting the floor with a jarring thud.

  It was my own fault for letting my mind wander. It was exactly what happened when you couldn’t keep your head in the game.

  “Oh my God!” she cried, rushing over. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I—”

  I shot out my foot and hooked her knee. She squealed and tumbled down.

  Right on top of me.

  “Fuck,” I choked out from the impact of her full weight slamming into me.

  “You ass!” she yelled, slapping my chest, as she used my shoulders for support to push herself up into a sitting position on top of me.

  “Never let down your guard like that,” I chastised her.

  “That was a dick move.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “And yours wasn’t?”

  A sheepish expression played on her face.

  “Well done.”

  “Really? You’re not actually mad then?”

  “In the real world, people fight down and dirty. Being honorable about it is for the movies and people who end up getting their asses handed to them. You have to be determined, swift, and merciless, because that’s exactly what your opponents will be bringing to the table.” I smiled up at her. “It’s clear you’ve got that in you. We just need to tidy it up and hone your raw talent.”

  “Raw talent, huh?”

  “Yeah, little warrior. I’m very impressed.”

  She went rigidly still. “Little warrior?”

  Shit. “Uh,” I fumbled, uncharacteristically. “Yeah. You’ve got a fighter’s spirit. A heart full of….” Shut it! Shut the fuck up! I cleared my throat roughly. “Nothing. I must’ve taken a harder hit to the head when you knocked me on my ass than I realized.”

  “No,” she said, bracing her hands on my chest and leaning over me. “Don’t cower this time. There’s no running in this gym.”

  Throwing my own words back at me? The woman had balls, that was for sure.

  The look on her face, the sheer want there, had my cock stirring. Not to mention, her hands on my abs, the fact that she was straddling me like a sexy fucking cowgirl. Jesus Christ.

  It overrode my good judgment and something snapped in me.

  Before I knew what I was doing, I reached up and fisted my hand in the back of her hair, drawing her down to me.

  She moaned with anticipation.

  And then my phone rang, the hard-rock ringtone echoing eerily all around us.

  “Really?” Ashley giggled.

  “It’s 18 And Life by Skid Row. A bit before your time, huh?”

  “I know who they are. Are you forgetting that I grew up around a bunch of bikers? Those types of songs are par for the course.”

  I eased her off me, pulling us both back to our feet. “Funny you should say that. It’s the ringtone I set for your father.”

  Her face turned scarlet. She looked mortified. I wasn’t above feeling a little uncomfortable either. Given how close we’d come to… doing something, the fact that Scott was calling felt like we’d been caught in the act.

  I jogged over to a bench in the corner where I’d left my hoodie earlier. I pulled my phone from the pocket and answered, “Scott?”

  In my peripheral vision, I saw Ashley pulling her gloves off, then making her way over.

  “We got a situation.”

  I tensed, my body and mind instantly on high alert. “I’m listening.”

  “A few days back, I had my Sergeant-at-Arms, Lou, lead a team of scouts to do some recon on a warehouse we figured the Rogues were using as a makeshift compound. They missed check in. No word for forty-eight hours. Today, the scouts come back, but Lou didn’t. Turns out while they got away in time, Lou got caught. Knox turned him, Lou gave up vital intel about the club under Knox’s torture. He’s defected, Finn. And along with that intel is all the shit about you protecting Ashley. Lou knew where I was headed to, what town you’re in. Means there’s a real good chance Knox knows now too. You gotta move. Right fucking now.”

  Jesus Christ. “How did the SAA know my location?”

  “We’re at war. I gotta keep my boys in the know. I can’t be taking off with no word on where I’m gonna be at.”

  “Fuck.”

  “I’m sorry. Know you worked hard to settle in that town.”

  I’d busted my ass, first trying to find a place that was far enough off the grid, yet not completely cut off from civilization. I’d built my business up from scratch, garnering a solid rep. And I’d worked hard to keep my head down, to project an image of normalcy and stability to the judgmental, ignorant populace. Blowing out a breath, I gritted out, “Forget it. Guys like me don’t get to settle down like that. Not for long anyway. It is what it is.”

  I caught sight of Ashley looking on with concern. I averted my gaze, the emotion there threatening to rock me when it was imperative that I kept a level head. “How long do I have?”

  “I called the second after he sent the video, but, like I said, they had my boys captive for days. They coulda given up the intel at any time. The fuckers could be real close already. You gotta move now.”

  “All right.”

  I was about to hang up and get things moving, when he called out, “Wait. Let me speak to my baby girl.”

  “Keep me posted,” I tol
d him.

  I held out my cell to Ashley.

  Her eyes were wide. The fear in them was palpable, making my gut twist. “What’s going on, Finn?”

  “I think your father wants to break it to you himself.”

  She hesitated, her hands shaking, with adrenaline, no doubt.

  “Ashley,” I pressed. “We need to make this quick.”

  I pushed my phone into her hand and she took it, almost absently. “Dad?” she queried nervously. “What’s happened? Are you all right? The boys?”

  I could see the second he told her what’d happened. She gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth.

  I turned away, unable to deal with the emotion bleeding from her.

  I couldn’t.

  I didn’t have the luxury.

  Planning our next move had to be my only focus.

  Keeping her safe was all that mattered.

  10

  ~Ashley~

  WE HURRIED INTO THE GARAGE.

  Finn guided me with his hand at the small of my back.

  I felt sick to my stomach.

  Lou had defected?

  I couldn’t believe it. Although, he’d been relatively new, only in the SAA position for a couple of years, he’d been kind to me. He was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. And now he would be tarred a traitor. All because of the brutality of the Rogues.

  Adrenaline was coursing hot through my veins, putting me on edge, and making my entire body tremble. Just knowing the Rogues were headed straight for us was too much to reconcile. It was made all the worse by not knowing how close they were. Would they be here any minute, or were they still miles out?

  Poor Finn, too. Because of this bull, he was being forced to uproot his life and everything he’d built.

  I’d apologized profusely, but he’d just blown it off, assuring me it wasn’t a big deal and that it would’ve likely happened anyway even without the threat. I wasn’t so sure, though.

  I heard him muttering to himself as he stowed the few things we’d managed to pack in such a short window into the back of his truck.

  “What is it with him and his fucking SAAs?”

  “Finn, Lou was just trying to survive.”

  He rolled his eyes. “What kind of man can’t hold up under a little torture? This is a major fucking security breach.” He slammed the trunk shut with more force than was necessary. “The first SAA was so damned reckless. Now, this one, who can’t keep his mouth shut in order to protect everything and everyone that should matter to him. Jesus Christ almighty.”

  Wow. He was beyond pissed, clearly unable to contain his anger. I let him continue, hoping it’d help him to get it out of his system.

  “Come on,” he called, hauling open the passenger door.

  He had me smiling in the next second when he moved in to help me up. It was such a sweet, chivalrous move. He was still so gentle with me, despite how pissed he was at the situation we were caught up in.

  “Finn, I—”

  “Quiet!” he hissed, his hands leaving me.

  I raised my eyebrows in question.

  He just slapped his finger to his lips, indicating that I should maintain my silence.

  I tensed as I watched him draw a gun from a holster at the right hip of his jeans. I hadn’t even noticed he was packing. It’d been hidden by the bulkiness of his gray hoodie. He crept toward the double garage doors. They were rustic and kind of old school, two large hulking wooden things that opened manually. He’d already detached the chain that’d held them closed in anticipation of us leaving any minute now.

  He listened at the doors, standing stock still for several moments.

  God. What was going on?

  The more time that passed, the more the tension in the garage intensified. I was clutching the truck door so tightly that my palms were burning.

  I jumped when he suddenly spun around.

  “In the truck! Get low and stay down!”

  Before my body had a chance to fully register his instructions, the garage doors blew open, tearing off their hinges from the weight of five bikers who forced their way through.

  Finn cursed as he was blown back from the assault, hitting the concrete floor with an awful thud that had me cringing.

  He scrambled to grab a hold of his gun that’d been knocked from his hand at the impact.

  I screamed when a dirty motorcycle boot slammed into his side, making him roll onto his back, away from his weapon.

  “Truck! Now!” he yelled, gritting his teeth as he pushed up onto his hands, then stumbled back to his feet.

  Oh, thank God.

  “Ditching the bikes in your precious town center and coming up here on foot worked wonders.”

  My body went rigid at the sound of the hauntingly familiar voice.

  I watched in horror as he rounded the corner, a creepy grin fixed on his face as he took in the scene in front of him. Finn was surrounded by five burly bikers basically salivating over the prospect of hurting him. Sick bastards. But the sickest of them all was the asshole who’d hung back so he hadn’t had to go in blind and risk himself like his boys had.

  Knox Price.

  His spiky white hair matched his straggly beard. He was decked out head-to-toe in black leather that had seen better days. Just like him. Once a muscle-bound hulk of a man, he’d lost a lot of that muscle, in favor of a withering, lanky appearance. Clearly, life in hiding hadn’t worked out for him. Well, that was what he got for crossing Iron Kings.

  He looked my way, taking in my gradual, cautious steps toward the open passenger door of the truck. “Don’t be so hasty, princess.” He licked his lips salaciously, the act of a creepy smile emphasizing the many age lines etched into his leathery skin. “You and me are gonna have some fun.”

  Having him here was bad enough, but hearing such a sick and twisted threat had me losing it. “I’ll rip your tiny dick off!” I screamed.

  He laughed. “All grown up now, huh? Think you can play with the big boys?” His expression shifted abruptly to one of seething derision as he spat out, “I’ll break you in two, little bitch!”

  He started toward me.

  Finn broke free from the circle of bikers, moving so fast that they couldn’t react in time to stop him as he skidded between us, slamming his hand into Knox’s chest and knocking him back, away from me.

  “You aren’t touching her, motherfucker!”

  Knox puffed out his chest, trying to play the big man, as he truly believed himself to be. “Afraid I am. There’s six of us and just you standing in our way. It’s overkill, yeah. I didn’t trust the intel. But it turns out it’s all true.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Damn, Scott must be losing it, only putting one guy on his daughter. A major fuck-up.”

  “You’d think,” Finn seethed. His eyes grew dark, the look in them beyond dangerous, promising a world of pain.

  Knox hesitated, clearly unnerved by the cryptic comment.

  “Prez?” one of his guys called, when he just continued to stand there studying Finn warily.

  The call snapped him out of it and in the next second he was commanding, “Put him to ground. Take the girl alive.”

  “Truck, Ashley!” Finn called. “Look away!”

  I was a split second away from doing just that when the closest biker to Finn pulled his gun.

  My ability to breath, to move a muscle, left me. Terror gripped me when I spotted Finn’s weapon still on the concrete floor. How the hell was he going to survive? I fought to think, trying to figure out what I could do. I wasn’t armed either, so the only thing I could think of was causing one hell of a distraction.

  But then my plan became null and void as I watched Finn execute a lightning-fast move. I’d never seen anything like it before. His left hand slammed into the guy’s wrist, destabilizing him enough so Finn was able to dislodge the gun from his grip, flip it, cock it, and take aim at the guy with his own weapon. Holy crap!

  It was made all the more impressive by the fact that I knew his left w
asn’t his dominant shooting hand.

  “Amateurs,” Finn sneered. He raised his aim to the guy’s skull, cocked it, then fired off a brutal shot that blew his skull to pieces.

  Oh, God. I sank back against the truck, slapping my hand over my mouth, fighting not to chuck up everywhere.

  A ferocious roar sounded and another biker came at Finn, promising vengeance for the sudden and brutal cold-blooded murder of his best brother. Finn twisted to the left and fired off another shot, dealing the guy’s buddy the same fate.

  He didn’t get the chance to deal out any more immediate death as the remaining three rushed him, Knox hanging back like the true coward that he was.

  Finn pistol-whipped the first guy who reached him and swept his leg at his ankles, sending him crashing to the floor.

  “Get up!” Knox thundered, and the guy scrambled back to his feet with a curse.

  Then all three of them attacked.

  Finn delivered a roundhouse kick to the one on his left, knocking him back so he could deal with the one to his right. He fisted his hand in his cut, clearly intending to haul him away. But then his grip faltered, a curse escaping him, his hand seeming to lock in place. It was the hand that’d suffered a nasty gunshot wound. It was the first time I realized the damage he’d sustained back then was irreparable. That was why he’d been shooting with his left hand. He hadn’t wanted to risk that happening while he was firing a gun.

  The bikers took advantage of it, the three of them working together to bring him down, fighting to wrestle him to the floor.

  I screamed as I watched them succeed, tackling him to the ground and wasting no time pounding on him with their fists and motorcycle boots.

  In the next second, one of them wrenched at his left arm and I heard Finn’s pained curse. The sickening sound that followed told me they’d dislocated it.

  I ran for the truck and hauled myself across to the glovebox, searching for something, anything, that I could use to help him.

  He was a dangerous man. There had to be something, somewhere.

  The glove box was my first go-to, because it was the most accessible if he encountered trouble on the road, or something.

  I fumbled in my anxious state to open the damned thing.