ANARCHY (Iron Kings MC, #4)

by Franca Storm

  “Nothing,” I told Wrecker. “I’ve just had a lot thrown at me with this mission.”

  “I know. Like I told you, it’s them testing you.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You gonna be okay handling it. If not, we can just—”

  “I’ve got it. That Evan fucker just… triggered it, I guess. I’m good now. Over it.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes. Jesus, Wreck. I said I’ve got it, so I’ve damn well got it. What are you doing down here anyway?”

  “I was riding by on my way to meet Bow to go over some security pointers and I saw Hayley walking over to your bike, but you not there with it. So, I pulled up and she told me you were getting heavy-handed with some guy.”

  “Some guy? That’s how she’d put it?”

  “The way she described it, yeah. Kinda weird, with the guy in question being her boyfriend and everything.”

  “Huh.”

  I didn’t know whether that was interesting or fucked up.

  And I couldn’t get into it. I’d already gone deep enough down that rabbit hole as it was. Any further and I’d never make my way back out again.

  I need to keep my head on straight.

  Things were about to test my control like crazy with this fight training coming up.

  Trouble really did have a knack for finding me.

  8

  ~Anarchy~

  “HAYLEY!”

  She was still playing with her damn phone.

  At my call, she looked up from where she was sitting on the bench in the makeshift gym of the Lone Outlaws clubhouse. “You said I could have a ten-minute break.”

  I pointed to the clock on the wall behind her. “It’s been eleven. Put that thing away. We’ve got more important shit to do right now.”

  She put her phone down on the bench and walked up to me in her workout outfit that had been killing me. A gray spandex sports bra and the tiniest black shorts I’d ever seen. “Sorry. Evan keeps texting me.”

  “What?” I snapped.

  She shot me a withering look. “Relax. He keeps apologizing and asking if I’m okay. He’s really worried. ”

  “He should be.”

  “I told you, it was me.”

  That’s it! I’d been trying to steer away from the whole subject until more time had passed and I’d managed to get some distance and perspective. Until I’d calmed the hell down, basically. But I couldn’t let it lie now. She really believed that it had been her fault and I wouldn’t let her go on thinking that a second longer.

  “Sit down,” I told her, gesturing to the bench.

  She frowned. “I thought you were adamant about getting back to the training?”

  “I am.”

  “Then—”

  “Please, Hayley, for once, do me a solid, and just take a seat, yeah?”

  “Okay,” she said, nervously. She sat down on the bench. “What’s this all about?”

  I sat down on the opposite end and shifted head on to face her, drawing her gaze to mine, needing her full attention, needing her to really hear me. “You’re new at this whole thing.” I scrubbed my hand over my face. “Believe me, I know just how fucking new.”

  She scrunched up her face. “New at what?”

  How could I put it politely? It wasn’t exactly something I was used to doing. I thought for a moment, then came up with, “Being with a man.”

  She recoiled, her cheeks flaming. “Oh my God. We are not talking about this!”

  As she went to bolt from the bench, I called out, “He ignored the signs earlier.”

  She stilled, half turned away from me now. “Signs?” she eked out.

  “I saw it all and it was clear you weren’t open to what he wanted from you. There’s only yes or no, nothing else. It should be that simple and it needs to be that simple. Always. You’re not open and ready for something, then that’s the end of it. It’s your choice.”

  “Anarchy, I know all this.”

  “What you don’t seem to know is that there’s no fucking way you need to be feeling guilty for exercising it.”

  “I—”

  “You don’t owe anyone your body. You don’t owe them anything. Either you want to go there, or you don’t. That’s all there is to it.”

  “I hear you,” she murmured.

  “You do?”

  She gave a small nod, then snatched up her gloves and started pulling them on. I heard her suck in a steadying breath. Then, she spun back to me and struggled real hard to meet my gaze, even though it was damn clear she didn’t want me to see her vulnerability. Her need for answers overrode all that, though, and she told me, “I don’t know why I freaked out.”

  “You weren’t ready to go there with him.”

  She shook her head to herself. “I don’t get it. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. It wasn’t like it was my first time.”

  Her words were like a punch in the gut.

  “Hayley,” I started.

  “I’m just saying… I barely knew you, but I was fine… doing that stuff with you.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Let’s just get back to training now, yeah?”

  “Maybe there’s something wrong with me then,” she mused out loud.

  Fuck! I slammed my fist down on the bench. It had her jumping, her gaze snapping to mine, big blue eyes fixed on me.

  Sweet, innocent eyes desperate for answers.

  I couldn’t take it.

  “Look,” I said, stepping up to her. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve fucked once. And it was a damn whirlwind, not much time to figure out the mechanics of any of it. You’re still unsure, still vulnerable. You’re gonna be that way for a while. And all of that’s made way worse if you’re not comfortable with the guy.” I took a breath. “If you’re not ready.”

  She stared at me, her eyes burning deep into mine as she took my words in. And then, in the most heartbreaking tone I’d ever heard from anyone, she said, “But I’ve known him for a couple of weeks and I’d only known you for a few hours when we… got physical. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand.”

  I did.

  But I didn’t want to fucking tell her, because it could inflame things between us even further, instead of dousing the heat. It had been difficult enough for me to ignore on my own without bringing her into the mix by pulling her closer.

  Looking at her now, though, and seeing the distress she was in, I had to. I’d just have to suck it up and deal with the fallout, try harder to put up a wall between us or something.

  “There’s a vibe between us, all right? Sometimes it doesn’t matter how long you’ve known somebody, there’s just a connection. You can be with somebody for years and not feel that snap with them, not feel truly comfortable with them.”

  Right away, I saw that look in her eyes that I’d been trying to avoid. That fucking fire for me.

  Quickly, I stepped back from her.

  It worked, breaking the weird spell for her, and she cleared her throat, dropping her gaze.

  “Oh,” she murmured.

  She frowned in thought and a real awkward tension built between us. Way too awkward. I couldn’t take it. I became desperate to cut through it in any way I could. It had my mouth moving faster than my brain and I blurted out, “Lock all this shit up now. We’re here to train. If you’re not gonna do that, just leave, so I can get back to my work that actually matters.”

  Hurt blanketed her face the second my words were out there.

  In the next second, it shifted to anger. Sparking, blazing, emanating from all over her.

  Her fist came at me without warning, catching me off guard with my mind elsewhere, nowhere near focused.

  It plunged into my gut. Thankfully, my abs were rock fucking solid and they were more than capable of withstanding a hit from an untrained newbie.

  But she wasn’t done.

  She threw a left hook, going for my jaw.

  I brought my arm down, deflecting it, and she stumbled back
a bit.

  “Your stance is weak and sloppy. Your balance is off. Legs further apart, knees bent,” I chided her. “That’s why you fell back there. Remember what I’ve been teaching you.”

  “You’re an ass,” she seethed, as she fixed her stance the way I’d taught her.

  “Good. I’m glad you’re getting that.” It would make things easier.

  “I hate you!” she screamed, trying to come at me again in a fury.

  I dodged her attack, hooked my leg around the back of her knee, destabilizing her. In another two moves, I had her on the floor, on her back, straddling her.

  “Cool it. You’re making it real difficult to train you right now. Lock it up, lovely.”

  “I. Hate. You,” she repeated.

  This time, though, it lacked conviction. As I looked down at her, I no longer saw any anger there. She looked stunned, overwhelmed with me so close, caging her in beneath me with my body.

  I swallowed hard, managing to grunt out an instruction, “Move me.”

  Instead, she stared at me in a real invasive way.

  “What?” I snapped, not liking it one bit.

  She grinned, triumph flashing in her eyes. She’d realized that she’d managed to unnerve me then. It wasn’t normally an easy thing to do. What was it about her?

  “You don’t want me to,” she accused.

  “Yeah, I fucking do.” I was trying to teach her how to defend herself, to do what was now an aggravating addition to my job description while I was here on Lone Outlaws territory. So, why the fuck was she thinking otherwise?

  “Your dick’s hard.”

  Oh, right. There was that.

  I shrugged. “Doing this self-defense stuff turns me on.”

  She laughed that sweet laugh I’d heard her do with that clueless asshole earlier.

  “Giggles,” I commented.

  She smiled. “No. There’s no way you’re calling me that.”

  “Sorry, it’s looking like I’m gonna be. It’s sticking real quick.”

  “Yeah? We’ll see about that.” Her eyes flashed, just a split second's warning, before she jerked sharply to the side, then executed a move I’d taught her earlier that threw me off her.

  Still an amateur, her movements were wild and jerky. She accidentally jabbed me in the side with her elbow. As she scrambled to her feet, she stumbled and, in her struggle to regain her balance, the heel of her foot ground down on my balls.

  “Jesus,” I choked, slapping my hands to my groin.

  “Oh my God!” she cried. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay? What can I do to—"

  The door flew open then and Python barged on in with Wraith and Grim at his back.

  Grim was a hulking mass of a man, all sculpted muscle and overbearing height. His attitude was just as overbearing too, always so fucking moody and serious. Even his appearance fit with all that, his closely-cropped dark hair and beard real sharp and tidy, like perfect, with no hair out of place. Real fucking intense shit. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he ironed those goddamn gray jeans of his.

  As soon as they all took in the sight of me grimacing on the floor, cupping my junk through my sweats, they all burst out laughing.

  “Apple don’t fall far from the goddamn tree, does it?” Grim said, grinning at Python, and surprising me, because it was the first time I’d ever seen even a slight spark of humor from him.

  Hell, we were all serious about our roles and jobs with our clubs, but the guy took it to another level. It was like he was in hardcore bouncer mode all the time. Nah, worse. Like one of those palace guards in London, where their expressions didn’t change from that severe, intense look. I mean, Wraith was hardcore, but he still offered up a sense of humor once in a while.

  Grim eyed me and said, “Glad I ain’t training her.”

  Python nodded and pride shone in his eyes as he looked at his daughter. “Ballbuster, ain’t ya, Hayley?”

  “It was an accident,” she answered, sheepishly.

  I rolled to my side to get up, finding Wraith suddenly there, holding a hand out to me. Damn, the guy moved undetected. I still hadn’t gotten used to it. I wasn’t sure I ever would. “Do you need some ice?” he asked, seriously.

  “Nah, I’m good. Not the first time I’ve taken a hit to the junk.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” Hayley said, giving me a look.

  “Funny,” I said, casually, knowing there was way more to her dig, and hoping she’d shut it down before the guys caught on to the weird tension between us.

  It was a good fucking thing I had taken a shot to the balls, because I’d been sporting a fucking hard-on ever since she’d walked into the club gym in her workout clothes. It hadn’t stopped there either. All the talk about sex, our connection, and everything had been riling me up something fierce. Then, when she’d used my training against me like that, it’d pushed me even further, because that fire of hers turned me on. When she brought it out, it was harder than normal for me to stay detached.

  Wraith gave my shoulder a squeeze and told Hayley, “He’s only on loan, sweetheart. Don’t break him.”

  She laughed.

  That fucking sound that killed me every time.

  “We’re done for today, right?” she asked me.

  “Yeah.” It hadn’t been as long as I’d planned. But it was clear that I needed to get a grip. Plus, the guys coming on in here suddenly meant they needed something from me, needed me somewhere else right now.

  Hayley pulled off her gloves, stuffed them into her neon-pink gym bag, then threw it over her shoulder and started for the door.

  Before she could make it there, Python stepped into her path, blocking her way.

  “Dad?”

  “You ain’t walking outta here dressed like that. Put your street clothes back on.”

  “What? I’m not—”

  “Ain’t up for discussion. And, next time you’re training, you wear sweats, not… that,” he told her, avoiding looking directly at her, real uncomfortable.

  “Why?” she asked.

  The look on her face told me she wasn’t meaning to give him attitude, she was actually clueless.

  All of us hesitated, everybody going out of their way to avoid making direct eye contact with her questioning gaze flicking to each of us in turn.

  I found my way out of the awkwardness, turning and starting to clean up, grabbing my training equipment off the bench, my towel.

  Wraith pulled his phone out and feigned looking real interested in it, scrolling and typing something.

  Grim cracked his knuckles.

  And Python grumbled to himself and raked his fingers through his beard.

  “Well?” Hayley pressed, to the room in general.

  Python snapped, blurting out, “You look like a fucking club whore.”

  Jesus.

  “What?” she shrieked at him. “Did you just call me a whore, Dad?”

  “No. That’s not what I meant. I just… no.”

  I hadn’t thought it possible for a hardass like the Prez of the Lone Outlaws MC to fumble all over the place and look so uneasy and out of his element, not knowing what the hell to do or say.

  Then again, it seemed Hayley Calloway had that impact on a lot of people.

  “It sounded like it,” she said, looking down at herself. “This is workout gear, not some trashy getup like they wear. You’re saying that I’m sending the same kind of message they are?”

  Python looked completely stumped.

  Grim slapped him on the back and stepped forward, telling her, “He meant it ain’t a good idea to show so much skin in a place like this. Don’t mean you’re a whore. Believe me, I know whores.”

  “That’s enough,” Python grumbled.

  “I thought I was safe in the club?”

  “You are, baby girl.”

  “Then, why—?”

  “Boys still got eyes, yeah?” he said, trying to explain it without actually spelling it out.

  Heels sounded and Python’s Old
Lady, Jules, walked on in. “What’s going on in here? I heard arguing from down the hall.”

  “Thank fuck,” Python rumbled. “Great timing, babe.”

  Jules eyed each one of us in turn. “Timing for what?”

  Python wrapped his arm around her and whispered in her ear.

  Her eyes went wide and darted to her daughter. She shook her head at Python and snapped, “This is all your fault!”

  “Mine?”

  “Yeah. You’re too overbearing, so she hasn’t experienced—” She stopped as she realized all of us were within earshot. “Get out,” she barked.

  “Fucking right,” Python said, ushering us all out.

  I breathed a sigh of relief.

  It had been a mind-fuck of a day.

  Being around Hayley wasn’t getting any easier.

  I’d thought it would with time. But every time I saw her, every additional moment I spent with her, just made it all the harder.

  The woman had a chokehold on me that I just couldn’t seem to break.

  9

  ~Anarchy~

  “FUCK.”

  I killed the engine and slumped back against the driver’s seat with a frustrated sigh.

  “I’m sorry,” Hayley spoke in a small voice. “I didn’t want you to hit that squirrel.”

  “I saw it and it would’ve been home free without you shrieking and grabbing the goddamn steering wheel!”

  “It didn’t look like it from where I was sitting!”

  “You’re not in the driver’s seat, woman!”

  I should’ve been working to deescalate the situation, not worsen it, but I just couldn’t bottle it. It’d been one hell of a day to go along with the shitload of trying ones I’d already had since I’d been down here on Lone Outlaws territory.

  I’d spent hours covered in sweat and dirt installing my security system along the main throughway that was used to access the Lone Outlaws compound. Not only had it been physically exerting, but it’d been a long-ass job, with each device requiring testing and syncing with Hayley’s expertise.

  It was getting dark now and it was pissing down. All I’d had left to do was to drive to the compound, drop Hayley off with Grim, who was taking the evening shift of her protection, then I would’ve been sitting back and finally relaxing with a beer and my brothers.