Fighting Mac (Charon MC)

by Khloe Wren

  “How do you know what they’d do? The Iron Hammers. You sound like you know more than just rumors.”

  The older woman’s eyes glossed over with tears. “I grew up in Galveston. When I was eighteen, one of my friends got us an invite to a party at the Iron Hammers clubhouse. We were so excited. We’d be able to drink–have fun with no parents anywhere near us. The two of us went into that hellhole and we only just made it out. They held us down and injected drugs into us. Then they tossed us into a tiny room. There were other girls in there already. The men would come in and force more drugs into the ones coming around, other men came in to fuck whoever caught their eye. My friend and I pretended to be drugged-out, unconscious to avoid getting shot up again. Fuck. I’ve never been so scared in all my life, Zara. Early the next morning, when all the men had passed out from their fun and games, we managed to sneak out.

  “Just like you, Zara, we both came here. I wasn’t as sneaky as you, though. Scout, the president of the Charons MC, found us soon after we arrived in town. He took us in, let us stay in his home until we recovered enough to function. The club helped me set up this place. The Charons are good men, sweetheart. They’re not going to hand you over.”

  Tears ran down my face for Marie and her friend.

  “Did you tell Scout about the other women? Get him to go help the others?”

  “It’s not that simple. The Charons were a lot smaller than the Iron Hammers and they didn’t have the manpower to go in and take them down. Hell, they still don’t. And, well, we didn’t tell Scout everything. We were young, scared and embarrassed about what had happened. All Scout knew was that we’d had drugs and were scared shitless of the Iron Hammers. We didn’t confess about the other stuff. We’d thought if we had, and the Charons went charging in, they’d probably be slaughtered and the Iron Hammers would take us back.”

  Pulling my knees up against my chest, I wiped my eyes against my knees.

  “I don’t know what to think, or do. I’m so fucking scared, Marie.”

  She shuffled over to sit beside me before she pulled me in for a hug. “You need to talk to Mac. Tell him who you are. And go to that damn class. Learning how to hand a man his ass when he steps out of line is a handy skill for any woman to have.”

  I nodded against her shoulder. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Well, don’t think for too long, sugar. From what the cops were saying, the Iron Hammers have quite the hard-on for you and everyone knows Bridgewater is the place you go to hide from them. They won’t take long to come to town.”

  I didn’t respond, just stayed pressed against Marie, soaking in the comfort as I thought through my options. Which was a joke really. I didn’t have any fucking options. Either risk someone else figuring out who I was that would hand me over, or go to the Charons for protection. I had to wonder about what the price tag attached to that protection would be.

  Mac

  The first self-defense class was about to start and I was more than happy with the turnout. I grinned with excitement. The dozen or so women included all sorts. There were a couple of giggling high schoolers, who I suspected were only here to try to catch a Charon, rather than learn any skills. A few were clearly young mothers, who had that tired, but happy look about them. There were even a couple of ladies that had to be in their fifties. This was good. I hoped that in time word would spread, and we’d be able to do separate classes for each age group.

  The door opened right at starting time and my heart began to race. She’d come. I’d given up hope she would. But Zara was here, standing in the doorway chewing her lip and looking beyond adorable... and scared.

  “Your girl came after all.”

  I nodded at Chip’s words. “Looks like.”

  “Go grab her. She can fill out the paperwork afterward. We need to get started.”

  With a nod, I strode over to Zara.

  “Glad you made it. We’re about to start, so I’ll sit down with you after and go over the paperwork, okay?”

  “Um, sure.”

  As I led her over to where we’d set up, I just knew she was going to do a runner on me after class. The question was, did I try to stop her, or let her go? Not like I didn’t know where to find her tomorrow. I decided I’d keep an eye on her and see how it went. Maybe she’d settle down by the time we finished class and she’d stick around.

  Joining Chip at the front of the room, I got everyone’s attention, introduced the pair of us, and started my first self-defense for women class. I’d planned this first lesson to be very basic. To start with, I ran through several different maneuvers with Chip as my crash-test dummy. The women all got into it, cheering and laughing every time I dropped Chip. I was going to owe him a bottle of Jack for all the times he let me put him on the mat.

  For the last part of the class we did a couple of demonstrations. One was to show them exactly how to get free from having your arm pinned up behind your back, and the other was how to handle someone coming at you with a knife. Once we demonstrated, we put the ladies in pairs, gave each pair a toy knife to use, and had them practice both situations. Chip and I moved around the room, helping out each pair as we went. I was pleased with how everyone was doing. Even the giggling schoolgirls had settled down and got with the program.

  Time flew and before I knew it, the hour was up. I called time and ended the class, telling them I’d see them all next week. My chest swelled a little at how every woman was smiling on her way out of the door. I hoped like hell these classes would save at least one of these ladies from being a victim at some point in the future.

  Zara was the last to leave, surprising me by not trying to sneak out. She shocked me even more when she strolled straight up to me, chin raised.

  “If you don’t mind, could I take that paperwork with me? I’ll give it to you next time you’re in the cafe.”

  I cocked my head at her, certain she was up to something.

  “It’s not exactly protocol. For insurance purposes we need you to fill out and sign a single page form. It won’t take long. I can help you now and it’ll be done in a couple of minutes.”

  She winced and pulled her lower lip into her mouth to chew on it. The sight had my dick twitching, which wasn’t ideal when I was wearing loose gym shorts.

  “That’s fine, darlin’. Here’s the form, one of us will be in to Marie’s in a few days to collect it, okay?”

  She turned to smile at Chip as he handed her the form as he’d spoken to her.

  “Thanks. That’ll be great.”

  And with that, she scurried out the door and into the night. I stood glaring as Chip went over and locked the door behind her.

  “What the fuck, Chip?”

  “Settle down. That girl is as skittish as they get. You want to frighten her off? She’ll never step foot in here again if you’re not careful.”

  We both headed to the locker room to change out of our gym clothes.

  “How was I supposed to be any more careful than I was? It’s a legality that we actually need that form signed, asshole. And she’s trying to hide something that she’d have to put on it. I want to know what.”

  Chip rolled his eyes at me. “I’m sure you want to know all sorts of things about that girl, and the fucking form ain’t gonna tell you shit about most of them. Go see her at Marie’s tomorrow. Go just before closing and see if she’ll sit with you for a while.”

  “It won’t be that easy, and you know it. She’s sneaky when she wants to be. You watch, next week’s class will be here before I get anywhere near her, or her form.”

  With a smirk, Chip headed out. I silently followed, flipping off the lights and locking the side door as I went. We both knew I was right. I hadn’t even kissed this chick and she was driving me nuts.

  Jumping on my bike, I didn’t go straight back to the clubhouse. I needed to clear my head so made my way out of town for a ride. There was something about having the wind in my face and the feel of my Harley beneath me that helped soothe me. Always ha
d.

  CHAPTER 5

  Zara

  “You’ve been dodging that man all week. What happened?”

  I was helping Marie close up after Mac finally left. He’d come in every day near closing since I went to the gym last Thursday, and waited for me. Each time I avoided him until he gave up and left.

  “I went to his class like you wanted. But I can’t go back. They want me to fill out paperwork. They’ll recognize my name.”

  I turned to face Marie when I felt her glare heat up my back.

  “We went over this. You want them to know who you are, remember? Would you like me to call Scout? Explain to him what’s going on.”

  My eyes widened and the blood drained from my face. “You can’t do that!”

  “Okay, calm down. It was just a suggestion. I wouldn’t do it without your permission, sugar. You know that.”

  I shook my head to clear it. “I’m not ready to trust them. That shooting wasn’t my first run in with asshole bikers. It’s not easy to get over a lifetime of hatred for them.”

  Her face softened and I winced. Of course, she knew exactly what I was talking about. After what happened to her and her friend, I was kind of surprised she’d even serve a biker.

  “Not all clubs are the same, Zara. But I can see that even if I tell you until I’m blue in the face, you still won’t take my word for it, so I’ll leave it be. But you think about it. Not many men would do what Mac has done this past week. To keep coming back in every day to see you, only for you to shut him down every time. There’s another class tonight. Maybe you should go chat with him.” I started to speak but she held her palm up. “Not another word. I won’t bring it up again, I promise.”

  We finished up closing in silence. I mean, what could either of us say? We both knew the facts. And I knew I was being a coward. I walked out to my car and got in. I probably should have gotten rid of it, since it was registered to me, but I couldn’t afford to buy a new one, and this one was paid for. Besides, I didn’t drive around much, only between the motel and work, so hopefully no one who was looking for me saw my car.

  With a sigh, I cranked the engine and headed out of the parking lot. This constantly looking over my shoulder and worrying about getting caught was wearing me out. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could live like this. When I was at work, I was occupied and mostly okay, but once I got back to my motel room, my narcolepsy was worse than ever. I’d upped my meds but I was still so fucking tired all the time.

  I was nearly at the motel when I saw him. A lone black Harley coming toward me on the road. It passed without slowing down, but when I looked in my rear view mirror I saw his back. The familiar large hammer on his vest chilled my blood. Fuck. They were here in town. Did they know I was here for sure? Did he recognize my car? I kept an eye on him until he turned down a side street. Was he turning around to follow me?

  Before I could talk myself out of it, I turned toward the gym. Mac just became the lesser of the evils I could risk trusting. Tiredness tried to pull me down and I began to do what I’d done a hundred times before, when I’ve needed to fight off my Narcolepsy. I start to alternatively slap and pinch my thigh to keep myself awake. I had to hit or pinch hard enough to trigger some adrenaline into my system. It wasn’t the first time I’d had to do it. My thighs were often covered in bruises from it, but it was better than falling asleep at the wheel and crashing.

  I made it to the gym’s parking lot but couldn’t find the energy to get out of my car. I needed to sleep desperately. Fuck, I hoped I was going to be safe in my car here, because there wasn’t anything I could do to stop what was about to happen. I hit the door locks and tilted my seat back. Within seconds I was out.

  Mac

  I was about to change out of my street clothes when my phone rang. Seeing it was Keys calling, I answered right away. With a class due to start in half an hour, I knew the man would be watching the CCTVs that monitored the outside of the gym, paranoid bastard that he was.

  “Hey, brother. What’s up?”

  “Shit’s going down in your parking lot, brother. Get moving, and not alone. I’ll tell you more after you start moving.”

  Pulling the phone away from my mouth, I bolted out of the locker room and glanced around. I’d never been more thankful to see Taz not far away.

  “Yo! Taz. Need you now. Move out.” The man was instantly on alert and came jogging over.

  “What’s up?”

  “Trouble in the parking lot.”

  Without another word, he followed as I lifted the phone back up.

  “Make it quick, Keys.”

  “Looks like your girl, Zara, pulled up about ten minutes ago. She’s still in her cage and some scumbag is trying to break in her ride.”

  The MC was worse than a fucking high school for gossip. I’d barely spoken to the girl and the club had us paired off already. And how the fuck did Keys know what her car looked like? Something to worry about later. If Zara was in trouble, whoever was after her was about to learn why Marines have the reputation they do.

  “Recognize him?”

  “Not from the CCTV feed. Little shit’s wearing a black hoodie. Original all the way, this fucker. Arrow’s on his way over with a cage to bring him back here, but he’s not gonna arrive in time to save your girl.”

  “Gotcha. Call you after.”

  I’d thought all the cameras Keys insisted on installing around the gym had been overkill, but now I was grateful for them–along with the fact that Keys was paranoid enough to be watching the damn things tonight.

  “Zara’s out there in her car with some fucker trying to break into it. No idea what condition she’s in. I’ll handle Zara, you keep the bastard detained until Arrow arrives with a cage.”

  Taz was all business when he gave me a quick “Yes, sir.”

  We both slipped out the side door and silently made our way over to Zara’s little, faded blue hatchback, sticking to the shadows. That thing was old as the hills. No way would someone be trying to steal it, especially when there was a woman inside the damn thing. As we got closer I could see Zara was either sleeping or unconscious. Her seat was tilted back, so I was hoping she was sleeping. I couldn’t see any blood on her, but that didn’t mean she was unharmed. Especially considering she’d parked her car at an angle over two spaces.

  The bastard had his back to us and wasn’t paying any attention to his surroundings. So fucking stupid. And a mistake that made it clear this guy had no training. Taz moved in from his left, as I moved in from his right, getting the idiot’s attention.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  With a curse, the bastard turned to sprint away, but Taz was there waiting for him and with a hand wrapped around his throat, threw the fucker roughly down to the ground before he knew what hit him. Knowing Taz could handle the bastard with his eyes closed, I turned my focus to Zara. What the fuck was wrong with her? I grabbed my Leatherman off my belt, extra glad I hadn’t changed into my gym gear before Keys called, and got to work on the lock.

  A few excruciating seconds later I had the door open and reached in for her.

  “Zara?”

  She moaned softly and raised a hand to her face. Relief washed through me. Whatever the fuck had happened, it hadn’t killed her.

  “She alive?”

  “Yeah, she’s waking up now. I’m going to take her inside, make sure she’s not hurt. You okay to wait for Arrow? He shouldn’t–”

  I stopped talking when the man in question came through the parking lot in one of the club’s vans. One with blacked-out back windows.

  “You go with him, Taz. Keep me updated on what happens.”

  “How about I stay here with you, and watch your back? That way Arrow can talk to me and you can focus on your girl?”

  I winced. Fuck. Every so often I forgot it was more than just me, Eagle and Taz now. That I could, in fact, trust my MC brothers as much as my Marine ones.

  “Of course. Shit. I’m not thinking
straight.”

  I watched as Taz hauled the guy off the ground, then tossed him against the side of the van. Arrow wrapped some duct tape around his wrists and ankles, then Taz threw the guy in the back.

  “Let me know what he has to say, yeah?”

  “Of course, brother. Let me know what happened with her. We’ll make sure he pays.”

  I left Taz and Arrow to their conversation and turned back to Zara. She was rubbing a palm over the back of her neck as she adjusted her seat so she was sitting up normally.

  “C’mon, Zara. Let me take you inside.”

  She frowned up at me, looking dazed. Slowly, so she knew what I was intending to do, I slid an arm behind her back, and the other one under her knees before lifting her against me. Damn, but she was light. I needed to see to it that she ate more. I mentally shook my head. I was thinking crazy. This was the woman who’d avoided me like I had the plague all week. Like she’d let me care for her like that?

  Leaving Taz to deal with locking up her car, I strode back to the gym’s side entrance. One of the prospects that had been working out stood there, ready to open the door for me.

  “Thanks, man. Can you go open the office door for me?”

  He rushed off to do my bidding and I followed behind him, wanting to get Zara away from public exposure as soon as possible.

  Once in the office, I kicked the door shut before I sat down on the couch with her on my lap. She was still not fully awake. Nor had she made a sound, other than that first groan. I gently ran my fingers through her hair, brushing over her skull to check for bumps, thinking she might have hit her head on something earlier and had a concussion.

  A shiver went through her and a smile tugged at my lips as she snuggled against me. It was only a precious few moments before she pulled back, but it was enough to have my whole being in tune with her. And my cock as hard as a rock. I forced my brain to focus. She might be injured. I ran my gaze over her again, still not seeing any obvious injuries. In the next few seconds, she seemed to wake up fully and slipped from my lap to stand.