Page 104 of Iron Secrets

“All right, take a shower, get yourself calmed down, and go rest. I’ll talk to Anthony, and we’ll go from there, okay?” Molly prompted, patting Sam’s knee.

Sam nodded solemnly, standing and shucking her jeans.

Molly exited the bathroom and walked into the living room to find Anthony, but he was gone.

She glanced out the front window, but his truck was gone from the driveway. Going to find the broom and dustpan in the kitchen, she saw an envelope beside the coffee pot.

On the back, in a messy scrawl, she read, “Don’t let him back in here. I’ll deal with him. I love you, Squirt. Call me.”

Molly looked around their messy home, her heartbeat increasing. Anthony wasn’t done with Aero, and it was going to get worse before it got better.

She sighed, swiped the envelope into the trash, and pulled out her phone to call Gemma.

Aero stalked through the clubhouse and out into the back lot, crossing to the gym. It was, thankfully, empty. He dropped down onto the mat and started a punishing set of push-ups, trying to drive the anger and despair from his body through physical pain.

“Hey, you,” a voice came from behind him, and Aero’s head snapped up.

Anthony stood in the doorway, his jaw set.

Aero hopped to his feet and stared him down, immediately taking a defensive stance. He expected Anthony to launch himself at Aero to continue what they’d started in Sam’s living room. When he didn’t, Aero asked, “How’d you get in here?”

“They let me in the gate.” Anthony pointed over his shoulder.

Of course. They were expecting him for the Fourth of July, so Bear or Gunner wouldn’t have thought twice about letting Sam’s brother into the compound. Aero ran a frustrated hand over his face.

“Is this a new thing, or have you been beating my sister since the beginning?” Anthony asked, his voice full of vitriol.

Aero gritted his teeth, the absurdity of the question making his blood boil all over again. “I would never, ever, hurt Sam on purpose.”

“Yeah? Is that why her face is bruised to shit? I know guys like you.”

That made Aero pause. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You rope in a sweet, gentle girl like my sister with all your romantic gestures and heroism, and then, once she’s fallen for you, you unleash the abuse. No one ever sees it coming; it gets blamed on your mental state and the scars from your service, and everyone just ignores it,” Anthony said. “I’ve seen it plenty of times.”

“Is that what she told you?” Aero asked, his voice suddenly an anguished whisper. He felt like he’d been punched in the chest, all of the air leaving his lungs at once. Sam wouldn’t. She would never accuse him of such a terrible thing. She knew him better than that, didn’t she?

“No, I just put the pieces together. She’d never admit she was dumb enough to get herself wrapped up in something like that.”

“Don’t you dare call Sammy stupid!” Aero snapped, his anger and need to defend his woman blasting right through the fog of doubt that was clouding his mind. “She’s incredibly bright. She’s sweet and kind, and if you’re here to tell me I don’t deserve her, I already know that.”

“Damn right, you don’t.” Anthony glared at him.

“Look, I get it. I have two younger sisters. You wanna protect her, and that’s fine, but you don’t need to protect her from me,” Aero said.

Anthony scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Is everything okay here?” Zed asked, stepping into the gym and looking between the men.

“Fine,” Aero growled.

“Molly called Gemma. Apparently, you two had a spat, and Sam’s pretty broken up about it,” Zed explained, and Aero’s stomach rolled. He never should have left her like that. She was obviously hurting and frightened, and he was to blame. Self-loathing crept up his spine as he thought about Sam, alone and upset.

“Anthony, right?” Zed asked, and Anthony nodded. “Well, I’m Zed; it’s nice to meet you. What the hell is going on?”

“Your friend here hit my sister in the face,” Anthony said plainly.

Zed’s blue eyes bugged in disbelief, and he stared at Aero. “He’s kidding, right?”

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