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Anna’s small smile didn’t falter. Not even when Hayden’s icy gaze met her own.
She’d been around him long enough to understand. Hayden cared a lot about his reputation with the others. It’s what allowed him to do his job so well. If he wanted to be the cold, calculating Resistance leader around all of them, that was fine. She wouldn’t say a word to the contrary.
But with her? Well, Anna knew just how hot and unrestrained Hayden could be, and she’d never settle for less again.
Hell, she was pretty positive she was still pissed at him over something. But what? She didn’t even care at the moment.
His eyes met hers and softened, just enough for her to notice, and she turned her attention back to her meal, biting her lip to keep the smile from her face. Yes, she knew who Hayden truly was without the mask.
And she lov–, er, liked him very, very much.
The pleasant soreness between her legs did, too.
? ♥ ?
Hayden’s knees bent, his body falling low enough to miss the swing from Seth, before they straightened once more, his mind already anticipating the left hook before it came. He grabbed it with his hand, pulling forward and watching the boy stumble right into him. Hayden lifted the twig he held, meant to symbolize a dagger, and jabbed it right under Seth’s heart.
“Shit, man,” Seth muttered, straightening once more as he worked to catch his breath. “I thought I might have you that time.”
Mason laughed to their right. “You thought a few days of training would have you taking down a long-time militia leader?”
“Well, no, I just…” his voice trailed off, a splash of red staining his cheeks. “I don’t know,” he shrugged.
“You did well,” Hayden told him. And the truth was, he had. They’d all done well. With only a week and change worth of training, they’d come leaps and bounds from where they were. “This is all new. New movements, new thinking patterns, new muscles being used. It took two decades for me to get where I am.”
Seth smiled. He was young, probably in his early twenties, if not his late teen years. Most of the kids here had grown up around firepower, but when it came to hand-to-hand? Well, Hayden was glad they hadn’t rushed in blindly. Even just covering the basics would make a massive difference in the fight to come.
With each passing day, that fight grew closer.
A weird anticipation curled in his gut, but not the kind he was used to. Usually, Hayden enjoyed a battle. It was a good way to get his rage out, to empty it into the field, to use his skills in a way that mattered. Barbaric and bloodthirsty, sure, but he was who he was, and it helped him keep his careful control the rest of the time.
This didn’t feel that way, though. Rather than hungry for a fight, he found himself feeling uneasy about this one. Maybe because the last time he’d tried to fight his father, he wound up near dead, Sawyer and Hunter’s success in finding a doctor being the only thing that saved him. Maybe it was the fact that much of his adult life had been centered around redemption, and this was a huge step toward that. Or maybe it was the creeping question in his mind, the wondering of what Anna would do next, once she no longer needed him for her revenge.
He had to believe she’d stay. After everything they’d been through, surely she wouldn’t run again.
Still, a lingering doubt crept into his mind and took hold.
He’d just have to bring her so much pleasure, so much ecstasy, that she couldn’t even think to leave him. That she’d recoil at the thought of never feeling his body against hers again.
That was certainly how he’d felt.
Uncertainty aside, Hayden knew this was a battle he’d have to fight. If he wanted to earn the right to keep Anna in his life, he first needed to rid this world of the monster he called father.
“Boss. We have visitors,” a voice called. The young man who ran up, Kent, was clearly out of breath. “Four men. Plain clothes. Armed.”
Armed? It was highly unlikely the UNR would be walking around, armed and without uniform. Sure, they had weapons, but only redcoats would be seen in public carrying them.
“Grab the vials and syringes. Do we have four cuffs? We might need rope. Quickly.”
Ah, so Mason’s immediate plan was to knock people out, as he’d done to Hayden and Anna? Interesting. But mostly foolish.
“Let me see them first,” Hayden said, stopping the movement of those who ran to act on Mason’s orders.
Mason stilled. “This is how we do things here—”
“I understand that. I just want to see if it’s one of mine, to save you your supplies for those who truly require them.” Power struggles in a world like this, when they were on the same side, were a waste of time and energy. Still, Hayden played into that need he saw in Mason. He wanted the power? He could have it. Hayden had a mission, and he didn’t care one bit who led the charge. “I would never overstep. My only goal is to save our limited resources for the real enemy.”
Mason stared at him a moment, the boys around him keeping their gaze locked on him. Finally, he nodded. “Go ahead. Let us know what you see.”
