The flames grew hotter, burning me from the inside. But I let them burn. As Poppa and Pastor Hughes cleansed the bitch on the ground, I just let the flames burn.
Chapter Eight
Maddie
“We’re not far out now, Madds,” AK informed me from the driver’s seat. I swallowed the nerves I was trying to conceal from the others with a simple nod. I cast my gaze outside of the van, into the gathering dusk beyond. With each mile we drove an uneasy feeling grew upon my heart. I did not know what we would be walking into—something in my soul told me that it would not be good. But how could it be? Flame and Asher had fled the safety and love of our home to track down the men who started the fire, with the single focus to harm them, no, to rob them of their lives.
“Are you well, Maddie?” Sister Ruth asked. She checked my pulse.
“Yes,” I replied and held my head high. Sister Ruth had been diligent with my care in the hours we had been on the road. We had made no stops. I had not planned to. Getting to Flame and Asher was my sole focus. The Hangmen had pulled away from the van yet remained visible up ahead. I could see their taillights through the windshield. One by one their lights switched from amber to red. I leaned forward as AK pulled the van up behind them.
“Flame and Ash’s bikes,” Viking said, serious for once. In fact, he had scarcely cracked one joke on our travels to this place. AK showed his concern for Flame on his sleeve, and always had. But Viking was ever the comedian, the one to break tension with jokes and laughter—inappropriate as they generally were. However, no jokes accompanied us to the abandoned bikes. It served to tell me how worried Viking was for his best friend. Many times, throughout the drive I had wanted to place my hand on his shoulder, to offer him comfort. AK had Phebe, Zane and Sapphira. Viking was alone, save for his Hangmen brothers. I was not sure if he ever shared his burdens with another without the backdrop of comedy.
AK pulled the van to a halt and got out. Bella reached for my hands. “He will be well, sister. I believe it.”
I kept my eyes on Styx and Ky, and the other men who had circled the bikes. I could not answer Bella for fear I would fall apart. The van door opened and AK stood on the other side. “We’re going in. Y’all stay here. We’re leaving Rudge here with y’all.” He met Rider’s eyes. “Grab a gun, you’re watching them too.”
Bella tensed, but Rider squeezed her shoulder as he silently attempted to soothe her worries. As the van door closed, Ruth, Bella and I were plunged into silence. I heard the men moving into the forest. Darkness was falling rapidly, providing them with a protective shield. I was anxious. I closed my eyes and strained to listen to what was happening beyond the safety of the van. There was nothing until a cacophony of guns sounded out all around us, like thunder slicing into a peaceful silent sleep. I squeezed Bella’s hand, betraying the instant fear that spiked like poison in my veins. I listened even harder. God, if he is safe, let me hear him. Let me hear them both.
Suddenly, the gunfire ceased, and I held my breath waiting for what was to follow. Then I heard it. I heard it like a beckoning to my soul. His voice—Flame’s voice. Though, the familiar sound only filled me with relief for a moment. Because the screams, the agonized timbre of his voice cut through the air like a banshee—he was in pain.
I moved automatically. I did not care that I had been ordered to stay in the van. Instinct carried on the wings of love, made me open the van’s door and run toward the forest.
“Maddie!” Rudge whispered harshly, grabbing my arm to stop me.
I yanked my arm back. “That is my husband screaming in the forest. My husband. I will not be stopped.”
“Fucking hell, mate! Styx’ll have my bollocks in a bloody vice for this,” Rudge spat out and rushed in front of me. I turned, to see Bella and Sister Ruth following me with Rider taking up the rear, a worried expression etched on his face. I tracked the flattened grass path that Rudge was following. Voices drifted from the direction I assumed was the clearing. Then I heard him again.
Flame.
“GET THE FUCK BACK!” I exhaled in relief on hearing Flame’s voice. He was alive. Something was terribly wrong with him. His tone was strained, his words were slurred, but I found some comfort in the fact that he was alive.
“He said get back! What’s wrong with y’all?!” A silent sob fell from my lips when Asher’s voice sounded next. He was protecting Flame.
My feet moved quicker until the flames of a fire pit could be seen flickering through the gaps in the trees. Suddenly, my feet came to a complete stop. I closed my eyes and immediately felt my hand cradle my stomach. I could not move. I could not step into the clearing to see Flame and Asher. I could not handle what the gunshots might mean. Then—
“GET THE FUCK BACK! DON’T TOUCH ISAIAH. I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”
My eyes snapped open the second the name had slipped from Flame’s mouth. Isaiah. He was speaking of Isaiah. Dread infused my soul, and I pushed my feet to move. My heart beat wildly in trepidation. Flame rarely spoke of Isaiah.
Feeling the reassuring touch of Bella’s hand on my back, I rushed into the clearing. My eyes widened at the sight before me—men, dead on the ground. All but one, who was still alive. He lay on the dirt. Smiler’s foot was squarely on his chest to restrain him. The man was bleeding, but he was alive, his eyes watching the Hangmen like hawks. My eyes searched for Flame and Asher. But I stilled when I saw a young woman trapped in a cage. She was naked, her numbed gaze staring at the Hangmen. My stomach clenched when I saw her mouth… no… her mouth was sewn shut. She had marks on her body and blood stains between her legs. I instantly recognized what that blood signaled. Its placement and what it meant… what she had recently gone through. I had also gone through it, far too many times in my life.
My heart shattered for what she had been through… was still going through.
“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ISAIAH,” Flame continued to scream. Then his voice weakened, forcing my heart to twist into a tight knot. “He’s good. They bit him, but he’s good. Not evil. Not like me. He can’t be evil too…” I followed the sound of Flame’s voice to a heavily wooded area. I locked eyes with Hush and Cowboy. Their eyes appeared sad as I passed them by. I steeled my nerves for what I would find. One by one, the Hangmen, who hovered near the tree line, looked at me with sadness and concern—Beau, Tanner, Bull, Tank… I inhaled a fortifying breath, and then turned slowly. Blood drained from my face at the sight that greeted me. Consciously, my hands covered my mouth and I felt my heart echo the cutting pain that burrowed in my soul.
“Flame,” I whispered, then cast my eyes to the tree beside him. “Asher…”
Asher’s dark gaze caught mine. “Madds,” he slurred. My eyes tracked down his shirtless body. He was covered in blood. Covered in knife wounds and pierced by dual holes all over his body. His cheeks were pale, and his eyes were half-lidded, as though he had been drugged. “Maddie… help him…” Asher whispered. His head rolled in the direction of Flame. He fought for consciousness, but I detected desperation in his eyes. Even through his own pain, he petitioned me to aid Flame.