Maddie smiled. “I am feeling much better, baby. I promise. I am going to the hospital to see Lilah and the twins.” Maddie smiled so fucking wide and beautiful it punched me in the gut, taking away the last of the chest pain that had grabbed hold of me. “Our niece and nephew, are healthy and here safely, Flame.” She squeezed my hand tightly. “I cannot wait to meet them.”
Mae came toward us with Styx. His mouth was at her ear and his arm was around her neck. Zane followed behind them. “Zane will take them to the hospital. Told him he has to check in and turn back if there’s any sign of trouble,” Styx signed.
Trouble. Something was happening out there. Some fucker had started messing with us. Leaving shit at our gates. Goats’ heads. Some fucked up symbols written in blood on the road to our clubhouse. No one had attacked. Tanner couldn’t trace shit so far. But some cunts were watching us. I wanted to lock Maddie away in our cabin and never come out. If I ever found out who was trying to come at us, I’d fucking kill them, hack up their bodies so bad no fucker would ever recognize them.
“Flame?” Maddie’s voice pulled me from my head. My fucking head that was filled with death and blood and the need to kill whoever was skulking at our motherfucking door. AK told me it could just be low-level gun dealers trying to mess with us. I didn’t know. “Flame?” Maddie pressed a kiss to my cheek. The feeling of water running through my veins spread over my body. She was my fucking holy water, taking away the sin that festered in my flesh. “Everything is okay.” Maddie’s fingers ran over my forehead. “Calm your busy mind. All is well.”
It was well. Maddie said so.
I pulled her against me. My arms wrapped around her and she held me back.
“Come here, Charon,” Mae said as she passed by us and went to Bella and her son. My stomach turned and stretched again as Mae took him from her sister and kissed his cheek. Charon made a cooing noise when Mae held him, and my eyes squeezed shut. I saw the cellar my poppa kept me in for years. Felt the rough dirt at my back… Eleven… Eleven breaths… he didn’t breathe a twelfth time…
“I am going to the hospital.” My eyes opened. I was holding Maddie. Her arms were around me. I wasn’t in the cellar. She ran her hands up my arms. Her touch kept the flames away. Only she could keep them away. I needed her to keep them away now. “I will be there a while.”
“I’ll come get you after church.”
Maddie nodded. I felt her cheeks move against my chest. That told me she was smiling. I liked it best when she smiled. It was when she looked the most beautiful. “Good.” She moved back and let her fingers drop to my hands. She held my fingers tightly with hers. “You can meet the twins too.” My stomach dropped. I didn’t need to meet them. I wasn’t good with babies. I… Eleven… he never made it to twelve…
“You will be fine, baby.” Maddie cupped my cheeks with her hand. “Come back to me. Look at me.” I did, and all I saw was her green eyes. She lifted onto her toes to kiss my mouth. I couldn’t relax. My head was full and my thoughts were racing. Maddie kissed me harder. She kissed me and kissed me until I groaned and kissed her back. Then all I could see and think and feel was Maddie. I pushed my hands into her hair and kissed her. I always wanted to kiss her.
When Maddie pulled back, she said, “I will be okay, Flame. I am with my sisters and Charon. Zane will see us to the hospital safely. When you are finished here, come and find me.”
“I will.” I turned to Zane. “You don’t crash. Don’t fuck around. Get them there okay.”
“I will, Flame.”
Maddie looked over my shoulder. Her body went rigid, and then she let out a quick breath. “Asher.” I turned to see my brother at the door to church. He lifted his chin at Maddie then walked back into church. Maddie sighed. I didn’t know why. But when I studied her face for a clue, all I saw was sadness. Her eyebrows were pulled down and her eyes were watering.
“I had better go.” Maddie kissed me one more time, and then headed down the hallway, her long purple dress flowing around her. Her pale arms were on show, and her long black hair fell to the bottom of her back.
She was beautiful. I didn’t know much, but I fucking knew that.
I followed her and her sisters out of the clubhouse and I watched the truck until it was out of sight. The minute she left, I felt the flames under my skin. They weren’t high or flooding my veins, but they were there, bubbling underneath. I always felt them. They never ever left me. And I’d feel them getting hotter and hotter until church was done, and I was at the hospital with Maddie.
When I came back into the hallway, Ash was walking toward me. He’d lit another smoke and was heading toward the bar. He walked past me, not saying shit. He didn’t even look my way. He’s in pain, Flame. He needs us. He needs you. I heard Maddie’s words in my head. The words she had been saying to me for weeks and weeks.
I didn’t know how to help Ash. I had no fucking clue. But Maddie wanted me to help him. I thought of her eyes looking sad. I couldn’t fucking stand it.
I turned around. “How do I stop you being like this?”
Ash stopped. His shoulders went rigid under his cut. I blinked, wondering why he never fucking talked anymore. “You were gone last night. Maddie was up all night waiting for you. She’s sick. I tried to get her into bed to rest, but she told me she couldn’t because she was waiting for you to come home.” He didn’t say shit to that. I was talking about Maddie. It pissed me off that he didn’t care. “Fucking speak!” I growled, feeling that fucking knot in my chest begin to build. I had started being able to read Ash. But after Slash had died… I was fucking lost. I didn’t know what any expression on his face meant. Didn’t understand the look in his eyes or how his body tensed or relaxed.
Ash turned and slowly took a drag of his smoke. “I was out.” His black eyes fixed on mine. He flicked the ash from his smoke onto the floor.
My cheek twitched and I dropped my eyes. I couldn’t keep eye contact for long. I couldn’t fucking stand it. “Maddie said I had to help you.”
Ash laughed. “You? Help me?” He tipped his head to the side, watching me, but I couldn’t read the look on his face. “How would you help me?” The back of my neck grew hotter, my skin prickling, and I rocked on my feet. I didn’t know. I didn’t fucking know! Ash laughed again, but when I looked at his face, he wasn’t smiling, just shaking his head. “Thought so.” He turned and walked away, disappearing into the bar.
“Flame?” AK stood at the door to church. “We’re starting.” I went inside and took my seat. AK shut the door and took Ky’s usual seat.
Styx lifted his hands. “No more word on who the fuck keeps leaving us animal heads and symbols in blood on our driveway?” Styx pointed at Tanner.
“Tried to research who normally does shit like this. Even hacked into the federal database. Nothing. No trace.” Tanner shrugged. “My guess is its just low-level assholes who want to try and one-up the Hangmen. But I’ll keep looking.”