Deep Redemption (Hades Hangmen 4)

“Fuck, I know!” I signed, managing to calm the fuck down. “Those brothers in there want blood. Our bitches want us to crush the kill.”

Ky shook his head. “We can’t. The debt needs to be paid.”

I moved to the tree opposite Ky and leaned against it. All I could fucking think of was what Bella had spewed about us forgiving Mae, Li and Madds. About how if it came down to it, if I would kill Ky. If he’d kill me.

“Would you do it?” Ky watched my hands. “If you had to kill me, could you do it?”

Ky looked away into the black woods. I didn’t think the brother would answer. Then he shook his head. “No. Not a fuckin’ chance.”

I closed my eyes and thought back to watching Rider as he choked his twin to death on the commune floor. The fucking look on his face as he watched him thrash beneath him . . . the hundreds of bodies surrounding him as he killed his fucking blood.

Jesus fuckin’ Christ.

“These bitches are makin’ seepin’ wet pussies outta us, you know that right?” Ky said, and I opened my eyes. Ky was smirking as he stared at me. My chest fucking lightened as I smirked back.

“We were stronger before,” Ky said, and this time he lost his smile. “Before the women. You and me were unbreakable. A fuckin’ ruthless unit. Now . . . ” He shrugged.

“You tellin’ me you wish you’d never met Li?” I signed.

Ky’s eyes moved to the direction of his cabin and that fucking smile was back. “No. Fuck, I should. After that shit they did tonight, I should . . . but I can’t. That fuckin’ bitch is my kryptonite.” He huffed. “She fuckin’ knows it too. And now I got Grace.” The brother shook his head. “Fuck, Styx. I just got what I thought we would never get. I ain’t gonna fuck up now. You saw the change in Li as much as I did. She’s happy, Prez. She’s fuckin’ happy.”

I thought of Mae in that damn sonogram room weeks ago, and I fucking knew what he meant. ‘Cause, Christ, she was fucking happy too. “I’m goin’ inside,” I signed and pushed myself off the tree.

“Yeah,” Ky said and turned toward his cabin.

Just as he was about to disappear from my sight, I said, “Ky!”

He walked back and tipped his head. “I-I’m r-r-really fuckin’ h-happy for y-you, brother. Gr-Grace. You deserve h-her.”

Ky’s lips curled into a smile and nodded his head. “You ain’t goin’ soft on me, are you, man? Like, you ain’t expectin’ me to fuckin’ man-hug you or some shit?”

I shook my head and gave him the finger.

Ky laughed and walked to his cabin.

When I pushed through my front door, the place was silent. I had to take deep breaths to stop myself going up to the clubhouse and tearing Mae away from Rider. If I went near him, I’d kill him.

I took a bottle of beer from the bar and kicked off my boots. I slumped onto the couch and took a swig of my drink. The house was too fucking quiet. I was used to hearing Mae laugh, or her soft voice singing some Dylan somewhere.

I reached for the remote and flicked on the TV. I froze; the first thing that greeted me was a helicopter view of the fucking commune. Cops were swarming all over the land, the dead bodies still scattered around. AK had called in the information to the cops as an anonymous tip. Looked like the fuckers finally found New Zion.

The ticker along the bottom of the news channel read “Mass Suicide at Austin-based Doomsday Cult.” Even from the distant camera angles, I could see the one fucker in a white tunic at the front of all the bodies.

Judah. Motherfucking Judah, who Rider killed with his fucking bare hands.

Fuck!

I tipped my head back, closing my eyes. I heard a gasp from the back of the room. I opened my eyes and saw Mae standing in the doorway, watching the scenes on the TV. She edged forward, taking in the mass of bodies. A close-up of Judah came onscreen, and Mae stilled. “Oh God . . . ” she whispered as she saw the shitshow that was her old life in technicolor. Her fucking wolf eyes shimmered with tears.

Shit. She looked exhausted. Her long hair was wet from the storm. Mae blinked. “That could have been us. This would have been us had we not gotten out.”

Mae seemed to snap herself out of her fuckin’ trance then looked at me. Her cheeks drained of color, but she schooled her fuckin’ features and straightened her spine. I almost smirked as she stood defiantly before me. Just like she had in that fuckin’ barn.

I gripped the bottle tighter in my hand. I had no fuckin’ idea what to say to her. I didn’t know whether to be pissed or proud. But one thing was for sure, she’d just brought a shit-ton of trouble to my door.