Crux Untamed (Hades Hangmen 6)

“I think I’ll turn in,” I said. “Getting up at dawn each day on the ranch has conditioned me to get tired pretty damn early.” I got up from the chair. Lilah got up too, but I held out my hand. “Please, don’t get up. I assume I’ll be in the guest room?”

“Yes, it is all ready for you,” Lilah said. “Good night, Sia. We’ll catch up further tomorrow.”

“Night, Li,” I said, and added, “Ky.”

I was almost out of earshot when I heard him reply, “Night, sis.” And as always, since the day he rescued me from the hell that was Mexico, my heart melted toward him a little bit more.

The guy could be a prick. Too much Poppa Willis sneaking through at times. But inside him lived a kindness, one our poppa never possessed. A kindness I knew was inherited directly from our momma.

A kindness that was impossible not to adore.

Chapter Two

Hush

AK handed the guns to the Chechen. I sat back on my Harley’s seat, Glock in hand, checking the old deserted mill. After the shitshow that was the Klan sex-trafficking ring, and all the shit with Phebe, I never trusted any fucker anymore.

In truth, I hadn’t for a long damn time.

The Chechens pulled their van away from the drop-off point. AK pocketed the cash, took a smoke from his cut, and walked back to his bike, which stood between Viking’s and Flame’s. Cowboy was next to me, lying back on his Chopper. Fucker was just lapping up the sun.

A fucking smarmy laugh came from Viking as he looked at his phone. AK looked in the brother’s direction. Vike lifted his eyes and waggled his brows. “New blood, fuckers. Got fresh pussy staying at the compound.”

Cowboy laughed and pulled the front of his Stetson over his eyes. Cowboy, the most laid-back man I’d ever met. Nothing fazed him. Lived for the moment and took each day at a time.

“Who?” AK asked.

Viking threw his leg over the saddle of his Harley. “Only a fucking golden egg.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean, mon frère?”

“It means, Hush baby, that we have an unattainable.” He thought for a second and then smiled. “As in, touch her and your balls will be chopped off for the pleasure.”

I waited for him to continue. Fucker loved the dramatics. Even Flame looked his way as Vike leaned forward and announced, “A certain sister has moved into the compound. A certain sister with long blond hair, blue eyes, and mmm . . .” He moaned and shifted his cock in his jeans. “That body, those tits . . . that round, juicy ass.” He opened his eyes. “Yeah, bitch is just begging for a ride on the anaconda. At least she will be when I work the Viking snake charm on her.”

“Whose sister?” AK asked, then a second later, laughed right in Viking’s face. “You ain’t talking about Ky’s sister, right? Sia?”

My body tensed as I waited for the answer. My fucking hands twitched at my side as I waited for the red-headed mountain to fucking speak. “The very same.” He swung off the saddle and pointed at us all. “I call first dibs. That pussy is mine.”

Sia . . . Vike started talking smack about how she’d eye-fucked him at Styx’s wedding. But I was frozen, thinking of Ky’s little sister. I felt someone’s eyes on me. I looked up. Cowboy had lifted up his Stetson and was staring at me. A single eyebrow lifted slowly. A second later, I snapped myself the fuck out of it and slid onto my bike. I tuned back into the conversation, ignoring Cowboy, who was still watching me. I knew why, but I wasn’t gonna entertain that bullshit right now.

“First, I ain’t looking for pussy,” AK replied to something Viking said. “And secondly, Ky would actually rip your cock off this time if you touched his baby sister. You know, the one he spent years of his life hiding.”

Vike looked at Flame. The psycho fucker just glared at him then ran his hand over his wedding ring. Vike rolled his eyes. “I swear, since you two fuckers got tied down neither of you are any fucking fun. Your bitches are carrying your balls around in their purses. Just petting them like their pretties whenever they take out the cash you’re no doubt supplying them with.” He looked right at me and Cowboy. “I’d actually warn you two off, but figure there’s no point. You’re hardly at the club, probably ass-fucking one another or eating your weight in pineapple pieces.” I looked to Cowboy for an explanation, but he just laughed and shook his head, silently telling me not to bother asking.

“That just leaves me,” he said happily and got back on his bike. “Time for the Viking to pummel and pillage the pussy.”

“Just make sure it’s Sia this time though, yeah?” AK prompted.

Viking rolled his eyes. “They have the same fucking hair, okay?”

“What you talking about?” Cowboy asked, mounting his Chopper.

“This fucker.” AK pointed at Vike and started laughing. “Got fucked up on bourbon at Styx’s wedding and walked up to Sia at the bar. Started whispering in her ear and stroking her hair, tried to rub his cock against her back.”

“Just trying to show her the goods,” Vike mumbled.

A wave of jealousy took hold of me as I imagined Vike touching Sia. She’d sat with me and Cowboy at most of that wedding. I hadn’t seen Vike go near her. She hadn’t stayed out long, choosing to go back to her brother’s cabin with Lilah—

“Only it wasn’t Sia, was it, Vike?”

A red blush coated Vike’s cheeks. It was the only time I’d ever seen the fucker embarrassed. He stood off his saddle, and admitted, “Look, her and Ky look real fucking identical from the back, okay?”

AK and Cowboy burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but join in too. Fuck, even Flame’s lips were twitching. “You should’ve seen Ky’s face when he turned and Vike was all up in his ass,” AK forced out through his tears of laughter.

Vike rubbed his chin. “Took a shot to the chin that night. The VP’s fists are like friggin’ boulders.” Vike crossed his arms defensively as we all kept laughing at him. When we calmed down, he looked at me and Cowboy and said, “You two like dick. You gotta be honest; Ky is one good-looking brother, yeah?”

I shook my head, ignoring the idiot, but Cowboy shrugged and agreed, “He’s very handsome, mon frère.”

“See!” Vike argued. “An easy mistake to make.” He tutted. “The gay guy gets it. Clearly the only one outta you fuckers with taste.?

?? We all got on our bikes, ignoring him, needing to ride the fuck back to the compound. Then Vike added, more to himself than to us, “And, shit, but that brother’s hair was so soft. Smelled sweet too . . . like burnt vanilla and spun sugar.”

AK shook his head at his best friend. Then, leading the pack, he lifted his hand and signaled for us to hit the road. As we pulled out onto the back country roads, wind on my face and Cowboy at my side, all I could think of were Sia’s blue eyes and long blond hair. And her smile.

Shit. Bitch had a killer fucking smile.

Shame I’d only ever know it from afar.

*****

“You’re back,” Tank announced as we entered the club bar. Tanner was sitting next to him. I eyed them both like always. Tank wasn’t so bad. He’d managed to cover most of his Nazi ink up with Hades shit. But Tanner, the fucking White Prince of the Klan, made me feel nothing but rage. The brother might have said he’d changed his ways and weaseled his way into Styx’s good graces. But I would never trust any member of the Klan. My left hand twitched to pull out my Glock and push the fucking barrel against his skull, the one that had been shaved most of his life so every fucker knew which “people” he belonged to. And which “people,” people like me, he lived to destroy.

“You okay, brother?” Tank narrowed his eyes as I glared at one of his best friends. Unlike Tank, Tanner still wore his white-power ink. Swastikas, the number eighty-eight for “Heil Hitler,” white-pride Celtic tattoos, and anything fucking else a racist motherfucker could think of.

“Ça va,” I growled, replying in Cajun French so I wouldn’t say exactly what wanted to pour from my lips. I forced a strained smile at the two ex-skinheads. But my heart slammed in my chest and my hand shook at my side. I was a fucking time bomb around any sign of the Klan. Conditioned to feel a hate so strong it controlled me whenever they were around.