It Ain't Me, Babe (Hades Hangmen 1)

My lips curled over my teeth. Breathe. Swallow. Speak.

Fuckin’ speak! I ordered my throat.

But no words.

Yet again.

Fuck!

Rider laughed. “Still nothing to say, Prez?” he stepped back. “You’re pathetic. You couldn’t even grow a pair and speak to your woman when she was calling for you… crying for you. You never deserved her.”

I jerked so far forward off the gate my limbs bent too far. I felt my shoulder pop, probably dislocated, but I welcomed the pain. It would drive me. Fuel me on the path to revenge.

Rider edged in to say quietly, “I ain’t gonna kill you. No, it’d be too easy, and I don’t need no more blood on my hands. I’ve sinned too much for this club as it is.” The rat’s face fell at that, but then it immediately hardened the f**k back up. “I want you alive, Styx, knowing Mae is out there, knowing you ain’t gonna see her again. See how you like living the hell I’ve been through over these past few months. And don’t bother looking. You’ll never find us. No one ever does.”

“Brother Cain! We must leave now!” one of the men shouted from the yard.

Rider stalked off and never looked back. My heart pounded as the van engine started and I fought and fought against the ties until I had nothing left. I watched, strung up like a damn crucified mute pu**y as the van rolled south, down my country road. Hauling away my woman.

I shook with uncontrollable rage, and opening my mouth, I released a long, silent scream.

***

“Styx! What the f**k!” I opened my heavy eyes and saw Ky, Tank, and Bull dismount their Harley’s, running my way. Rows of burning-with-rage eyes watched me. Tens of brothers sat on their bikes at the compound’s entrance, staring at me hung up, naked and beaten, in some ancient Roman execution pose. The Hangmen had finally returned from the ride out and I had no idea how long I’d been out here, but only one thing was on my mind: revenge.

And Rider: dead.

Bull pulled out his Swiss Army knife from inside his boot and cut me down, some brothers propping up my weak ass when I couldn’t f**kin’ stand on my own.

“Who the f**k did this?” Ky hissed, his voice like a scream in the quiet of the watching brothers.

They killed their engines and the brothers quickly moved me inside. Once through the main doors of the bar, they dropped me on the nearest couch and someone threw a blanket over my beat-up, naked body.

Beauty.

The psycho trio stood before me, seething, fidgeting on anxious feet. The whole club seemed to pulse with rage. “I said what happened?” Ky pushed again.

Letti came gunning into the bar from my apartment. “She’s not there,” she said flatly. Shit. I’d never seen Letti shaken, but her dark eyes were huge now she’d found Mae’d gone.

“Where’s Mae?” Tank asked tightly. They already knew she’d been taken.

I sat forward and ran my fingers through my hair. AK pushed a bourbon in my hand and I knocked it back in one, feeling the slow burn down my throat.

“Who was it, Prez? Neos? Mexicans? We need to take out more of the Klan?” Flame growled as he constantly paced the floor like the goddamn f**khead he was—the brother was thirsting for blood. Good. I’d need him soon enough. There was a whole lotta blood to be shed.

I glanced up at Ky, lifted my hands, then clumsily signed, R-I-D-E-R.

All the brothers who could understand sign froze in disbelief, including Flame. That was a first. The brother could never stand still, too many demons rattling around inside.

“R-I-D-E-R?” Ky spelled out loudly and slowly. “Rider took Mae? Strung you up on the gate like you were being f**kin’ crucified?” He confirmed for all to hear.

The room fell deathly quiet.

He was the rat all along. He set up Pit. Rider’s been getting our intel for years. He wanted our turf for guns.

“Who did? Who did the f**ker work for?” Viking snapped.

I exhaled and fought the nausea at losing Mae. I felt like my stomach had been shredded. What the hell was she going through right now? What if they…? Shit! I couldn’t even think it. I wanted to crush skulls, cult skulls, and grind them into dust.

“Prez!” Ky bit out.

I refocused. Mae’s cult. Motherfucker’s the goddamn heir or some shit.

Beauty’s hand slapped over her mouth. “Rider’s in Mae’s cult? No…”

I nodded stiffly.

“Did he take Mae?” she asked, tears brimming in her eyes.

The room seemed to vibrate with tension as they waited for my response. I nodded again.

“No!” Beauty gasped. “They’ll punish her for running away. She told me herself.” Tank grabbed Beauty by the arm and turned her into his chest to keep her quiet.

Shaking with impatience, I turned to Ky, signing, You call on every chapter within the state, f**k, within an eight-hour ride. Call Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, New Mexico, and Alabama. Get them here. I’m calling war on the commune.

Me, you, Tank, Bull, and the trio are gonna pay the senator a visit. That f**ker has something to do with this shit. He’s the key to getting Mae back. Hit the ammo hangers and move the guns. We’re gonna need everything we got.

“Then what?” Bull asked, the rest of the brothers readying to action.

I stood, held my f**ked-up shoulder, and crunched it back into its socket, working out the cracks in my neck. Then we go get my old lady back. I’m fixin’ to bring the wrath of Hades on the whole damn lotta the brainwashed, abusive cunts.”