Heart Recaptured (Hades Hangmen 2)

Mae whipped her head around to look at us as she tried to calm Maddie in her arms. “The river. The only other place she could be is the river.”

I was running down the stairs before Mae even finished the sentence, Styx following. I smashed through the exit and sprinted across the yard. AK, Vike, Cowboy, and Hush pulled out their Uzis.

“Fuck! We almost shot you!” AK shouted, but Styx and me didn’t stop. “Where you going?” he shouted, but I was too busy breaking through the line of trees, my heart fuckin’ racing faster with every step.

Why the hell would she come to the river when we’d just been attacked? What if something had happened? I almost stumbled when I panicked that it could be because we made love.

Shit!

I could hear several sets of feet following me now as I ran through the woods, ignoring the low branches whipping and scratching at my face. I kept to the dirt path leading to the river, pushing my legs to move faster, when I heard the rush of water in the distance.

“Lilah!” I shouted as I broke through the line of trees to the riverbank. But there was nothing. I ran to the edge, looking down into the water, the current rough and strong.

“Fuck!” I bellowed, my hands on my head. Styx gripped my arm and pulled me around. I met his questioning eyes. “She fuckin’ comes down here to pray, then goes in to cleanse herself or some shit.”

Styx’s expression hardened and he released me to begin searching the water. I ran about twenty-five yards and recognized the slope where Lilah would lay her clothes. Eyes to the ground, I searched every inch… and my heart fuckin’ fell when I saw a white piece of material tucked under a rock.

Bending down, I pulled on the material, freeing it from the rock, and picked it up—Lilah’s headdress.

“No!” I yelled, head tipped back in fury, and clenched the material in my hands.

AK, Vike, Cowboy, and Hush approached, Uzis high as they scoured the area. My knees felt weak, and before I knew it, I was on the ground, fuckin’ head between my knees.

Styx kneeled down before me and put his hand on my shoulder. I glanced up and held out her headdress, rasping, “She was fuckin’ here, prez. She was here.” I felt the material in my hand and looked to the river. “What if she’s fuckin’ drowned?”

All I could feel was a huge gaping hole in my chest where my heart should be. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Lilah, my Lilah, my fuckin’ pilgrim blonde… my old lady, fuckin’ gone.

“Ky!” someone shouted, and I saw Styx shoot his head in that direction. But all I could do was stare at that motherfuckin’ river and think about my bitch.

Lilah… baby…

A familiar whistle caught my attention. I looked to my left to see AK crouched down on another dirt path, one that led to the backcountry road. Styx signaled for me to come over.

Jumping up, I ran to where they were all gathered. AK looked up and pointed to the dirt. “Footprints. A lotta them.”

Inhaling a ragged breath, AK stood, his eyes narrowed. “People were down here, Ky. Looks to be about five or six men, judging by the size of the boot prints.”

“How you know all’a this?” Hush asked.

“Special forces, six tours,” AK replied. “Whoever they are ain’t smart enough to cover their tracks.” He knelt down again and tilted his head. “Fuck!”

“What?” I snapped.

AK glanced back at me. “Two sets of footprints are deeper.” He stood and, sticking to the edges of the path, walked up about ten yards into the trees. He nodded to himself, then said, “They were carrying something to give them more weight.” AK met my eyes and exhaled. “Something weighing about a hundred and ten pounds I’d say.”

“Lilah,” I whispered. “The fuckers took her.”

An angry roar split the silence of the riverbank. Turning, I saw Styx fuckin’ raging, mouth and muscles tight. Fixing my attention back on AK, I tried to keep a level head and asked, “Anything else you can see?”

AK frowned as he studied the footprints, then his expression changed and his head snapped up. “Military boots. Some serious heavy-duty military boots. And a smoke.” AK picked up the half-smoked cigarette and shook his head. “Still warm but cool enough to tell me whoever it is will be long gone with Lilah.”

“Who the fuck would be wearing boots like that ‘round here?” Cowboy asked.

“N-N-Nazis,” a voice sounded from the side. We all looked to Styx in shock. He’d spoken again. That’s how pissed the brother was. His fear of talking was overtaken by pure rage.

“He’s right. Those cunts all wear ‘em,” Vike said, and I closed my eyes.

“The distraction,” I said, everything now making a shitload of sense.

All eyes snapped to me. “Fuck!” Viking shouted.

“Tank. I need to speak to Tank,” I said and set off running through the woods. Just as I broke through into the yard, Tank, Bull, and Smiler were already running out toward us, faces hard as stone.

“Tank!” I yelled. “Those motherfuckin’ fascists have taken my bitch!”

Tank paled and threw his head back. “Fuck!”

All the brothers began to gather in the yard, all glaring at Tank, waiting for intel. My skin felt on fire with the need to chase tail and get my woman back in my arms where she belonged, but I had no fuckin’ idea where to start. And what the hell did the Klan want with her? How the fuck did they know she was here?