Damnable Grace (Hades Hangmen 5)

I sighed, working to keep my shit together. This conversation was too familiar. My blood turned to ice in my veins, and I felt as if two massive hands were choking me the fuck out. “Ash,” I said quietly, watching his face fall. “Look at me.”

He did what I said. In all the months he’d lived with me, the kid had never done a thing wrong. Always did as I said. In that respect he’d make a fucking awesome Marine—obedient, disciplined. But I wasn’t about to let that happen on my watch.

Not a fucking a chance.

“You okay?” Ash said.

I shifted in my seat. “You’re smart, kid. Clever. But you’re still young. I know you don’t think so, or at least don’t feel it. Fuck, after what you’ve been through, I get it. You ain’t a normal teenager. Ain’t obsessed with chasing pussy and whatever the fuck other sixteen-year-olds do. But I ain’t signing off on you joining the Corps early. Ain’t happening.”

Ash looked out the window. I continued, “And I’m sure as shit that Flame ain’t gonna let you join up either.” Ash’s head whipped around to me, and a surprised look formed on his face. “Our brother wouldn’t handle you leaving, so how about we give him no reason to freak out on us, yeah?”

“Flame?” Ash said in confusion. “I . . .” His shoulders sagged. “I ain’t all that sure he’d mind.”

And there it was. The reason Ash was looking to me for Marine career advice. I took Ash’s half-full cup of coffee and downed the hot liquid. “I get he don’t speak much to you. I get that he spends most of his time with Madds. But I’m telling you now, that psycho fucker loves you more than he’ll ever be able to say. Right?”

Ash swallowed, and fuck if I didn’t see his eyes starting to water up. “You think?”

I put my hand on his shoulder. “You’re one of the only people he allows near him. There’s Madds, of course, because she’s his bitch and got through to him when no other fucker could. There’s me and Vike. That history goes way back—we’ve seen and been through a lot of shit together.” I squeezed his shoulder harder. “Then there’s you.” Ash sucked in a sharp breath and exhaled slowly. “He’s a Hangman through and through, would do anything for his brothers, but he’s never let the rest of them in like he has us.” I gestured out the window, to our small cluster of cabins deep in the Hangmen compound’s land. “This, right here, is what keeps him from breaking apart. And believe it or not, you’re a huge part of that now too.”

The vise around my throat eased when I saw a flicker of a smile hit the kid’s pierced lips. “Right now, kid, you’re the fourth member of our fucked-up little trio.” I smiled. “And I ain’t gonna cope with nuclear Flame when we tell him I signed off on your enlistment. I’m kind of a fan of my cock, and I’d prefer to keep it far away from your brother’s serrated knife and more in tight, wet pussies.”

Ash laughed, and I smiled in relief, pushing my empty dish in his direction. “Now, get to it. These dishes ain’t gonna clean themselves.”

Ash got up from the table, but just as he’d gathered the dishes in his hands, I stopped him by the elbow. “I thought you liked working on bikes anyway? You spend hours working with Flame on his Harley or in the shop with Tank. Tank says you’re the shit, could be the best damn mechanic we got. You’re in the Hangmen, brother; you’re set for life.”

“I like bikes,” he said after a few silent moments. “I really like them, actually. They make sense to me.”

“Then stick with them, yeah? And once you’re a fully patched-in member of the club, you’ll get a cut of the Hangmen profits too. You’ll be fucking golden, kid.”

He clearly liked the idea of getting patched in, because he beamed with pride. “Now, get back to those dishes,” I said. “Until you’re patched in, you gotta do the grunt work.” I shrugged. “Just the way it is.”

“Yes, sir,” the shitbag said, knowing I hated his young ass making me feel old.

Fucking sir.

I reached behind me to the cabinet, took out two Advil and knocked them back dry. Just as I went to stand to shower and shit, the front door slammed open, and a fucking ginger beast strode in.

“Mornin’, cum-sluts! It’s a beautiful fuckin’ day!”

I groaned loudly as Viking’s godawful voice sliced through my skull. I looked up at him smiling at me like an ugly giant. He sniffed the air. In a flash, he was storming to the stove and checking out the food that was left over.

“I’m starting to think I should get me a fucking live-in rent boy too. He cooks, cleans . . . fuck!” He turned to Ash, who was trying his best to ignore our asshole of a brother. “You suck cock too?”

I opened my mouth to tell him to shut the hell up, but Ash said, “Even if I did, I wouldn’t be sucking yours. Heard it’s no bigger than an inch.”

Vike’s mouth dropped open, before he threw his head back and dove forward to put Ash in a tight headlock. “Fucking little shit!” he shouted, gracing us all with his thunderous, booming laugh.

Ash pushed him off. “You can have the food. It’s what’s left over anyhow.”

Vike scooped up the food, brought it to the table and sank down into a seat. He stuffed the food into his mouth like a damn wild animal. His eyes fell to my chest, and smiling through a mouthful of eggs, he winked at my scratches.

Fuck. My. Life.

Ash brought him a coffee, and Vike drained it in one go, tapping the mug on the table for more. “You get the message from Styx?” Vike said.

“No. Just got up.” I looked around for my cell, but fuck knew where it was.

“Gotta be at church in twenty. Tanner finally got us a lead.”

My pulse started slamming in my neck as my heart tried to cope with the sudden rush of adrenaline.

“Thought you’d like that.”

“He’s found her?” Phebe. A picture of the redhead rushed to my mind. Not that I hadn’t been thinking about the bitch non-stop since we’d found out she was missing.

“No idea.” Vike leaned forward, running his hand down his beard. “But I’m getting real fucking bored lately of standard runs and all the talk of Prez’s damn wedding. Who gives a shit about that? I want Klan scum to hunt.”

My fingers twitched on the tabletop at the thought of tracking Phebe down, of taking out the fucker who had her. Too many nights I’d stayed awake, imagining cutting that fucker apart. Slitting his stomach open and watching as his blood and guts spilled at my feet. And I’d smile. I’d smile through it all with Phebe by my side, watching the asshole die a slow and painful death.

It had taken Tanner longer than he’d thought to get any kind of shit on this Meister dick. And I was restless. I agreed with Vike. Things had been too quiet. I may have been out of the Marines, but I still needed the fucking rush of the fight, of the kill, in my life.

With the Hangmen that shit came in spades.

And it looked like it was about to kick off again.

Fuckin’ A.

“I’ll get dressed.”

I got up and threw on my shirt, cut and boots. We were out of my cabin in minutes, Ash behind us. If it was church, the prospect would be pouring drinks and whatever the fuck else Styx told him to do. I leaned against m

y cabin and lit up a smoke as Vike hammered on Flame’s door. “Get the fuck out, Flame! Gotta go!”

Through the window of Flame’s cabin, I saw Flame head to the door, Maddie rushing behind him. He turned back to her, and the closest thing Flame had to a smile spread across his face, then he leaned down and kissed his bitch.

My chest tightened. My smoke burned away, untouched, in my hand. I couldn’t believe Flame had something like that.

“AK!” Vike’s voice cut through my thoughts. “You ready?”

I nodded, seeing Flame walk outta his door.

Flame flicked his chin at me, then his eyes tracked around the yard. I knew who he was looking for—he did this every day. Only I noticed. I was the only one trained to not miss a thing. When he saw Lil’ Ash, Flame’s shoulders relaxed.

Ash waved his hand. “Hey, Flame.”

“You good?” Flame asked curtly, running his gaze over every inch of his brother.

“Yeah,” Ash said. He was smiling a little. I knew he had recognized Flame’s attempt at affection. I winked at Ash to confirm that what he thought was true.

Maddie’s small frame appeared in the doorway. “Viking, AK.” Flame instinctively moved toward her, like they were fucking magnets or some shit.

“Madds,” I said.

Vike smiled. “Mornin’, sugar tits.”

Flame’s lip curled at our brash brother, but it was Vike. Weren’t no one stopping that car crash.

“Hello, Asher,” Maddie said to Ash. She nudged Flame’s arm, her eyes urging him to do something.

Flame’s jaw clenched, then, without looking at Ash, he said, “You’re comin’ to dinner tonight.”

Maddie shook her head in exasperation. She wasn’t pissed at the possessiveness. She knew he wasn’t being a dick, he was just . . . fuck, he was just being Flame.

“Ash, what Flame was trying to ask was would you like to have dinner with us tonight? I will cook something special.”

Ash looked to me, and I flicked my chin, urging him to accept. “Yeah. Thanks. I’d love to,” Ash replied, and Maddie smiled at him so big.