When I came back into the hallway, Ash was walking toward me. He’d lit another smoke and was heading toward the bar. He walked past me, not saying shit. He didn’t even look my way. He’s in pain, Flame. He needs us. He needs you. I heard Maddie’s words in my head. The words she had been saying to me for weeks and weeks.
I didn’t know how to help Ash. I had no fucking clue. But Maddie wanted me to help him. I thought of her eyes looking sad. I couldn’t fucking stand it.
I turned around. “How do I stop you being like this?”
Ash stopped. His shoulders went rigid under his cut. I blinked, wondering why he never fucking talked anymore. “You were gone last night. Maddie was up all night waiting for you. She’s sick. I tried to get her into bed to rest, but she told me she couldn’t because she was waiting for you to come home.” He didn’t say shit to that. I was talking about Maddie. It pissed me off that he didn’t care. “Fucking speak!” I growled, feeling that fucking knot in my chest begin to build. I had started being able to read Ash. But after Slash had died… I was fucking lost. I didn’t know what any expression on his face meant. Didn’t understand the look in his eyes or how his body tensed or relaxed.
Ash turned and slowly took a drag of his smoke. “I was out.” His black eyes fixed on mine. He flicked the ash from his smoke onto the floor.
My cheek twitched and I dropped my eyes. I couldn’t keep eye contact for long. I couldn’t fucking stand it. “Maddie said I had to help you.”
Ash laughed. “You? Help me?” He tipped his head to the side, watching me, but I couldn’t read the look on his face. “How would you help me?” The back of my neck grew hotter, my skin prickling, and I rocked on my feet. I didn’t know. I didn’t fucking know! Ash laughed again, but when I looked at his face, he wasn’t smiling, just shaking his head. “Thought so.” He turned and walked away, disappearing into the bar.
“Flame?” AK stood at the door to church. “We’re starting.” I went inside and took my seat. AK shut the door and took Ky’s usual seat.
Styx lifted his hands. “No more word on who the fuck keeps leaving us animal heads and symbols in blood on our driveway?” Styx pointed at Tanner.
“Tried to research who normally does shit like this. Even hacked into the federal database. Nothing. No trace.” Tanner shrugged. “My guess is its just low-level assholes who want to try and one-up the Hangmen. But I’ll keep looking.”
Styx nodded, and then looked at Tank. Tank leaned on the table. “Today’s offering was a goat with its guts and eyes ripped out. It was left out front of the bike shop.” Tank rolled his eyes. “Same shit. Different day.”
“At least we can have an epic barbeque with all this free meat.” Viking held his glass of whiskey in the air before knocking it back. “Keep the creepy messages coming, is what I say. We’ll eat like kings!”
“Who the fuck wants to eat goat?” Tank said, lip curled.
“I’ll have you know that goat is a delicacy in many countries,” Viking said. “Heard it washes down well with a nice savory red wine.”
“Yeah, ’cause you drink red wine,” Tank said, shaking his head.
Viking leaned forward. “I may have the body of a Greek god with flaming red locks, but I’ll have you know I’m a sensitive and cultured fucker too.”
“The only culture you got is growing in a petri dish in a doctor’s office,” Tank shot back. Viking went to open his mouth, but Styx banged his fist on the table, cutting him off.
Everyone turned to face Styx, but all I could think of was Maddie. Had she got to the hospital okay? Why had she said she was okay when her skin still looked too pale? AK caught my eye and held up his cell. He gave me a thumbs-up, and I saw a text from Zane saying that Maddie, Bella, and Mae were in with Lilah. I exhaled and my shoulders relaxed.
She was safe. Styx lifted his hands and AK spoke. “The fucking dead goats, however, isn’t why I called this meeting.”
Ash walked into church with a tray holding a bottle of whiskey and shot glasses. Styx watched my kid brother fill the brothers’ glasses. Prez never took his eyes off him. Once the whiskey was poured, and Ash stood at the back of the room, Styx reached into his cut and slammed a picture on the table. We all leaned over, trying to see. The photograph was passed around. Two guys were dead, cut open, knife-slashed to fuck, blood pooling beneath them… and carved into their bare chests was one word: “SLASH.”
I passed the picture back to AK. Styx was glaring back and forth between two people—Smiler and Ash.
Ash.
Styx lifted his hands. “Sheriff called by this morning with this. Seems some low-level Mexican drug dealers were killed last night, just outside of Georgetown.” Styx sat back in his chair. “Had connections to Diego Medina and the Quintana cartel. Fucking loose connections. Barely knew the fuckers from what I can tell.” Styx glared at Smiler. “You got something to tell me, brother? Seems you were AWOL last night.”
Smiler didn’t answer, but he smiled a fucking wide smile. It looked strange on his face. He was named Smiler because he never did smile. He knocked back his whiskey, and then poured another without saying shit. Smiler was fucked up most days now, on whiskey or whatever he got his hands on. Used to keep to himself, now he was fucking every club slut in sight.
“You killed them? Without club permission?” AK said, speaking for himself.
“We did.” My head fucking snapped straight to the back of the room and the voice that just spoke. Ash was leaning against the wall. He folded his arms across his chest. “Those cunts worked for Diego.” Smiler nodded at Ash, still grinning, and took another shot. He saluted Ash with his empty glass. “Those assholes killed Slash.”
“Diego killed Slash,” AK said slowly, never taking his eyes off Ash. “Not his men. He acted on his own.”
“They’re all the fucking same. They worked for Diego. They deserved to die,” Ash argued.
“Was Zane with you?” AK hissed. “He was meant to be at home with his aunt last night.”
Ash rolled his lip ring between his teeth. “He was there. He snuck out. But don’t worry. He was our lookout. It was me and Smiler that did the deed.” Ash shrugged, smirking. “They weren’t the first, won’t be the last.” The room was fucking dead quiet, and then I felt everyone’s eyes on me. I didn’t know what to say. What the fuck were th
ey looking at me for?
“You’re suspended, both of you. I’ll be in touch about how the fuck to win your way back in when you’ve served enough time.” AK was speaking, but it was Styx’s signs he was voicing. The prez’s hands were fucking flying in Ash’s and Smiler’s direction.
Smiler got to his feet, swiping the bottle of whiskey off the table. “Later, fuckers. Always a fucking pleasure.” He left the room, slamming the door behind him.
“Shit! Anyone else loving the new Smiler?” Vike asked. No one answered. “I, for one, am. He’s said more in the past week than he has in all the years he’s been here.”
“His cousin died,” Cowboy said, glaring at Vike.
“I know that. And it’s fucked up. But it’s like some inner fucking beast has been released. And I, for one, fucking approve.”
My attention was pulled back to my brother and the prez. “You leave your cut on the table,” AK translated for Styx. “And when you’ve pulled your head from your motherfucking stupid ass, you’ll start again as prospect. From the fucking beginning.”
Ash lifted his chin at Styx, but he didn’t move off the wall. Styx got to his feet and walked round the table. All my muscles tensed and I pushed my chair back. No one was fucking with Ash. Not even the prez.
AK leaned forward and got in my face before I could get up. Brother didn’t touch me. He shook his head. “Don’t move. Let him do this,” AK said. I glared at the floor. “Flame, Styx is the prez. If Ash wants to be a Hangman, he needs to walk the fucking line. You walked it for Reaper. Ash needs to learn this lesson. Can’t go around killing who the fuck he wants in our name.” My teeth gritted together, fucking lava in my heart, but I stayed seated. AK was right. But I got a ball of lead in my stomach seeing Styx in front of Ash. Our poppa had beat Ash like he did me. Starved and tortured him like he did me. No fucker would touch him again. Not even Styx. I could let him be talked to, but I wouldn’t let Styx touch a fucking hair on his head even if, like AK said, he deserved it.