My Maddie (Hades Hangmen #8)(36)

My eyes snapped open.

I never wanted to sleep again.

*****

I heard the door open behind me. It was dark. It had been two days since Maddie had woken up. The doctors were letting her go home tomorrow. Grabbing my knife, I turned around. Smiler stood in the doorway. He waved me outside to the hallway. I checked on Maddie. She was asleep.

I got up from my chair and went outside. My skin felt itchy. I couldn’t keep still. I couldn’t ever fucking sleep. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold the flames back. The demons wanted control. I hoped I could keep the flames back long enough so that Maddie could get home and safe.

“We got a lead,” Smiler said. My body froze. I felt the anger in my gut starting to rise. “Tracked them, four hours away.” Smiler’s eyes were too intense. I dropped my gazed to the floor.

“The ones who hurt Maddie?” I asked.

“About three of them. Don’t know who the fuck they are. But it’s them alright.” My blood ran faster and started to take control. I pulled out my blade and sliced down my arms. I just had to cool the flames for a little while longer. Then I could unleash the, Fucking unleash hell on the cunts that started the fire.

“I have to report to Styx as soon as I found something—Prez’s orders. AK doesn’t know yet. I went off alone and found the fuckers.” I lifted my head when Smiler paused. Smiler watched Maddie through the window in the door. His jaw clenched. “If it was me, I’d want a shot at those cunts first. Alone.” Smiler lowered his head and his voice. “I know what it feels like to lose someone.”

“Slash?”

Smiler’s attention drifted down the hallway. He shrugged. His face went bright red. He looked pissed. “Him too,” Smiler said. “But no. Someone else.” He pointed his thumb in Maddie’s direction. “Someone like Maddie. She was to me, like Maddie is to you.” I didn’t understand who he meant. Smiler had no bitch. Maddie was my everything. I didn’t know Smiler had a bitch who was everything to him too.

He pulled a piece of paper from his cut. “Directions.” I took hold of them. “I gotta tell Styx they’re whereabouts in the morning. Figure, that’d give you a night’s head start, before we all ride to join you.” I read the directions and felt the evil lock into place inside me. Felt the darkness injecting my blood with the need for revenge. The flames rose high inside me, burning through flesh. I’d tried to keep them away for so long. Fought the demons for so fucking long. Fought them for Maddie, for Ash… there had been no point. They both got hurt in the end. I was weak. I couldn’t fight them this time. I was going to kill. I was going to rip apart the bastards who had done this to Maddie.

Smiler threw some keys at me. “Take the club’s truck that’s parked in the hospital lot. Get your fucking bike from home, and get gone, before I tell the Prez.” I looked to Maddie through the window. “I’ll stay here with her. I’ll protect her,” Smiler promised. “I’ll call Bella and Rider to come over. Tell ‘em you had to go somewhere for the club. Rider knows shit about club business. Might not question it. Even if he does, you’ll be long gone. Bella will watch Maddie, get her home. You get the fuck gone.” My blood pumped fast. I felt on fucking fire with the need for revenge.

I pushed through the hospital room’s door and went into see Maddie. I fucking stood and watched her. She was sleeping. Even in sleep, her hands were over her stomach, protecting the baby. I felt a fucking lump grow in my throat. I didn’t want to leave her. But the cunts that set the fire had been found by Smiler, and I had to kill them. They needed to die so they wouldn’t hurt her again.

I walked closer. Her free hand was on the bed. I put my hand close to her’s. “No,” I snarled, pulling my arm back. Maddie stirred. I froze. Turning her head, she went back to sleep. The flames told me to touch her hand. I pulled out my knife and sliced along my arm. The cut was deep. Blood dripped onto the floor. I hissed, eyes closing as the flames crawled down my arm. But they were back within a second. They were fucking choking me, wrapping around my neck and lungs and heart. They squeezed and squeezed, until all I saw was fucking darkness—pure hate and revenge.

I pushed through the door, moved down the hallway, holding the directions in my hand. “Flame!” I whipped my head in Smiler’s direction. My breathing was hard and fast and laced with fucking death. Smiler smirked. “Kill them slowly. Make the fuckers pay. Make it messy. Make them fucking scream.”

I turned, ran down the stairs and outside toward the truck. Blood dripped from my arm the whole way. But the fire inside my veins still burned. It fucking burned so hot I felt only heat on my skin. I jumped into the truck and headed for the compound. I burned rubber all the way there. I took the back roads to the cabin, parking out of sight in the woods. I ran through the trees to the cabin and kicked open my cabin’s door to get inside. I grabbed a gun and knife. I didn’t need anything else.

Jumping on my bike, I pulled out of the compound and onto the back roads. No fucker had seen me. And even if they had, I didn’t care. I was going to kill the cunts who hurt Maddie. I was going to kill them all. No one could stop me.

Wind smashed against my face as I burned rubber on the road. The whole time I thought of Maddie. I thought of the baby. I thought of my mama. I thought of Isaiah. I’d killed them. My touch killed them. I couldn’t touch them again. But I would kill these cunts. I would release the flames of hell in their hearts and snap their spines. My cock got hard at the thought and I needed to cut my arm. I needed to fucking come. And I needed to stab my skin. But I couldn’t stop. I had to get there before Styx and my brothers. These assholes were mine to kill.