My Maddie (Hades Hangmen #8)(39)

“I have heard you,” I whispered down to my stomach. “He will know of our love. Of yours, I promise. Wherever he has gone, we will find him and remind him that he is ours. We are his. He is our deepest love.”

The door opened and I quickly held my breath, praying to God that it was Flame. But the nurse from earlier walked into the room and I felt my hopeful heart deflate. “Just a few signatures for you, darling, then y’all can be on your way.”

I forced a nod. Leaning on the table that hovered over the bed, I signed my name—Maddie Cade. I stared down at that surname. Cade. That shared name was my home. “I’ll go and get these processed and bring up a wheelchair—hospital policy, I’m afraid,” she apologized when I opened my mouth to protest. I closed my mouth and the nurse vacated the room.

Rider gathered my things, preparing for us to depart. Bella came and held my hand to help me from the bed. My legs felt strong as I stood on the linoleum floor. I clutched Bella’s hand and stared at my sister. “We must find him.”

“We will,” she promised. But I registered the quick glance she directed to Rider, which betrayed her concern.

I opened my mouth to speak, to ask her what was wrong, if she was keeping something from me, when suddenly AK came barreling through the door. His face paled when he saw that Flame’s chair was empty.

“AK,” I half-shouted. Sheer panic traveled through my body like wildfire.

But AK was looking straight at Rider. “You didn’t find him?”

Rider shook his head. He sighed and his eyes flitted to me. “Speak, Rider. Maddie has a right to know,” Bella ordered. I held my breath, frowning in confusion.

Rider rubbed the back of his shaved head. “We pulled the security tapes. Smiler came by last night to the room and spoke to Flame. Flame left the hospital and took the truck Smiler arrived in.” My heart kicked into a sprint. I felt the pulse in my neck begin to throb in worry.

“Motherfucker,” AK spat.

“Smiler called me and asked us to come here. I was just finishing up my shift. Bella came and met me. He told her Flame had gone out on business for the club and wanted Bella to come and watch Madds until he was back.” Rider looked momentarily angry. “He lied to me. Smiler lied to me.” I saw the wash of betrayal ghost over Rider’s features. Smiler was his best friend. Yet he had fooled him.

“Smiler’s gone fucking postal. He can’t be trusted with shit right now,” AK hissed as he ran his hands roughly through his hair. AK turned to me. “Madds—”

“Where is he?” I whispered. My heart fluttered with trepidation. “AK? Where is he? Where is my husband?”

“We need to get you home,” AK said, avoiding my question. “I gotta speak to Styx. Everyone’s heading to church.”

I marched with purpose toward the door, grabbing AK’s arm as I passed, stopping both of us to demand, “Tell me he is safe. Tell me he is not in trouble.” AK’s head fell and he avoided my eyes. He could not. He could not tell me that my Flame was safe. I wanted to crumble. But I refused.

“Maddie, you need to wait for the wheelchair,” Rider said.

I threw away my manners and marched from the door, ignoring his instruction. I was healthy as was my baby. I needed to get home. I needed to get my husband back—my baby and I were agreed on that. I felt nausea as images from those harrowing days in his cabin invaded my mind. Of Flame begging for the relief of death.

In a reel that played like a movie in my mind, I saw him next in the chair beside my hospital bed. His black eyes were the same as they had been in the cabin. The circles under his eyes, the utter helplessness in his beautiful face. The same desolate eyes that had greeted me with desperation as I barricaded myself into his home, to save him from AK’s promise to free him from this life when it all became too much. The eyes that had brought me from my seclusion on Mae’s home to stand by his side, to lay by his fire, and finally, to rest upon his bed… with him beside me, loving me as much as I loved him.

Footsteps hurried behind me as we walked past the nurses’ station and down to the bank of elevators. I heard the nurse protesting my exit, faintly hearing Rider’s voice answering her back. AK and Bella fell into step beside me as we moved from the hospital to the parking lot. I followed Bella and Rider to their truck. As we pulled out toward home, AK appeared up ahead on his bike. “Rider? Take me to wherever the men are holding church now that the compound is gone.”

“Maddie, please—” Bella began to speak.

“You stopped the men from hurting Rider in the barn when he came back from New Zion. We, your sisters, stood beside you in solidarity. Well, this is my barn. Flame has gone somewhere we do not know. I will find out, and I shall follow him. He needs me. I will not be cast aside because I am not a brother in the Hangmen.” I took a deep breath and tried to not let my voice shake when I said, “I am his wife. And I am the only one who can save him.” But I failed to disguise a crack in my voice when I added, “I will not live without him. He is not thinking straight. I need to save him from himself. I will save him and bring him back home, where he belongs.” I cradled my stomach. “With us.” I straightened my shoulders but kept a hold of my baby, closing my eyes when I felt movement.

When I opened my eyes, Bella nodded and sighed in defeat. Her hand reached across the console and she took hold of Rider’s hand. I could not tear my eyes from the sight. Of how they held onto one another. No flames. No demons and no fear of death. Just love and affection. I looked down at my own hand. I will have Flame’s hand in mine once more, I will accept nothing less. He had fought this before. He could do it again. I always knew that for Flame, he would be in a lifelong war with his past. He did not think like others. He was fixated on the one thing that had plagued his mind for all his days. For him it was the flames. They were ever present in his life. And they always would be, too ingrained in him since childhood to be vanquished for good.