Souls Unfractured (Hades Hangmen, #3)(4)

I’d taken a bullet for her. When Lilah freaked after she’d been rescued from the commune, and accidently fired the gun in her hands—the gun aiming right at Maddie—I’d had to save her. I’d had to f*cking save her life.

But it was all for nothing, now they had her in that church.

Reaching my cabin, I opened the door and I burst into the living room. Finding my bike’s keys on the countertop, I grabbed them in my hand and ran to my bike outside. Throwing myself onto the saddle, I turned the key and the engine roared to life. My heart boomed like f*cking thunder as the bike vibrated beneath me.

Heeling up the kickstand, I saw Viking and AK running down the hill after me. They were screaming at me to stop, but I couldn’t. I needed to get to Maddie. I couldn’t f*cking leave her there, with those people.

Not her.

Not Maddie.

Not my Maddie!

Back wheel skidding on the graveled drive, I launched like a f*cking bat out of hell onto the dirt road. I caught the sound of a bike following me in the distance, but I didn’t stop, Ky’s bitch’s words f*cking piercing my brain.

“Maddie is at Our Savior Church… She has been going there for a while now. We all have.”

I rode harder, not knowing if I was too late. But knowing if I didn’t get there, it could be too late. They’d make her scream. And I couldn’t hear her scream. I couldn’t bear the screaming. It boiled my blood. It ignited the flames under my flesh. It f*cking haunted my brain.

My hands shook on the bars of my Harley as I fought not to explode with f*cking rage. I pictured Maddie’s green eyes. I pictured her pale skin. Her long black hair. Then all I saw in my head was her covered in blood; held down and hurt. And I could picture her screaming. Could see those green eyes wide, could see those eyes crying as they tied her down. All the people in the church tying her down and causing her pain.

And I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t save her. Another one… another one would be taken from me. Because I wasn’t there to protect her.

Clenching my hands on the Harley’s bars, I let a scream tear from my injured throat. And I kept pushing my bike harder until I pulled into the opening roads of downtown. I ran every red light. Cut roads and crossings.

Then two more right turns and the motherf*cker came into view.

White.

Grand.

A f*cking house of evil disguised as good.

Our Savior’s Church.

And it held my Maddie.

Skidding to a stop out front, I jumped off my bike. As my boots hit asphalt, I fought the pounding in my head at being near this f*cking hell. The drugs were still in my blood from the hospital, but I had no choice but to push through.

I looked down at my open palms and my hands shook, my leg muscles seized. And like a f*cking *, I looked up at the steep white steps and I couldn’t f*cking move.

And then, in my mind’s eye, I saw him standing in front of me, ordering me to get closer to the church door. I saw the cold look in his eyes as he stared down at me, his lip curled in disgust.

Sinner. You’re a sinner boy, he hissed, the memory too real, and my heart sank to the ground. You need to purge the flames from your blood. You need to purge the evil from your dark soul.

I gasped for breath, and had to use my bike’s saddle for balance when I thought my legs would give out at the memory. I didn’t want to give in to the memory. I didn’t want to go back there. I didn’t want to see his f*cking face in my mind. But what I wanted didn’t mean shit. Because he was always there. He always came for me. He never left me the f*ck alone.

The roar of another Harley’s engine sounded behind me and I dropped my raised hands. I knew it was AK and Viking without even looking back. And they’d try to stop me. I knew they would, because they didn’t understand what would happen behind those wooden doors where no one else could see.

Pushing myself to stand, I stared up at the church again. Forcing my legs to move, I walked forward to the bottom of the steep steps. But I couldn’t go any further. I tried to force my feet to move, to make that first f*cking step, but they didn’t. They wouldn’t. My * ass was too f*cking afraid of facing what was behind those doors.

Lowering my head, I hit at my skull with the bottom of my palm. “Move!” I ordered myself. “Fucking move, you *!”

Unable to climb the steps, I began to pace the sidewalk. I walked back and forth, back and forth, my head becoming too full. Fucked up images in my mind. Warnings in my brain.

“They’ll hurt Maddie. They’re hurting Maddie,” I told myself. And the flames burned hotter in my veins.

I fought for air as I paced faster and pictured Maddie’s face again.

One way or another, I was getting her the f*ck out.





Chapter Two


Maddie



For hours, I had been sitting tucked into the shadows, hidden behind the large white marble statue of Jesus.

I could not take being at the compound any longer, even though it was Lilah and Ky’s wedding day. I could not stand one more second of being trapped in that bedroom, staring out of the window, praying desperately for Flame to step out from the line of trees.

But he never did.

Closing my eyes, I pictured him diving in front of that bullet to save my life. Then all I could see was blood.

Allowing my eyes to reopen, my head fell against the legs of the statue and my hand gripped over the empty ache in my chest. Instantly, my mind filled with him—dark eyes, dark short beard, slightly crooked nose and his huge tattooed body standing protectively under my window, blades in his hands.