I could hear my brothers cutting up dust behind me, but I was leading this charge. I gave no shit about club formations and Styx being at the front. All I could think about was Maddie. Wondering if she was hurt. Wondering if she was still fucking there. Wondering if they’d killed her.
My hands shook on my handlebars as I pushed my bike’s speed, but I was close, the main road beginning to give way to the ghost town. The ghost town where she was waiting for me.
The beginnings of derelict empty houses came into view—old houses, stores and churches. The mill was further out. Turning up the gas, I pushed my bike to the limit as I roared down Main Street, then in the distance I saw the outline of the old gray mill.
My heart began pounding as I approached. I slowed, my eyes searching the land for Maddie. Stood there, fucking brazen as hell, were two fuckers dressed in black.
And I let the flames take their hold.
Let the need to kill take fucking hold.
Pulling onto the dirt road that led up to the mill, I cut the engine and launched off the bike. I heard more bikes turning off behind me, but my legs carried me forward. The men dressed in black started moving forward, ski masks covering their faces, but I didn’t stop to hear whatever the fuck they started shouting at me. My rushing blood was drowning out any noise but the fucking beating of my heart and the harshness of my breaths.
Only now feet away, I reached for the blades on my belt and gripped them in both hands. Jumping forward, I slit the throat of the first fucker and stabbed the other in the chest.
The one with the slit throat staggered back and fell to ground. In seconds I jumped on his chest. I ripped off his ski mask so I could see the fucker’s face. When his dying eyes met mine, I lifted my blade, and placing the tip on his forehead, stabbed it straight through his skull.
Ripping the knife from his corpse, I moved to the next cunt—he was already one foot in Hades with the boatman.
Wrenching the blade from his chest, I held a blade in each hand, and started hacking at his chest, One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven…
I panted, my eyes refocusing to see nothing but a fucked up open chest, when movement from behind caught my eye.
Styx and Ky at the mill. Styx and Ky fucking holding their bitches. Jumping to my feet, wiping my blades on the grass and putting them back on my belt, I screamed, “Maddie!”
I ran toward the mill, when a small figure ran forward in my direction. Maddie… and she was fucking heading for me.
“Flame!” I heard Maddie’s voice cry. My heart beat faster when her voice sounded all broken and sad. She lifted the bottom of her dress and ran over the high grass, and seconds later, her face came into view.
She looked pale. Her green eyes were tired and red, but she didn’t look hurt. Thank fuck. She didn’t look hurt. Then my pulse pounded harder as she approached. When she was only feet away, I stopped dead. So did Maddie.
Tears were falling down her cheeks, but just seeing her chased any bad feeling from my heart away. And I could breathe. We stood in the tall grass, just staring at each other. My hands balled at my sides. I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to step forward.
Then when I was standing right before her, I reached down and took her hand in mine. Gasping at the contact, Maddie squeezed her hand. When I looked down at her face, my throat fucking choked. She was so beautiful. And her expression. It was the expression she wore when I’d held her in my arms. When my lips had met hers.
“Flame…” she whispered. Maddie sucked in a quick breath, and said, “I need you to hold me now. I need to feel your arms around me so I feel safe. Because, right now, I do not feel safe.”
Groaning low, I pulled on Maddie’s arm and crushed her to my chest. The minute she was in my arms, I prepared for discomfort, but none fucking came. The flames stayed away, and Maddie’s arms slipped around my waist, then under my cut, until her bare hands touched my skin.