Viking laughed. “Think it’s ‘bout time you go change your tampon, Cowboy. You bein’ on the rag this heavy is makin’ you real fuckin’ emotional.”

Cowboy smiled a cold smile at Viking. “Say what you want, brother, but you ain’t gonna be putting a blade through Flame or AK’s head anytime soon. You’d fuckin’ die for them first.”

Viking stuck his finger up at Cowboy; Cowboy tipped the edge of his Stetson in response. The Cajun was dead right.

I looked at Bull, and signed, “Get the prospects to clean this place up.”

I stormed toward the door, but before I got there, Viking said, “So what, Prez? We’re just gonna let him get away with all the shit he’s done?”

My back tensed as I heard the pissed-off tone in his voice. But I didn’t reply. I walked forward, but Vike spoke again. “You’re the fuckin’ Hangmen prez! You can’t be lettin’ your piece of pussy stop this kill! Tonight was a fuckin’ joke. You shoulda grabbed all y’all bitches by their hair and threw them outside! Pussy don’t interfere with Hangmen business. You just stood there like a dick and let them take him!”

Rage must have made me black out or some shit. Because the next thing I knew I had his huge fucking pale body up against the wall, my hand squeezing the air from his fucking throat. I could hear the brothers’ shouts from behind me, but I didn’t fucking care. All my attention was on this fuck. His eyes locked on mine as his face reddened. The anger searing through me forced words from my fucking defective mouth. “Y-You w-w-wanna be the f-f-fuckin’ p-prez? Y-You wanna t-t-take this sh-shit from m-my h-h-hands?” I slammed my free hand over the “Prez” patch on my cut. “Y-you w-want this? ‘Cause I-I’m sick of all th-this sh-shit!” My fingers piled more pressure onto his throat. Leaning closer, I said, “Y-You e-ever m-m-mention M-Mae again a-a-and I’ll k-k-kill y-y-you!” Viking’s eyes bulged. I dropped my arm and watched the fucker fall.

I whipped around to face my brothers with my arms spread wide. They were silently staring at me in shock. “An-anyone e-e-else wanna f-f-fuckin’ say s-s-somethin’?” I roared, my lips curling in fucking rage.

No fucker said a thing.

Dropping my arms, I fucking hightailed it into the rain, letting the water wash the blood from my skin.

I heard the sound of footsteps chasing me, and it was no surprise to me that it was Ky. My best friend joined me at my side. I turned to the thick wood of trees and began cutting through to my cabin.

“Fuck, Styx!” he said. “You just fuckin’ spoke! The brothers are just stood there like zombies, fuckin’ dumbstruck!” I kept pounding forward. My pulse was slamming in my neck. “SHIT!” he screamed and balled his hands into fists. “Our old men would be rollin’ in their fuckin’ graves at the shit that just happened! We can’t let our bitches do that again; the brothers were right. Hell, our old men would have slapped the fuck outta their women for pullin’ a move like that. That can’t happen. They need to keep their mouths shut.”

I didn’t respond; I just moved faster. “Styx,” Ky called as he followed me up the wet verge. “STYX!”

I spun around and shouted, “Wh-what the f-f-fuck do you ex-expect me t-to d-d-do?!”

The rain poured down my face and I yanked my hand through my hair. Knowing I couldn’t speak for shit right now, I signed, “You gonna kick the fuck outta Lilah for that shitshow? You think Flame is gonna lock Madds away and beat her for goin’ against him?” I tensed my jaw. “No, the fucker would kill any brother who even expected it of him. And don’t for a second think that I wouldn’t kill any prick in this club who wanted to punish Mae in my place.” A growl rattled in my chest. “I’d fuckin’ murder them, Ky. Any fucker tries to even speak to her about that fuckin’ interruption and I’ll fuckin’ rip out their tongues.”

I pointed at Ky. “And we both fuckin’ know you ain’t gonna do shit to Li. So you tell me, brother. What the fuck do we do now? ‘Cause Bella ain’t gonna let us get near that cunt. And Mae, Madds and Li ain’t gonna watch us tear Bella outta the fuckin’ way to get to him either.”

Ky sighed and leaned back against a tree. “It’s the rules, Styx. He needs to be killed. Ain’t no Hangmen rat ever been spared since the club was founded. We gonna be the first to let this shit go?” He huffed a humorless laugh. “We’ll be fuckin’ laughed at.”