“Aye,” I pledged, along with all the brothers, going around the table one by one.

“Tonight we take shifts protecting the compound. Get your bitches to the club. We’re on lockdown until we know where we stand. AK, Cowboy, Vike, and Hush, you take first shift. Flame.” Styx paused and Flame shook his head slowly. Styx sighed. “You keep watch over Maddie.” Flame relaxed and stared at the door. The brother was itching to get back to stand guard outside Styx’s apartment.

Styx hammered the gavel down on the table and the brothers moved out, Tank with his cell to his ear, calling for intel. I jumped from my chair as quick as possible and turned for the door, but Styx’s hands grabbed at my cut from behind and I was hurled up against the wall.

“What the fuck!” I shouted.

Styx was crazy fuckin’ pissed, his eyes insane. “I-I-I t-told y-you to st-st-st-stay the f-f-fuck outta her c-c-cunt! Y-you m-m-made her your f-f-fuckin’ wh-whore!”

Whore? This time rage swept through me, and I shoved on Styx’s chest, knocking him back against the table. In seconds, I was on him, my hands gripping the edge of his cut.

“Brother or not, best friend or not… prez or fuckin’ not, you ever speak about Lilah like that again and I’ll stab you through your fuckin’ heart!”

Styx stared at me, and I braced myself for a fight, but then a shit-eating grin spread on his face and I reared back in confusion.

“What the fuck you smiling at? And what the fuck was all that about, you prick!” I snapped.

Styx picked himself up and came to stand right before me. “Y-you fuckin’ l-love the b-b-bitch.”

“Shut the fuck up, Styx,” I replied, my chest as tight as virgin’s pussy.

Styx laughed. “Sh-shit. Y-you d-do. N-never thought I’d s-see this f-fuckin’ d-day.”

Walking back, I rested my back against the wall, arms crossed over my chest. I looked up to Styx, who was looking at me like I was a damn freak. “Fine, I fuckin’ love the pilgrim bitch. You happy? Can’t get her outta my head. Can’t see anyone but her.” I laughed in disbelief and ran my hand down my beard. “She’s fuckin’ brainwashed, no doubt loves Jesus more than me. Randomly throws herself on the ground, wailing some religious shit I can’t ever work out. She dresses and speaks like she just got off the motherfuckin’ Mayflower. But that bitch shines so fuckin’ bright to me I can’t snuff her out. She’s under my skin, prez. I’m so fuckin’ gone for the bitch I go insane if I ain’t near her. And now that I’ve been inside her, I’m sunk.”

Styx raised his eyebrows and dropped the grin. “Sh-she l-love y-you?”

“Yeah,” I breathed and raked my hand through my hair, laughing. “Yeah, she fuckin’ does. Fuck… she loves me.”

Styx nodded and laid a hand on my shoulder. I met his gaze. “How the fuck did this happen? I love her, Styx. She fuckin’ owns me. Me! My old man will be turning in his cold grave.”

“M-Mae owns me, b-brother. F-Fuck wh-what our f-fathers said or d-did. I wouldn’t ch-change being with M-Mae for sh-shit.”

Tipping back my head, I sighed and said, “In love with a bitch so removed from this life it ain’t funny. How she ever gonna be an old lady? We’re the damned, Styx; she’s looking to be saved. She ain’t gonna find no salvation with Hades.”

“M-Mae’s d-does. B-Better with us th-than with th-that c-cult. Sh-She’ll c-cope w-with it.”

“Mae’s different to Lilah. She ran. Li wanted to stay. Mae tried to learn this life, wanted to for you. Li is scared of her own damn shadow. Mae don’t have her faith no more, Styx. Li still lives for that shit, sprouting scripture like a pastor.”

“Sh-she n-needs t-time. Sh-she’ll g-get u-us eventually,” he assured and punched me on my arm. “G-go be with h-her. W-we got l-lookout in a f-few.”

“Yeah,” I replied and pushed off the wall.

Styx suddenly turned around. “D-don’t f-fuck her o-over,” he warned.

My jaw clenched. “Fuck off, Styx.”

He grinned again and said, “Cunt-struck!” then fuckin’ walked off.

If I didn’t wanna fuck my woman again so bad, I’d have gone after the cunt just to shove my fist in his cock-sucking mouth. As I entered the bar, the place was getting busy, brothers and bitches everywhere.

Lockdown, what a fuckin’ treat.

Practically running to my room to get to Li, I burst through the door. “Baby, I’m back. Time to get buck-ass naked again!”

Shutting the door, I turned toward the bed, but Lilah wasn’t there. The sheets were all over the damn place from where we’d made love, but she was nowhere in sight. “Li? You in the washroom?” I shouted to the partially shut door.

No answer. Frowning and a tight feeling beginning to coil in my chest, I strode to the bathroom and pushed open the door.

Nothing.

Lilah’s clothes that she’d left on the floor were gone—her dress and that god-awful fuckin’ headdress.

Mae. She’d be with Maddie or Mae.

Shooting out the door, I ran down the hallway to Styx’s room, hammering on the door. I could hear moans and groans coming from inside, then Styx swearing and storming to the door.

The door flew open and Styx was buttoning up his fly. “Wh-what?” he growled at me, a pissed expression on his face.

“Is Lilah in here?” I demanded.

Styx frowned and shook his head.

“She’s not in my room. I came back and she wasn’t in bed and her clothes are gone. I thought she’d be with Mae.” Styx’s frown turned to concern, and suddenly Mae was at the door, wrapped in a sheet, her black hair messed up and her face flushed.

“What is wrong? Where is Lilah?” Mae asked, panicked.

Running my hands down my face, I looked up and down the hallway and said, “Maddie?”

Mae nodded nervously and gripped Styx’s arm. “You go and look there now, Ky, and we will dress and follow.”

I didn’t stick around a second longer and took off for the back stairwell. Smashing through the metal door, I rounded the stairs to see Flame sitting on his chair at the top. Hearing my approach, he jumped from his chair, his blades at his side ready to strike.

“Calm the fuck down. It’s me,” I said and climbed the stairs two at a time. When I made it to the top, I said, “Is Lilah in there with Maddie?”