with your family. And now your old lady,” Ky said, trailing off. He met my eyes, a question hanging in the air.
“Fuck my family,” I spat. “They can all have their throats slit for all I care.”
“And the bitch?” Bull asked.
“I’m a Hangman. I won’t jeopardize that. Take the fucking cousin. I don’t care.” I was sure the brothers heard the bullshit in my voice. Because nothing or no one was hurting Adelita. I just had to think of a fucking plan. Something to keep her safe. Someway to get her out and make her understand everything I’ve done. “But at some point, I’m getting her. I’m getting her the fuck out of Mexico and having her by my side.”
Styx looked at me. I dared him—any of them—to argue. But he just pointed at Shadow. “You get him the plans. Make sure they’re right.” Styx looked around the room, focusing on some of the brothers. “AK, Smiler, you’re going.” They nodded, excitement sparking in their eyes. “Crow, you too.” Crow smiled wide and bowed his head once. “Need someone to discreetly take out as many of these fuckers as possible.” Styx looked at Edge. “You go too.”
“Say no more,” Edge replied.
“We plan for this. We plan fucking hard. And we don’t fail. We’ve got too much to lose. We take one of theirs, we can negotiate. We don’t get leverage? We all stand a chance of going to the boatman.” Styx slammed the gavel down, and the brothers started leaving the room.
As I went to leave, Tank pulled me back. When the room was empty, he said, “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
I pulled my arm back from him. “I had to keep her safe.”
Tank was pissed. I saw it in his eyes. “You still could’ve told me. We could’ve told Styx and Ky together. Figured something out. Planned to get her out.” He shook his head. “You know how that looked, just dropping a bomb like that? Quintana’s daughter, Tann?” I didn’t speak. Tank stepped closer to me. “It made you look guilty of something.”
“I don’t give a fuck.” Tank ran his hands down his face. “Never thought we’d go to war with Quintana. Never thought Adelita would ever be on the Hangmen radar. But here we fucking are. And I still intend to get her back. When this shit is all over. I’m getting her back. That’ll never change.” I didn’t wanna talk anymore. I was fucking done. “I need a smoke.”
I left Tank in church, left the clubhouse and walked to the woods. The minute I had the cover of the trees, I let my fist fly into the nearest one. My knuckles ripped open, but I didn’t stop. I hit it again, seeing Adelita’s face, Beau’s face, and the faces of all my fucking Hangmen brothers when I’d told them about Lita. I punched it and punched it until I was out of breath and blood dripped from my hand.
A twig snapped. I swung around, ready to smash in the face of whoever was here. Whoever had a death wish. Hush stood watching me, his arms folded across his chest. My balled fists relaxed. If it had been anyone else . . .
“What do you want?” I said, voice fucking rasped.
“You okay?”
I stared at Hush, at his ice-blue eyes staring me down. My mixed-race brother standing near a tree, the branch hanging low near his neck, made me think of all the fucking faceless men I’d seen swinging from nooses. The work of my old brotherhood, done to anyone who wasn’t white, who was a Klan deserter or who was an enemy to the cause.
“You didn’t tell him.” I was talking about Styx. Hush had kept my secret.
Hush raised his eyebrow. “No.” He stepped closer. Lighting up a smoke, he offered one to me. I took one and lit up, taking a long drag. “Wasn’t my story to tell,” Hush eventually said. My stomach untwisted. “Who you’re fucking ain’t my business.”
Who I’m fucking? I thought. She’s my fucking fiancée! I almost snapped. But I held it back. No one knew that. No one but me and her. Christ. At times I didn’t even know if it was still true. If she still had the scrap of a makeshift ring I’d given her. If she still even wanted me.
“We’re gonna be taking her cousin,” Hush said. I took drag after drag of my smoke, hoping the nicotine would stop the pulling feeling in my stomach. The