“You sure?” I ask.
Dante doesn’t hesitate.
“Fuck yeah.” He slaps a hand on my shoulder. Solid. Certain.
From across the room, Max grunts without even opening his eyes.
“We fuck him up. For good.”
Of course he’s not asleep.
“And I’m sure Ryker will agree,” Dante adds with a grin.
I push to my feet, my body aching but something new burning in my chest.
“Then let’s plan.” I look between them. “We need to raid the city. Get supplies. And since we’re all wide awake, let’s fucking work.”
Max lets out a breath like he was hoping for a nap. I snort and shake my head.
“And as for Bryn? She goes down. Aspen stays. Whether she wants to or not.”
I stop and lock eyes with them.
Dante nods. Max grins.
“Deal,” they say together.
Ryker
Footsteps. Light, but there. Far… but not far enough.
I grab Aspen’s waist and clamp a hand over her mouth, dragging us both down into the brush. “Shh. Someone’s coming.”
My eyes meet hers, fear and rage battling in her stare. I hold it steady until she nods. Then I release her mouth and draw my knife.
I have one gun and two bullets. That’s it. And I’m not wasting them unless I’m outnumbered.
Aspen grips her kitchen knife, still sticky with blood from the fucker she gutted. I nod once.
“Stay still.” I crawl forward to check the trail.
Seconds later, two men step into view. Young, barely out of their teens. Fuck.
Maybe they’ll pass by without seeing us.
One lifts his gun, eyes scanning the woods.
“They had to come through here, right?”
“I think so. I swear, I’m gonna gut whoever stabbed Rich.” The other spits on the ground.
My grip on the knife tightens.Keep walking. Just keep fucking walking.
They don’t.
Instead, they start creeping toward the trail that’ll lead them straight to the farm.
Fuck.
