Page 30 of After the Burn

Same as I would.

That didn’t mean I liked him. It just meant we understood each other in all the worst ways.

A bark suddenly cracked through the night.

Sharp.

Familiar.

Every muscle in my body locked instantly.

Adrian’s head snapped toward the edge of town at the exact same moment mine did.

Then a blur shot between two buildings and crossed the street fast enough that several guards reached for weapons automatically.

“Max,” I breathed.

The dog hit me full force a second later, his paws slamming into my chest as a low growl rumbled deep in his throat.

“Easy, boy,” I muttered, gripping the back of his neck.

My pulse was pounding because there was no way Max was here alone. He would never travel this far without Taryn.

The dog dropped back down immediately and turned toward the tree line, body rigid and ears forward.

My blood ran cold.

Floodlights exploded across the woods near the perimeter.

“Well, well,” one of the guards called out. “Looks like we found ourselves more strays.”

The entire settlement shifted instantly, and men headed toward the gates.

I started moving before I realized it, only for Mace to step directly into my path. “You haven’t earned the right to a first glance, just yet. They have to be processed and tested.”

His friend, Gage, smiled. “Then we all get a chance at them.”

Max snarled instantly beside me.

I widened my stance and prepared to fuck them up. No one stood between me and the woman I loved.

Adrian grabbed my arm before I could put somebody through the pavement, then dragged me away from the two men. I was shocked that he could move me. The bastard was much stronger than he’d let on.

“Not yet,” he hissed. “Taryn is out there.”

I almost swung at him.

“I fucking know that! We’ve got to get her and get the hell out of here.” I was desperate to keep her away from Mace and Gideon.

“Just how do you think we’re going to do that?” His grip tightened. “And what about the twins and Lila? We’d be leading them straight to the farmhouse.”

That stopped me cold. Because that was a problem.

The girls.

Avery.

Emery.