Page 35 of After the Burn

Beck was just as hardheaded as Adrian, and I didn’t think he’d give Taryn up until death separated them.

I’d assumed it was a lost cause for my friend, except I saw the way Taryn looked at him when he wasn’t watching. The hero worship and desire in her eyes were unmistakable. I knew Beck saw it too, which was probably why the only time he left her alone was when she was in the bathroom… and even then, he wasn’t far.

I crouched and studied the ground.

The trail was clearer here. Lila must have followed after Taryn left; Taryn would’ve been more careful about leaving a path back to the shack.

I kept going until I found a place to watch the settlement, hoping to spot Taryn or Lila before they did something stupid. Then the yelling started.

My head snapped toward it.

Voices.

Male.

I moved at once, low and silent, slipping through the trees until floodlights sliced the dark ahead.

“… found ourselves more strays.”

Taryn. Fuck.

I dropped behind thick brush near the fence and got my first clear look at the gate.

And froze.

Armed men had Taryn and Lila surrounded near the entrance, the whole road washed white by floodlights.

So much for a harmless settlement. Nobody needed that many guns unless they were guarding something—or hiding it.

Through the open gate, I spotted Beck and Adrian in the crowd, Max planted between them.

If they were free to leave, they would’ve been long gone. Something was keeping them here.

My instincts screamed before my brain caught up.

A tall man stood at the center of it all, everyone around him giving way. Leader, then. And even from here, he felt wrong.

Carefully, I edged forward, keeping to the shadows.

Beck shifted toward Taryn the second the men brought her through, but a big, dark-haired man blocked him. Beck looked ready to swing until Adrian dragged him back.

That told me plenty. If Adrian thought they had to hide knowing the girls, this place was worse than it looked.

Patience. I needed to know what was wrong with this town, why Adrian and Beck hadn’t left, and whether walking in would save anyone or get us all killed. After that, I could decide whether to play nice or burn the place down on the way out.

Beck and Adrian were alive. As long as they were still breathing, Taryn and Lila were safe enough for the moment. I hated walking away, but charging in blind would only get all of us killed, so I forced myself back into the trees before instinct overruled strategy.

I circled wide through the trees until the floodlights disappeared behind the brush, then forced myself away from the gate. Every step toward the shack put more distance between me and Taryn, and every damn one felt like a mistake.

By the time I reached the shack, the damn thing looked worse than ever. The roof sagged, one side leaned harder than the other, and somehow, it was still dry, hidden, and defensible enough to keep me alive while I figured out how to get them out.

It was a good place to hole up, but I didn’t expect anything less from Ben’s daughter.

The shack smelled faintly of damp wood, dirt, and coconut. Taryn. The scent hit harder than it should have, dragging every stupid thing I felt for her to the surface when I needed my head clear and my hands steady.

The sleeping bag pressed against the far wall, along with the half-empty water bottle and Lila’s discarded hoodie, confirmed what I already suspected. Lila had left in a rush. Probably ignoring Taryn's orders to stay here, where it was relatively safe.

I leaned back against the wall and dragged a hand over my face, fighting the urge to go right back out there. They were inside now. Taryn. Lila. Beck. Adrian. And all I could do, for the moment, was sit in the dark and hate every second of it.