Page 38 of After the Burn

Two men holding a woman’s hand without bloodshed. Maybe they were family?

I saw one of the men reach behind her and grab her ass. Okay, definitely not family.

The guy—Mace—threw his head back and laughed at my expression. “You’ll get used to it, cupcake.”

I narrowed my eyes at the bastard. “I’m not your cupcake.”

He just laughed and elbowed his friend as if I were the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

Gideon smirked. “Our little town is a bit different since everything happened. But I have faith you’ll understand and even come to appreciate it over time.”

I wasn’t so sure of that.

“He’s right.” I felt warm breath near my ear. “And I’ll make sure of it if your test results are positive.” Mace smiled in a way that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I heard a low growl from some distance away and saw Adrian holding Beck’s arm tightly. Both men’s eyes were narrowed on Mace, standing so close to me, with death in them.

Max was standing beside them, but the growl came from Beck.

My knees went weak when I saw both of them safe, after all the worrying I had done.

My sweet baby’s ears perked up the second he saw me, but Beck rested one hand briefly against the back of his neck before he could come toward me.

Smart.

Everything about this needed to look casual. It was important that we kept the fact that we knew each other to ourselves.

Beck caught my eye for half a second. The tension in his shoulders proved I was right to be wary of these men and this town.

Adrian made eye contact next, his anger at me blazing hot. I knew he’d be pissed I followed them, but he understood me well enough that my actions shouldn’t have surprised him.

Lila whispered, “I don’t like this.”

“I don’t either.” I grabbed her hand and held it tight.

She looked at me in surprise, and I widened my eyes at her, trying to communicate silently: just go with it.

To my satisfaction, she understood and nodded slightly.

Looking helpless would work to my advantage. Men often underestimated women, but the more frightened I seemed, the better, until I fully understood our situation.

We stopped outside what used to be a small urgent care clinic near the courthouse. Metal plating reinforced the windows while generators hummed loudly behind the building.

Two armed men opened the door.

I wondered what kind of clusterfuck this was going to be.

I must have paused too long because Mace put his hand on my lower back and shoved me with more force than I thought necessary. “Inside.”

I wanted to punch him in the nuts, but it would blow the damsel in distress act I was trying to pull off.

“Don’t worry. Just a few questions, then a blood test, and we’ll get you fed and settled in holding until the results come back,” Gideon said, his fake smile spread across his face.

The scent of bleach and alcohol had reached my nose from afar, and now that we were inside, it was nearly overwhelming.

The inside of the urgent care was surprisingly quiet. They turned off half the overhead lights to conserve power, leaving pools of pale fluorescent light scattered throughout the building. Empty chairs lined the waiting room, and a television mounted in the corner sat dark and silent. Folding tables covered with medical supplies had replaced the reception desk.

Despite the late hour, a nurse and a few doctors moved between rooms with practiced efficiency, keeping their voices low, as if speaking too loudly might disturb the fragile illusion that the world hadn’t ended.