I knew I had fight in me, but for a moment, just a moment, I wanted to stay here.

I wanted to hide.

Gus nudged my shoulder, smelling my hands. He was looking for treats, and I was still clutching my clothes.

Right. My clothes.

I’d been running in my pajamas.

A slightly hysterical laugh came from me—softly, though. Then, as I bent down—bang! A bullet hit the dirt just beyond me. If I hadn’t bent down... Why the fuck was I thinking?!

I ran. But I only took two steps before a pair of arms caught me.

“No!” I screamed.

“We got her, boss. Tell the bastard to stop.” That voice came from the darkness.

I saw two shadows. There were two men, not just the one holding me. Gus gave a primal growl and attacked. He lunged for the guy holding me, and I dropped to the ground immediately as the guy screamed. He hit the ground, and Gus went for his throat.

I heard a gun cock, and I whirled, shooting before I could think.

The other guy was going to kill Gus. I didn’t know where I’d hit him, but I kept shooting until the gun fell from his hand and his body thudded to the ground.

I didn’t look. I didn’t want to see him, so I turned toward where the other guy was lying.

Gus stood over him and growled, right in his face.

The guy was bleeding from his arm and throat, but his eyes were trained on me. He tried lifting his free hand—in submission, I think—but Gus kept him from moving much at all.

This man had tracked me. He’d caught me. He wanted to turn me over to Estrada.

I shivered. I knew the ending of that story.

I would not go back—but dammit, I also knew I couldn’t kill a man in cold blood. That was a line I would never cross. I couldn’t say it enough. Never ever.

He seemed to understand my decision because he fell back in relief, giving up any more fight.

I went over and picked up his gun, and the other gun. I grabbed the radio they’d been using to communicate, and as I dressed in real clothes and not what I’d been sleeping in, I put it in my back pocket. The guy watched me, tracking my every movement. I didn’t care what he’d see. I couldn’t turn my back on him.

When I was finished, I stood. “What’s going on back there?”

“Your boy is killing everyone.”

“What?”

“Your boy. Raize. He’s executing everyone. He’s looking for you.”

That didn’t make sense. “You drove up with four trucks of men. There were four of us against all of you.”

“That didn’t last long. Three minutes in, we were getting picked off one by one. Sniper was set up somewhere. That’s Raize’s calling.”

Raize was a sniper? “Estrada declined the offer?”

“Guessing. We were told to take out the men and grab the girl. I don’t know why Estrada wanted you.”

The head of a cartel wanted to kidnap me? I didn’t like it.

I had to get going. I’d lost too much time talking to him. I wouldn’t kill him, but because I wasn’t seriously stupid, I took aim and shot him in the foot.

“Ahhhh! You bitch!”

The shooting lessons came in handy.

I sheathed the gun and started running. I had a plan in my head by now. I’d go along the road—not on the road, but beside it, and I’d wait for… No. Screw that.

I had my phone! And Raize was still alive.

I checked it, seeing he’d called me. Ten missed calls.

I hit one, calling him back.

He answered at the end of the first ring. “Where are you?”

“Came across the creek. The road isn’t far.”

“Estrada sent men after you.”

“Two are down. Did he send more?”

A pause, then a curse. “He sent them all after you. Two are down?”

“Shot one dead, or I’m assuming. Shot the other one in the foot. Gus took him down.”

“Gus is with you?”

I bit my lip. “Yes.” I couldn’t lie. He already knew.

“You went back for the dog?!”

“Lecture me later, how about?” I snapped.

“That fucking dog is your weakness.”

As if understanding, Gus let out a small growl. I started to laugh, but then saw Gus staring behind us, stalking.

“Someone’s coming.”

“Estrada’s men called in your location. I heard them on the radio. Get to the road. Cavers and Jake are driving, looking for you.”

They’d gotten out. Another miracle.

My throat swelled, and I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Got it,” I whispered.

Gus growled again, and he took off into the dark. A second later, more yells sounded.

I ran after him.

I had to save my dog.

25

Ash

When I got there, three men were trying to grab Gus.

He circled between them. One was bleeding from the leg. A second from the arm. The last was trying to aim a gun at him.

I saw red.

Red!

Fuck these men.

Fuck Estrada.

Fuck everybody.

I was sick and tired of seeing guns pointed at my dog!

I emptied my clip toward the men.

I should’ve felt remorse. Sure, they were coming to get me, but they hadn’t actually tried for me. Yet. They were just chasing me. But Gus didn’t feel the same way, and damn if he wasn’t one of the best things in my life right now, even if he had bitten me. I didn’t hold that against him. He’d been scared.

He was more than making up for that now.

Once I started shooting, one of the guys turned his gun on me. Gus lunged, grabbed his arm, and he was down. His hand flexed, dropping the gun. He accidentally kicked it away.

Thank you, universe.

I hit one of the men, and he went to the ground, cradling his arm. The third ran off.

There was a crash through some bushes behind me.

I whirled, almost swaying on my feet, but dammit. No. I could still fight.

I would fight.

Raize appeared, and I almost fainted from the relief. A part of me had dissociated from what was happening here. That’s all that made sense because I was appreciating the hotness of his whole soldier and ghost-look, appearing through the mist, sort of experience here. I mean, it was bushes and not mist, but he’d been off taking out Estrada’s men, one after another and whoosh, he was here.

He drew up short. He was dressed in black, a gun hanging across his back.

He blinked once, taking it all in.

Then he scooped up the abandoned gun, flipped it around, and bent, bringing it down across the face of the guy fighting with Gus. As soon as the guy went unconscious, Gus stopped biting and stepped back. He looked up at Raize, waiting.

Raize repeated the action with the second man.

“A third guy took off that way.” I pointed.

Raize nodded, bringing a radio to his mouth. “Estrada has a guy running your way. Scoop him up.”

Crackle.

“Got it.” That was Cavers, and then more crackling before nothing.

Raize put the radio back in his pocket and gestured to me. “Are you going to pass out?”

“Me?” I squeaked, feeling myself weaving. “Totally fine. Peachy even. I killed a man, and shot two others. I’m A-ok.” I tried to give him a thumbs-up, but my thumb was two now. I raised my other thumb, and it was the same. I had four thumbs.