Page 34 of Haven

I’ve lived through too much—survived too long—to let one more loss knock me down. Being strong is the only way to make it in this world. I’ve learned that the hard way. Every one of us has.

The only time we speak all day is to review logistical matters about meal breaks and directions. We make good time. We don’t run into any problems. And it’s midafternoon when we’re pulling off the trail onto the road that leads us home.

By the time Gail waves to us happily and starts cranking open the gate, my chest is hurting so much I can barely breathe through the pressure. I’m twisting my hands in my lap, incapable of holding them still. Jackson must sense it. He pulls to a stop just after he drives onto our property and then he reaches over to cover both my restless hands with one of his.

I take a shuddering breath. I can hold it together. I have to.

“I can go with you to talk to her,” Jackson says soft and thick.

The gentleness of the words is like a slice through my heart. All the coiled tension inside me begins to shudder dangerously.

Then I suddenly think of a way to hold it back. “I want to go check the drop first. One more time. Just in case.”

“What? Right now?”

“Yes. Right now. I want to check to make sure no one found anything.”

“We could have done that on our way in.” He sounds bewildered. Slightly grumpy.

“I know. I didn’t think of it until now. But it’s not that far away. And I don’t want to talk to Molly until I check. You never know. Maybe they found something after all.” I suck in a ragged breath. I know—Iknow—it’s an act of desperation, but I have to do it anyway.

Jackson must recognize it too. “Okay. Fine. I’ll drive you back there.”

“No need. We’ve already used up too much of our gas, and it would be stupid to use up more. I’ll just walk. You need to put up all our stuff and make sure the tractor parts work. I can get there and back pretty quick.”

“You’re sure as hell not going by yourself.” He gestures up toward Brett, who’s in position at the gate. “Brett can go with you. I’ll get someone to cover his post.”

I don’t waste time arguing. If I don’t get away right now, I’m going to lose it. So I wait until Brett reaches us and Jackson gives him brief instructions. Then I start off, walking away from Jackson and the farm and all that’s left for me to do there.

***

WE WALK FAST AND MAKEit to the drop in good time, but—as anyone could have predicted—there’re no miracle antibiotics waiting for me there. So then I have to walk back. No further delay or procrastination left available to me.

We’re not far from New Haven when several things happen all at once.

I hear the gunshot before I see even a glimpse of a possible source. Then there’s a sickening thump. Brett has slumped to the ground beside me, blood soaking his shirt.

He’s dead before I can even gasp, much less draw my weapon to defend myself.

Then I’m swarmed. They come out of the wooded area that lines the dirt road. They were obviously waiting for us. Lying in wait. This road is barely trafficked, so it’s clear to me immediately that it’s us they were hoping to ambush.

It’s a Wolf Pack. I see the blur of a tattoo in black ink on one of their necks just before they’re on me. I fight. Of course I do. But I couldn’t get a weapon out in time, so it’s only my bare hands against four or five big men.

They don’t kill me or assault me, which would have been my assumption. In the panicked haze of my mind, I expect it, and my only thought is to get my hands on a weapon so I can kill myself before they hurt me.

But they don’t.

Hurt me.

Other than some minor blows and wrenched limbs in the struggle, they don’t injure me. My mind clears enough to figure out that this isn’t an assault.

It’s a capture.

They bind my arms behind my back with heavy cords, and two of them hold me in place as I catch my breath, clear my eyes, and try to process exactly what’s happening.

I look around. Definitely a Wolf Pack. There’s ten or eleven of them. Dirty. Foul-smelling. With pleased, malicious expressions. I’m an object to them and nothing more, which is why it doesn’t make sense for them to take me untouched this way.

Then I see someone else stepping out from behind two others, and the last piece snaps into place.

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