Page 67 of Ravaged Saints

He’s walking toward us from the south side, calm as if he just finished a damn stroll. My eyebrows pull together. What the fuck?

Max stops in his tracks, gun raised. “It’s me!” Ethan snaps, irritation clear in his tone.

I exhale hard, heading back down; my breathing is controlled, but something about this doesn’t sit right.

“Didn’t you hear the shot?” Max asks as we close the distance.

“I was in the building. Found some clothes for the girls, then went to the underground parking.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, but his eyes don’t meet ours.

No“Are you okay?”No“What happened?”

“And you didn’t see the three men heading your way?” I press.

“Men? No. They don’t usually walk around this side of town.” His answer is too quick, and his tone is off.

I glance at Max, and his frown mirrors my own.

“How do you know that?” I ask, my words edged with something darker, suspicion creeping in. I watch him carefully.

Ethan stops, turning to look at us. I grip my gun harder, my pulse steady but ready to snap.

“I mean, we usually come here, and I’ve never seen anyone. You’re getting paranoid.” He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Come on, let’s just grab the rest of the stuff and go.”

He turns back and keeps walking, but his shoulders are stiff, and my eyes lock on his back, the uneasy knot in my chest tightening.

“I’ll report this to Knox and Dante,” Max mutters under his breath.

I nod.

As Ethan and I stand guard while Max grabs the rest of the supplies, my mind keeps turning it over. The way he walked back, the way he brushed us off.

Something isn’t adding up.

We have everything and leave the mall, guns scanning the street as we head to the woods. Once there, I pick up my pace to walk beside Ethan.

“You don’t usually come on these runs,” I say, keeping my tone light. “What changed?”

He chuckles, glancing at me. “Just got bored. Can’t let you guys have all the fun. Besides, Knox keeps saying I need to learn more about these runs.”

Behind us, Max isn’t buying it either. I can feel it in the way his steps drag, his eyes constantly flicking to Ethan’s back.

We’ve known Ethan since our army days. A rich kid who thought playing soldier would impress Daddy. He wasn’t half bad back then, but it wasn’t until the plague that he stuck with us. His family was gone, and he had no one else.

We accepted him as one of us, but the truth? He’s never really done the same.

Do I trust him? No.

Would I fight to keep him alive? Absolutely.

Because, for better or worse, he’s still our brother.

I see the gate and whistle; Max punches in the code and opens the gate. Dante steps out from the bunker, his eyes locked on me. “What happened?” He knows me too well.

“Not now,” I mutter as we walk past the gate. Max trails behind, flanking Ethan, while Bryn waits at the door, her face lighting up like a damn wife welcoming her husband back from war.

Her blond hair shines in the sunlight, braided neatly, and she’s wearing one of those sundresses that clings to every curve. I glance at Max, and he’s already eyeing me. What can I say? Bryn’s my type of woman, just like Max is my type of man.

We step into the open area, and I divert toward the door leading to the weapons locker. It’s secured with a keypad only the five of us know, but I glance at the couch before heading in—Aspen lies there sleeping.

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