Page 27 of Mad Max

only look back a few times, just to make sure she’s still there. If she wanted to, this would be the time to run away from us. Since she’s not, it makes me think there’s some truth to what Travis said about her. That she’s not part of this. Of course, her actions earlier and the fact that she’s here at all tell a different story.

Flint rerouted us to the only place that was close that could help Domino. It took us way too close to the shootout that was still happening, but no one was noticed or got hit. Both wins in my world.

“There it is,” Casper declares for the rest of us as he points.

Without being told, we all push harder and race to what we hope is a safe haven. We’ve got brothers on the way, but they’re too far out yet. We still don’t want anyone to know we’re here, so they’re being forced to take extra time to go around the whole mess to avoid being spotted.

Casper bangs on the door, then does it again three seconds later when it’s not immediately opened. We see the light in the front room turn on a second before the door is opened, and we all push through.

“You the vet?” Casper demands of the woman who looks more lost than anything else.

“You’re not the pizza guy.”

“No shit, sweetheart,” Kooper grunts as I lower my cargo to the couch.

“Hey. I asked you a question.” Casper grabs the woman as she tries to turn around, and I grind my teeth at the way he pulls his gun out. He doesn’t point it at anyone, just uses it for intimidation. Not that it seems to work on her, as she only blinks at it for a second, then looks away.

“She’s not.”

The voice behind us draws our eyes to a blonde bombshell in scrubs, but she honestly does nothing for me. Not like the fairy with a few cornstalks in her hair, mud all over pants, and shoes held tight to her chest. I might not trust the woman, but damn, do I like how she looks.

“But I am,” she finishes.

I don’t miss the wave the fairy gives her, but I might be the only one.

Casper releases the other woman and steps closer to the newcomer. “Our friend got hurt and needs medical attention.”

“Then take him to a hospital. This is a place for animals.”

“We don’t have the time to get him there. Dogs, cats, humans—it’s all the same when dealing with sewing up a hole in the skin. You either help him, or you and your friend sit and watch me and the boys figure it out. Can’t be sure you’ll like how we leave the place. Might need to try everything in here to see what works since none of us are doctors, Doc.” He moves closer to her with each step till he’s inches from her face, tilting his head at the end of his threat.

We might play nice with civilians most of the time, but this ain’t one of them. We’ve got a possible threat in our group, a wounded brother, and we’re not in a secure place with an unknown enemy who’s still out there. When shit goes down, our manners go out the window.

“Sister, not friend. Get your guy up. He’s bleeding on my couch. And follow me, my clinic is in the back.” She forges ahead with Casper hot on her heels, her sister trailing them both.

Got a feeling it ain’t all because of her being an unknown that Casper is so quick to follow. The vet is a knockout, even if I’m not interested. And I saw the clear glint in Casper’s eye when she stood up to him. Not many go against the sniper. Hell, against a Hound. But we aren’t boasting our colors right now, so she doesn’t know shit about who we are.

She’s trusting us just like we’re trusting her. To a point.

I grab under Domino’s arm and haul him up. He grunts and groans but doesn’t speak beyond that. He might bitch about some things, but he knows when to man the fuck up.

Looking back at Kooper and Cheyanne, I eye her slowly. She doesn’t look like she’s going to run. I see she’s shaking now that she’s had a moment to catch her breath and her body is finally crashing from the adrenaline.

“Bring her.”

Kooper must realize what I see because he takes a softer approach with Fairy by guiding her to follow with a hand at her back. I help Domino to the back and through an open door that leads to a pretty vast room. There are a few more doors leading off it, I’m assuming to other vet rooms or maybe even a reception desk if this place does well in the day. We didn’t come in the main entrance but through the back, which must be used as their home.

I place Domino on the table, which the vet pushes another table against so he can lie down. I take a step back as she goes about cutting his pants open. I’ve seen a lot of blood before, so I’m not squeamish, but damn. That’s a lot of blood oozing out of his leg.

“You guys get into an argument or something?” the vet asks.

I meet Casper’s eyes, throwing my support to him to take the lead.

“More like wrong place, wrong time,” he replies.

As the vet starts to look Domino over, I go to grab a rolling chair, only to stop short. The sister sits her ass in it and spins around, not caring that I’m glaring or that Casper still has a gun out. This chick is definitely touched in the head or something. And I don’t miss the way the vet keeps looking at her as if she’s trying to keep an eye out for her like big sisters do.

With the chair not available, I do the next best thing, grabbing Fairy’s hips and lifting her to sit on one of the counters. She doesn’t make a sound, just places her hands, shoes and all, on my shoulders to keep herself steady. I take the shoes away and place them on a counter before a nudge hits my leg.

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