Page 149 of Ensnared

“LuckyandJasperare pinned behindJayk’struck.Thebarn’s an inferno at this point, and they’re too close.”

“Anyeyes onJaykob?”

Domjerks his chin in a negative, and my breath hitches.Jayk.

Beau’shand finds mine and squeezes, but he keeps his eyes onDom, who only spares me a tense glance.

“Whatabout the shed?Canwe get to the weapons?”

“It’sright in the line of fire.Nochance,”Domreplies.Hechecks his gun. “I’lltake the rear from the trees—you get toBristlebrook.Coverthe tree line and keep them off our guys’ asses.”

Beaushakes his head. “I’lltake the rear.Ican do more good on the ground if the others need a medic.”

Domhesitates, then nods, jaw tight. “Fine.Keepyour comms open.”

Readingbetween the lines,I’mguessing the rear is going to be more dangerous.Ibite my lip against saying something silly—like begging them to stay safe.

Smokeis creeping through the forest now and it burns my nose.Ican’t see the blaze from where we are, but it has to be big to cause this much thick, filthy air.Aninferno,Domsaid.

Mystomach sickens.

Itry to zero in on the shouting, desperate for any reassurance that my guys are safe, butIcan’t make out individual voices no matter how hardIstrain.JasperandLuckyare pinned?Whatdoes that even mean?Arethey hurt?Andwhere isJayk?

“WhatcanIdo?”Iwhisper.Myhands are shaking, andIpress them against my thighs so they don’t notice.

“Stayput,Eden,”Domtells me in a low voice. “Ineed you to stay out of the way—reallystay out of the way this time.Wecan’t be worried about you right now.Goto the cave with the animals.It’shidden.Noone should find you there.Ifwe don’t come for you in half a day, don’t wait any longer.Leaveat night and move fast.”

Bilerises in my throat. “Butyou—you’ll come back for me.You’llbe fine, all of you.Wegot here.We’reherenow.Everything’sgoing to be okay.”

Beautugs me to him and presses his mouth to mine in a fierce kiss. “Besafe, pet.”

Tearsfill my eyes and the adrenaline of the last few hours catches up to me.Butthat’s not what they need right now.Theyneed to be thinking about the others, about getting them out.Iforce myself to breathe and swallow down the thick lump in my throat.It’scoated in ash.

“Youtoo,Beau,”Iwhisper, touching my fingers to his cheek, slightly coarse from his stubble.

Isear his face in my mind.Iwant to go back to the three of us tangled in the moss and that brief moment when everything was okay.

Hischeek lifts under my fingertips in a half-smile, then he pulls back and leaves.Myheart hammers asIwatch him go.Iturn toDom.I’mabout to speak—thoughI’mnot sure what to say—when he takes my hand.Heburies it inside his.

“Comewith me,” he says gruffly. “I’llget you as close asIcan.”

Heholds his rifle in front of him, releasing me whenIfollow him without question.Theurgent speed from earlier has vanished.Domscans the trees as we move steadily, ducking from one to the next as cover.Westay back from the exposed line of trees closest to the clearing.

Aswe move farther from the fire,Inotice there’s a creeping hush over this part of the forest; the shouts and bangs and snaps of bursting, burning wood seem out of reach.Aroundus is a thick, deadly quiet.Smokemars the way and the flickering light transforms everything into a smoggy, nightmarish haze.

Still, as we move closer to the tree line,Icatch glimpses between the leaves and need to stifle my sobs.Thebarn looks like something from a hellscape—an angry orange blaze with a blackening skeleton underneath.Flashesof gunfire light up the darkness like fireworks.

Jayk.

“Hewasn’t in there, right?Hegot out, didn’t he?”Ican’t stop my shaky, panicked questions.

Domdoesn’t stop moving, but his lips tense. “Idon’t know.”

Ibite my lip, nodding.Noddingtoo much.I’mabout thirty seconds from a panic attack.

Ithink ofJayk’sguitar and his messy bed and the photo of the woman in the dress and the boy with the missing tooth.Ithink of how he kissed me and his smirk and the look in his eyes whenIasked to work in his barn beside him.Mostly,Ijust pray he wasn’t in there when that barn went up, even thoughIknow he barely leaves it.Mypalms feel sticky and the thickness in the air makes my breaths rough and sore.

Abruptly, there’s a flash of movement in front of us and beforeI’veeven flinched back,Domhas lunged forward with the even, deadly speed of a viper.Theman lurking in the bushes is disarmed and disabled in seconds, lying at his feet.

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