They’re probably already checking out the campsite.
Still, the knot between my shoulders refuses to loosen.
I grab my pocketknife from the console—for some sort of protection—and shove it into my pocket before I step out of the Bronco and slam the door shut behind me.
Ella’s dead stare flashes through my mind again, my chest tightening.
Blowing out a breath, I drag a hand through my hair and glance toward the bridge.
I squint, focusing on something pale sticking through the beams.
My stomach drops.
It’s a hand.
I’m running before my brain can even catch up. Gravel slips beneath my shoes as I tear up the hill and vault over the railing onto the tracks.
Near the middle of the bridge, Cull comes into view, slumped against one of the support beams.
No.
No, no, no.
I skid to my knees in front of him.
His head lolls awkwardly against the metal post behind him, zip ties digging into his wrists as a red-and-blue bruise blooms across his cheek.
“Cull.” My voice cracks. I cup his face, shaking him hard. “Cull, wake up. Please.”
He groans softly, blinking into the sunlight. “Hud?”
Relief hits so fast it almost knocks the air out of me.
“What happened?”
I fumble with the zip ties, yanking uselessly. “Shit, shit, shit.” I pat my pockets, exhaling when my hand grazes the pocketknife. I flick the blade open and work it beneath the plastic, snapping the ties and freeing his wrists.
Cull’s staring at me strangely, unfocused.
My fingers begin to tingle, my chest starting to constrict. I fight back the panic swelling, trying to stay calm and get us the hell out of here.
“Babe, where are the guys?”
Cull mumbles something, so I lean closer to hear him better.
“It’s Matt,” he whispers. “Hud, y-you need to—”
“About fucking time.”
The voice slices through me, and I stand so fast I nearly fall.
Matt looms at the far end of the bridge, gun pointed right at Cullen.
Every muscle in my body locks.
“Matt,” I breathe, my brain struggling to rationalize what's happening.
He moves toward us slowly, gun swinging between Cull and me like he can’t decide where he wants it.
