Page 149 of After the Burn

Wren had never seen their compound, but she had seen the trucks.

Twice.

The first time, they left with two women. The second time, three. Then, as the weeks and months passed, the numbers had increased significantly.

Realizing the extent of Wren's information, I decided to locate the men who took Lila rather than pursue Gideon. I preferred not to confront both simultaneously. We might have to face Gideon later, but for now, our priority was rescuing Lila and returning to the farmhouse.

If I were honest, I’d have left her behind to prioritize Taryn’s safety. But I knew better than to argue with Taryn. She and Lila had become real friends, and for all Taryn’s faults, she was loyal.

Wren stopped near the top of the hill, looking confused. “There used to be a dead cow here.”

I closed my eyes and sighed.

Beck laughed at my frustration, with Lucas joining in. If those two ever became real friends, I was in trouble.

“Are you okay?” Taryn walked up and nudged my shoulder.

“Perfect.” I pulled her in for a soft kiss.

I don't know how I lived without her. Now that I had the freedom to love and touch her, I could never go back to how it had been before.

Wren pointed toward a patch of weeds. “Big one.”

“Wren.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“What?”

“A decomposing animal is not a landmark.” I swatted Taryn on the ass when she giggled at my comment.

“It is if nobody moved it.” She was still pushing weeds aside, looking for the dead animal.

Lucas coughed to hide a laugh. I looked at him, unimpressed, and his expression went blank. I would’ve thought I’d imagined it; except I saw him wink at Taryn.

I might have to take Beck’s side. This new, happy Lucas was going to take some getting used to.

Colson crouched near the edge of the old road, his fingers brushing the dirt.

Everyone quieted, curious about what he saw.

Wren walked over to him. “Good job! You’re much better than some old dead cow.”

“Thanks.” Colson smiled at her wryly.

The tire tracks appeared recent because the storm last night hadn’t washed them away.

Several heavy vehicles had traveled this way.

Taryn moved beside me. “Which way are they going?”

“Southeast,” I responded, gazing down at the tracks again.

Diesel stained the mud near a rut. It was fresh enough that the smell was strong.

“Let’s get off the road.” I didn’t want anyone to spot us.

We advanced along the trees, running parallel to the tracks, while the woods became eerily silent. Sadly, that didn’t mean they were unoccupied.

We found the first rotter ten minutes later. It was tangled in a section of old barbed-wire fence, one arm twisted behind it as it snapped uselessly at anything within reach. Its clothes had rotted away almost completely.