“And you believed them?”
“Yes, she was a docto— Ow! Did you get it?”
“Yep. Crushed that little fucker.” Max sighed, and Cole felt her shifting around trying to get comfy. It was hard on his body, must be ten times as bad for her. “They won’t be tracking you anymore.” She sighed again. “Still can’t believe I left my gun back there. Bloody pregnancy brain.”
It wouldn’t be much use in the crate with them, but Cole kept that to himself.
They lay there in silence.
Cole desperately wanted to know what was going on with Logan, but he couldn’t hear anything, and Max had been preoccupied getting that bloody tracker out. “What are they saying now?”
“Shh.”
Cole bit back a snippy retort.
She’d already stressed it was hard to make out what they were saying, and he wasn’t helping. But he needed to know. Logan had put himself in danger so they could hide, and from what Max had heard so far, it wasn’t looking good for him. Cole desperately wanted to go out there and help him, but what fucking use was he? Dodgy shoulder, infected leg, and a fever.
None at all.
“Fuck.” Max gripped his shoulder.
“What?” Cole’s stomach dropped, his heart hammering against his ribcage. “What’s happening?”
“They’re going to torture him,” she whispered.
“How?” His mouth felt dry, the words hard to get out.
“I’m not sure yet.” She sounded like she didn’t want to find out, and Cole didn’t blame her. It was bad enough just thinking about it. Max would be able to hear it happen.
Christ, Logan would heal from almost anything they did to him, making it easy to do whatever they liked and keep him alive. Bile rose in his throat and his mind was flooded with horrifying images.
“Maybe we should give ourselves up? If he’s going to tell them anyway, we could save him from—”
“He won’t tell them.”
“How do you know?”
She sighed. “Shifters are loyal, Cole. Even if it means their life. He’s promised to keep you safe and he will. No matter what they do to him. Going out there would kill him, me, and put you back in whatever situation you ran from. Don’t make his sacrifice mean nothing.”
Jesus.
When she put it like that, Cole felt awful for even thinking it.
Fuck, Logan.
A shiver tore through him, whether from his fever, the cold wet wood they were on, or the idea that he might not see Logan again. Maybe all three. “So we just wait here and—”
Max clamped a hand over his mouth, and he froze. With her lips right next to his ear, she whispered, “The other two are coming our way. Not a sound.”
Cole strained to hear anything, but for the next few minutes, all he heard was the sound of his own breathing, far too loud to his ears.
Then he heard it: muffled voices.
Max stiffened behind him. Whatever she’d heard wasn’t good.
He went to move onto his back, but Max’s hand on his arm stopped him. The voices were getting closer. Close enough for Cole to make out what they were saying.
“Anything, Zac?” One of them asked, getting a low wolf growl in return. “What about round the back?”
