Four men around me.
Armed.
Steady.
Willing.
And as fear coils low in my stomach, something else rises with it.
Not helplessness.
Not this time.
This time, I am walking toward the danger—not being dragged into it.
And whatever waits for us at that cabin…
It will not find me alone.
Chapter thirteen
Lincoln
Thefiveofusmove through the trees, each step deliberate, spaced, and controlled. Lawson signals ahead of me. Beau and Jas split left on cue. I keep Abigail close on my right, one hand hovering near her lower back without actually touching her.
I just need to know I can reach her if I have to.
The cabin comes into view through the trees—a small, weather-beaten building with one dim light burning inside. The generator next to it hums unevenly, and two vehicles are parked in the clearing.
A black Cadillac Escalade and an old gray Chevy Silverado.
Lawson drops into a crouch behind a fallen pine, and I guide Abigail down with me.
“You see that cluster of trees?” I murmur, pointing about twenty yards back and slightly elevated along a shallow ridge. Fallen branches form a natural blind, and from there, she’d have a clear view of thefront of the cabin and the vehicles, but she’d be concealed from anyone in the clearing.
She follows my gaze and nods.
“They won’t see you unless they’re looking for you,” I tell her.
“And if they do come looking for me?” she asks quietly.
Reaching to my back, I pull out an extra handgun I have tucked into the waistband of my pants. I quickly chamber a round and hand it to her. She looks at me with panic in her eyes, so I gently grab her hand and wrap it around the barrel of the gun. “They won’t have time to find you, but if anything happens all you have to do is point and shoot. Okay?”
Her eyes flick to my mouth and she nods. She knows what that means.
I take her other hand and move quickly, staying low, guiding her into the space between the trees. Pulling a branch down slightly, I try to obscure the opening without blocking her sight line.
I need her to be able to see us, even if we can’t see her, just in case we need to make a fast getaway.
Her fingers hook into the front of my jacket before I step away. Her hazel eyes search mine, and when she opens her mouth to speak, I stop her by planting one more kiss on her soft lips before whispering. “Be right back.”
“You promise?”
The corner of my lips lift. “I promise, Sweetheart.”
The cabin door creaking open has my head snapping in its direction.
Caleb steps out first. He looks thinner than I remember. Jittery. Eyes scanning too fast as Grayson steps out behind him.
