Page 157 of Scavenger's Oath

My nails pick up dirt that I’ll have to scrape out later. But it feels good. It feels like hope.

Maybe I shouldn’t have lied this morning. I told Zane that Myles was coming out with me, when I knew he was still asleep upstairs. Now I feel a little guilty.

They’ll wring my neck when they find out. And I wish that didn’t make butterflies flutter low in my belly.

I just couldn’t bring myself to wake them after they ran around like headless chickens yesterday. They panicked all afternoon, packing like the building was on fire. Myles even went out and brought home a pile of expired pregnancy tests.

Obviously they were inconclusive. But he was clearly disappointed with each one that said ‘negative’, and excited again when another was ‘positive’. I’ve never peed so much in my life.

Why they’re treating this like the end of the world is beyond me. Regardless, they need rest, Zane was busy cooking, and I need fresh air.

It feels good. A small way I can brighten the lives of those three headstrong men that have unceremoniously smashed down every wall I’d built around my heart.

The sun kisses my shoulders, my hands covered in dirt. The breeze smells like old engine grease and sun-warmed wood and a whisper of smoke from Phoenix’s fireplace. It smells like home. Though it turns my stomach a little.

‘Pregnant’…

They acted like it’s a death sentence, but the thought made me smile. Then I pressed my palm against my belly as if it would confirm or deny the ache of hope.

I’ve done the math and I’m definitely late. My cycle is like clockwork, and I had my period a little over four weeks ago.

Bennett had tried for months—years with Kate. He tracked our cycles and blamed us for being ‘barren’. Part of me believed him.

I’d love to rub this in his face. I can just imagine his expression before my men tear him apart.My monsters.

Sitting back on my heels, I wipe my palms on my thighs and look up at the old, country-town police station in front of me.

Our home.

The place where I’ve slept between warm bodies. Where I’ve heard laughter again and started to hope for something more.

I wonder if this was a cute little town full of cheery people back in its prime. Like something out of a wholesome, fluffy rom-com.

Our story might not be fluffy, but we’ve still filled it with our own brand of love.

My heart squeezes in my chest.

Love?

I never thought I’d use that word to describe anything again. But with them, it’s the only word that comes close. I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, they became more than just hot kidnappers.

Myles, with his white-hot—sometimes terrifying—passion. Phoenix, dominant but fiercely protective. And Zane, with his gentle nature, haunted by a past that went against his kind soul.

Yes. ‘Love’is exactly the word I’d use to describe my feelings for them. All of them.

Oh god. Whose baby is it?Will they care?They agreed to try this, but we never even considered the possibility of pregnancy.

Something shifts in the air, birds scattering.

A low rumble vibrating through the earth. A sound that cuts through the stillness like a warning shot. Abrupt and rude.

I freeze.

It’s wrong. Too loud. Too heavy.

Too close.

I spin around just as the red pickup truck skids to a stop. Rusted paint, filthy… and familiar. The cloud of dust behind it is so thick it chokes the air and the sun goes grainy.