Page 7 of The Forever (When the World Fell #3)

Cruz

T wo minutes. That’s all I gave Ro and Willow to enjoy their reunion. With our fractured group in precarious positions, we needed to move fast to bring everyone together again.

Willow smiled and threw her arms around her aunt, laughing as they embraced—a stark contrast to the girl we’d met running down the street. Nothing about her appearance suggested her one-on-one time with Tae had gone badly, and as I took in the scene, my concern evaporated.

While she peppered Ro with questions about Ellie, I shifted my attention to her saviour.

Tae looked to be a few years older than Jonah and wore a grey shirt and faded black jeans. He had an athletic, capable vibe about him, and carried a couple of weapons on his belt, one of them a well-used machete.

“What happened to the plan?” I asked, pushing down my irritation. “Liv told you to wait.”

“Executive decision. I know that piece of shit. You don’t. Keeping her anywhere near Dane was a bad idea.”

“Yeah, that’s great and all…” Jonah stepped closer, similar in height to Tae and more fired up than I’d seen him. “But you took our car, and in case you haven’t noticed, there’s a fucking horde in town.”

Tae gave Jonah a passing glance, ending the confrontation before it could get started by switching his gaze back to me. “Willow told me about this place,” he said. “I knew you didn’t have far to walk, and I’m not apologising for keeping her safe.”

“Does Dane know where Ro lives? Is that why you brought her here?”

He shook his head. “He didn’t have a clue who any of them were, and I never let on that I knew them.”

Ro slipped her arm around Willow and beamed, elated to be back with her again. Neither of them had been injured during their separation, and Jonah and I hadn’t run into any trouble on the way back, either. As far as problems went, it could have been worse.

I recalled my conversation with Liv about being flexible and seeing the shades between black and white. With a harsh exhale, I let go of the lingering annoyance. “All right, we’re here now. Why don’t we just move on and get back to the others? The key?”

Tae dropped it into my palm and my fingers closed around it as I addressed Jonah. “I’ll take the Honda. You take the twins’ car. Everyone else, jump in with whoever you want.”

It took all of five minutes to pack up the supplies we’d left behind the house. Then Ro and Willow accompanied me in the lead car while Tae followed with Jonah.

Both vehicles started on the first try, and we reversed out of the driveway.

“Must be a relief knowing Willow’s safe,” I said to Ro as we pulled away from the house for the last time.

“A massive relief.” She pointed to the left at the upcoming intersection. “But I clearly need to reevaluate how we stay off other people’s radars now,” she said as I took the turn. “Even if Dane and his sidekicks are dead, there’s gotta be more like them around.”

“We’re safe now,” Willow said from the back. “You don’t need to worry anymore.”

“Ha. Like it’s that easy.”

Ro guided me through a couple more turns, taking us into an older residential area where less rioting and damage had occurred. The streets were free from clutter, and if it hadn’t been for the corpses, we would have had a straight run. One cluster after another created minor roadblocks for us to navigate, but we weaved through each time without getting trapped.

When we turned onto a road with open space and more expansive plots of land, I knew we were close.

“One more left, and we’re on my street,” Ro said. “Hopefully, the others are on the last stretch by now.”

“Is that her?” Willow asked, gripping the front seats. “Is that Ellie?”

My brows pulled together and my gaze locked onto a scene a few hundred metres in the distance.

A beat later, my heart slowed to a heavy thud.

Ellie sat in the middle of the road amongst a collection of slain corpses. There looked to be more than a dozen around her, but four people could easily handle those numbers. We’d done it before.

Willow reached through from the back to grab Ro’s arm. “It is her. Do you see? She’s hurt. I think she’s hurt.”

“I see.” Her voice dropped to a dangerous tone, and the atmosphere in the car heated. “Tell me that asshole didn’t come back for her. If he touched her… if he hurt her…”

“We don’t know anything yet.” I raced toward them, my eyes moving from one spot to another as I put the details together on the fly.

Too many missing pieces.

Ellie’s hands were linked on top of her head as if she was trying to open her airways, and she had Remy beside her in a crouch, with his palm resting between her shoulder blades. It didn’t look to be a case of exertion after pushing herself too hard. She’d be standing to catch her breath, not sitting in a heap on the ground.

Something bad had gone down, and once I stopped focusing on Ellie and Remy, it hit me like a sledgehammer.

Liv was missing.

Gabe, too.

Where the fuck were they?

My gaze sharpened, and a surge of adrenaline barrelled through me.

With my heart in my throat, I pulled over hard, and the force locked Ro’s seatbelt, yanking her into place. As determination steeled my spine, I shoved the keys in my pocket. “Wait here and lock the doors. We don’t know who’s around.”

I jumped from the car, and as I flung the door closed, Ro said, “Like hell. I’m coming with you.”

She was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. I didn’t have the time or energy to convince her otherwise.

All my attention shifted to Liv and Gabe.

Jonah pulled over next to us, and I took off at a run. Seconds later, I heard footsteps sprinting toward the scene behind me, all of us desperate to find out what had happened here.

No one spoke.

Nothing made sense.

Ellie looked in our direction, wincing each time she drew breath. I spotted the hammer lying behind her, and the picture became clearer. One or more of those fuckers had survived the horde. There wasn’t a single reason for an unknown person to attack our group.

When I stopped beside them, Remy’s eyes lifted to meet mine. “It was Dane,” he said. “Threw a hammer and took her down. She’s okay. Just winded.”

“How long ago?” I asked, as Jonah and Tae joined me.

“Two minutes. Maybe three.”

Tae sank to his knees and took over from Remy, sweeping Ellie’s hair back from her face as he spoke to her. His presence and the low timbre of his voice calmed her, and seeing her in excellent hands meant I could focus on more urgent matters.

Breathing hard, mind whirling, I turned in a slow circle and scanned the area, seeing no sign of the others. “Where’d he go—and what about your brother and Liv?”

Remy straightened and gestured to an alley between two red brick warehouses. Dark and deserted. No corpses. “Down there. Dane first, then Liv and Gabe.”

Shit .

If anything had happened to her, someone might as well punch a hole in my chest, rip my heart out, and stomp it to pieces on the ground.

I’d be done.

Gone.

I dragged in a breath and kept my eyes on the alley. “How far behind was Gabe?”

“Not far. He acted quick. He’s faster than her.”

Which only mattered if he was close enough to know which direction she went.

I’d heard how Dane spoke to Liv and seen the predatory way he looked at her. Running after him was the stupidest and most brave thing she’d ever done.

“Where’s your place?” I asked when Ro joined us.

“A kilometre up that road,” she said, pointing north. “Benson Stables. You can’t miss it.”

“Head straight home with Ellie,” I said, handing her the key. “We’ll take the other car when we’re done and catch up with you there. Tae, you might as well go with them. Dane doesn’t need to see you.”

I didn’t wait for an answer. There wasn’t time to talk it over.

No time at all.

I took off running like my life was on the line, eyes focused on the alley, resolution in every step.

Jonah and Remy fell in beside me and kept pace. My back up, my support.

I hoped like hell we weren’t too late.