I moved aside as he practically threw himself through the door. I didn’t look back, but I heard the sounds of what I thought were him embracing Emily and murmuring jumbled words that blended together.

I cut the girl’s bindings too and when they fell to the floor, she pulled the gag from her mouth, sputtering before drawing in a big breath of air. “My papa?” she asked.

“He’s in the other buggy,” Emily said from behind me. “I knew I had to catch it. I knew he was in there.”

“Oh shit. Okay,” I said. We helped down the young girl, who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, and then we all hurried to the other buggy where I could now hear moaning from inside. I pulled the door open, and the girl let out a sob, ducking under me and climbing up into the compartment where an older man with a long beard was slumped against the wall, a large bruise on his head where he’d either been hit, or the injury sustained during the unexpected bumpy ride we’d all just gone on.

I stepped up and leaned inside to cut his bindings too and then the girl removed his gag and helped him out. He blinked as he obviously got his bearings and now that the gag was out of his mouth, I could see that he had a bloody lip making it obvious that he’d been beaten.

“Those men came to our farm,” the girl said. “They stole clothes off our line and food from our house. They tried to take me, and my papa fought them and so they hit him with their gun and tied us both up and stole our horses and buggies.” She sucked in a deep pull of air, appearing like she might start crying. Emily stepped over to her and put her arm around her shoulders. “You’re okay now. What’s your name?”

“Lavina. This is my father, Abram.”

“I’m Emily, and that’s Charlie and Tuck. Where is your farm?”

“Indiana. We’ve been traveling for four days.” The girl wrapped her arms around herself, her expression bleak as she looked away. I bit back a curse. I could imagine what had happened in those four days in the back of that buggy.

“You have a community there, in Indiana?”

“Yes,” Abram said. “A small community. There’s a prison a few hours from us, and I believe those men came from there. They were wearing prison uniforms. It’s why they needed our clothes. But then they put a gun to my head, and they took us too.”

“I’ve gotta sit down,” Charlie moaned.