“What’s your name?” I asked, wiping away his tears. “I’m Naya.”

“Evan.”

“Listen to me, Evan. We’re getting out of here. So I want you to stand up and follow me as quickly as you can. Your life will never be the same again, but you need to make a new life for yourself. Maybe someday it’ll be you helping someone else.”

That lit a fire in his eyes—one of hope.

I clasped his hand in mine, and I pulled him up with a hard jerk. After that, we never spoke again. I checked three more rooms before we headed downstairs and ran into Reno.

Evan reached for the door, and Reno pressed the toe of his boot against it.

“Not yet. We’re not running into the open like target practice. When Wheeler pulls up the driveway, we haul ass to the car. You two keep an eye on the stairs and back of the house.”

Wheeler’s engine growled outside. Evan bounced on his heels, anxiously looking around. I hadn’t noticed until that moment how gaunt he was, which didn’t suit his height. His clothes looked two sizes too big and were nothing more than a long shirt and pants with a drawstring. Delgado was a man going on my panther’s naughty list, and that was never a good place to be. I smoothed my hand over Skye’s long hair, but she kept quiet and rested her head on Reno’s shoulder.

“Hold on. We’re almost home.”

“Open it,” Reno said, backing up a step. “Run! Run! Run!”

I swung the door open and chortled.

Wheeler had pulled his car all the way up to the front door and was leaning across the seats, looking at us through the window. “You said pull up front.”

Reno grumbled out a few obscenities. I darted ahead of him and opened the passenger door, pushing the seat forward. He set Skye on her feet and she wobbled before I caught her around the waist.

“Crawl in. Everything’s fine, chickypoo. You’re going home.”

Evan went in next and then I sat directly behind Reno.

Smoke billowed behind the car as Wheeler spun the tires and said, “Hang on!”

Our heads snapped back when he hit the gas and we tore out of there, kicking up grass and mud where he skidded off the concrete and onto the lawn. He spun in circles until Reno smacked him in the head.

“We don’t have time for this shit,” Reno yelled.

“This is my fuck-you to Delgado,” Wheeler said, turning the car once more before he finally ran over a bush, clipped the brick mailbox, and then bounced onto the street.

“You just fucked up your front end,” Reno said, pulling out his phone.

I glanced at three broken nails and realized Delgado was going to know I had a part in this. I didn’t naively think he wouldn’t have found out anyway, but it left me unsettled, wondering what his next move would be.

Then I thought about Misha. I hadn’t seen her in the house, and suddenly I was overwhelmed with a feeling of regret. Why hadn’t I searched all the rooms downstairs? She might have been hiding. I put my head in my hands and tried to contain my tears. I didn’t want these men to think I cared more for a cat than I did the two people we had rescued, but it didn’t diminish the devastation that burrowed through me, knowing I would have to mourn in silence.