Page 175

Virgil followed his gaze. “Long time ago. My great-great-grandparents homesteaded there when they first came onto this land. Place has been falling down since before I was born.”

The fire had finished what time hadn’t. The grass around the ruins had burned to black stubble, and a scorched shrub beside the wall still smoked.

Goblin went berserk.

He lunged at the window, barking so violently his paws slid across the seat. Virgil grabbed for his collar.

“Whoa. Settle down, boy.”

Goblin didn’t settle. He twisted toward the rear glass as the ruins passed, whining and barking after them.

Mac turned in his seat. “What the hell?”

“Could smell something,” Virgil said. “Dead animal. Fire. Anything.”

Mac kept watching the chimney shrink behind them. Goblin strained after it until the curve took the ruins out of sight, then paced the seat again, frantic and unable to settle.

Something about it crawled under Mac’s skin. But Jodie must have driven farther west. Her tracks would tell them where she’d gone.

Ben topped the next rise. The haze thinned and a column of black smoke appeared ahead of them. Mac stared at it. A second later, the smell came through the vents.

Burning rubber.

Tires. Oh, God.

Nobody in the truck said a word.

Ben slowed to a stop.

Mac turned and looked at him. “Why’d you stop, Ben?”

Ben said nothing, just stared straight ahead.

“Why’d you stop, Ben? Jodie’s up there. She’s…”

“Mac.” Ben laid one of his massive hands on Mac’s shoulder.

“No.” Mac shook his head, unable to take his eyes off the column of black smoke as the smell of burning tires filled the cab. “Jodie’s up there.”

“I don’t think we⁠—”

Mac was already grabbing the door handle. Ben’s grip tightened on his shoulder but Mac shrugged him off and threw the door open. He hit the ground running.

Ben caught him before he made it twenty yards.

One second Mac was running toward the black smoke, lungs burning and boots pounding over the hard-packed road. The next, an arm like a steel band hooked across his chest and yanked him backward hard enough to take his feet out from under him. They hit the ground together. Ben covered him.

“Get off me.”

“No.”

Mac twisted, drove an elbow back, tried to get his knees underneath him. But Ben was too damned big. He locked both arms around Mac from behind and held on while Mac fought him like he’d lost his mind.

Maybe he had.

“Ben, let me go.”

“No.”