Hunted (A Sinners Series Book 2) by Abi Ketner, Missy Kalicicki Page A

Then the door starts sliding closed.
    “Cole!” I put my body in front of the door to block it. “Someone help!”
    Grace pushes her way beside me and braces herself. “Grab him,” she shouts. “I’ll hold it.”
    I grit my teeth and jump for his hands.
    They catch mine, and with Grace bracing the door, I pull Cole onto the steps. He lands on his stomach, heaving for air as he sprawls across the threshold.
    The door slams closed with a hollow bang.
    We all smash ourselves against the cold, metal flooring. My nose crinkles from the smell of sweat, bodily fluids, and old blood. This is definitely a transport car for Sinners. I can still hear the alarms ringing and guards’ voices. My chest heaves as I roll toward Zeus to inspect him. He doesn’t look good. He’s losing a lot of blood.
    “Hurry, I need something, anything, to stop the bleeding,” I say. Bruno rummages through his bag and tosses a t-shirt at me. I tear it into strips. My hands shake, but I wrap Zeus’s wounds as he whimpers.
    “It’s okay, Zeus,” Cole says in a raspy voice. “It’s okay. I’m here.” He crawls over to us, still trying to catch his breath as he examines Zeus. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”
    Tears sting my eyes. I know how much this dog means to Cole. He tries not to let on, but I know his heart is breaking.
    “He has four gashes,” I say. “They’re not that deep, and the muscle’s not torn, but he may need stitches if the bleeding doesn’t stop.” Suddenly, my thoughts turn to Sutton’s medical bag. If he were here, he could help. He could save him.
    “He’ll pull through. He always does. He’s had injuries worse than this.” Cole gently touches my shoulders, and I lean back into him. My back rests against his chest, and he curls his arms around me. His reassuring tone calms me. So I fight my resistance and allow myself to be here for him.
    Grace lies in Bruno’s arms with her eyes squeezed shut. Her hands grip the side of her head, as if she’s trying to block out the sirens. He encircles her in his giant biceps and squeezes. I can’t help thinking she looks so small in his lap.
    I twist around to look at Cole.
    “I should’ve listened to you,” Cole says. “I should’ve trusted your instinct. The fence was a trap … and you knew it.”
    “No.” I shake my head, taking his fingers into mine. “There was no other way. There’ll never be an easy way for us.”
    The sirens stop, and I freeze in the gray light. I don’t hear any more voices. The sounds of shouting, guns firing, and loose gravel under boots subsided as the train left the rail yard, passing the large, black fence surrounding it. Now, it’s deathly silent except for the whirring of the wheels as the train kicks into high gear. I hold my breath, waiting for something to go wrong.
    But nothing happens.
    My lids grow heavy with exhaustion. There’s nothing more tiring than the feeling you get after the adrenaline leaves your veins. Even though I ache from my head to my toes, I manage to keep applying pressure to Zeus’s bleeding wounds and praying for a miracle.
    There’s no turning back. We’re on our way to the Hole.

 
     
    Flashes of early-morning sunlight wake me from my slumber. It flits through the slits at the top of the railcar. The gentle humming of the train assures me we’re still moving. I sit up and run my fingers through my tangled hair. No one else appears to be awake. I hear Cole’s soft snoring behind me and see Bruno and Grace asleep in each other’s arms. And it reminds me that love is the only blanket of warmth from this frigid world.
    Zeus! I snap my head toward him and reach over to check his wounds. He’s woofing in his sleep, and his paws twitch. I touch his bloodstained fur, and it feels stiff. Pulling my hand away, I glance at my fingers, rub them together, and realize they’re dry. His bleeding has stopped, and I rejoice for that small gift. I peer closer. His wounds don’t seem as deep as