Somehow, the dog, now curled loyally at her hospital bedside, had broken free from wherever it was kept and charged into the chaos. It hurled itself between Vale and the children, snarling with brave desperation. In that wild moment, the girl understood the dog was their defender.
Max shouted at her to run, promising he’d come right behind. His voice carried both urgency and certainty, like he’d rehearsed this escape in his head many times. She grabbed the dog’s fur and bolted into the cold night, sprinting blindly as the dog pulled her farther from danger, guiding every step.