Page 47 of Marked for Execution

“Got rid of youhow?”Knowing what I knew of her now, I didn’t know what I was expecting to hear.

“They killed me. I don’t remember much of anything after that.” Her eyebrows bunched in confusion.

I took a few steps towards her, cradled her face in my hands, and tilted it up. “Is that what happens? You forget when they kill you?”

I shouldn’t be surprised at all with the rate of her healing, but when would it be too far? What has to happen for her to never come back? I feared the thought, but it was the only thing that made sense.

“I-I think so. Eliseo, what if one of these days, I can’t remember anything anymore?” There was a vulnerability in her voice that pricked at my heart. I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers, and she sighed against me, surrendering herself. I could be this for her. I could be the one to take her fears away.

“Don’t think about any of that. Right now, we complete the mission. Once that’s done, we can go home, and I’ll protect you.”

She chuckled sadly. “But who’s going to protect you from me?” She put her forehead against my chest, and my heart cracked. “What if I discover things about myself that even I can’t accept anymore?”

I rubbed her back slowly as the guys came to stand beside us. “We handle things as they come,Sili. No earlier. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

She lifted her head, wiped her eyes, and turned to face the town.

“Do you remember who the leader was? What he looked like?” Reed asked.

“He was young. Has a scar on the back of his right hand. Dark hair and a beard, eyes as grey as ash.”

“How young is young?” Gunner piped in.

“I-I don’t know. Possibly between thirties and forties, I’m not sure. The only person I remember clearly was the old man chained up beside me.”

She must have been locked up early on. It was my only guess. The guys and I looked at each other over her head and nodded. We were going in.

We automatically walked withSiliin between us all, hidden from view. It was a woman in a dress bending down to pull vegetables from her garden we saw first.

“Excuse me, miss,” Samuel threw out with a smile and all of his charm.

She looked up and smiled until she noticed the rest of us. Her expression fell, replaced with fear. She picked up her skirt and ran toward the heart of the town, causing others to come see what the fuss was all about. Samuel continued with his charm as he lifted his hand in greeting to the men who had started to accumulate at the entrance.

Their gate was short, made from wood and random metal paneling. The closer we got, the more we realized there was a scent in the air: meat cooking.

“What are you all here for?” One of the men approached us with his arms crossed. He had a leather apron on that reminded me eerily of the doc.

“Well, you see, my friends and I have been traveling for a while and were looking for a place to rest. We can provide service to pay off our debt, if you so choose.”

The guy looked like he was about to send pitchforks after us when another voice floated our way.

“Welcome! Welcome. Of course, you guys can stay. We have a guest house available that you can share. My name is Devon, and our home is called Bellmore.”

The newcomer's smile was so false, it crawled under my skin. Fitri’s hand grabbed the waist of my pants, and I knew this was the guy she talked about. Seems Whiteridge had turned into Bellmore since her last visit.

“Thank you, Devon.” Samuel turned to introduce us. “These are my friends, I’m Samuel. There are about five of us, and we would love it if we could stop and perhaps break bread?”

I lifted an eyebrow and stared into Samuel’s back.What was he, a damn disciple? Break bread?It must have been the perfect thing to say, because Devon’s smile grew wider, if that were even possible. There was a hint of something else there that was reminiscent of crazy Otis, and my eyes narrowed.

“Right, right. Come this way, gentleman.” Devon turned to the people who looked at us the same way we were looking at them. “Get back to work, everyone. We have guests. Let’s make sure they feel welcomed. It’s a harsh life out there, as you all know, and we’ve all been where they were.”

The people looked to their leader and followed his command. Like creatures of a flock, nothing was said, and everything went back to the way they were, as if we didn’t arrive on their doorstep unannounced.

Samuel walked beside Devon as the rest of us followed close behind.

“Smells like a damnbarbequehere. Where do you think they’re getting all their meat?” Gunner whispered.

“They might have a farm, like we do,” Reed answered.