Page 94 of Revenge Saints

I nod. “It’s a farm. About a day’s walk from here. We can make it livable. Water. Power.”

Kaily covers her mouth and starts to sob. Josh wraps his arms around her, tight.

“What do you want in return?” he asks, and I see the protectiveness and fear in his eyes.

Knox holds his hands up. “Dude. We’re not here for your wife or kid. We’ve got our owngirlfrien—”

He stops and rubs his face.

I laugh, and Dante grins.

Girlfriend.

The Reaper has agirlfriend.

Finally.

“It’s not safe right now,” Knox continues, trying to deviate the conversation, “not until we leave it. Our home was taken from us, and we plan to take it back. But we’re outnumbered and low on supplies.”

He keeps it vague. We can’t risk telling them too much. They seem genuine, but so did Bryn. So did Ethan.

Fucking Ethan.

“I can shoot and fight,” Josh starts, but Kaily stands quickly.

“No!” she snaps, eyes wide. Pauly runs to her, hugging her legs.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” She is soft and curious. It’s been a decade since I heard a child’s voice. It feels like hope.

Hope that her generation can build something better. But to do that, we have to protect her.

“We don’t need you to fight,” Knox says. “We need to know if you’ve seen anything useful.”

Pauly looks at him. Her eyes curious, and points to his arms.

“He has drawings on his skin.”

She steps closer, but Kaily pulls her back.

Josh places a hand on her leg and gives her a gentle squeeze. She nods and lets Pauly approach.

Knox stiffens. He’s never been great with kids. She sits beside him, pulling at his sleeve.

“What do we say first?” Josh prompts.

She gasps and smacks her forehead like she forgot something important.

“May I see them?” she asks, eyes wide with wonder.

Knox smiles. “Of course.”

He extends his arm, and she gasps at the ink. Not the most kid-friendly artwork, but she’s mesmerized.

“They’re beautiful, Mom.”

Josh cuts through the moment. “There’s a small group of Hunters nearby. We passed them yesterday.”

“Oh, right!” Kaily says. “They had guns and,”