Page 40 of Harmless
“I was honored to do it,” Levi said softly, his eyes rapt on her. “I only regret that she got hurt at all.”
“Stop.” Paige gave him a playful smack on his bicep. “You couldn’t have done anything to stop it.”
“I could have taken that bullet myself.”
“Ugh.” Paige rolled her eyes and looked exasperated but couldn’t hide the blush that deepened. Or the smile twitching at her mouth.
“They were just telling me the story.” Valorie finished off her coffee with a smack of her lips. “Damn, I wish I could have been there and shot some slave-driving assholes.”
Carter snorted. “Your ass would have been shot within the first minute of arriving.”
“Why, ‘cause I’m a girl?”
“No, you’re just fucking loud. They’d hear you a mile away.”
“Aw, fuck off, Carter.”
Their bickering served as amusing white noise as I nursed my coffee. When there was a lull in the shit-talking, I asked, “Are Torr and Santos asleep somewhere?”
“Yeah.” Val nodded. “They helped me dispense supplies and get people settled after you went down.”
“‘Course they did,” I grumbled through another slurp of coffee. Those two mademequit working, then ran around like busy bees themselves. Hypocrites. Sweet, lovable hypocrites.
I turned to Paige after my first cup was drained. “How are you feeling?”
“Oh, better!” she beamed. “My leg is still a little sore, but I can walk without much trouble. Would you like me to tidy your room?”
“No! I mean, sorry, I don’t mean to yell, but no, Paige. Focus on recovering.” I smiled at her, absolutely loving the way she kept sneaking glances at the fighter next to her. “You can do whatever you want now, includingnottidying up after anybody.”
She returned my smile nervously. “That’s the thing. After being, um, in service for so long, I’m not sure what to do. The other maids have said similar things. Maybe it’s silly, but I’m a little anxious, to be honest. I have no idea what’s next, and I have no idea where my moms and sister are.”
“It’s not silly at all,” the Hunter reassured her. “The fighters feel the same way. Many of us don’t know what to do with all this free will.”
“You guys don’t have to worry,” I said. “We have resources that can put you in touch with your families. If you don’t have people, you’re welcome in Sevier, where Valorie’s from.” I nodded across the table to my cousin. “Or Four Corners, where I grew up. Both territories are very friendly to refugees from all kinds of situations. They have streamlined paths for housing, education, career opportunities, the whole thing. You’ll be making your own choices for everything, but there’s a structure to it all, so you won’t be overwhelmed. You guys will be fine, trust me.”
“Oh, that’s such a relief.” Paige released a long sigh, like she was no longer carrying a heavy burden. “A new territory sounds amazing. If my family’s found, I hope they’re already there or will be willing to move.”
“Once we find your people, we can ride out to retrieve them, then escort them back to ensure safe passage,” Valorie piped up. “It’s one of the many services the Valkyrie Network provides.”
“Thank you,” Paige breathed with a hand to her chest. “I can’t believe this nightmare is over.”
“The world is your oyster now.” The Hunter’s eyes brightened as he stared at her. He was so smitten, it was adorable. “If you could do anything in the world and there were no limits, what would that be?”
“Oh, um...” Paige looked down at the table, focusing on folding a napkin. “It’s nothing big, kind of dumb, actually.”
“No activity is dumb if you’re passionate about it.” He nudged her gently. “Come on, what is it?”
“Well, um.” Paige shot a nervous glance at me, and I gave her an encouraging nod. “I really like...doing makeup. I’d love to be a makeup artist.”
“And you are incredible at it,” I said. “I loved every look you did on me back at the canyon.”
Paige took a whole second to beam with pride before staring down at the table again. “Oh, thank you. It just feels silly because it’s not a ‘useful’ skill, you know?”
“Bullshit,” the Hunter said. “I don’t know anything about it, but it’s like art, right? It’s creativity. And the world needs more of that.”
Yup, they are one-hundred percent getting married,I thought as their eyes met. And that led to a lightbulb going off in my head.
“Would you ever do wedding makeup?” I asked.
