Max had said nothing, not even feeling the need to mention the injuries she had sustained. He simply nodded and motioned for her to go to her room.

“Sister! What happened!”

Levi was frantic when he saw the bloody cloth that covered her hands.

“It’s ok. I was doing some training, and I hurt myself. I'll be–”

“Why? Why would you hurt yourself?” His eyes watered and looked twice their normal size as his brown eyes stared up at her. “You don’t need to fight! No one is fighting!”

Grace nodded and bent down, holding her hands out for him to see. “I know you want to believe that, but what happens if we have to fight again? Maybe not our friends but someone else. I need to be able to fight so I can protect you.”

Levi glanced at her hands and then at her face, seeing her frowning slightly.

“Are… are we going to be ok?”

She forced a smile on her face and nodded her head. “Trust me. Nothing will ever happen to you, I promise. I will always ensure you are always protected and cared for.”

“What about you?” Levi asked.

“What about me?”

“Who is going to protect you?”

She reached out and carefully hugged him, making sure to keep the rags from his clothes. She squeezed him tight and felt him hug her. “I will be fine. Max and some of the others are going to help protect us. Now I need you to let me cook so we can rest. I’ll have a surprise for you in a few days.”

The promise of a surprise distracted Levi from what he had just been concerned with. “What surprise?!”

Grace chuckled and shook her head. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you. Now, help me peel and cut up those two carrots and put them in the pot with the other items I got us.”

Levi nodded, his face now set in an ‘I got this’ look he always had when he helped.

Sighing, Grace watched her brother move and pick up a knife, chopping the carrots into tiny pieces and making sure none missed the pot as he cut them.

Squeezing her hand tight, she felt the skin stretch and the slight discomfort from it.

A little pain is worth it if he can enjoy life.

Without wasting another moment, Grace moved to where her brother was and told him stories about what she had done that day.

Early in the morning, Max and Grace headed out to work with a few other members of Marcus’s group. He had told her that Marcus was in on his purchase and would help ensure things were handled throughout the different groups. Most were still okay with the peace that had held, but there were rumblings of a few that had members who wanted things to return to the previous ways. The threat of fighting had brought a few gangs into an alliance, and now, Max had purchased some things. He wanted to ensure everyone felt they got a share and wouldn’t start fighting over it again.

“We seriously going to split this seven ways?” Grace asked as she moved some boxes over to where Max was directing the cleanup of a storage house.

“Unless we want to fight, the answer is yes. I’ve got some stuff for everyone and with that meal you purchased, it will go a long way.” Max leaned in and whispered, “Also, Marcus knows you got that gold coin. He hasn’t asked how, but your reputation with him has only improved. If he ever tries actually to steal you from me, just know I’ll probably gut him myself.”

Grace looked at Max and saw that he was serious. He used to wear this expression every day when someone tested him.

“No worries, I won’t do that to family.”

He nodded and stood up as others came with some rotting crates. “I know. Now get back to work.”

Grace rolled her eyes at him after he said the last phrase louder. Everyone chuckled as Grace held up her middle finger as she walked away.

It only took a few hours to create enough room in a warehouse both men had settled on. It would allow Tom to deliver the goods close enough to both men that each could use some of their members to guard it during the first few days before everything could be distributed.

“Listen, all of you,” Max announced as he looked at the ten people going with him to Tom’s warehouse. “Do not fight unless I tell you to. You don’t swing unless someone either hits you with a club or sticks a knife in you. If that happens,” Max paused, making sure everyone gathered was paying attention, “I will personally make sure they never walk again.”

Everyone nodded, and then Max motioned for them to follow.

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Grace was walking with Cedric, amazed at how both groups seemed to get along.

“Why did you join up with Marcus?”

Cedric shrugged and motioned at Max with his head. “I could ask the same about you and Max.”

“You can, but only after you answer first.”

Chuckling, Cedric nodded and told her about how Marcus took him in after all hell broke loose in the city.

“Seems we’re two people both glad we haven’t turned into raging murders,” Cedric joked after hearing how and why Grace ended up with Max.

Nodding, Grace turned her head, pretending to look at something so Cedric wouldn’t see her face.

One of us is a raging murderer…

Struggling with her concerns about the choices Grace knew she would have to keep making, Max’s whistle gave her something else to focus on.

“We’re there in five minutes. Stay sharp and spread out.” He walked a few more yards before yelling, “And don’t try to look tough. We don’t want to pick a fight.”

As they came down the street she and Max had traveled two days ago, a twinge of remorse reminded her about the stat points she had lost.

Only half a dozen people were standing at the end of the street before the three carts full of things Max had ordered.

Each had a horse that appeared to have seen better days, waiting to be pull the heavy loads they were hitched to.

Grace stepped closer to Max as the large man lumbered easily toward Tom, who looked overly anxious.

“You think this is going to go sideways?” Grace asked.

“I sure hope not because things will get really bloody if it does. Just stay sharp and tell me if you see something.”

Grunting, Grace took a few steps back and casually looked around, doing her best to notice anything important.

“Max! Glad you made it!” Tom shouted, running his hand through his hair. It was still nasty and dirty and stuck in different directions after.

“You and I both know I don’t back out of my promises. Now,” Max motioned at the carts as he started walking around one, “is everything here like we talked about, or are we going to have an issue?”

“No… no issues,” Tom replied, his voice cracking as he rubbed his hands together. “Everything you asked for is there, including a little more food since I… I felt you deserved it.”

Max turned and glared at the shorter and fatter man whose face looked like he was trying to take a crap but couldn’t.

“You sure? Seems after last time I would expect you to try and short me.”

“No, no!” exclaimed Tom waving his hands before him. “I wanted to make sure you knew I was sorry for that! Won’t happen again! I promise!”

Grunting, Max moved to the second and third wagons and started looking at the things not in crates or barrels.

After seeing what he felt was right, Max moved to where Tom stood. He looked down at the man as Tom wiped his hands against his sweat-stained shirt, ignoring the odor the man gave off.

“I’ll send the horses and wagons back when I get this unloaded and gone through. Don’t let me find anyone following me, and don’t make me return for something missing.”

“I won’t!” he exclaimed, stepping back and motioning to the three men holding horse reins.

Max reached into his pocket, pulled out the gold coin, and put it in Tom’s hand.

Tom stared at it for a moment. A smile that displayed those awful teeth appeared, and he quickly glanced around before shoving it inside his own pocket.

“I’ll expect the horses no later than tomorrow or–”

“Or nothing,” Max cut him off, and he leaned closer to Tom. “I’ll give them back. Don’t you worry about that.”

The man just nodded his head, taking a few shuffled steps backward.

Sighing, Max pointed at three men from the group, who each jumped into the cart and grabbed the reins for the horses. “Let’s go.”

Grace kept scanning the road and buildings, expecting a group of armed thugs to come after them at any moment, but none appeared.

As the last cart rolled past where she was standing, Max approached her and pointed her to go. “We’re fine. Nothing will happen here. It will be ten minutes or more down the roads if anything does.”

Grace groaned as she turned and moved beside Max. “The way you say that doesn’t sound good.”

Max shook his head and sighed. “It’s not, but this town isn’t how it once was. Now focus, I need to move up near the front.”

Grace nodded and watched Max move ahead, his body moving with a grace men his size never seemed to have.

When the warehouse they were using came into sight, a collective sigh came from everyone. Every sound had someone looking and waiting to see if a group was about to attack them. Anytime someone came across them from another street, Max’s glare and words sent them hurrying away.

“Get those carts inside and close those doors!” Max bellowed.

The snapping of the reins and the horses complaining about the sudden requirement to move faster had everyone turning and facing backward as they walked toward the open doors. They could see no one behind them, but Max didn’t want to take a chance. Too much was at stake.

When the doors finally closed behind the wagons and everyone, Grace felt tension she hadn’t realized she was carrying disappear.

“Alright. Don’t stand there gawking. We need to get this unloaded and sorted. You all know we have a special meal tomorrow, and we need to ensure everything is in place!”

A small cheer, clapping, and hollering echoed around the room as everyone started unloading the carts. There hadn’t been a real celebration in a while, and everyone wanted to experience it.

“Can you believe this?” Grace asked as she and the others, who were not on guard duty, rode back in the one cart with all the food for tomorrow. “There is meat, vegetables, drinks and more! It’s going to be amazing!”

Max nodded and sighed, letting his massive legs hang off the back of the open cart as it rolled down the street.

“I still can’t believe all this worked out how it did. All day, I kept waiting for something to go wrong and…” he paused, glanced over his shoulder, and saw men from two different gangs laughing and chatting as they pointed at the various packages in the cart with them. “A sight like this makes me remember to never give up.”

He leaned over and grabbed Grace in a side hug, burying her head in his armpit.

“Ack!” Grace sputtered, pushing Max so hard he almost fell off the cart before falling sideways into it. “That smelled awful and is wet!”

Max started laughing, and all the other men in the cart joined in as Grace shook her hands and shuddered.

“I’m going to get you for that,” Grace promised as she scowled at him.

Max continued to laugh, finally sitting up and smiling. “I look forward to the day you do.”