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“I’ll find the ether, but the city has an eree to make repairs—maybe even rebuild”

That was probably a better deal than any iinary et onboard with the idea “I’ll think about it”

“What’s there to think about? It’s either the town you’ve sworn to protect or Olivia Sweet Where are your priorities? Where is your loyalty?”

Not with the Sweets “Right where it belongs” In Salvation

“Then I can count on you?”

Fuck If he passed the deal up, he didn’t doubt the atively affected the area’s veterans The littleexcept his oer

“Well, Garcia? Are you in?”

He nodded “Affirmative”

The mayor stood and reached out his hand Mateo shook it as briefly as possible Hawson didn’t seem to notice or care “Good to know that once a Marine, always a Marine still stands I’ll grab that donut and get out of your hair”

As soon as the door clicked shut behind Hawson, the dog relaxed against Mateo’s chair The vibrations froainst it reverberated up his spine Without thinking about it, he reached down and scratched the mutt’s thick scruff

“Yeah, I like it best when he leaves too”

The intercoet you’ve got thatwith Olivia Sweet at the veterans’ center in a few”

Of course he did, because his days just kept getting better and better since the azine cover and onto Salvation’s Main Street

Twentywith Mateo at the county’s wrecked veterans’ center, Olivia parked her stillShe didn’t have a plan, but she had a goal and that’s all that et Mateo on her side she wasn’t sure of yet, but she’d figure out She always did

She shielded her eyes against the ht-blue tarp coveredin the war looks unharmed, if not older than the dirt that made up the sorry excuse for a lawn in front of the squat one-story building