Page 29 of Bond

A firm hand rubs at my back, and I instinctively know it’s Bond, “It’s not too late, Roch; you can go with her.”

Shaking my head, I say, “No, I’ll stay. I know who they all are, and you may need me. Plus, this is my mess, and I need to be here to help clean it up.”

Kissing Daisy one more time, I give her to Bond, who kisses her head before strapping her in her car seat.

Rogue and Julia were getting ready to pull out when Drake and Sam arrived to pick up the older children. They weren’t alone, though. They’d no sooner stopped the car than a tiny whirlwind erupted from the back and flew towards Noni, who laughed as she hugged the new woman.

“What are you doing here?” Noni asks her but didn’t seem overly surprised to see her.

“I heard you guys were going to have a little fun, and I was bored at home, so I thought I’d come and offer my meagre services,” the woman replies with a wide, happy smile.

“Who’s that?” I ask.

“That’s Jill Landry,” Rogue answers. “She’s probably Noni’s best friend after Avy.”

Noni and Jill are talking a mile a minute as Jill goes to the vehicle she’s arrived in and surprisingly pulls out a rifle bag, which she casually throws over her shoulder and starts walking towards the hotel.

Sam and Drake shake their heads as she walks away with Noni towards the hotel. They unload a few more bags and rest them on the ground by the hotel steps.

“We can come back,” Drake offers.

Bull shakes his head before replying, his eyes darting towards his and Noni’s children, “Appreciate the offer but no, you keep our kids safe, and we’ll manage shit here.”

“Okay,” Sam agrees, “but if you need us, we’re not far away.” They turn to walk back to their vehicle and are just about to get in when Sam hesitates and turns back to us, “Bull, make use of Jill, she’s a fantastic shot, better than most. Set her upas a sniper somewhere. She has her rifle as well as a few other things for you to use. And trust me, if she says she can hear an ant taking a shit, then you better believe she can. Her hearing is phenomenal. Trust her.”

Bull stares hard at Sam before he nods, “I will. We’ll set her up on the roof of the hotel with Noni and Roch.”

Sam looks relieved and taps the door before checking on the children in the back of their vehicle. It’s not long before the two vehicles leave, carrying a bit of our hearts with them.

Bull turns to the rest of us and starts to speak until he notices Blaze and Cairo walking up the road, “We’ll wait for those two.” He turns his gaze on Jill, who’s casually leaning up against the hotel wall next to Noni. She waves and smiles at me when she notices me looking at her. I can’t help but smile and wave back; she seems really happy to be here, and I’m wondering if she has a few screws loose. I mean, who would voluntarily be here to fight when she doesn’t even know me?

“Jill,” Bull states, getting her attention, “Sam and Drake say we should use you as a sniper. Is that good with you?”

“Perfect,” she grins happily. “I’m guessing up on the roof.”

Bull nods before querying, “Is there anything else we need to know about you?”

“Umm,” Jill tilts her head back as if she were thinking, “I’ve got great hearing, and my sense of smell is awesome. Oh, and I’m the youngest sibling of nine, so I have some pretty spectacular combat experience,” she sniggers at that comment.

“Along with my Zelda,” she pats her rifle case, “I’ve also got her sisters,” she smirks, pulling up her trousers to show us the handguns strapped to her ankles, then pulls up her sleevesshowing us the knives she has strapped to her forearms. “And a few extra goodies that I’ve brought with me to share with you.”

“That’s fucking hot,” Blaze mutters quietly from where he is standing next to me.

Jill’s eyes slide to him and widen slightly when she sees him, “Thank you,” she responds.

“Fuck, your hearing is good,” Bull says. “I barely heard him and I’m standing next to him.”

“I’ll be an asset,” Jill assures Bull. “Do you want to let me in on the rest of the plan so I can get settled?”

“Yeah, let’s meet in Church,” Bull orders. Taking hold of Noni’s hand, he leads the way with the rest of us following.

Bond and I are bringing up the rear, my hand clasped tightly in his. I slow my steps until I stop and look up at him.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, tears building in my eyes.

“Hey,” Bond cups my head in his hands, tilting my face up to his. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. Trust me when I say that this would have happened sooner or later. We don’t put up with gangs terrorising people, and after speaking to some of our townspeople, it seems that the Mambas would have become our problem eventually anyway. At least this way we had warning, and we have inside information.

“Trust me when I say they’re going to make mistakes because they’re pissed and not thinking straight after we blew up their warehouses.”

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