Dennis asked again, "If we want more herbs down the line, will you still have supply?" Of course, Natalie didn't. By the time another batch of echinacea was grown and ready, the outbreak would probably be over. Plus, Natalie had calculated this batch perfectly—less than 30% of Northlorn's population was still alive, and even fewer had food to trade for medicine. Even if she had more herbs, there'd be no one left to sell them to. But she couldn't just say that outright. She gave a vague smile. "I don't grow it myself. I'll have to check with the people above me." The two brothers exchanged a glance. Right, she's got people behind her. They glanced again at the assault rifle slung over her shoulder, and their attitude softened even more. "In that case, let's just stick to this deal for now. If you get more stock later, you can always find us here." Natalie nodded in agreement. Then they got into the details of the transaction. Neither side trusted the other completely, so they agreed to split the trade into two parts, just in case someone tried to pull a fast one. The plan was—seven days from now, they'd do the first half. If that went smoothly, they'd do the second half two days later. Each batch is 500 pounds of echinacea for 15 tons of food. Once they'd agreed on the exact times and drop-off location, they finally parted ways.As the armored SUV tore off down the dusty road, Arnold couldn't help but sigh, "That ride looks badass, like a freakin' tank." Dennis, already heading toward their beat-up van, said, "Badass doesn't even cover it. That thing costs more than ten Maybach S480s put together." Arnold's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Ten Maybachs?!" His family had worked for three generations and never even sat in one. Who the hell was this woman? Arnold stared after the SUV and muttered, "Dennis, you think she's richer than Mr. Mervyn?" Dennis shrugged. "Mr. Mervyn? Maybe not. But she's definitely got more money than Mr. Theodore." Arnold scoffed. "Pfft, Mr. Theodore's always getting his cards frozen by Mr. Mervyn whenever he screws up. Wasn't like he had much money to begin with." Dennis shot him a look. "You seriously gossiping about Mr. Mervyn's family business? Shut up and pack up, we're going home." On the other side of town, Natalie had wrapped up the deal and headed home in a pretty good mood. She'd just changed clothes and grabbed something to eat when a familiar roar echoed through the night. She rushed to the window. Sure enough, slicing through the pitch-black sky, a helicopter was flying toward the neighborhood with its searchlights on. Natalie narrowed her eyes, trying to get a clearer look. That had to be Cassian's chopper ... right? A flicker of nervousness rose in her chest. What was she even supposed to say if she saw him? The last time they crossed paths had been ... awkward, to say the least.But before she could even finish that train of thought, the helicopter circled above for a few moments, and then turned away and flew off. Natalie just stood there in silence. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Not long after, Olivia came knocking. "Nat, was that Mr. Holland just now?" Natalie frowned. "I'm not sure. Looked like it." Olivia tilted her head. "Why'd he fly all the way over here and then just leave without landing?" Natalie's brow stayed furrowed. "No idea." Olivia suddenly lit up. "Wait, maybe it's like one of those playing-hard-to-get things?" Playing hard to get? Natalie's face darkened. A flash of irritation rose in her. "He can do whatever he wants. I'm not wasting time thinking about him." She paused, then added, "Might not have even been him." The world was big. Cassian wasn't the only one with access to a helicopter. Olivia glanced at Natalie, who was clearly in a bad mood. "If Cassian was really trying to play hard to get, then he seriously misread the room," she thought. Natalie was not the kind of woman who had patience for games. The next few days passed quietly. Natalie stuck to her usual routine, and the helicopter never came back. A week later, she showed up at the location she and the Griffith brothers had agreed on.They had purposely chosen to meet during the day. Even though the heat was intense, the streets were mostly empty, and the daylight made visibility much better. The drop point was an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town. Each party would unload their goods into the warehouse, and then haul away the other's shipment. Natalie had picked the location herself—remote, wide open, and with no decent places for anyone to hide. If Dennis and Arnold tried to bring backup, she'd spot them well before they got close. Before heading in, Natalie drove her vehicle in a slow loop about a mile out, scanning the area carefully to make sure no one else was lurking nearby. Once she was sure it was clear, she pulled into the factory. The Griffith brothers were already there. They had brought a large dump truck, its bed piled high with food. Arnold was up front operating the controls, tipping the bed to unload the grain onto the ground while Dennis supervised. Natalie raised an eyebrow. The brothers were smarter than she'd expected. Fifteen tons of grain—hauling that by hand would've taken forever. Using a dump truck saved time and manpower. She was just curious where they'd gotten it. Pulling together that much grain and still managing to source rare herbs in just one week? Whoever was backing them clearly wasn't small-time. Not that it mattered to Natalie. Her job was simple: make the trade, take the food. Her own trusty van—an old silver cargo model—rolled forward slowly, packed with fresh echinacea. Dennis walked up with a big grin. "Ms. Ashford, good to see you again."Then he blinked at her ride. "Wait, this is what you brought? This little thing?" Natalie cut the engine and stepped out. "Don't worry. Five hundred pounds of echinacea—not an ounce short."