Cassian simply said, "She bites." The woman was stumped. She tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Then, I'd better not touch her, in case I upset the dog." Cassian shot her a cold look and moved to load Lucky into the car. Her face blanched; she hurried to grab his arm. She couldn't just let him go. Catching him alone again wouldn't be easy. Cassian's brows snapped together. He flicked his arm free in a heartbeat. "You're crawling with germs. Don't touch me." Embarrassment flashed across her features. So much for chivalry. Who snubbed someone that blatantly? She looked down at her dress. It was her best outfit—soft, sweet, designed to kill. It never failed. Why was it losing its magic today? Unwilling to quit, she opened her mouth. "Hey, handsome, you—" Before she could finish, Cassian had already signaled the dog into the car and was climbing into the driver's seat himself. Seeing her reach again, he snapped, impatient. "The dog belongs to my wife. Since you like her, wait till my wife gets back and visit us." His face didn't change as he added, "My wife will 'take good care' of you." He pulled away without another glance.The woman stood where she was, face dark as iron. Neighbors upstairs had watched the whole show and immediately started buzzing. "Gutsy girl—daring to poach the psycho's man." "Risk and reward, right? If he can afford helicopter fuel, he's not short on food or water." "Even if she pulls it off, isn't she afraid the psycho will skin her alive?" "If she really pulls it off, she'll just take off in the chopper with the sugar daddy. Where's the psycho going to find them then?" "Now that you put it like that, I'm tempted." "Forget it. Didn't you see? The guy didn't budge an inch." "True. He kept his distance—didn't even let a pretty face get close." "Rich boys and romance, huh? The psycho's got him hooked good." Elsewhere, the so-called psycho was driving the armored SUV back toward home. Passing Clearview Court, she spotted a familiar figure up ahead, backpack slung over his shoulders. It was the guy who'd sold her the snowmobile. What a coincidence. On second thought, not really. If he could set up a stall at the market, he probably lived nearby. Dusk was closing in. He'd walked the better part of the day to get back. Natalie glanced over, about to drive on—when three knife-wielding men burst out. "That's him! I heard him say yesterday he was going to trade!""That pack's heavy—gotta be full of food!" "He's carrying more than the last guy. Go, go, go!" It was typical highway robbery. The man turned green, yanked a fruit knife from his clothes, and fought back for dear life. Natalie had planned to keep rolling. This kind of thing was everywhere in the apocalypse. But she hesitated—and stopped. For the snowmobile and the mink coat, she'd give him a hand. It was barely an effort. She floored it and barreled straight at the men. The guy in the middle, trapped and swinging that tiny knife in despair, suddenly heard the engine roar. He focused and realized that it was the same armored SUV from that morning. Hope lit his face. He threw himself into a roll. The three bandits scrambled to dodge, but Natalie chased them down and hit them one by one. A moment later, when all three lay still, Natalie lowered the window. "You alright?" He scrambled over on hands and knees. "Thank you—thank you for saving my life, beautiful! Thank you!" Natalie's lips curved. "It was no big deal." She was in a good mood today—the trades had gone well, and she'd just upgraded her storage space. Since fate put him in her path, she didn't mind helping.She raised the window and pulled away. He stared after the SUV for a few seconds, then bowed deeply. He'd been wrong to take a beauty for a mark. She'd taken a pile of junk off his hands and given him over a month's worth of rations. Now she'd saved his life from thieves. She was a first-class good Samaritan. He settled his backpack carefully, then rifled the three robbers for anything useful and returned to Clearview Court loaded down. Unit 1402. Natalie stepped inside. Lucky and Baron came bouncing to greet her. She kicked off her shoes and noticed the living room was stacked with new supplies. The place smelled like spicy fondue. Cassian was in the kitchen washing vegetables, slicing sweet potatoes. She wandered over, curious. "Why is there so much new stuff at home?" Cassian smiled. "I made a run to the Hillside Villas today." Natalie understood at once. Keeping his word—he'd brought double the supplies.