"Shadow Wolf, I have eyes on the prize. Do you copy?"

Liz zeroed in on her target. Through her binoculars she could see two men loading supplies into a truck. They weren't a part of the Whitetails, or any part of the resistance. They were something else, not from Hope County. She thought she had heard the word Highwaymen over the radio, but it was probably nothing. They were just a bunch of chumps who got themselves gotten caught up in a war and now they were going to pay the price.

She didn't want to kill these men, but she wasn't going to be the one pulling the trigger. Logically it didn't make sense. Whichever side she was aiding she was indirectly responsible for all these deaths. But that didn't matter to her. She wasn't responsible for any of the war and death. She was just the middleman, doing her best to hide from all it.

Jacob's voice came over the radio. "I see it. And I thought I told you not to call me that."

"Whatever. Don't use my cool code name. It's fine. I'm not hurt."

She could only imagine Jacob shaking his head right now. Her favorite hobby was making things more difficult than they needed to be for him. She thought it was very fun.

"We'll talk about it later." He sighed. They always found some way to bicker during a 'mission'. Most of the time it was unavoidable. This time they had lasted about one minute before Liz made some stupid comment.

The men shut the door to the truck. They started to drive away, bringing the goods away with them.

"Dude, get your head in the game! They're gonna ge…"

Two sniper shots rang out in quick succession. Both men dropped dead. Their blood splattered all over the windshield. Neither of them had time to feel their heart stop.

"Now what did you say little lamb? That they were going to get away? Have a little more faith in me."

She rolled her eyes. What an asshole. He always had confidence that he was going to get the job done. And most of the time, he did.

Their 'partnership' had been going on for about a week. They'd done some routine things, like check up on outposts. Some of it was simple and others were complete lies. Two days ago they had been 'searching for the wolf's den'. When in reality they had spent the night in a tree stand. Nothing had happened. Okay… maybe some things had happened. But she has not slept with Jacob Seed. She constantly reminded herself that.

That night in the tree stand was a lot like the night he had first kissed her. She can still remember everything that he had said to her then:

"What if you didn't go back this time?"

Liz picked her head up from his chest. She gave him a confused look.

"What?"

Jacob sat up in the truck bed and pulled her into his lap. She shivered when the wind hit her back.

"What if this time you didn't go back? Maybe this time you can just stay. I know you don't want to be with the Whitetails. They don't take care of you, not like I do…" His hands wrapped around her torso, holding her tight. They covered her entire back. They instantly warmed her. She felt so small in his arms, but she also felt safe.

"I can take care of myself. Well, most of the time. Okay… maybe only sometimes." She said.

The ass-kicking today was indeed proof that she needed someone else. Like he had said earlier, a partner. It wasn't the worst idea in the world. She could use someone watching her back.

"You can take care of yourself. You're strong. You know how my men operate. You're useful by my side. You being anywhere else is just a waste."

That's what he had said earlier today. That he had found a better right-hand man. Someone better the Ramirez. But that wasn't her. She couldn't lead anyone, let alone Jacob's men. And above everything else, he was asking her to take a side. To join the fight, for real this time. He wasn't wrong on the other part either, her being with the Whitetails was a waste.

"I-I can't do that Jacob. I care about you, but there's a lot of other people I care about too. I can't hurt them. Just like I can't let them hurt you. I don't want to pick a side. And besides, the last person you want helping you out is me." She said.

All she was a burden. When the shit hit the fan, she was only dead weight. She felt like someone always had to save her. No one needed her.

"I do want your help." He said.

That was so much of him to ask of her. She had been forced in this war on both sides. She had been kidnapped and mistreated from everyone, including Jacob. But he had also saved her life more than anyone. If she was indebted to anyone, it was him.

"But I'd still have to choose… and I can't hurt anyone else. I won't. I'm not going to kill anymore, I can't handle it." Tears began to form in her eyes.

Jacob tucked her hair behind her ear and cupped her face. "Then you won't. Just stay with me."

She scoffed. "You mean be your trophy, again? With all the perks this time?"

That's what everyone in the county was thinking anyways. She had always hated the idea of that. But the more she thought of it, the more that it made sense. She cared about him. She knew that he wasn't going to hurt her. She also wasn't going to kill anyone else. Staying with Jacob wasn't the worst thing that could happen. He wasn't going to get all the perks though… She wasn't going to actually be a goddamn trophy wife.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because…" She stammered. She couldn't truly come up with an answer. He was offering her the best option she could imagine, and she was trying her best to turn it down. This was the right decision; she knew that deep down. Yes, she would be turning on the Whitetails. But she believed her conscience would be clear if she wasn't the one pulling the trigger. That wasn't true, but she didn't care. She just wanted to survive, that was all that mattered. Jacob was offering her that.

"So… if I agree to this, what does this mean?"

"Whatever you want it to." He said.

There could be worse things. She could be forced to fight… or kill again. With this she wouldn't have to do that. There was nothing better that she could imagine.

"Okay… you got yourself a deal." She said.

Liz put her binoculars away and approached the truck. She opened the backdoor to inspect what was inside. There were a whole bunch of guns. It wasn't a bad haul. It was better than it being in the hands of the 'Highwaymen'. Despite that, there was still this feeling of guilt in her chest that she shouldn't be here. These supplies should be going to the Whitetails. But she had made a choice, and she was going to stick with it… for now.

She wasn't always known to stick to her word.

She heard Jacob's footsteps approaching and turned around to meet his eyes. His sniper rifle was flung over his back. "Not bad. You can shoot pretty well for an old man."

"Old man huh?" He walked up to her and smacked her ass. It wasn't a gentle smack either, there would probably be a bruise the next day.

"Jacob!" She squealed.

He reached for her again, but she smacked his hands away. She spun around to face him. His hands clung to her hips and drifted down to successfully grab a fistful of her ass. She growled at him.

"Let go of me." She slapped at his chest. Once he had gotten permission that night, he couldn't take his hands off her. Just because she had let him touch her once before, didn't mean that she wanted him touching her all the time. It annoyed the hell out of her.

"Mmmm that's not what you were telling me the other night. What was it you wanted me to do? E…"

"No! Hush… Please don't bring that up." That was the last thing she wanted him to bring up. In that tree stand she might have asked him to do something. He had been more than happy to do it. But it happened, it was in the past and she wouldn't ask him to do it again… Even though she wanted him to.

He chuckled. "Okay little lamb. It'll be our secret. I won't tell"

He leaned in close to kiss her, his hands still all over her rear-end.

"Jacob. Jacob, you there?"

Static came over his radio. He stopped just shy of her lips. He released her from his grasp and grabbed the radio off his belt.

A scowl crossed over his face. "What do you need John?"

"Joseph needs to see you. We have a lot of things to discuss. Meet us at the Ranch." A clicking sound indicated that John had tuned out.

His hand gripped the radio tighter, almost like he would break it in half. It always seemed like when things were going good it had to be interrupted. There was this small part of Liz was kind of glad that they had been interrupted this time. Anytime she was with Jacob, she had butterflies in her stomach. She liked being with intimate with him, but sometimes it just felt… wrong.

It felt like she was betraying everything for her own self-interest. But then again, when hadn't she done things for her own self-interest? She said over and over again that she would leave everyone to die if it would save herself. She even tried to leave everyone behind before. So why did she feel guilty about this? She wasn't hurting anyone… not directly anyways. She wasn't the one pulling the trigger in the end.

She glanced back at Jacob. His persona had completely changed. The man that she knew was hidden away, and in its place was the one that everyone else saw. The one that she saw that first day outside her cage. It was time for him to get down to business.

"Let's go." He sighed.

Liz attempted to lighten the mood. "Another adventure to John's house, great. Please don't let them put me in a dress again. That was torture." She chuckled. They had come a long way since that night on the balcony. They were more than strangers now, they were partners. And together nothing was going to stand in their way.

Jacob ignored her comment and walked over to the truck and started it up. He clearly wasn't in the joking mood after John's radio call. John had barely said anything to him though. She didn't know why he was so shaken up.

"Can I drive?" She asked.

He glared at her. "No. Get in."

Liz stomped over to the truck, much like a child pouting. She hopped into the shotgun seat and slammed the door behind her. "You just have to suck the joy out of everything."

She pulled her legs up to her chest just to make her point. She was going to pout all the way to John's Ranch. Throughout the ride she would poke him on the arm, which only seemed to piss him off more.

"Why are you so grumpy?" She asked. He paid her no attention, he just kept driving. Fine, he wanted to play that. She could be in a pissy mood too. That was the default when they were together anyways.

She still couldn't believe that she was actually back with him. He had done so much shit to her, and she ran back to him with open arms. Even slept next to him too. This wasn't the first partnership she had recently though. But what she and Jacob had was different than running around with the Deputy. With him and Sharky, it was all about doing as much dumb shit as possible. With Jacob, it was all about precision. Which Liz loved to throw them off a bunch of times, but overall, they stayed on track.

It didn't take long to get to John's ranch. It wasn't as busy as it was last time. But something told her that they were the last of the family to arrive. Not that she was a part of the family… She never would be. Her only loyalty was to Jacob.

They both climbed out of the truck. Jacob looked less than pleased. She thought he might have been happy to see his family but maybe he just wasn't showing it. It was probably the circumstances the visit was under. He never liked when his work was interrupted.

"You should come inside." Jacob said.

Her eyes grew wide. "What?"

"You should come in with me. Let Joseph see you."

"I… I don't think that's a good idea. You said I wouldn't have to be a part of this…" She stammered.

"I know what I said!" He snapped.

That made her shut up. She shriveled up like a turtle into its shell. It hadn't nearly been the first time he had snapped at her. She had never liked it when Jacob yelled, but it had never scared her before. But now for some reason it did. Maybe it's because she hadn't been expecting it; especially after all that had happened between them.

His tone softened. "Sweetheart, you don't have to do anything. Just come inside." For some reason her heart skipped a beat when he called her sweetheart. It wasn't in a condescending tone this time. He really meant it. Just like that her fear faded.

"Okay."

She followed behind him through the front doors. His family was already seated at the table. Jacob approached his brothers and hugged them. He really was happy so see his family. It was always interesting to see him with his brothers. It seemed that no matter how pissed Jacob might be because of his brothers or even in general, it didn't change how much he loved them. It made her think back to her own brother… No matter how much he messed with her, she was never truly angry at him. Now she would give anything in the world to have her brother pick on her one last time.

Liz leaned against the stone fireplace. They shouldn't have, but her fingers tapped at her side. Right next to the gun that Jacob had given to her. It was a useless gesture. It's not like she could get away with killing them all. Especially not without getting herself killed in the process. The family barely paid attention to her though. There was only one comment from John that made her want to melt into the floor.

"Ah look, Jacob brought the pet again. Couldn't get the Deputy though, now could we?" He said.

For some reason his comment irked her. He wasn't wrong though. She was essentially a pet. She served no purpose here, other than to follow and to look good. She wasn't the Deputy, just a tool. A placeholder until the Seeds true prize was caught and brainwashed. As soon as Jacob turned the Deputy, he wouldn't need her anymore. She would have served her purpose, and something without a purpose has no place in the new world… She shook the thoughts from her mind. She shouldn't be doubting what had happened over the last week. Just because she wasn't as important as Dep, didn't mean she would get tossed aside. Or at least she hoped.

Jacob and Joseph ignored the comment from their younger brother. Faith sat at the other end of table. The woman looked up and gave her a small smile. She couldn't help but smile back. Yes, Faith had her reputation of being manipulative but there was still something about her that just seemed so calming.

The family talked about all sorts of things, from sermons, to guns, and finally about the Deputy. That was the only thing that caught her attention. Faith explained that Dep had been venturing off into her region recently. That wasn't right. He was supposed to be helping the Whitetails and without him Eli was alone. She wasn't there to keep him company. She also couldn't help but wonder where the Whitetails thought she was. They probably thought she was kidnapped again. Who knows if they would even try to get her back?

Jacob went over what was going on in their region next. Most of the things he told his family she didn't even know. That wasn't shocking though. She had requested that she be kept out of all conversations like that and he had respected her wishes. He said that he suspected that the Whitetails were planning a large attack on the Veteran's Center.

"Actually…" She interrupted. Oh no. What was she doing? Liz walked over to the dining room table to inspect the map that was laid out. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she kept them downward.

"Whitetails don't attack in large numbers. They send out individuals or pairs. It makes it easier to hit and run. They mainly send out the Deputy, but they send out others as well."

She pointed to several locations across the mountains. "They like to send out spies in sort of a triangle formation, so they can always stay in radio contact. It works if you're trying to be cautious, but not so much if you're planning an attack. Here's some of the places they like to camp. If you go here, you will find Whitetails."

The words came out of her mouth faster than she could stop them. They came out almost like instinct, like she had been trained. She had seen all these strategies in the Wolf's Den. It had all been laying out right there for the taking. It wasn't useful to her before, but it was now. And here she was using it to betray her uncle. Her eyes drifted up to Jacob's seeking approval and she found it. It was probably the look that had been on his face when he found out she had killed that woman out by the road. Andrea... It was his approval that scared her the most.

John's irritating voice snapped her back into reality. "Well, how wonderful. She knows something. Don't suppose you know where the Deputy likes to hide out?"

Her heartbeat quickened. "I… don't know. They would bag me anytime they brought me there. I've seen the inside; I just don't know where it is."

The family looked unconvinced by her lie. But thankfully Jacob spoke up before anyone called her out on it. "It's true. If she knew she would have told me by now. Palmer has always been careful, even around his own kind." After that, they all seemed satisfied with her answer.

"Well, the little pet isn't as helpful as we thought. Maybe next time brother, bring someone worth our time." John hissed. It took all her willpower to bite her tongue. The last thing she needed to do was snap at the youngest Seed in front of the entire family. It didn't matter if Jacob cared about her, she would end up dead for sure.

Joseph turned to her. "You have done well."

"Thank you, Father." She said. No matter how many times she said it, it still left a bad taste in her mouth.

He gave her a nod that said she was dismissed. Her eyes immediately hit the floor. She didn't want to look back at Jacob and see that approval in his eyes. Instead of scrambling outside, she ran up the stairs adjacent to the dinning room. She didn't take a breath until the door shut softly behind her. She still can't believe that she just did that. She had rambled on and on about not choosing sides. She had given Jacob more information right then than she had the entire summer. Those Whitetail deaths would be on her hands.

There wasn't time to think about that now. She somewhat remembered where everything was from the last time she was here. She tiptoed down the hall. The voices of the family slowly faded as she descended further into the ranch. The second floor was sealed off just like the last time she was here. Who knows what John was hiding in his room? She wasn't interested in finding out.

She descended the stairs to the first floor. The bedroom downstairs was open. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. Everything was the same as the last time she was here. She stripped her shoes and coat and threw them onto the bed. Clothes continued to hit the floor as she walked to the bathroom. It was so much nicer than the Veteran's Center. There, everything was for necessity. Here though, everything was for luxury. Was it wrong that she enjoyed the necessity better? That was probably just Jacob's training in her. She should enjoy the luxury while it was here.

When she twisted the knob, the water came out scorching hot. She sighed in relief. She would definitely be enjoying this. She took out her firearm and set it on the counter. She took off the rest of her clothes and threw them at the foot of the tub. The water quickly filled to the top and she climbed inside. Her body instantly relaxed. There were still traces of mud on her body from last week. It was hard to get everything off in the shitty showers back at Jacob's.

With enough scrubbing, the mud left her skin. Dirt floated in the water. It stuck to the sides of the tub and some of it floated down, clogging up the drain. It seemed that anytime she touched anything of luxury, it all turned to shit. She needed to remember that for next time, whenever that was.

She propped her arms up on the sides and leaned her head back. One of her feet hung over the edge of the tub. This was nice. It felt good to be away from all the madness that was happening back in the dining room. The thing that stuck with her the most was what John had said when she got there. John was right. Everything he had said about her was true. Liz was only there because Jacob didn't have the Deputy. She wasn't a prize; she was a substitute. The Seeds didn't need her. No one did. It was only a matter of time until she had lost her usefulness.

She picked the gun up off the counter and examined it. She had only shot it a few times in the past week, mainly during target practice. The gun was beautiful though. She couldn't help but wonder if he had just found this, or if he had it made for her…

Either way, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the next move, or if there would even be one. She began to strip the gun. She removed the magazine and cleared the chamber. Seven rounds sat in her hands. In the right hands, those seven rounds could topple even an entire cult… It just wasn't her hands though. She loaded and unloaded the gun at least three times, just to clear her mind.

A noise out in the bedroom caught her attention. On instinct, she loaded the magazine and pulled the slide back. She aimed at the doorway only to see Jacob standing there. He gently raised his hands up in defense, and most likely to mock her.

"There's no need to stop on my account little lamb."

"Damn you!" She hissed. She lowered the gun and threw it back on the counter. Her heart beat out of her chest. She took a deep breath. Jacob just stood there staring at her, mouth agape. It was then she realized that she was on her knees in the tub with everything out in full view. Oh shit.

Liz slowly lowered herself back into the tub and sunk beneath the water as much as she could. "I know why you're here. I don't want to talk about it."

"Talk about what?"

She stayed silent. He knew exactly what he came in here for but of course he wanted to play dumb. "Maybe I came here to tell you how cute you looked all riled up like that." He walked over to her. He glanced down at her one more time before sitting on the floor next to her. At least when he was on the floor, he couldn't see anything. A smirk rested on his face. He was clearly pleased with himself.

"Thank you. But we're not gonna talk about it."

"Why not?"

She turned to look at him. "Because I already know what you're going to say." She lowered to voice to try her best to imitate him. "Well sweetheart, you did good work. You served your purpose. I'm proud of you. Together we'll crush the Whitetails… and blah blah blah. Shall I continue?"

To her surprise, he laughed. "I guess you know me pretty well, little lamb. But I wasn't going to say any of those things. I came in here to thank you."

"Yeah and catching me off guard wasn't a reason at all huh?" She scoffed.

The smirk on his face grew bigger. "That's just a bonus. And I don't know why you're so upset… it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Her eyes grew wide. He wasn't wrong. It hadn't been the first time he'd seen her like this. Still didn't give him the right. She splashed water on him. "Asshole!"

"Well, you do look cute. And I am proud of you." He smiled and to her surprise, reached out to grab her hand. It was rough but still gentle at the same time. A wave of relief surged through her. She really did love it when he touched her.

He leaned in close to kiss her but she stopped him again before he could. What John said was still ingrained in the back of her mind. She kept thinking about how long it would be before Jacob threw her away.

"This isn't right is it?"

He knew exactly what she was talking about. The two of them, together. Doing whatever this was. There had been times where they had tried to kill each other. He had locked her in a cage. She had stabbed him. Those weren't things that you did to someone you cared about. And above everything else, she was betraying her own blood to be here with him.

He sighed. "You're right. It's not." He stood up and ran his hand through his hair. There it was. She had said the one sentence that ruined a good moment, just like a million others had been ruined. Thrown away like it was nothing.

She climbed out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her wet form. "Are you going to kill the men at those camps?" She asked.

"Yes. Are you gonna try to stop me?"

She stepped closer and looked up at him. There was nothing she could do to stop him. He wouldn't listen to her anyway. He never had and he never would. She was just another one of his tools.

"No. What's the point?" She said.

Jacob's hands drifted to her hips. He gripped the towel, threatening to pull it off. "That's not the Palmer I know. Not even putting a fight. I figured you'd try to stab me or something."

"Not this time… but you should know that if you kill him, I'm done. You won't like what I do to you. I'll make good on my promise." She repeated the words he said to her over the radio when she was out with Dep capturing judges. But it was true. Yes, she was here on his side. If Jacob did that though, she would never forgive him, and vice versa.

He scoffed. "I would expect nothing less."

"Maybe I made a mistake coming here."

His hands left her hips. A scowl grew on his face. "Maybe you did, but that's on you. You wanted respect over morality, Liz. Don't blame me for your choices."

He strode out of the room as quickly as he came. She heard the door slam behind him. It was just like she constantly told herself, anytime there was something good it didn't last. It was almost like the last week had meant nothing to the two of them. Almost like it hadn't happened. It felt like it was just some dream.

She stood there a minute more before exiting the bathroom. He had to be gone by now. She hoped that he was gone. She didn't want to see his face. All she could do now was figure out what to do next. One thing she knew for sure, was that she wasn't going to sit here at the Ranch. Not around the entire family without Jacob to defend her. She threw the towel on the ground and got dressed once more. She retrieved her firearm and holstered it. She gathered up a few more things into a pack and left the bedroom.

It didn't take her long to find a small armory in the hangar. There was an assortment of weapons but there was only one that she needed. She picked up a sniper rifle and inspected it. It was much lighter than Jacob's and it wasn't a bolt action either. It would do just fine though for what was to come. She slung it over her back and walked outside.

It was still early in the afternoon. She surveyed the area. There weren't any patrols outside. The rest of the Seeds were probably still downstairs. Hopefully it stayed that way. She jumped off the balcony and landed on her feet. She took off into the woods, leaving the Ranch and the Seeds all behind.

Liz might not be a hero, a soldier, a fighter, or even the mighty culler of the herd. But she wasn't one to sit on her ass. That was for the weak.