Edge of Valor (Edge of Collapse, #7)

by Kyla Stone

“I thought we talked about this.” He grunted. “Did we? I don’t recall.”

“This is a homemade solution of saline,” she said. “We’ll use it to flush your wounds, remove debris and bacteria, and inhibit its growth. Salt draws moisture from bacteria, which destroys it.”

“Where’s my girl?” he boomed.

My heart! Ahhhhhh! Let the tears roll.

“Who says we couldn’t try to reason with him?” Lee asked.

Shut up. He's so annoying. Always the easyway out with him. Again… Look how well that worked last time.

“Like how we reasoned with Rosamond?” Perez said. “That worked out so well.”

Lol should've kept reading. Exactly, Perez!

Quinn

Nope. Just Quinn.

Hannah had seen no reason to correct them. Besides, Quinn had enough on her plate.

I meeeaaaan, I get it, but girl, come on!

Shen Lee hadn’t seen Rosamond for who she truly was. At first, he’d supported the militia, long after he shouldn’t have.

Three and a half months ago, an EMP attack devastated the nation. A series of simultaneous, high-altitude nuclear detonations had caused an electromagnetic pulse that destroyed the power grid across most of the continental United States.

Dude... we know. I just noted this exact sentence in the last book. Are you needing a particular word count to get published?!? This is the most irritating part in her books. Is she writing these with the mindset of being stand alone books? Even if time has passed between publishings, the reader, at this point, knows how we got here. The next 4 paragraphs are pointless. It's like this is the part in TV shows where they cut from the show to do the theme song.

“Today, you are.” Evelyn raised her voice, her jaw set. She was having none of it. “Give your orders to Bishop, or to Reynoso, or Dave, Annette, or Perez. You have a dozen people waiting at your beck and call.”

Evelyn had cleaned, restitched, and covered his wound, winding a fresh bandage around his torso, but not before Hannah glimpsed the angry red infection flaring from his injury and creeping outward in vivid scarlet and purple streaks.

Liam kept pushing and pushing. Something had to give. Something would break.

A fierce affection squeezed her chest. He might not own the title, but he was their leader. The one they all depended on. He knew it and bore the burden willingly. It was a burden he couldn’t shed at will. It was in him, a part of him. He wanted to protect them.

If he learned to let them—to let her.

Three months ago, she’d staggered from this building drenched in other people’s blood, Milo’s small trembling hand clenched in hers.

Yup… I hope she doesn't do this in her other books.

“I won’t pretend what you did was smart, Quinn. Liam is foolhardy, too, but at least he knows what he’s doing. You’re lucky you’re still alive. And that Liam is alive, too.”

fight when I must. When defending the innocent is the right thing to do. In the Old Testament, many of God’s people were warriors, called by God to fight to end tyranny, slavery, and great evil.”

“People are more than one thing. They carry both good and evil inside them, darkness and light, violence and peace. Mercy and justice.”

“The key is to make sure your cause is righteous. And to keep the darkness from taking over your soul.” He gave a heavy sigh. “Ea...

“Be angry. Nothing wrong with angry. But control it, channel it. Use it; don’t let it use you.”

“Huh.” “There’s an anger that motivates you, that drives you. That seeks righteous justice. There’s nothing wrong with that anger. But it can turn bitter and toxic. If you’re not careful, it can eat away at the part of you that makes you who you are. That’s the anger you have to watch out for, Quinn. It’s like fire. It both gives life and destroys. How you use it is what matters.”

“Talk to him. Shame thrives in secrecy and silence. Talking frees us.”

“After everything, it is love that endures. We need people to survive. We need each other. It’s the only thing separating us from the darkness.”

Charlotte often shared a crib with L.J. They were becoming so attached to each other that they slept holding hands or curled into each other like kittens.

A mere eighty miles from his true destination of Fall Creek.

He’d requested more; the Governor had not yet complied.

More for what… that's beyond enough.

He belonged at the top of the food chain, where he could rest and relax in luxurious comfort—not out here in the wild, enduring cold, hunger, and discomfort.

Nah! You are right where you belong.

“We had to abort.”

Who is this "we" you speak of? You came back alone!

“Sir, a secondary force interfered. A spec ops soldier, it had to be. Had to be someone with considerable combat experience. He was good. Really good. We were focused on servicing our targets, and this guy took advantage of our tunnel vision. He took us by surprise. And he had help. They ambushed us outside Vortex Headquarters. I lost five men in sixty seconds.”

“I found him laid out beside a dumpster. Stripped of his weapons and stabbed repeatedly with a small knife.” “The work of this spec ops soldier?” “I doubt it, sir. It didn’t have the mark of a professional.”

Through his daughter and psychopathic grandson, a part of the General still existed outside himself. They were both dead. But their seed lived on. His seed lived on. The General had a great-granddaughter. And he very much wished to meet her.

he’d inherited his olive skin from Noah’s Venezuelan heritage.

Why, Kyla? If we don't know what this little boy looks like by now then you've failed horribly.

She’d sworn she’d kill him herself if he ever set foot in Fall Creek again. And yet, here he was. He’d helped rescue Quinn. He’d saved Quinn and Liam during their escape from Vortex. That was the one and only reason she didn’t shoot him dead where he stood. It was also the reason she’d agreed to meet with him. A onetime courtesy she already regretted. Anger slashed through her. He was still militia. He always would be.

I'm sorry but no. You all were so willing to forgive Noah but not Luther. Luther was very much bothered by what was happening and actually showed as much on multiple occasions. Noah was well into being compliant with evrything. Luther in the end did the right thing. Noah did not. Seriously?

She owed this man nothing.

She owed him everything at this point. Am I crazy?

His eyes were red-rimmed. He’d been crying. He ducked his head, as if attempting to hide his emotions. As if he were ashamed of himself. “What you’ve done. How you’ve cared for my dad—” “I said I would.” “I didn’t deserve that.” “I didn’t do it for you.” “Then…why?” “I did it for me.” Luther looked away, blinking hard, his jaw set.

“I never wanted to be like that, you know. I was an accountant. Can you believe that?”

She stared at him, her heart made of ice that wouldn’t thaw.

And Noah used to be a good cop. I hate the way this is going.

“Feeling guilty doesn’t make you a good person,” she said. “Your actions do. If you want to be a good person, be one.”

Umm… are we not aware of something here? Did he not save Quinn and Liam? Did I imagine that part of the story?

She met his gaze. “You want redemption?” “Yes.” “Earn it.” “Tell me how.”

Luther called after her retreating form. “I’m a different man. I’m better. I can be better.”

“Why? How do I look?” “Like you argued with a rhinoceros and lost.”

“Are you mad at me?” His brows lifted. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“Okay, then.” “Okay?” “Yep.” “That’s it?” “What else is there?” “But aren’t you mad at me? Let me have it. I can take it.” “You already know you shouldn’t have gone alone.” “I know.” “I don’t have to tell you what you risked.” “Your life,” she choked out. “And everyone else’s, too.” “You’ve been scolded already. No need to add to your misery. You learned your lesson. And some more besides, I’ll wager.”

This is how I feel people should react when it's evident that the person who did the stupid thing is more than repentant. Like, there's absolutely nothing you or I could do to change the outcome of your actions but you've learned something and then some from the mess up. Do better moving forward. No reason for me to beat you down more than you are already doing to yourself.

“I want to be like you,” she blurted. He looked at her. “I want to be a warrior.” “You already are.” She snorted. “I saw you. I saw what you did to Sutter.” He scratched the stubble along his jaw, something like admiration in his eyes. “Being a warrior starts here and here.” He touched his head, then his chest. “You’ve already got that in spades. You need to learn the tricks of the trade.”

Aww! This is true!

His lips twitched like he wanted to smile, but he was Wolverine, so he had to maintain his grim, fierce persona at all times.

“We can’t let them roll in here. On the other hand, they’re American soldiers operating on orders from their superiors. I have zero desire to cause harm, let alone open fire.”

No one broke rank. They waited, as prepared as possible, armed and ready for whatever happened next. Willing to defend their town and their loved ones with their lives.

Fewer and fewer expected others to do it for them.

“If the National Guard engages, don’t fire unless it is a last resort. We will not slaughter American servicemen while we have the choice. Not unless it’s saving a life.”