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thumb at the hastily-erected green tent a few yards away.
    “Not enough room,” Kell said thickly, trying to work moisture into his mouth. The damn pain meds always did that. “Lot of people hurt this time. We need to do better. Fight smarter.”
    Kate raised an eyebrow. “Funny, the look on your face when you were talking about Laura made me think you didn't want to fight at all.”
    Kell smiled at her weakly. “Fighting I don't mind. It's the killing that's the problem. But we don't have a choice. If we're going to do it, we should be better at keeping our people safe.”
    “Yeah,” she said, her carefree facade cracking to show the concern beneath. “We're getting lucky. About all we have going for us is surprise.”
    “Well, that and being able to pick off a lot of them at guard change. Taking down a quarter of them in one shot probably saved our asses,” Kell said.
    “You're right,” Kate said. “We do need to fight smarter. Or better yet, not fight at all if we can avoid it. We also need to stay focused and keep taking out as many as possible before the actual fight. I mean, hell, that one prisoner almost got you. If it hadn't been for Scotty...”
    Kell felt the heat rise in his face. Not for the first time, he was thankful for his dark skin, which hid the blush, though it would have been hard to see on anyone in the dim lantern light. “About that,” he said, glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to hear.
    Then he told her.
    There was never a question of keeping it from her, even if Kell thought she would take it badly. Not that there was much chance; Kate had once killed a man who held a grudge against Kell. Granted, the guy had tried to shank him in the kidney in the middle of a zombie attack, but Kate made her move in cold blood. She wasn't at all put off by the conversation.
    “And you're sure he knew who you were?” she asked when he finished.
    “Yes,” Kell replied, shaking his head. “You should have seen him, Kate. He was shocked speechless for a minute. He didn't know how to react.”
    She crouched next to him, resting elbows on knees as she steepled her fingers in front of her lips. Her fine brows knitted together thoughtfully. “It's probably good you were hurt, then,” she said after a long pause. “We can't risk anyone from the other camps figuring out you're alive, and this will keep you away from the enemy. No chance they'll recognize you if you aren't fighting.”
    The same thought had crossed his mind, though with a healthy dollop of guilt. “I want to help,” he said.
    “You will,” Kate said. “You'll sit around and mope like you always do, then have a brilliant flash of inspiration on how we can kill these guys without getting whittled down to nothing. Then I'll figure out a way to share this genius insight without making you look like the genius you are, thus avoiding suspicion.”
    Kell chuckled. “When you say it like that, you make it sound...”
    “Predictable?” Kate said. “I've known you a long time. I know how your brain works. Once you're forced to sit still and think, you'll do nothing else until you come up with a solution or two. I've seen you do it. A lot.”
    Placing a hand over his heart, Kell gave a theatrical sigh. “Are you saying all the surprise is gone from our relationship? That I'm boring?”
    Kate nodded sagely. “I am absolutely saying that. But it's okay, you can be the boring one. I like being full of surprises.”
    And with that, she darted in and kissed him on the mouth. It came as such a shock that Kell froze solid. As soon as it began, it was over, Kate standing and grinning impishly.
    “Besides, when you do something unexpected, prisoners get killed. I think you better leave the impulsive behavior to me.”
     

Three
     
     
    Kell sat out the next attack, which was their last assignment before heading home. According to their prisoner there were only three Hunter groups in the local cell. Dodger was certain the