What Day was saying made sense. It really did. Though they'd never had the best relations with the Capitol, they were trade partners and had to be cordial because of that. Until a few weeks ago, they'd both been on the same side when it came to the Hellhounds. Raiders were bad. They hurt the folks who were trying to maintain a semblance of order, despite the whole world going to hell. LBJ didn't have the same kind of feud as the Capitol did with the Hellhounds, but they'd never entertained the idea of seeking them out for anything. It was hard to know who to trust after those feelings had been ingrained in her for so long. It was hard to teach an old dog new tricks, after all.
Savannah listened to Day, taking her time processing the words and giving them full consideration before responding. "I guess we can't ever know for sure because you're right. It's Rodeo's word against Lansing's. No one we trust was there. But Gray told me -- and I'm sure he told you -- about those Patrolmen who wanted to gun him down when Rodeo first picked him up. Seems to me that Gray ended up a casualty of what goes on between the Capitol and the Hellhounds. It--it's bullshit that it happened, Day."
She looked down at her drink, watching the liquid clinging to the surface of the glass as she tilted the shot glass from side to side. "Why would they help him if they were just going to kill him? I mean, I know what their motivation could be. Gain our trust then create some story about what happened to make us have a common enemy. I get it. But Gray had more interaction with them. I know he was in no shape to fight his way out if he didn't trust them, but he chose to stay there when he wasn't ready to come home. That has to mean something, doesn't it?"
Dear God. It wasn't the Hellhounds or the Capitol who'd killed Gray. It was Savannah and her stubbornness that led him to that bullet that would end his life. If only she'd stayed away maybe he wouldn't have been burning up so bad with anger that he couldn't come back to LBJ. Biting at her lip, she tried to push those thoughts away. They wouldn't do her any good because they wouldn't bring Gray back.