"...Don't have anywhere else to go, do I? Besides--"

He shook his head, unable to finish the thought. Knowing that even if he had somewhere else to go, he wouldn't leave her and the others. Even Effie, now, had carved out just enough of a notch on his soul. Unwelcome and unwanted, but there all the same.

Sharpe ran his uninjured hand through short, dirty-blond hair. "Leaving now would be like giving up."

Surrendering.