EMP Catastrophe | Book 2 | Erupting Danger Hamilton, Grace (ebook reader color screen txt) 📖

and leapt to her feet so that she loomed over Jade. “The day you get to use one of our guns will be over my dead body. You can’t be trusted with a weapon. Especially not after what you did to that man at the gas station. You don’t even seem to show any remorse!”

Jade’s face flushed a dark red. Her eyes narrowed with the same kind of rage Matthew had seen when the clerk had threatened her. “That’s completely unfair,” she said.

“You’d turn on us,” Kathleen said, her voice low and venomous, “and I bet you wouldn’t feel bad about it at all.”

Jade looked affronted. “How dare you?” she said, slowly standing from her chair to face off with Kathleen. “I’m dealing with my issues in my own way. What do you know? You’ve barely taken the time to get to know me. Would you rather see me screaming at everyone and throwing a tantrum, instead? Would that make it look like I was feeling bad for what I did? Perhaps I should hide in my room.” Jade eyed Kathleen up and down as if taking stock of her and not liking what she saw. “Maybe I’ll just pretend to see imagined threats hiding in the woods.”

Kathleen looked as though she’d been slapped.

“I’ve already proved,” Jade continued, “on more than one occasion, that you can trust me. I’m not going to turn a gun on you and shoot you. I may not be weeping openly in front of you, but I can certainly tell you that I’m mourning in my own way. I’m just handling it better than you, and that pisses you off!” Jade said.

Kathleen’s face paled. She stared at Jade as if desperate for words that wouldn’t come.

“You’re the one that hasn’t been sleeping,” Jade said, pointing a finger at Kathleen. “You’re the one who’s been eating just as poorly as Allison. To tell you the truth, I’m surprised you haven’t collapsed. You see everyone as a threat. Now tell me, of the two of us, who is the one who is more dangerous with the gun?”

Kathleen began to shake as though Jade’s words were physical blows. Matthew wished she would open up to him so he could defend her. Even if he was just a sounding board, it would be better for her to get her feelings out instead of keeping them locked up tight until they exploded.

Even so, Matthew knew he had to prove that he was on Kathleen’s side no matter what. He had to back her. They were a team, and he had to show he was trustworthy, through thick and thin. That he would always protect her.

“That’s enough, Jade,” Matthew said, his voice low. “You’re out of line.”

“I’m out of line?” Jade said, shocked.

Matthew took a deep breath and readied himself to justify Kathleen. “Kathleen has been adjusting to you as best as she can. She’s terrified that you might turn on her and hurt us. It’s not her fault that she’s heard what you’ve done and judged you based on that. You made poor decisions. It’s not illogical for us to assume you’ll make poor decisions again.”

Jade’s mouth clapped shut. Her lips pursed into a thin line. Her chin began to wobble, but no tears shone in her eyes. “If that’s what you really think—after everything I’ve done—then there’s no chance of me ever being redeemed.” With that, she stormed out of the room.

Kathleen wrapped her arms around herself and left the room without another word.

I wanted that to have gone better. Matthew rubbed his forehead as a headache raced between his temples. He glanced at David, who looked at him disapprovingly.

“Can you teach us how to shoot?” he asked his father. He hated that he sounded so desperate, but he didn’t know what else to do. Maybe, if this was the solution to their problem, then it might ease some tension lingering between them with Jade as the rotten cavity at the core of it.

David said in a flat tone, “Unlikely. I was never a great marksman. I’ve gone downhill since. I can consult with you and teach you the basics, but doing long-range shots is hard for me. I don’t have the eyesight or the ability.”

Matthew finally collapsed into Jade’s abandoned chair. He felt completely at a loss.

“Having Jade on our side is a good thing,” Ruth said, sounding unnaturally gentle. “Reconsider, Matthew. Giving her the benefit of the doubt wouldn’t be considered a betrayal of Kathleen. It would actually help us survive if she was on our side. She knows so much more than we do. There’s nothing wrong in admitting we are in over our heads. There’s nothing wrong in asking for help.”

Matthew looked toward the door that Kathleen had left through. He should say that to Kathleen. They faced problems at every turn, but maybe with Jade, things didn’t have to be so difficult. The thought of navigating an argument with her left him feeling more exhausted than he had at the beginning of the conversation. He simply didn’t have the energy. He nodded. “I’ll think about it, but right now I need some air.”

David sighed as if he’d expected Matthew to say something else. Matthew ignored him and stood, heading outside and seeing nothing but the last moments of dusk coating the sky in a purple twilight. He meandered toward the perimeter of the hotel grounds in a daze. Since he spent most of his time out here anyway, it made sense that he should try to find some kind of peace out here too.

As he walked the perimeter, he studied the ground. He grimaced when he walked through some drying mud, and then came to a halt.

There. In the middle of a patch of mud softened with scat he saw a footprint. Not an animal print, but a boot print. The tread had been worn on one side, but it was clear that someone had been standing there facing the hotel. He cursed. How