EMP Catastrophe | Book 1 | Erupting Trouble Hamilton, Grace (read book .txt) 📖

“What are you doing here?” David snarled. “What could you possibly want? To kill more people? You’re not welcome here.”

“I…” Jade swallowed hard and tried to find her voice again. Her ponytail was mussed and falling out. Streaks of dirt covered her cheeks. “I followed you from the interstate after…after Matthew ran me off. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I tried to make up for what I did to you, David, don’t you remember? I helped you when you were sick on the road. I gave you water and some painkillers I had. I told you I was sorry for everything. I never wanted to hurt you.”

“You didn’t help me.” David tightened his arm around Ruth. “I don’t remember that.”

Jade looked to Matthew for help. “I did, I swear. You were starting to hallucinate while Matt was getting medical supplies, and so I tried to do what I could. I tried to cool you off—Matt, I promise I did—and I made you drink water and gave you some more aspirin when you looked like you were in pain.”

“Don’t lie to me,” David growled.

“I’m not lying,” Jade said, looking lost. Her chin wobbled as she tried not to sob. She kept her pleading eyes on David. “Believe it or not, I did try to take care of you. Mrs. Riley, I really did, I swear. I never wanted to hurt you, I don’t know what happened, why I acted like I did. I was just so angry at being left on my own again. I thought we were all getting to be really close, and then when you said I had to leave...I don’t know, I just lost all my senses.”

“Why would you do that?” Matthew asked softly. “After everything you did, why would you try to help us?”

Jade dug her hands into her pockets. “I know I did a lot of terrible things—things you couldn’t forgive me for.”

“You killed a man. You shot the gas station clerk in cold blood,” Matthew said, seeing the irony that he held a man at gunpoint, but he decided he wouldn’t analyze that one too much.

“I did,” Jade said, as tears cascaded down her cheeks. “It was an impulsive, terrible decision. I was scared and…I wanted to show you that I could be tough. I’ve seen some awful things being on my own, and I didn’t think it through. I’ve regretted it ever since.” She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, and Matthew saw the agony in her expression. “I promise you, Matt, you don’t want to do what I did. If you kill that guy, you’ll never forgive yourself. He’s not armed. He doesn’t have a fighting chance. Believe me. You don’t want to deal with the consequences.”

“Why are you trying to save him?” Matthew demanded. “Do you know him?”

“I’ve never met him before in my life,” Jade said. “I swear to you. It’s not about that. It’s about sparing you what it feels like to kill someone. You don’t want that on your conscience, Matt.”

Samuel glared up at Matthew through narrowed eyes, his breathing heavy, and it seemed as if he were waiting for Matthew’s judgement, not caring either way about the verdict. A knot of concern grew in Matthew’s stomach—he couldn’t understand how anyone could be held at gunpoint and still act as if they’d done nothing wrong or as if they had nothing to lose. Samuel would never understand that he’d threatened and hurt people for his own selfish gains. Matthew shook his head. Something was wrong with Samuel—and whether it was the alcohol or the delusions of grandeur, Matthew couldn’t quite put his finger on it. All he knew was that Samuel would feel nothing if he shot Matthew or tried to beat Ruth. No compassion lay behind those detached eyes.

Jade’s words resonated with the tenderness and belief in humanity that Matthew had always tried to nurture in himself and others. While he had become wiser after everything he’d experienced on his travels, he by no means had lost his faith in people, even if he might now be more cautious about it. Grudgingly, he had to accept that Jade had a point. He would rather not have his future stained with Samuel’s blood.

“You need to leave this place and go back to Galena or wherever it is you came from and never darken our doorway again,” Matthew told Samuel, and he found himself somewhat awed at how steady his voice sounded. “Don’t test me a second time.”

For a moment, neither Matthew nor Samuel moved. Matthew wondered if Samuel would reject the notion and demand that Matthew hand over the rights to the hotel, perhaps even force Matthew to act violently once more. He felt a strange calm come over him. He knew he’d fight for what was theirs. He wouldn’t stand by and let Samuel take over. If this was a battle of wills, Matthew wouldn’t back down.

He stared at Samuel until Samuel’s mouth pursed into a thin line. Scrambling to his feet, Samuel stumbled over the dry grass away from the Riley family and towards the main road leading back down the mountain. He shot one last look over his shoulder with wild eyes. “You’ll regret this,” he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Matthew. “You’ll regret everything. Just you wait—I’ll be back. You can’t keep a West man down, and I’ll take back what’s rightfully mine. Sleep with one eye open. Did you hear me? Did you hear me?”

Matthew lowered his arm and flicked the safety back on the gun as Samuel disappeared down the winding road. “Yeah, we hear you,” he answered under his breath. “We just don’t care.”

David clapped Matthew on the shoulder and Ruth let out a soft sob, bringing her arm around the other side of Matthew so that they stood in a group hug.

“Hey!” Patton yelled from the porch. “What about me?” He bounded down the steps and ran straight for Matthew. Matthew couldn’t help the delighted laugh