“Exactly. Whatever he’s hiding from us, the answer is on the opposite end of a firewall he’s trying to get through.”
“Holy shit. That’s it, isn’t it?”
“Has to be,” Jamie agreed.
“Alright, see what you can get out of him, but if he doesn’t come clean in a couple of days, I’m pulling the plug. What about the autopsy reports on the Washington shooters? Any progress?”
“Yes and no.” He blew out a frustrated breath. He’d gone over the reports a dozen times, highlighting and annotating until he wanted to rip his eyes out of their sockets. “There’s something there. I’m just not seeing it yet.”
“Well, drop it for now. We need to focus on preparing for the worst-case scenario. Whatever you think we need for medicine, medical supplies, and equipment, get it in. What about an operating room? Think you can carve out some space? I’d like to be self-sufficient if Dominion happens.”
“Yeah, we can move some shit around. Maybe knock down a wall or two. Can you spare Cody for a couple of days?”
Adam nodded. “I’ll let him know, and he’ll make the time.” His gaze wandered across the room to where Davis stood by the wall of windows. Unusual for the teen to be so still, Jamie could only guess at the things going through his head as he stared into the dark, the big brown lab pressed tight against his leg. “Take Davis too. He needs something to keep his mind occupied and his hands busy. Z’s coordinating logistics across the board, so work with him on purchasing, delivery, and space requirements.”
“Roger that,” Jamie said, his own mind already in planning mode. This he could do. Bum leg or not, he’d make sure they had everything they needed to stay alive and healthy if the world fell apart.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
“I said no guns,”Jamie barked at Cody, and Summer shook her head. Out back in the heated barn with Eve, Gray, and Davis, they were supposed to be learning how to handle a weapon. Instead, Mr. Snow-it-all had caught wind of the plan and barged in to pull her off the firing line.
“Adam wants everyone trained on gun safety, and as a minimum, comfortable with pulling a trigger,” Grant replied, his calm delivery doing little to diffuse the situation.
“She’s afucking nanny,for Christ’s sake. Not to mention, she weighs about ninety pounds soaking wet. She won’t be learning to fire a gun, and she certainly won’t befucking carryingone.”
Her frustration mounting, Summer interrupted the trio of men. “I don’t needto learn how to shoot.”
“See.” Jamie flapped his hand in her general direction. “She doesn’t want to learn.”
“That’s not what I—”
“You have a problem with Adam’s orders, take it up with him,” Cody said, cutting her off. “He said everyone learns, so everyone fucking learns.”
The three-way bickering continued, and fed up, Summer gestured to the others to put their ear protection on. When the three sets of student’s ears were covered, she put on her own muffs, covered her eyes with a pair of safety glasses, and loaded her weapon.
The heavy Glock was a higher caliber pistol than she was used to, but a gun was a gun. Point. Sight. Shoot. Her stance wide, her breathing shallow, she squeezed the trigger and put five rounds dead center in the closest paper target’s chest.
Then because she could, she put another five holes in a tight cluster around the groin area of the farthest target.Take that, assholes.Point made, she ejected the magazine, cleared the gun’s chamber, did a visual safety check, and then put the weapon down on the table in front of her.
Palms up to show empty hands, she stepped off the line, removed her safety equipment, dropped them in the pile she’d gotten them from, and ignoring the stunned looks from…well…everyone, she turned and nailed Jamie with her best drop-dead stare. “Like I said, I don’tneed to learnto shoot.”
Declaration made, she turned on her heel, grabbed her coat, and pushed her way through the side door. Before it closed, Jamie’s bellow followed her out into the cold. “Summer Summers, you have some explaining to do.”
She snorted, and the air fogged around her head as she took off in a fast walk toward the private road. With the snow falling and his leg in a brace, Mr. Snow-it-all wouldn’t be able to follow her. Not a bad thing since she was irritated and wanted some alone time, and with Zander watching Halia, now was the perfect opportunity.
The last few days had been a whirlwind of activity. Every single person occupied with preparing for the absolute worst-case scenario, Dominion had turned their lives upside down. And while she believed she was with the best group to weather the storm, she needed a little peace and quiet.
The snow crunched under the soles of her boots as she pulled her coat on, and a gust of wind had her zippering it closed in a jiffy. Yeah, she wouldn’t last long in the sub-zero temperature, but the fresh air and isolation would do her some good.
Didn’t take her long to make it to the single-lane road, and the dense forest on both sides, coupled with the canopy of branches overhead, sheltered her from the worst of the wind. Here the snow fell, soft and gentle, slow dancing with gravity as it made its way to the ground.
She reduced her fast pace to a lazy stroll, breathed deep, and let the sounds of nature soothe. Branches rubbing, pine needles rustling…dang it. Was that an engine?
The low rumble drew closer, and her heart beat a little harder.Yep. Definitely an engine.Jamie had found a way to follow her. She didn’t need to turn around to confirm his identity. She knew it was him. No way he’d let her go off on her own. She washis responsibility,after all.
Head down, hands in her pockets, she kept walking. He kept a reasonable amount of space between them. Didn’t matter. She could still feel the heat of his gaze burning through the layers of clothes on her back, and her core temperature spiked.
He’d kept his distance the last several days—or rather—he’d kept his body parts distant. There’d been no hugs. No kisses. No hands tangling in her hair, smoothing down her back, or cupping her ass in a tight grip.
