Free Tainted Future (The Rememdium Series Book 3) by Ashley Fontainne Page A

care. He was thankful Turner was talking and at least making sense. While he’d been toting his son through the woods, he’d worried Turner might have a suffered damage to his brain from the fall. “Because you got your mom’s balance, not mine. Took a nasty tumble over the cliff and broke your leg. Don’t you remember?”
    “Oh, yeah! I saw somethin’ down at the bottom of the cliff, Dad. Looked like shallow graves. I was tryin’ to get a better look, then everythin’ kinda goes blank after that. Glad I don’t remember bouncin’ down the hillside.”
    Kyle stepped over, draping one of Turner’s arms around his shoulder. “Boy, you certainly are one lucky kid, Turner. You fell over fifty feet. Guess that thick skull of yours came in handy. Saved that little brain of yours from gettin’ cracked open.”
    “Your humor sucks, Kyle,” Turner muttered.
    “All of you hush. You can pick on him later. Right now, we need to get him back to the cave so I can fully care for all his wounds,” Jane groused.
    “Does Martha know?” Walt directed the question to Jane.
    “No, she left with Jesse earlier to go get more supplies. You’re the lucky one, Walt. I’ll have time to examine him and get him cleaned up before his mother comes back. If she sees him lookin’ like this—”
    “Yeah, I know. She’s gonna flip her lid. Y’all might wanna stay outside when she returns. My wife’s got quite a temper when she’s—”
    “Holy Mother of God! Turner! What happened to you?”
    The sound of Martha’s voice cut through Walt’s chest like a hot dagger. Under his breath, he muttered, “Shit,” then turned around to face the only person in the world he feared.
    “Baby!” Jesse chirped from behind Martha. Both women ran full speed up the trail to their position.
    Kyle leaned over and whispered in Walt’s ear, “Not one, but two pissed off women headin’ your way. Sure am glad I ain’t wearin’ your boots.”

    “You know, I expected an ass-chewin’. Had myself all prepared for it, but gotta tell you, the silent treatment is worse.”
    Martha stiffened at Walt’s words, yet didn’t turn around. Ignoring Walt, she continued to stir the soup heating on the small cook stove. Walt moved closer, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Lover, please? Talk to me. Say your peace and let’s get past this. Okay?”
    Turning around to face him, Martha’s eyes were backlit with fury. Jaw clenched tight, Walt could tell she was fighting the urge to rip him to shreds. After swallowing several times, Martha finally said, “You didn’t do your job, Walter. You failed.”
    “Martha, he’s a grown man, and I can’t keep an eye on him twenty-four—”
    “I know that,” Martha hissed through clenched teeth. “I’m not talkin’ about today’s incident.”
    Stunned, thankful Martha was whispering rather than yelling at the top of her voice, Walt asked, “Then what are you talkin’ about? How did I fail him?”
    “You bullied that boy from the minute he was old enough to understand words. Scolded him for not bein’ tough and rough like you. Mocked him about his interests in design, art, playin’ games.”
    “I—”
    “No, don’t you interrupt me, Walter Addison. You wanted me to talk, so I am. Sayin’ things I shoulda years ago. You were ashamed of our son because he wasn’t a jock, didn’t have any interest in the things you did. That boy’s been scared of your shadow ever since he was a toddler. All he’s ever done his whole life is try to live up to your ridiculous expectations of him, and look what happened! Every time he’d come close to succeedin’, you never gave him praise or any congratulations. Your pathetic compliments were always back-handed digs. By the time he was a teenager, you’d mashed his spirit to the point he didn’t care anymore. He quit tryin’ because he knew he’d never live up to your standards!”
    Anger flared in Walt’s gut. “That’s not fair, Martha. I’ve always