Caelin sat on the shelter floor with his back against the vending machine, both hands open on his knees.
Jade had put him there. She had also put Waddell six feet away, far enough that anger had to cross open tile before it became a hand around someone's skull. Trust had earned no shorter distance.
"Keep your hands where I can see them," she said.
Waddell raised his at once. Caelin followed after a beat that made Jade's jaw tighten.
Mason slept through it on Jade's folded coat, curled around the dinosaur with the exhausted greed of a child who had been asked to give up too much and had chosen one thing to keep. The tablet faced away from him. The speaker cable lay unplugged beside Waddell's shoe. Kieran's fire made a low ring near the cot. Waddell stayed outside the warmth and kept his mouth shut about it.
That helped Jade more than an apology would have.
