Sean smiles to himself, looking over at me, “You just turned up right in the middle of something special, that’s all… we’ll be there soon, on our way.”
“We?” Brad asks, but the signal drops. Sean looks over at me again, smiling to himself pleased as punch.
“Yeah… We.” Meaning him and me. It makes me feel good too, hearing him say it, and I kind of really wish all this could be over so we can pick up where we left off last night.
Sean knows his way to the ranger station better than anyone and we spot Brad and his truck about a mile before we get to the station, which he tells us is locked down now.
“I was trying to leave, having seen the reports and then saw the sky, damned electrics went in the truck and I don’t have time to repair them.”
“We can take you wherever you need to go,” Sean tells him.
“Did you get my messages? About the storm?” Brad asks, and Sean shakes his head with a sly grin, winking at me as he glances over.
“I’ve been kinda tied up with something…something special.”
Brad shrugs and looking at the sky behind us, he jumps into the back seat of the truck. Leaning back with complete relief.
“I guess we’d better be going,” Sean smiles to me and he makes his way back to the highway, the first signs of a twister starting to touch down on the horizon, far behind us but heading straight for the camp.
“Figured you might’ve been in your shelter at the campsite there.” Brad muses, looking behind us again and marveling at the incredible but terrifying sight.
“Where are you headed?” Sean asks him flatly, suddenly changing his mood from ‘happy to help’ to ‘how soon can I get rid of this guy I just rescued?’
I know Sean just wants it to be the two of us, and Brad seems to be the chatty kind when he’s a little excited, like he is now. Sean growls low and looks straight ahead, ignoring Brad after a few minutes, once it becomes clear that Brad has nowhere else to be and is only grateful we picked him up when we did.
“As far away from that twister that’s just touched down is where!” Brad exclaims, and breaks out into a loud laugh that sounds like a donkey.
Sean seems to remember something and gives me another knowing look.
“Where’s the wife?” he asks Brad, whose started to wheeze a little after his nervous laughing fit, and he takes a puff from something for what sounds like an inhaler.
“Oh! She and Beth, that’s our baby girl… they’re over at her mom’s in Florida, thank god. I just don’t know what we would’ve done if they’d been over here with all this going on… you’re a real hero, Sean. D’ya know that?”
Sean’s all man compared to the ranger, who not only looks skinnier, but sounds nervous, edgy.
Sean’s deep and commanding tone lets us both know he’s got everything under control, saving the day by rescuing the only rescuer left within a twenty mile radius.
“We’re not out of this yet,” Sean reminds us all, and another gray-brown twister snakes from the sky down to the ground not too far behind us.
Brad and I gasp, while Sean growls low, in tune with the V8 of his truck as he lets his foot get heavy on the gas, breaking the road rules now, but guaranteeing we’ll out run any trouble that nature can throw at us.
My hero.
Sean.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Sean
The nearest town has a tornado shelter, a series of underground tunnels from the colonial mining days.
Never had to use ‘em myself, but Brad’s familiar with the set up and half the town’s already filled up one set of tunnels, which he joins.
I’d prefer to keep driving, and Tess is with me on that, but some people from the township have access to weather data that I don’t, and there’s more than just one storm cell passing this way. It makes sense to bunker down and ride it out.
“In that case I think I’ll find someplace I can park my truck.” I tell Brad, eager to get free of him and any other prying eyes. I don’t mind people. But I do now that I have Tess to protect now. I don’t want anybody near my fresh claim. She’s all mine.
“Suit yourself,” he says, suddenly looking ill at the thought of his own truck being left out in the elements.
I know property doesn’t really matter at a time like this, with most people only carrying themselves and their loved ones.
But if I’m gonna see things through once the worst of the storm’s passed, I’d like to do it in my truck, with Tessa by my side. No woman of mine is gonna have to walk anywhere, or wait for somebody else to give her a ride or tell either of us what to do.
She’ll be driven by me and me alone. Same goes for her shelter during the storm.
It’s with me and me alone.
I find a spot where I know we won’t be disturbed, a huge brick tunnel with big timber and steel doors, which I bar shut from the inside.
They use these for market stalls and community events, and for now there’s still lights running. With nobody else needing shelter, we have the whole place to ourselves, which is just the way I like it.
Tess has a glazed look in her eyes and I just know she’s thinking what I’m thinking.
Storm be damned.
Once I park the truck, I flick the heating up a notch and lean over, fishing in my jacket pocket that Tess has wrapped around her.
I don’t know why I picked it up on the way out when I left, but maybe I had a premonition. Or maybe it just got in my jacket by magic.
“Now,” I tell Tess firmly, “I’ve got something here I should’ve used yesterday… spread your legs.” I order her, and hear her
