Prairie Storm (Cowboys of The Flint Hills #4)

by Tessa Layne

  “Yes, of course. Hold on.”

  It seemed like hours before Travis’s voice came over the speaker. “What’s going on?”

  A gust shook the T-REX. Shit, she needed to move. “Hang on, Travis.”

  Haley spun the monitor as best she could so she could see the storm from the driver’s seat. She made a note to tell Forte the next iteration of the vehicle had to have an option for a one-person operation.

  She hopped out, bracing against the roaring wind, and ran around to the driver’s side. “Okay, I’m back. Listen carefully, you’ve got a tornado heading straight for Main Street.” She spun the car around, gunning the accelerator. The storm was going to cross the road and she needed to stay ahead of it. “The storm is moving about thirty miles per hour. That’s bad Travis, when they’re slow moving like this, the wind speeds are generally higher. This could grow before it reaches you.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “Make sure everyone is below ground. I’m already seeing wind speeds estimated at two-hundred miles an hour. That’s a strong EF3 and likely to hit EF4 if it grows. You’ve got about ten minutes. Get anything important to shelter, and concentrate on Main Street south of Rural Road 30, down to about sixth street. The storm looks like it’s going to bisect the town on a diagonal.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Maybe five miles outside of town. Hurry, Travis. You only have about ten minutes to make sure people are out of their cars and someplace safe.” Another alarm beeped in her car, but she couldn’t reach across to turn it off.

  “National Weather Service is going crazy.”

  “I know. But you know how it is here, people will go look or ignore it, like they did in Joplin. Don’t let them look Travis.” Hysteria rose inside her, like an uncapped fire hydrant. “If they look, they’ll die,” she said thickly, a picture of Mama June flashing before her eyes.

  Travis must have stepped outside. She could hear the sirens coming through her phone. “Travis, I’m going to follow this as much as I can. This is a dangerous life-threatening tornado.” Haley careened around a corner speeding the car north. There was no way to follow parallel to the tornado. She’d have to zig-zag and keep tabs on it. As she came to another intersection, she slammed on the brakes and spun the car, screeching it to a stop. In front of her, an SUV with a small radar set-up and three cameras hanging out the window sat in the middle of the intersection.

  Cold fury taking over, she hopped out of the car. “What. The. FUCK do you think you’re doing?” She checked out the logo on the side of the car – Twisted Rides.

  “Hey you’re in the way,” the driver shouted out the window.

  Haley marched up to the window. “Your ride is over. That is a killer tornado headed for a town five miles that way.” She pointed in the direction of Prairie, “Where it will wreak massive devastation. I nearly broadsided you.” The driver looked no more than twenty-five. This kid was the worst kind of storm-chaser.

  “You should have been watching where you were going.”

  “You shouldn’t be making money off of people’s misfortune.”

  “Aren’t you doing the same thing?”

  “I’m a scientist, you fucking thrill seeker. I’m trying to make sure dumbasses like you don’t die. You know how many chasers die every year from stupidity? Too damned many. And every single one of them is preventable.”

  They both turned at the squeal of brakes as another SUV with riders and cameras screeched to a stop, not six feet from her. Haley turned back to the driver in the first car. “You’re a menace to first responders and scientists alike. You damned well better get your ass to Prairie to help with search and rescue efforts.”

  She spun and stalked back to the T-REX, leaning into the wind as it howled around them. She pulled around the two cars, offering a silent prayer of gratitude that no one had been hurt in that near miss. Too many people were going to get hurt today. She floored it, grateful again that the engine was a Jag. Smart move on Forte’s part.

  “Haley, where are you?” Travis’s voice shouted through the speaker.

  “Sorry. Near miss with some yahoo chasers.” She peered out the window, dread again pooling in her belly. “Travis, we have a problem, it’s getting rain wrapped. I can’t see the column anymore.” She turned the car east again, flying through the wind, and now, torrential rain. Then a thunk hit the roof.

  Debris.

  “Shit.”

  “What? What is it?”

  “Debris. Debris is falling. Whatever it sucked up is now getting tossed.” She slowed and pulled over to check the screen again. Adrenaline buzzed through her, making her hands shake. The path hadn’t deviated. “Wind speeds now at two-hundred ten. Travis you have less than five minutes before it’s going to be on top of you.”

  She saw a flash outside the window. Transformer, maybe? She didn’t know the electrical grid down here. “Travis?” She glanced down at her phone. “Travis?” Nothing.

  It must have hit a cell tower too.

  But it should have pinged to another, yes? But this was rural Kansas, not Norman, Oklahoma. She pounded the steering wheel in frustration. More debris rained down on her as the winds picked up. The tornado would cross in front of her about a half-mile up the road. It was so dark, she could barely see. Although, looking south, she could see light. The winds screeched around her and she turned the nose of the vehicle into the wind.

  Her stomach roiled, and not from the baby, but because all she could do now was watch the radar and hope and pray people had listened to Travis. Mama June’s face flashed before her again, and then Axel’s. She’d worked all of her adult life to ensure people were safe. Protected. And in the end, all she could do was watch helplessly as a killer tornado threatened them yet again. She’d never felt so powerless. She’d organized her life to never let herself be in a situation like this. And in spite of her efforts, here she was.

  The rain became harder and then turned into pings and splats as hailstones hit the roof. She pulled in a low breath and blew it out to a count of ten. A gust blew the car, shaking it. It rocked, but didn’t move. She wasn’t close enough to be hit by significant debris, but she was still scared. An acrid taste developed in the back of her mouth.

  A crack of lightning lit up the car. She started, then squeezed her eyes shut, clutching the wheel. The tornado had to be moving over Prairie now. She pictured the buildings on Main Street – Dottie’s Diner, Emmaline’s Dress Shop, the Five’n Dime, the feed store. The little park across the street from the diner. She knew what an EF4 could to, would do. Panic began to curl through her. Was this what people called the dark night of the soul?

  She couldn’t bear to think about where Axel might be. Or his family.

  What would she do if he got hurt because she’d sent him away? How could she live with herself if she’d killed the father of her child trying to protect him? Panic and grief strobed through her, squeezing painfully on her heart. “Stop it,” she told herself sternly. “Stop it.”

  Axe had to live. He had to be okay. She’d done the right thing sending him to help his family, hadn’t she? She prayed with everything inside her, picturing Axel’s laughing eyes, his scruffy ginger beard. The way he smiled at her just before they kissed.

  Her throat ached from holding her fear, and she couldn’t catch her breath. All she could do was grip the steering wheel and wait for this nightmare to end.

  CHAPTER 26

  Axel raced away from the storm as fast as he could, slowing down at intersections, but not stopping. Adrenaline pumped through him as he clutched the wheel with one hand and tried to phone Gunn. If Gunn was out of cell phone reach… Axe’s stomach flopped.

  But Gunn and Pops had eyes. They’d be able to see this was an ugly storm. Still, Axel pressed the button for voice command.

  “Call Gunn,” he shouted.

  “There is no Gun in your list of contacts,” the phone spoke back.

  “Goddammit.” He didn’t have time to d
eal with ornery technology. This was a fucking emergency. But he didn’t want to stop driving. “Call Gunnar,” he tried again.

  “Calling Gunnar,” the phone answered.

  Axel waited, heart in his throat, unable to keep his eyes from darting to the rearview.

  “I’m sorry. The network is busy.”

  “Motherfucker.”

  Gunnar was either out of network, or the storm was messing with reception. “Call Ben.”

  “I’m sorry–”

  “Gah.” Axel threw the phone across the cab where it clattered and bounced into the floorboard. Goddamn piece of shit technology.

  “C’mon, think.” Axel wracked his brain, torn between where to go. On the one hand, turning out spooked livestock was a big job. Especially if Gunn and Pops had to come in from the field. They couldn’t afford to take a million dollar hit, that was for sure. A loss like that would break them. On the other hand, there were four college interns under his care who, if they were anything like he was at that age, were more likely to head up the hill to watch the storm than take cover.

  Then there was Haley. The fear he’d seen in her eyes shook him to his core. What kind of a man was he that he’d left the woman he loved – the mother of his future child – to face down a storm of this magnitude by herself? He had to trust she’d be okay, because God help him, he wouldn’t survive if she wasn’t. And he’d never forgive himself.

  The sound of Prairie’s lone siren drifted into the cab as he barreled across Main Street and ran through the town’s lone stop light. “Sorry, Travis,” he muttered under his breath. The street lamps began to wink on as the clouds blocked out the mid-afternoon sun. Axel pressed on the gas, doing everything to put distance between himself and the storm. He was still fifteen minutes from home. By that time, the tornado would be on top of Prairie.

  He didn’t pray much, but as Prairie grew smaller in the rearview, Axel offered up a silent invocation that everyone would be okay. Axel slowed the second he spotted the Sinclaire & Sons arch up ahead. Where the hell should he go? A hint of panic spiraled up through him as he checked the rearview again. Lightning sparked from high up in the clouds and the wind began to pick up, roiling the trees on either side of the road.

  He squeezed the steering wheel, then hit the gas. “Sorry, Pops. People before horses.” He hoped to hell he was making the right decision. He turned onto the Sinclaire drive and floored it, bouncing over the ruts and holes left over from the previous winter’s ice-storm. He glanced up at the Big House as he flew past. The lights were off. Hopefully Maddie, Blake, and little Henry were safe in the basement. He had a similar thought as he careened past the hunting lodge. Brodie and Jamey should know to hole up.

  The wind picked up as he drove over the rise, away from the hunting lodge. Axel struggled to keep the truck from blowing around. Sure enough, as he reached the copse of trees were the tree houses stood, two of his students were loitering on the road, craning their necks. Axel slowed, powering down the window. “Are you fucking kidding me? Take cover. Now.”

  The two students turned to stare, wide-eyed, as he yanked the steering wheel and drove the truck as far as he could down into the trees. It wasn’t ideal, but hopefully the trees would provide a little protection from the winds.

  Axel hopped out of the truck, and hollered back up the hill. “Come on. You don’t wanna fuck with this storm.”

  The two young men raced by and headed down to the clearing where the miniature houses stood perched among the old oaks. Just above the clearing, the shelter stood between the trees. There was no ideal place down here for a shelter, but this was better than nothing. Too close to the creek, and it could flood. Of course, in among the trees, they always ran the risk of a tree falling on them. But the door faced downhill toward the creek, so hopefully that helped. They’d find out for sure, today. He pounded on the door. “It’s Axe.”

  The door popped open and Hope’s frightened eyes peered out at him. “Get in here. Weather radio says the tornado’s on the ground in Prairie and headed this way.”

  Axe nodded. “It is. I saw it.” Again, his stomach dropped at the thought of Haley facing down the storm alone. “And these two nut jobs thought it would be okay to watch it.” He pushed them into the small space, and then entered himself. “Is everyone accounted for?”

  Ben spoke up. “Yep, got the last birder in just before you arrived.”

  “How do you brace the door?”

  “Don’t need to. It’s certified. All we need to do is lock it.”

  “And pray,” Hope added, her voice full of worry.

  “Do we have any flashlights?” Axel asked as he threw the locks. Six lights clicked on, illuminating the tiny space. Twelve pairs of frightened eyes stared at him. This shit was getting real, quick. “Save your batteries. We don’t know what we’re going to find when we get out.”

  One by one the lights winked out, until they were in total darkness. The air grew hot and thick with the smell of fear and sweat. Axel’s mouth tasted like he’d chewed on metal filings for lunch. And even though no one said it, he sensed they were looking to him to do something. He cleared his throat. “Look. Why doesn’t everyone sit down. It’s gonna be a few more minutes before the worst is over.”

  Bodies shifted in the dark, one of the birders to his left grunted, and Ashleigh – at least he thought it was her – let out a nervous giggle. Axel turned around and pressed his back against the door, sliding down until he hit the floor. “I know this is rated for high winds, but we should cover our heads just the same.”

  “It will at least block out the sound,” a fear-filled voice answered.

  Minutes ticked by, and Axel was tempted to peek outside.

  And then it was here.

  With an otherworldly scream that sounded like a jet engine straining to slow when it landed, the noise was deafening. The shelter walls were sturdy, but the metal acted like an amplifier. The sounds disoriented him. Axel couldn’t think over the noise. Covering his ears, his world narrowed to a tiny point where he was reduced to nothing more than existing.

  Surviving.

  The structure groaned at the corners. Instinctively, he pushed back against the door, bracing it with all his strength. Something large hit them with a jaw ringing bang that shook the shelter and reverberated between the walls. Someone screamed. Axel covered his ears as the roar grew beyond deafening. More somethings hit the shelter, raining down with terrifying ferocity. Someone cried out, and he caught wisps of frantically yelled prayers over the din. Even though it was pitch black, Axel squeezed his eyes shut, chanting Haley’s name over and over, focusing on the way she’d smiled at him this morning before all hell had broken loose.

  Time slowed.

  They huddled suspended between life and death in a purgatory of screaming darkness. The sharp tang of fear hit Axel’s nose and settled on his tongue, dropping like a stone to settle in his belly. He could barely breathe. The faces of his parents flashed before him. Then Gunn’s. Wherever they were, he hoped they were safe. Axel couldn’t remember who was next to him, but he blindly searched for their hand. He brushed his fingers across the floor until he encountered another set. He covered the hand and gave a squeeze. The hand squeezed back, clutching at him like a lifeline. The ache in his chest grew so strong, that for a long moment Axel thought his heart might burst into pieces. They were in a certified shelter, they were safe. Right? Everything in his body screamed otherwise.

  And then he felt it. They all did. Axel didn’t know how they knew with no windows and no light, but it was over. One by one, they exhaled. Someone across from him snuffled, Slowly, the screaming in his ears resided and he began to hear more than his pounding heart.

  “Ben? You think we’re safe to check?”

  “Hell, your guess is as good as mine.”

  Axel slid up the door, hand feeling for the locks and twisting them open. Turning, he braced one hand on the door frame and inched open the door, listening. The sky was a sick, yellow grey c
olor, and the wind gusted, but no longer ferociously. It was eerily quiet, except for the wind. Not even a bird cheeped. “Clear.” He pulled it open wider, and stood rooted to the floor of the shelter, shocked.

  Bodies behind him stood and an older woman gasped. “Oh my.”

  Axel stepped out, trying not to slip on the muddy ground, trying to wrap his head around what he was seeing. His truck, which had been twenty yards away, or more, lay upside down and crushed not twenty paces in front of him. Chunks of insulation lay strewn on the ground, or stuck in the branches. Glass and mud everywhere. Shingles, siding, silverware.

  “Oh, Ben,” his sister gasped, a tremor in her voice. “Our tree house.” Through the trees, they could make out the old oak that had held Hope’s beloved tree house uprooted and on its side. The treehouse lay splintered under the branches, and the water from the creek was so high it swirled through the broken branches. No way they were going to cross it in those conditions.

  “Whoa,” muttered Brad, another of his students.

  “That’s why you get your ass to a shelter when the weather service tells you to take cover,” Axel snapped, suddenly furious with the two young men. “You could have died. You ever think of that?” He didn’t give a shit if he was being harsh. He’d’ve been the one to call the boys’ parents.

  And somewhere, on the outskirts of Prairie, was Haley. He raked his fingers through his hair, fear for her blotting out everything else. “I gotta find Haley.”

  Hope’s hand on his arm brought him back. “We need to get our guests taken care of first. She’s a professional. You have to trust she’s okay.”

  He turned on her. “What if it was Ben? Could you be so casual?”

  Hope’s eyes filled with compassion and she shook her head. “Of course not. But we’re in a crisis right now, and we have to take care of this group first before you can go play knight in shining armor.”

  She was right. And Haley would tell him the same thing if she were here. But he didn’t have to like it.