Wildfire Hurricane (A Ryder Boys Novel Book 1) (15 page)

Chapter 14

Flynn had followed her instructions a little too well. Simone walked into the computer lab and came face to larger-than-life face with Mal’s image glowering at her from a fifty-inch monitor on the wall. He’d aged well, but the impish smile and laughing eyes she’d known had been replaced with heavy responsibility and fierce determination.

“Simone Leveque.” His voice exploded across the room, and Flynn scrambled to turn the speakers down. “Not Simon.”

“No, not Simon.” She caught a glimpse of Dash slipping into the room. The big-screen monitor faced the door, looming over rows of computer desks. He moved to stand beside her at the front. Cassie followed seconds later, and sat at a desk behind them next to Flynn.

Mal glanced down and the sound of shuffling documents rustled over the speakers. “Cassandra Storm, Daschle Ryder.”

Dash grumbled.

“And me.” Flynn waved.

Mal’s scathing glance brushed him off like an annoying fly. “Why isn’t this wildfire under control?”

Dash bristled. “Tell the damn governor to send me back out there, and I’ll whip this thing myself.”

Simone laid her hand on his arm and stepped forward. “Unprecedented circumstances have prevented our crew from containing it.”

“Unprecedented?” Mal raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Hurricane Opal was forecast to make landfall well south of here, but it changed course overnight.”

“And no one noticed?”

Cassie stepped toward the monitor and opened her mouth to speak, but Simone cut her off.

“Ms. Storm warned me that the hurricane would come here, but I relied on the National Weather Service’s forecast. It turned out to be wrong.”

Cassie placed herself in front of Simone. “Simone issued an evacuation order as soon as I gave her the updated warning. She saved a lot of lives.”

Dash and Flynn looked at each other like they’d witnessed a miracle.

Documents shuffled again. Mal’s face darkened. “And yet, the Wilhelm Hotshot Crew lost two firefighters, and the fire department has reported civilian deaths.”

“Civilians too?” Simone turned to Dash as he sank into a chair. His eyes hardened for his brother’s benefit, but fresh grief trembled his lower lip. She sat beside him and slid her arm behind his back, hoping he’d take the comfort she offered, knowing he’d see it as his failure. “I’m so sorry.”

***

Dash leaned against Simone as pain gripped his heart. “I take full responsibility for the loss of my men.” He squeezed her shoulders and from the corner of his eye, saw Cassie cross her arms with a huff.

“Of course you do.” A flicker of a smile twitched Mal’s lips. “Have their families been notified?”

He should’ve done it already, but dealing with the women in his life had occupied all his time. “I haven’t located them yet.”

“Do it, then report back to me with their intentions.” A stone-cold attorney sat in his brother’s place.

“Their intentions?”

“Whether or not they’re going to sue the state. I need time to prepare a defense.” Mal opened a file and picked up a pen.

The death of two good men hadn’t grieved the bastard at all. Dash stood and squared off against his brother. “Is that why you called? To cover your ass?”

“To cover the governor’s ass, specifically.” Mal rolled his eyes. “I suppose I’ll have to defend you two as well.”

Simone stood and slid her hand down Dash’s arm, lacing her fingers with his. “We’ll take care of ourselves.”

Cassie turned her back and stomped down the hall.

Mal’s gaze locked on their entwined hands. “Isn’t that sweet? So you two are finally back together after that stunt I pulled?”

Flynn covered a fake cough with his fist. “Library sex.”

Dash backhanded him. “Get out.”

Flynn scrambled out the door while Mal chuckled.

“What stunt?” Dash stalked toward the monitor.

“Jesus, you haven’t figured that out?”

“Tell us, Mal!” Simone moved to stand beside Dash.

He tossed the pen down and leaned back in his plush leather chair. “I made it all up. Simone never slept with me. I stole her necklace because I thought it would sell the story.” He laced his fingers behind his head as if impressed with his performance. “Wow, I guess it did.”

Dash staggered back a step as the room spun. His throat tightened and blood roared in his ears, heating his face. “I left her because you lied?”

“I expected you guys to kiss and make up. That’s what you did. I never thought your breakup would last.”

“Thirteen years!”
I gave up on Simone because Mal lied.
“I hated her for thirteen long years because you played a prank?”
He is an asshole!

Mal grinned. “Pretty damn good one.”

“Fucking hell! You’re lucky I can’t reach through the screen, or I’d rip your head off and stuff your balls down your throat!” He made a few rapid signs with his hands, including a rude one Simone snorted at. Mal signed back with equal gusto.

Simone grabbed his arm, sinking her fingers into his rigid muscles with fury that matched the fire in her eyes. She glared at Mal. “Why’d you do it?” Her voice rasped.

Mal laughed without the humor he’d enjoyed as a boy. Then his eyes darkened and he snarled at Simone. “Revenge.” A cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. “I need to take this. Have fun making up.”

The screen clicked off, and Dash ripped his arm from Simone’s grasp. “What’s he talking about?”

“Revenge?” She slid her fingers across her forehead, circling the desks as if trying to think. “It’s been so long. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”

“What did you do?”

“What did I do?” She whirled and advanced on him. “It’s what he did to me!”

He stood his ground. “Quit arguing and tell me!”

“Let me think.” She pressed her fists to her temples, circling again. “It happened months ago.”

“Months?”
That recent? Is she lying too?
“You’re still seeing him?” His heart pounded and he stalked after her.

“Don’t be stupid!” She stopped in her tracks and collected herself. “I meant it happened months before we split up. We all went swimming at Conifer Lake—you, me, Wyatt, some girl, and Mal. Do you remember that?”

Some girl. Probably Wyatt’s.
Why am I focusing on that?
“Yeah. Is that when you fucked him?”

“Are you listening at all?” She threw her hands up. “We
never
had sex!”

Nothing made sense. “Right. Go on.”

She balanced against a desk. “When we got ready to leave, I went to the campground to change. Mal caught me taking off my swimsuit and he made a play for me.”

That’s how he knew about her birthmark!
“What did he do exactly?”

“He asked me out and I laughed it off. Then he kissed me and tried to stuff his hand in my bikini bottoms. I told him go to hell and punched him, not very hard. You hadn’t taught me how. I had no idea he’d hold a grudge.”

His brother. His closest friend until he met Simone had molested his girl. And both of them kept it a secret. “Jesus, Simone! Why didn’t you tell me about this? We could’ve avoided all these years apart!”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal!” The desk she’d been leaning on slid back as she jumped up, slamming her feet to the floor.

“What about after he accused you of cheating?” A stray chair tripped him as he stomped after her. “Or didn’t you think that was a big deal?”

“You wouldn’t speak to me! And you sure as hell didn’t listen.” She jabbed her finger in his chest. “If I told you, he’d deny it, and you’d already convicted me.”

He kicked free of the blasted chair, sending it scooting across the room. “He told me he’d seen your birthmark. He described it in detail. The only way he could’ve known was if he’d seen you naked.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that?” She made the sign for dumbass. “I could’ve explained it right away.”

Why was I so stupid?
“I was so pissed. I couldn’t see straight. Sure, you denied it, but you never said you loved me. Ever. I always had to say it first, and I was never sure how you felt about me.”

“Damn it, Dash! We weren’t keeping score! I loved you from the moment I saw Wyatt making rabbit ears behind your head and I fell down the stairs. I couldn’t put it into fancy words like you did.”

He sank down on a desk. “I needed to hear the words. We knew everything about each other. How could you not know that?”

“I’m sorry. I failed. I was desperate to hear it from my family. I didn’t know you needed it too.” She sat across from him and reached for his knee. “You were always so sure of yourself. I never thought you needed anything.”

He laid his hand over hers. “Only you.”

“And now?”

He stared at their contrasting hands. Easy to tell where she ended and he began, separate and yet bound together until…

“I hated you for…”
Damn it, where are my words?
“Writing saved me. But knowing that Mal…”
He lied. He fucking lied!

And I believed him.
The depth of his stupidity left him unable to speak.

She jerked free from his grasp and spun away from him. “Spit the words out! Write them down if you have to, but make up your fucking mind.” She turned to face him, shoving a chair out of her way. “Love me or hate me, damn it! Either way, I win.”

“You win?”

“If you love me, I’ll own your heart. But if you hate me, I’ll own your head.” She raised her chin and squared her shoulders, gloating as if she’d won a gold medal.

He expected her to take a bow.
Goddamn it, I love her!
Even when he hated her, he loved her. She owned him—heart and soul and everything in between. He rose and applauded. “All right, I’ll surrender my heart and my head.” The clapping ceased and he stalked toward her. “But I’ll own your body. On top of that desk. Bent over that chair. On the floor—again.”

She gasped and backed away, stumbling into a desk. “Sex is
not
enough!”

“I
will
make you come. Hard.” His heart pounded and his unsatisfied dick throbbed.

Her breasts heaved and her breath quickened. “Only if I let you.”

“You’ll do whatever I—!” His threat stopped short as the lights flickered and went out, plunging the room into darkness.

“Shit. What happened?” Simone’s voice carried in the empty room.

He couldn’t see a damn thing, heard nothing but her feet shuffling along the floor, felt her fingertips brush his arm. A bitter taste lined his mouth and he inhaled. “Do you smell smoke?”

The emergency lights came on, flickering as the power source faltered. “We’ve got to get out now.” Dash grabbed her hand and they ran down the flashing hallway.

“We need to help the evacuees.” She ran toward the gym.

“No! We need to see what’s out there.” He pulled her back. “And I’m not letting you get away from me.”

She kissed him hard, and they shoved the front doors open.

The roaring wind hurled leaves and sticks in their faces. Dash raised his arm to shield his eyes, but the night sky and storm clouds obscured his vision. Smoke swirled around them, and an orange glow loomed much too close.

“That’s the neighborhood across the highway.” Simone moved closer, clinging to his arm.

“The fire jumped the river.” Dash’s instincts shifted into emergency mode. “Get everyone out now!”

Chapter 15

Lightning flashed as they scrambled back inside. Simone released Dash’s hand and ran to the gym, skidding to a halt when she reached the door. “We’ve got to keep people calm.” But her racing heart refused to listen. “You, Flynn and your crew grab our supplies. Cassie and I will gather the police officers and organize the evacuation.”

“Do it fast.”

They pushed the doors open. Chaos ruled the dark as people scurried about in a panic, collecting their belongings and searching for children.

Cassie ran to Simone. “What’s happening?”

“The fire crossed the river. Tell the police to assist with an evacuation. Quietly.”

“Got it.” She found Heather and issued Simone’s orders.

Dash and Flynn tried to grab the remaining food and water, but an anxious crowd swarmed around them.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” Simone cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted above the din. “Quiet, please!”

The noise settled and she continued. “We need to evacuate in a calm and orderly manner. The police will escort you to the school buses outside. Leave your belongings. EMS personnel will carry the supplies.”

The crowd around Dash dispersed, and he and Flynn hurried outside with the water. Cassie led a group to the door, lining them up in an orderly fashion while Heather assembled another. A little girl cried as her mother yanked her teddy bear from her hands and tossed it on the floor.

Simone’s heart hammered and her breath came short. The girl wiped her tears on her sleeve, but her sobs kept coming.
They can’t leave everything.
Simone snatched the teddy bear and caught up with the child as Cassie led them from the gym. “Take it.”

The girl’s eyes lit up and she squealed as she hugged the stuffed toy. “Thank you.”

Seeing her joy in the middle of chaos and terror solidified Simone’s resolve. “A girl always needs her best friend.”

The mother smiled and ushered her out.

Gasps and screams echoed through the hallway as Cassie pushed the front door open, revealing the frightening scene outside. Flames shot into the air, sending plumes of smoke across the highway toward the school. Burning embers rained down on the parking lot while chunks of metal and wood blew by.

“Cover your heads!” Simone shielded a young boy with her body.

Four buses pulled up, pushing abandoned cars aside and clearing a path for their escape.

Dash jumped out of the lead bus and ran across the parking lot with Flynn following close behind. “Is anyone still inside?”

“Everyone should be out.” Simone guided the boy onto a bus.

“Do my job,” Flynn muttered and ran back to the school. “I’ll check!”

“The buses are full!” Cassie ran toward them.

“Duck!” Simone grabbed Cassie’s arm and pulled her to the ground as a large piece of wood flew over their heads and smashed through a windshield. “Are you all right?”

Cassie patted her head. “Still attached.”

Dash grabbed both women and pushed them toward the buses. “Let’s go.”

Simone pulled free. “Where’s Flynn? I’m not leaving my people.”

Dash followed as she headed toward the school. “I’m not leaving you.” He caught her arm and pulled her close. “Never again.”

“I know.” She patted his chest and they scurried inside. “Flynn!”

“Here!” He carried a toddler in his arms. “I found him hiding by the bleachers. Everyone’s out.”

“Good work.” Simone pushed him while Dash held the door open.

They sprinted across the parking lot as the first three buses pulled out onto the highway. Simone sent Flynn ahead, then grabbed Dash’s hand, holding him tight as the wind swirled around them, pummeling their bodies with debris.

Flynn handed the child to a man on the bus, then turned and held his hand out to Simone. “He’s safe! Let’s get out of here!” A piece of flying sheet metal hit him in the temple, slicing his scalp. He dropped to the ground.

“No!” Simone screamed and ran to him. Blood pooled under his head. She ripped her jacket off and wrapped it around the wound.

Dash pressed his fingers to Flynn’s neck. “I can’t find a pulse.” A plywood panel slammed against the side of the bus. “We have to go now.”

Hot tears burned Simone’s cheeks. “Take him.”

Dash scooped up Flynn’s body and carried him up the steps. They laid him on the floor and Simone cradled his head in her lap as Dash jumped into the driver’s seat.

“He’s not breathing.” She caressed his cold, pale cheek, wiping her tears from the young man’s face. “Why him?”

“I can’t answer that, darlin’.” Dash spoke without looking at her. His gaze fixed on the road while his knuckles turned white on the steering while.

Why not me?
Or someone else. Anyone else. But not the boy he’d saved. And not Dash. Never Dash. If losing someone she’d known only a couple of days hurt this much, how could she survive without the only man she’d truly loved?

So what if sex was all they had left? If the flames outside caught up to them, they’d have nothing left at all. She’d love the man better this time—no matter how long or short.

***

Why Flynn? Why Brett? Why Ray? How had this fire gotten so out of control? Dash had put it out. How had it started up again? And why had the hurricane turned north when all the forecasts sent it south?
No time for questions.
Wondering why wouldn’t change a thing.

A tree branch blocked the road, but Dash ran over it, jostling everyone in the bus, including Flynn’s limp form. Hot tears stung his eyes as he wondered if Flynn knew he’d been a hero to that boy he’d put on the bus. He did his job, never gave up, and he saved a child who meant nothing to him.
I gotta protect the woman who means everything to me.

He glanced at the rearview mirror and caught Simone staring into his eyes. She needed an answer, and damn it, he’d give her one. He turned his gaze back to the road and searched for the words she needed to hear. “Life’s too short.”
Brilliant observation, dumbass.
He peeked at the mirror again and saw her press her lips together. “You gotta hold onto the people you love while you can.”

A broken branch bounced off the hood, drawing his attention back to driving. He fought against the wind as it pushed them to the wrong side of the highway. His knuckles ached as he struggled with the wheel, hoping the bus wouldn’t roll.

Simone’s arms slid around his waist as she knelt beside him. “I’m holding onto you.”

She loves me! She always has.
Maybe she didn’t say the words, but she’d shown him with action and meaning more times than he could count.

He reached for her, but the bus lurched and he grabbed the steering wheel. “I want to hold you, but driving takes all my strength.”

“Then give it everything you’ve got.”

Dash stomped on the gas and sped down the highway as fast as the big vehicle would go. He’d lost track of the other buses some time ago. Darkness and the blowing smoke obscured his vision. When would the sun come up? His watch had gotten smashed during their escape.

“Where are we going?”

“South to state road ninety-three.” He glanced in the rearview mirror at the rolling black smoke behind them. “Highway eighty-two is surrounded by fire, so ninety-three is the only way out of town.”

Simone frowned at the speedometer struggling to get above sixty miles an hour. “Can we outrun it in this beast?”

“I hope so.” Dash’s gaze fixed on the dwindling gas gauge.

The roar of a freight train sent chills down his spine. “The railroad is five miles from here.”

Someone screamed. “Tornado!”

Simone stood and searched out the windshield. “There!” She pointed right at a funnel cloud headed straight toward them.

“Hang on!” Dash spun the wheel left and the bus turned. Chunks of steel and wood smashed against the side, breaking windows as it tore down a side street. A flashing metal tower rose up in front of him. “That’s the TV station. I know where I am now.”

The tornado passed behind them, ripping up cables and snapping power lines. Dash sped down the street, planning to circle around the block and get back to the highway, but the sound of wrenching metal and a blinding flash of electricity forced him to stop. Simone screamed and grabbed his shoulder as the TV tower toppled across the road in front of them.

“Shit!” Dash ran a shaking hand through his hair as his thoughts raced, trying to decide what to do.

Simone beat on his shoulder. “Back up.”

He threw the gearshift into reverse and stepped on the gas, but the bus lurched over something. A loud bang followed, then an unmistakable hiss as a tire flattened. “Damn it!”

The tornado turned toward them.

“Get out! Get inside the TV station!” He leaped from his seat and tried to pick up Flynn’s body, but the young man’s foot caught on a seat. People scrambled out the back and ran toward the solid brick building.

“There’s no time!” Simone grabbed his shoulder and dragged him down the front steps. They held hands and sprinted across the parking lot. The tornado picked up the bus like a child’s toy and threw it on the roof, but they kept going, ducking inside the front door as the swirling winds ripped it apart.

Dash pushed Simone ahead of him, guiding her to the interior of the building.

“In here!” A guy wearing headphones ushered them into the broadcast room. Dash remembered him from his tour with Cassie—Tom, the news director.

Dash caught his breath while Simone counted the people huddling with them. “Everyone’s here.” The evacuees from the bus filled the room, much smaller than it looked on TV, but it had no windows and solid concrete walls.

“Where’s the fire?” Tom wrung his long, skinny fingers. “We were tracking it until the tower went down.” A skeleton news crew remained at the station—Cassie’s backup forecaster, the news anchor, and the sports guy, although Dash couldn’t fathom why he’d be there.

“I’m not sure.” Dash’s legs turned to rubber and he dropped into an empty chair. “It crossed the river at the high school so we evacuated and never looked back.”

“It crossed at the Lincoln Bridge too. Our last satellite image showed it spreading this way.”

They had to get out of the building. Find a way to go east, out of town. “Where’s the news helicopter?”

“Tethered to the roof.” Tom frowned at the sagging ceiling. “It can’t fly in this wind.”

Simone followed his gaze. “Or with a bus on top of it.”

Tom mouthed the words ‘a bus’ as if not quite comprehending. He shrugged it off and addressed Dash. “Where’s your crew?”

“Scattered, what’s left of them.” He’d seen AJ and Jordy get on another bus. He hoped Mason had too.

Simone paced between the door and the news desk. “So we’re stuck here.”

No one answered. Tom sat next to Dash and leaned on his elbow, turning his back so no one else would hear. “Is there anything that can stop this fire?”

“I thought the river would, but…” His stomach tightened as images of flames and destruction filled his head. “No.”

Simone circled the room like a psych patient off her meds, clawing for a way out. A monitor caught her attention as she passed by. “Can we get an updated satellite image?”

“We tried a few minutes ago, but the backup generators are failing. I’ll try again.” Tom sat at the desk and tapped a few keys to bring up a photo. “This is the old one. When I try to get the updated feed, it won’t connect.”

“What about the radar?” The lights dimmed, and Simone gasped. Dash held his breath, waiting for the plunge into darkness, but the power came back on and everyone sighed.

Tom slid over to the radar monitor. “It’s locked up.”

“So we have no way of knowing how close the fire is or if there’s another tornado headed our way?” She pressed her fist against her mouth and curled her fingernails into her palm as if trying not to bite them.

Dash hadn’t seen her do that since his last football game in high school. Her pretty nails had been chewed to the nub by the time he’d thrown the winning touchdown. He stood and took her hand, straightening her fingers and pressing his lips to her knuckles. “I’ll go outside and take a look.” He headed toward the door.

“Not without me!” Simone charged after him.

He spun and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back against Tom. “No! Stay here. Stay safe.” The news director held her arms while Dash let go. If she’d just stay inside, she’d be all right. Anything could happen out there. Fire, tornadoes, bus projectiles.
Jesus.
He’d seen too much death. He dragged his hand through his hair and backed toward the exit.

She wrestled free and chased him down. “You promised you’d never leave me again.” Her eyes sparkled and her lashes spiked, showing her weakness in front of other people. She grabbed his collar and held on tight.