Deadly Storm (10 page)

“I’m not going to the hospital,” Sophie protested.

“Yes, you are,” Grady said, rubbing her back. “You’re definitely going to the hospital. That car looks like … I don’t even want to tell you what I thought when I saw that car.”

“I’m okay, Grady,” Sophie murmured.

Grady kissed her again. “We’re going to make sure of that.” He lifted his head and glanced at James. “She needs to go to the hospital.”

“Take her.”

“What about Mandy?”

“I’ll get to her,” James said. “Take care of Sophie.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Grady didn’t want to leave Sophie, but if his brother needed him, he would do what had to be done. Sophie was safe. Mandy was still out there.

“Stay with her,” James ordered. “I’ll call you when I find Mandy.”

“She’s at the college,” Sophie said. “I saw her when I was leaving. She was talking to some woman, and your ex-girlfriend – she’s a real pill, by the way.”

“What ex-girlfriend?” Grady asked, confused.

“Ann Nelson,” James said. “She’s in Mandy’s cooking class.”

“How did I miss that? That’s the biggest news story to hit our family in weeks.”

“Later,” James said. “I need to get to my wife.”

“She’s probably still in the classroom,” Sophie said. “The class was over, but she was chatting with Marian.”

James stilled. “What do you mean the class was over? It’s not supposed to be over until … I don’t know … right about now.”

Sophie worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “I … um … .”

“Tell me,” James growled.

“She told you the class ended an hour after it did because she didn’t want you to worry,” Sophie said. “She thought she would be home before you could work yourself up.”

“That went well,” Grady said dryly.

“I’m going to kill her,” James seethed, turning back toward his Explorer.

“Sir, you shouldn’t be on the roads,” the fireman said. “You should stay here.”

“My wife needs me to save her,” James said. “That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to save her … and then I’m going to kill her.”

“What do you think?” Marian asked, her fingers digging into Mandy’s wrist. “Do you think the building is going to fall down on top of us?”

Mandy was glad the power was out. If the lights were still on there was no way Marian would miss the vigorous eye rolling. “I think we need to try and go out to the lobby.”

The classroom was mostly empty when the tornado hit. The building was untouched, but the ground shook as it passed – taking the electricity with it. Since no one was brave enough to look out the bay windows in the front vestibule of the building, everyone hunkered down in the classroom and waited. And waited. And waited. Mandy couldn’t take much more waiting.

“You’re going to go out there?” Marian’s voice trembled.

“We can’t stay in here,” Mandy said. “We have to know what’s going on outside.”

“I think that’s a terrible idea,” Ann said. She was a few feet away, but Mandy’s skin crawled at the proximity. If she had to spend five more minutes with the woman she was going to find her in the dark and kill her. No one would ever be able to prove anything.

“I think she’s right,” Professor Barnes said. He was sitting next to Ann, although Mandy had a feeling it wasn’t by choice. “We could be sitting here for days if we don’t do something.”

“The rescuers will find us,” Ann argued.

“We don’t need to be rescued,” Mandy said, getting to her feet. “Stop being … you.”

“There are no windows in this room,” Ann said. “How do you suggest finding the door without lights?”

Mandy dug in her pocket until she found her cell phone and fiddled with it until she found the flashlight app. It drained the battery like crazy, but they didn’t have a lot of options. Mandy just hoped the phone could hold on long enough for James to call. She’d tried calling him five different times, but she kept getting his voicemail. She was hopeful that meant the lines were just down. The alternative was something she couldn’t bear to think about.

“Anyone who is coming, we’re leaving now,” Mandy said.

After a few bruised shins thanks to errant furniture, the foursome emerged in the hallway. Thankfully, the emergency lights had kicked on so Mandy turned the flashlight off and pocketed the phone. “See, it’s already better.”

“You just have to be right, don’t you?” Ann wrinkled her nose.

“Shut up, Ann.” Mandy led the way into the lobby, not surprised in the least to find a handful of students milling about in front of the windows. The storm was still raging outside, but it looked like a standard thunderstorm – although still powerful – so that was something of a relief. “What’s going on out there?”

The man standing in front of her turned, and Mandy was surprised to see his face was a familiar one. It was the same guy from the registrar’s office. “Oh, hi.”

“Hi,” he said. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Not really,” Mandy said, nonplussed. “This is where my class was. How bad is it out there?”

“Bad,” the man said. “It’s not safe to go out there.” He shot Mandy a roguish grin. “This is fortuitous, though. Now we can get to know one another. I’m Steven, by the way. Steven Balish.”

Mandy forced her face to remain neutral. “Mandy. I’m more interested in getting out of here than getting to know anyone, though.”

“She’s married,” Marian said by way of apology. “I’m Marian.”

“Nice to meet you,” Steven said, distracted by Mandy as she brushed past him. “There’s no way to get out of here. It’s storming really hard out there. The tornado touched down and ripped up a bunch of trees. The roads are impassable.”

“How do you know that?”

Steven pointed to two girls sitting on the couch in the corner. “They’ve been listening to the radio on their phones.”

Mandy pursed her lips, annoyed. “I can’t stay here.”

“It’s safer here than out there,” Steven said. “Come on. Would it really be so terrible to be trapped here together all night?”

“Yes.” Mandy moved toward the window and peered outside. Everything more than five feet away was blurred by a torrential downpour, which was frustrating for Mandy. The sky split with lightning every few seconds, and thunder constantly rolled. The storm was nowhere near being over. “This is … James is going to freak out.”

“Oh, good grief,” Ann said. “I’m sure he’ll survive without your company for a few hours.”

Mandy ignored her. “I hope he’s not out on the roads. I hope he’s safe at home.”

“You can’t get him on the phone?” Marian asked sympathetically.

“It keeps going straight to voicemail.”

“Maybe he’s out with his mistress,” Ann suggested.

“Don’t make me beat you,” Mandy warned.

“Hey, someone is out there.” One of the girls on the couch rolled to her knees and leaned forward. “It’s a man. He’s heading in this direction.”

“What kind of idiot would be out in this?” Steven asked.

“He’s probably someone coming to rescue us,” Ann said.

“How many times do I have to tell you that we don’t need to be rescued?” Mandy snapped. She jerked her head to the lobby doors as they pushed open, revealing the solid form of a body she would recognize anywhere. She was moving before she realized it. “James?”

James pushed his sopping hair away from his face, relief washing over him when he caught sight of his wife. “Thank, God.”

Mandy threw herself into his arms, ignoring his drenched clothing and instead focusing on the steady beat of his heart through his shirt. “I can’t believe you came for me.”

Despite his anger, James couldn’t stop himself from hugging her back. He tipped her face up, cupping the back of her head as he stared into her eyes. “I told you a long time ago that I would always come for you.”

“I know,” Mandy said, fighting tears. “You could have died, though. You’re such an … idiot.”

James scowled. “I love you, too.”

“I’m sorry,” Mandy said, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I just … you’re the most amazing man I know.”

“That’s good,” James said. “Because now that I know you’re safe I’m going to have to kill you.”

“HAND ME
your jeans,” Mandy instructed.

They were in the men’s bathroom and James was stripping out of his clothes so she could use the air dryers on them. He’d been mostly silent since his pronouncement, but Mandy was well aware of the anger rolling off of him.

James stripped out of his jeans – after a lot of contorting and shimmying – and wordlessly handed them to her. He watched as she held them under the nozzle and hit the button. They were going to take forever to dry that way, but he didn’t see a lot of choice in the matter.

“Are you going to yell at me?” Mandy asked, shifting her worried blue eyes to his dark orbs.

“Yes.”

Mandy waited.

“Where is my shirt?” James asked, glancing around the bathroom.

“It’s on top of that stall over there,” Mandy said, biting the inside of her cheek.

“It’s still wet,” James said, running his fingers over the shirt.

“It’s going to take some time to dry.”

“I guess it’s good we’re stuck here then.”

“I … please just yell at me now and get it over with,” Mandy said. “I can’t stand walking on eggshells around you.”

“You never have to walk around on eggshells where I’m concerned,” James replied. “You’re my wife. I’m not your father. I’m not going to ground you.”

“It feels like you want to … hurt me.”

James snapped his head up. “I never want to hurt you. Don’t ever say anything like that again.”

Mandy took an involuntary step back. “Okay.” Her voice was so small it tugged at James’ heart. He wasn’t ready to make up, though. They had a few things to talk about first.

“Grady was with me when I left the office.”

“Where is he?” Mandy asked. “Is he here?”

“We found Sophie’s car on M-59. It was tipped on its side and it had been slammed into some trees.”

Mandy’s hand flew to her mouth, and she almost dropped James’ jeans before recovering. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” James said. “She’s sore, and she has some superficial burns on her wrist from the air bag, but she’s okay. Grady stayed with her to wait for the ambulance.”

“She’s going to the hospital?”

“Grady insisted,” James said. “I don’t blame him. If you’d seen that car … .”

“I’m so glad she’s okay.”

James grunted in assent.

“I … what are you mad about?”

James shifted his gaze to his wife, love for her washing over him even as anger settled in the pit of his stomach. “What do you think I’m mad about?”

“That I insisted on staying in this class even though you didn’t want me to.”

“Is that why you really think I’m mad?”

“I don’t know what else it could be,” Mandy said. “If I hadn’t been a stubborn pain I would’ve gone home right after work. You wouldn’t have almost died trying to find me.”

“Dammit, Mandy!” James smacked his hand against the metal door of the stall. “I don’t understand why you insist on staying in this class, but that’s hardly something to be angry about. That’s not why I want to throttle you.”

Mandy’s shoulders slumped at the same time the air dryer flipped off. She hit the button again and lifted the jeans. “I guess it’s good these are hooked up to the emergency generator.”

“I think it’s a sanitation thing,” James said. “They have the air dryers so they can say they’re green and not waste money on paper products. If they want to do that, though, they have to make them available even in times of emergency.”

“You know a lot of things.”

James growled. “Don’t try to distract me.”

Mandy flashed James her best “you love me and you can’t stay mad at me” look. “I would never try to do that.”

James extended his index finger. “You’re the queen of doing that. We have a little something to talk about first.”

“What?”

“Do you honestly not know?”

“I don’t,” Mandy said, shaking her head.

“Did you tell me your class got over an hour later than it really did?”

“Oh,” Mandy said, her heart sinking. “That.”

“Yeah,
that
.”

“I didn’t want you to sit home and worry,” Mandy explained. “I knew you would tie yourself up in knots. I figured I would be home before you could even get to that point. I wasn’t trying to lie.”

“Well, you did.”

“I know. I … I’m sorry.”

James sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “Do you have any idea what I was thinking while I was driving over here? I thought you were buried underneath a pile of rubble. I thought you were calling for me. I thought you needed me.”

“I always need you.”

“If you had told me the truth about what time this class got over with I would’ve been here before the tornado hit,” James said. “I would’ve known you were safe. Hell, I would’ve made Sophie stay here and she would’ve avoided that accident.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I … wait a second.” Mandy narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean you would’ve been here before the tornado hit?”

James shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing.”

Realization dawned on Mandy. “You were going to sit in the parking lot and watch me to make sure I got into my car safely, weren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Once I was in my car you were going to speed home so you could beat me there and pretend you were all calm and collected the whole time about me being here,” Mandy said. “Admit it.”

James considered lying. Since he was mad about her bending the truth, though, he figured it probably wasn’t a good idea. “Fine. That’s exactly what I was going to do.”

Mandy placed her hands on her hips. “You were going to lie to me?”

James scowled. “I was going to lie to protect you.”

“That’s why I lied.”

“Oh, good grief,” James said, cracking his neck. “We’re going to call this a draw.”

“Only because you got caught,” Mandy grumbled.

“You’re my wife,” James said. “I need to know you’re safe. I’m not going to apologize for wanting you to be okay. I’m not going to apologize for going out of my way to keep you safe.”

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“Well … now you’re mad,” James said.

Mandy sighed, resigned. “I’m not mad. I’m too … thankful … that you’re here to be mad. I was going to kill myself with worry because I couldn’t get in touch with you.”

Hope moved across James’ handsome features. “Really? You don’t want to fight?”

“I just want you to hold me for a few minutes,” Mandy admitted. “I just want to feel you wrapped around me.”

James opened his arms. “Come to me, baby.”

Mandy stepped into his embrace, burying her face against his chest as he rocked her.

“I really am sorry,” Mandy said.

“It’s over, baby,” James said, kissing her forehead. “We’re together. That’s all I care about right now.”