Page 18

Lark

T he windshield wipers fought to keep up with the rain as Jake’s beat-up SUV barreled down the highway, mud-splattered, half-packed with gear, and filled with the familiar scent of coffee, adrenaline, and bad decisions.

Lark sat shotgun, boots propped on the dash, a GoPro mounted near the rearview, and her hair tied up in a messy knot that hadn’t been brushed in two days. It felt like coming home.

“I can’t believe you just up and left that hot SEAL of yours,” Tiff called from the backseat, unwrapping a candy bar like it was a tactical mission.

“He’s not mine ,” Lark muttered, even though every cell in her body said otherwise. “He’s on a mission.”

Jake smirked. “And you’re on one now too. Just happens to involve hail the size of grapefruit and winds that can relocate a cow, house, and ca.”

Lark smiled, heart starting to pulse with a thrill she hadn’t felt since the last time she was out here. Storm chasing wasn’t just a job—it was a part of her DNA. The buzz in her chest, the constant scan of the sky, the sharp tension between awe and danger—it all came flooding back.

She glanced down at her phone. One unread text from Axel before he’d lost signal.

Miss you already. Come back to me, Lark.

She shoved it into her pocket.

“You sure about this?” Jake asked after a long beat, voice quieter now. “You’ve been through a lot lately. This trip’s not exactly a casual joyride. Some of these cells could drop half a dozen tornadoes—fast, violent ones. We won’t have much time to react.”

“I need this,” Lark said, firm. “I’ve been holding my breath since the day I met him. I need to remember who I was before… and figure out who I want to be now.”

Tiff nodded. “Well, buckle up, babe. Because Oklahoma’s about to bring the thunder.”

Jake flicked on the emergency lights, accelerated past a semi, and tilted his head toward the gray horizon. “We intercept in thirty minutes. If conditions hold, we’ll be near a possible EF-3 by nightfall.”

I licked my lips, heart pounding—not from fear, but anticipation.

I wasn’t running away from Axel.

I was just chasing the storm.