Page 119 of Through the Storms

The phone went dead before Lana could respond.

Fifteen minutes later, a large pickup rumbled up behind Lana, and Asher jumped from the truck. He jogged to the car and threw open her door. When he looked at her, his brows rose. “You’re planning on helping wearing that?”

Lana groaned. “I know. I wasn’t thinking. I came directly from the station.”

Asher grinned and pointed at her feet. “At least you’re wearing boots. Looks nice with your skirt.” His smirk reminded her so much of Oakley that Lana couldn’t help but smile.

“And my silk shirt.” She ran her hand down her sleeve.

“Classy. I have my bag in the truck. I can hook you up with a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.”

After she changed, Asher drove her car through the checkpoint. Teamed with the National Weather Service, they were waved through without issue.

“Crazy day,” Asher said. “Storms are still battering the area east of here.”

“I’ve never seen the radars lit up like this.”

“How’d you get away from the station?”

“My team knows what they’re doing.”

“What did your boss say?”

Lana shrugged. “He’s not happy, but I told him I needed to do this.”

Asher smiled. “I’m glad you’re here. Oak will be thrilled.”

His words warmed her. “I’m glad I’m here, too.”

“Holy fuck,” Asher said when they entered the Windy Trails subdivision from the north. “This is like a fucking war zone.”

Lana had seen plenty of towns damaged by tornadoes, but this was one for the record books. As far as the eye could see, not a single house stood. Parts of houses, but not one, appeared to be intact, and most were leveled to the ground.

Asher pointed. “It’s always the refrigerators.”

He was right, several refrigerators dotted the landscape. “Jesus, look at that.” Lana pointed.

Asher slowed the car. “Fuck. That’s crazy.”

A tree had been impaled by a street sign, and the sign was embedded at least six inches into the trunk. “Imagine how much force it took to do that.”

“Maybe I should stop and pull it out. It reminds me of Excalibur. It could bring us luck.”

“You can get it on our way back, King Asher. We need to find Oak.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He nodded several times.

They drove farther into the subdivision and were greeted by a sea of flashing lights. “That’s a good sign,” he said. “Oakley wasn’t sure how long it would take to get the first responders here. They’re leaning heavily on volunteers.”

“I just hope they’ve found Chloe’s daughter. I can’t even imagine how she feels.”

“She’s a gem.” Asher bit his lip. “My guess is Riley will move heaven and earth to find her.”

Lana looked to the west. “Sun’s gonna set sooner rather than later.”

“That’s gonna fuck things up. Make it tons harder.”

“Fingers crossed they find Mia before then.”