“It’ll be okay,” he said.
“Will it?” Navy whirled on him. “Are you a weather expert in addition to being an athlete, a billionaire, and a woman magnet?”
Holden’s eyebrows lifted. “I’m not a woman magnet.” He hardly even dated.
“Tell Alecia that,” she muttered, folding her arms across her slender chest. “What do you need?” she asked.
“A few things.” He took a deep breath and plunged ahead, though her tight posture didn’t encourage communication. “First of all, thank you for being so level-headed and keeping them all distracted.” He inclined his head toward the theater.
“I may not be employed by you any longer but I am a natural leader.” She jutted her chin out.
“You are … and much more.” He couldn’t hide the appreciation for her in his eyes. Her blue gaze softened but she didn’t say anything. “Second, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the extent of the storm that was coming. When I got the second, more worrisome, round of warnings from the weather service, they said we’d be safe here and it would be better to stay rather than risk leaving in turbulent seas.”
Navy stared at him. “Did you receive that before or after I punched you?”
He smiled. “After we all went to bed last night. When my head was too full of kissing you to care about a tropical storm.”
Her cheeks reddened becomingly, and she swallowed before saying, “I can see why you were distracted.”
Holden brushed his knuckles along her jaw. Her mouth softened and she leaned closer to him. “Navy,” he murmured. He turned his hand over and cupped her soft cheek with his palm. She let out a quiet moan. He stepped closer to her. “I’d like to tell you my side of the story with Colt and Kim.”
She blinked as if coming out of a trance and straightened away from him. “To what end?”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses. I will always be on my brother’s side.” Her blue eyes flashed at him and his hand fell away from her face.
She had gone from soft to feisty without skipping a beat. It made her even more appealing to him. He would have to work for the next kiss, but he didn’t mind. Most importantly, it wasn’t just about the next kiss with Navy, it was about developing a relationship with this fiery, independent, and amazing woman. She might be the woman he could finally trust enough to share his past with.
“As you should be, but I think if we talked it through we could understand the situation better. We’re both rational adults.”
Navy harrumphed. “You might be.”
Holden chuckled. “I sure like you, Navy Quinn.”
“You do?” She softened and took a step closer to him.
He nodded. The storm and other people in the house were far away right now. He was finally going to get his chance with Navy. Why had he waited so long to attempt this? She was everything he wanted.
“Then why have you kept yourself so aloof? Why haven’t you tried to cross these bridges with me? We’ve known each other for years.”
Why indeed? Holden tried to think how to explain that he had to keep himself aloof and protect his parents. He wasn’t ready for that conversation yet and he wanted to ask her the same question in return. She’d always been the epitome of friendly yet detached. “I wanted to be professional, and I didn’t think you were interested, and then the thing with your brother.”
Her postured stiffened again.
“Let’s talk it through.”
Navy studied him. Her face was controlled and Holden didn’t know if he was making headway or not. The wind, rain, and waves pelted the windows around them and the wind seemed to shriek. Holden could deal with the storm and asking Navy to talk to Ryan later. Right now he wasn’t missing this opportunity.
Crack! Something slammed into the window and Holden heard the shattering of glass before he turned. Navy cried out and grabbed his arm. Holden pulled her close, in shock at what he was seeing. A small metal fishing boat had smacked into the window up high with the wave, but the more terrifying thing was its anchor’s sharp point had hit the bottom part of the window and actually broken through the thick glass. The anchor remained lodged there as the boat receded with a wave and then came back and hit the window again like a battering ram. Water rushed in from the broken spot down low. The volume of the waves slamming against the house was so great that within seconds they were standing in a puddle of water.
Holden ushered Navy back away from the windows as the metal boat hit into them again. Would the windows hold now that they had a vulnerable spot? He had no idea how to force that anchor back out to keep the boat from coming through and feared if he tried he’d shatter the entire window and flood the house even quicker. Holden had always been a believer, but right now he was praying more fiercely than he had since his sister died.
“You okay?” he asked Navy.
“At the moment,” she muttered. “If the house floods I might not be.”
“We’ve got to get everybody in that shelter and seal it off before it floods,” he decided.
“The shelter’s waterproof?”
“Yes.” He prayed that was true. Zack had told him it was and he had to trust that. But Zack had also told him his windows were impenetrable. “Ryan wanted to talk to you. Can you go get him and I’ll get everybody moving into the shelter?” He blew out a breath. “Hopefully without Alecia clinging to me.”
She nodded. “I’ll grab him and we’ll be right there.”
Holden decided at that moment that he was falling in love with her. She was tough, brave, and independent. She pulled from his grasp and headed toward the hallway. Holden wished there was time to pull her in tight, kiss her, and tell her how impressive she was. Instead he hurried for the theater to try to calm down the masses. The water was ankle-deep in the main room now and gushing through the crack made by the anchor. The boat smacked into the window again and he cringed, hoping it would hold. With waves that big, the house could be flooded in minutes if that boat punctured a larger hole in the glass.
Chapter Seven
Navy was terrified as she ran to Ryan’s room. She couldn’t believe a boat had crashed into the window and its anchor had penetrated through. If the storm didn’t calm down, the house could be completely flooded. Where would they go then? The roof? She hated the idea of being outside in this and couldn’t imagine how the others would react.
“Ryan?” she yelled, not seeing him in his bedroom.
His bathroom door popped open. “Hey,” he said quietly.
“We’ve got to get into the storm shelter.”
“Why?”
“C’mere, I’ll show you.” She turned back to the hallway, wanting to be near Holden and be safe in that shelter.
“Navy, wait.”
“No, let’s go.”
“I’m sorry I acted jerky earlier. I’m … terrified.”
Navy turned back to him. His normally fake-tanned skin did look pale and his blue eyes were full of fear. “We all are. Don’t worry about it. Let’s go.” She started for the bedroom door.
“I lost my best friend in a tornado,” he rushed out.
Navy paused and turned to look at him again, understanding rushing over her. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” His eyes got a faraway look in them. “I grew up in Oklahoma. Joe and I weren’t afraid of anything. We always said we could outrun any storm.” He shook his head. “We were fourteen and one day we heard the sirens. Instead of heading for the shelter we messed around, tossing a football a little longer, and then we went and stole some beers since nobody was in the store.”
Navy felt awful that he had such a sad story, but maybe he could tell it to her in the safety of the shelter.
“When we finally realized how much trouble we were in, we sprinted for the closest shelter, but it was too late … The storm took him but not me.”
He stopped talking and hung his head.
“Ryan. I am so sorry.” No wonder he’d been so afraid of th
e storm and being shut up in the house.
Water seeped into the bedroom, dancing along the hardwood flooring.
“What is that?” Ryan screamed.
“We need to get to the shelter,” she said.
Ryan sprinted past her and out the door. Navy hurried after him. The water was now rolling into the hallways and as they reached the main area it was up to her knees. The hole made by the anchor wasn’t large, but with the force of the waves continually gushing against the house, water was coming in much faster than she would have liked. The boat slammed into the window and Ryan squealed. They both ran for the other hallway and down the steps to the theater. Luckily the theater only had a little bit of water in it.
Holden was waiting for them next to an open portal of sorts. The flooring had been stacked to the side. Ryan pushed in front of Navy and disappeared down the ladder. Navy hurried to Holden’s side.
“It’s getting worse,” she said.
He nodded. “We’ll be safe in here.”
Navy prayed he was right. He took her elbow and helped her into the hole. She descended the short ladder. The shelter was bigger than many she’d seen, at least Holden and Ollie had a little head clearance, but it definitely wasn’t huge. They would barely all be able to lay down at the same time and even sitting they wouldn’t have any privacy or much space. There were stacks of water bottles, food, blankets, pillows, and a portable toilet in one corner. A round light was secured to the floor and gave at least a dim glow to the interior.
Holden descended the ladder, then reached up and pushed the seal into place. He turned a wheel of sorts that made it flush with the ceiling. Just like that, they were inside a submarine. Navy prayed this place really was waterproof. Glancing around, she saw terror on every person’s face, except for Holden’s. She couldn’t imagine dealing with Alecia if water leaked through that portal.
Holden stepped up next to her, reached out, and squeezed her hand. She wished they could be alone and have that talk he wanted to have. Well, sort of. She wanted to get to know Holden better, but she couldn’t handle anyone disparaging Colt. She was pretty sure Holden would have to have something bad on Colt for Holden to think Navy would even consider his side.
“When we engaged the shelter, an SOS went out for us and a small generator that powers the light and an emergency breathing system employed. We’ll be safe here until the Coast Guard can get to us. Let’s try to get comfortable,” Holden instructed. “We’ll give the storm some time to pass and wait for the Coast Guard to come for us.”
Navy hadn’t thought of simply waiting for the Coast Guard. How long would they have to stay down here? No way could they risk opening that hatch, flooding their shelter, and drowning. Staying in this small space for a few days sounded awful, but it was worth it to protect all of them. Thankfully, there was food and water.
Alecia was sobbing loudly in one corner. Michael and Jorge tried to sit as far away as they could from her. Taya and Ollie sat next to Alecia, and Taya started talking softly, trying to comfort her. The shelter was so small, probably only ten by twenty feet. Navy could easily hear Taya’s soft voice and Alecia’s sobs.
Ryan was staring intently at Navy, as if asking her to come sit by him. Holden’s grip on her hand tightened. She glanced up at him and smiled. He guided her toward the wall on the other side of Taya and Ollie and they sat down, resting their backs against the wall. There would definitely be no deep conversations here but at least they could sit close by each other.
Holden wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she cuddled into his side. There were a lot of things they needed to talk about, but he’d told her he liked her and she definitely liked him. Maybe this deal with Colt and Kim was something they could talk through like mature adults as he had suggested. Holden was so great, he would understand how overprotective she was of her brothers and wouldn’t say anything against Colt. It had happened five years ago. Maybe Holden simply wanted to apologize for hurting her brother and admit he had made a mistake. Everybody made mistakes. She’d made her fair share. That was life.
She couldn’t resist tucking her smaller frame against the safety his muscular body and calm personality exuded. Holden’s lips brushed her forehead and Navy glanced up at him. “You are incredibly brave and impressive,” he whispered in her ear.
Warmth rushed through Navy. They were in a terrifying situation but she felt safe and protected in Holden’s arms. When they were on dry ground again, they’d talk. Right now she was going to savor being close to him.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek, the short hair tickling her lips. He smiled gently at her. Navy leaned around to his ear and whispered, “You are tough and amazing.”
Pulling back she met his gaze. His deep brown eyes swept over her face, resting on her lips. Navy suddenly didn’t care about the close quarters or who was watching. She wanted to kiss him and communicate how incredible he was and that she would give him a chance to talk through things and see where these feelings could lead.
“Can you two knock it off?” Ryan growled.
The moment shattered. Navy cuddled into Holden’s arms and stopped her tongue from a rebuttal. Ryan was scared and had been through something traumatic as a child. She was glad he had shared with her. She felt compassionate toward him and would try to hold onto those understanding feelings.
Holden didn’t respond either but when Navy glanced up, his jaw was tight from obviously holding himself in control. She shifted on the hard floor. It was going to be an uncomfortable couple of days. She tried to think of something to say and her gaze rested on Ollie.
“Where’s your girl?” She’d heard him refer to his camera as his “girl” more than once.
Ollie smiled and glanced at Taya. “Right here.”
Taya blinked up at him. “But his true girlfriend is on the highest shelf he could find in the theater. Had to protect his footage.”
Navy laughed. Ollie started whispering something to Taya and she glanced away to give them privacy. She couldn’t think of anything funny or positive to distract the group with and found herself asking Holden quietly, “How long until the Coast Guard comes, do you think?”
Holden shook his head. “At least forty-eight hours, maybe more.”
“What?” Ryan jumped to his feet, obviously having overheard. “We can’t just sit around and wait for them! We could open the hatch ourselves and sail out of here as soon as the storm passes.”
“How would we know that the storm has passed, the water has receded, and we won’t flood the shelter?” Holden asked patiently.
Ryan started swearing and pacing in front of them. “I shouldn’t have come down here, but those waves were horrifying. I can’t be down here. I’m claustrophobic. That’s why I couldn’t go in the tornado shelters. I lied, okay. I lied!”
Everyone was watching him. Navy had no clue how to respond but he paused and was staring desperately at her.
“You lied about what?” She hoped her voice was soothing and not as frustrated as she felt. If he’d lied about losing his best friend she might lose it on him.
“I lied about thinking I was too tough to go into the tornado shelters, thinking I could outrun the storm.” He shook his head and clenched his fists. “I was terrified of being stuck in those little shelters. They made us practice it in elementary school and I couldn’t take it. I’d freak out. So then as a teenager I had to act tough and say I could outrun the storm. I talked Joe into believing it, or at least acting like he did so I wouldn’t make fun of him.”
Navy’s heart was thumping hard and fast. She felt more compassion for Ryan than she had ever thought possible. “It’s okay, Ry. You were a kid.”
“No!” he screamed and smacked his fist into his chest. “Don’t you understand? I killed my best friend. I did that to him! I knew we should get into the shelter. I knew how bad the storm was. It was obvious he was scared but I made him drink stolen beers and play catch with me so I didn’t have to get into an enclosed space. I killed h
im!”
Navy looked around at the group. Nobody seemed inclined to help Ryan. They were all staring at him in shock. Navy realized she was the only one with the full story. Maybe they were confused or just uncertain how to help.
Though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she pulled from Holden’s grasp and stood. Walking to Ryan she wrapped her arms around his waist. He yanked her in so tight she could hardly catch a breath. She could feel his desperation, his fear pulsing through him to her.
“It’s okay, Ryan. You were young. Nobody can blame you for that.”
“I blame myself,” he muttered, resting his head against the top of hers.
Navy tried not to recoil at being held closely by him and focused on comforting him. “You have to let it go. We’ve all made mistakes.” She glanced at Holden. He was staring intently at her. We’ve all made mistakes. Holden had made a huge mistake, cheating with Kim Heathrow and hurting her brother. She expected Ryan to forgive himself for putting his best friend in danger as a teenager. Could she forgive Holden for his part in Colt becoming a philandering man?
Holden offered her a tight smile. She didn’t know if he was thinking the same thing she was or if he simply didn’t like her being in Ryan’s arms. She didn’t like it either, but wasn’t about to voice that in this enclosure.
Ryan clung to her and Navy tried to imagine he was one of her brothers. He’d gone through something horribly traumatic as a young man. Her next younger brother Griff had been a part of appalling tragedies in the military and it had hardened him. Only the love of his life had been able to soften him, after ten horrible years of hurting. Her brother Ryder had been in an awful marriage and then his wife had died from cancer. It had traumatized him and his young son. She could think of many stories in her own family of how trauma could shape a person. Colt was another example, turning to womanizing after the woman he loved cheated on him … with Holden. She glanced at her handsome ex-boss, staring up at her with such intensity. She needed to forgive as surely as Ryan did.
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