“Ok,” Cole says as he grabs the guy I haven’t officially met and heads for the outdoor areas while Jace and Luke take off to the rooftop.
“I guess we’re boarding the windows,” Cami says.
She comes with me as I show her where I keep my tornado emergency shit and helps me lug the boards out. “Thank you so much for this,” I tell her as my eyes flick back to Cole who’s lifting one of the bigger tables inside and placing it just by the door.
“No problem,” she tells me. “You know I love this place just as much as you do, but this is nuts,” she says, indicating to all the stuff I have here.
“I know,” I say. “But still, thank you.”
She smiles and nods before taking the board and holding it up to the window. She starts to nail it in when she turns back to me. “How the hell did you get your car in here?”
With a giggle, I tell her all about it as we get serious about these damn windows.
We get most of the windows done and my arms are killing me. There’s only a few left that are way too high for anybody to reach.
I send Cami out the front to pull in my pot plants and signage, and really anything that she can see out there. There’s a table and chairs hidden around the side, but there are more important things than that.
I duck out past the kitchen and make sure that’s all done before heading out to check on the boys. Jace and Luke have pretty much kicked the rooftop’s ass and Cole and the other guy, whose name I’ve learned is Caden, have just about finished the outdoor areas.
I look up at the sky as the rain slows to a near stop. A massive cloud wall is starting to form in the distance, and just like that, I knew my gut was right again. It never lets me down. I can’t believe it’s been just over an hour since I woke up. This isn’t good. It’s not going to be long now.
I grab a few boxes and dash outside to the bar. Everything is drenched but at least the rain has stopped, which is actually not such a great thing as there’s generally no rain during a tornado, bad boys like tornados prefer massive hailstones that could knock you the fuck out.
I start packing up the bar when Cole ducks out the door to join me. “Thank you so much,” I tell him as he walks around the back of the bar and starts loading things up. “You don’t need to do that. You should go and make sure all your things are safe.”
“You’re insane if you think I’m leaving,” he tells me as he takes the bottle of vodka from my hands and places it in the box. With a smirk, he takes the box and carries it inside. I get started working on the next one, trying not to focus on the way his ass looks in those jeans.
He comes back a moment later and has the rest of the guys with him. They all help me out with the bar and tell me everything they’ve done and where they’ve put things. “I swear, you guys are incredible. You’ve saved my club.”
“Don’t sweat it, honey,” Caden says. “But, why are you bothering to save all this bar shit? You can replace this stuff easily.”
“I know,” I tell him. “But then I’ll have to put in an order and wait forever for it to arrive. This way I can get up and running sooner.”
He nods his head as Cole’s eyes meet mine. He looks at me as if he’s just discovered some top secret. I have no idea what he’s seeing right now, but from the look of it, it’s good.
We’re on the last box when Cami comes running out the door like her ass is on fire. “Get your asses inside,” she yells. “The tornado warning just came through. You were fucking right, Rylee. It’s coming.”
Chapter 14
Cole
Fuck me. This shit is actually happening.
Rylee's eyes widen as her jaw practically falls and slams against the wooden outdoor bar.
"Holy shit," she gasps before her eyes flick back down to the half-filled box of tequila bottles and shot glasses. She cringes before abandoning it and running back inside, faster than Cami had come storming out.
The boys and I give each other a look, all conveying the same message of 'Oh fuck,'. We go as quick as we can to finish packing up the bar for Rylee before Caden and I grab the last boxes and hurry inside.
I dump the box by her car which I still can't believe she actually drove in here.
I look around for Rylee to find her double checking all the doors are locked before she slides the deadbolt into place. She's completely freaking out with fear for her club and I totally get it. I wasn't lying earlier when I said that we had built Rebels Advocate to withstand a nuclear explosion... well, that might be exaggerating just a smidge, but the point got across.
The first tornado we had after it was built was terrifying. The boys and I were beside ourselves with worry, but it was ok in the end, the bastard didn’t come as close as we had thought, but this one looks terrifying. Don't get me wrong, I'm always going to worry about Rebels, it's just who I am, but Rylee needs us so much more right now.
The wind banging against the windows begins to die down and I realize this is it. It's the calm before the storm.
Fuck me. I still can’t believe she was right about this.
Rylee continues running around, but she's out of time. She needs to think about protecting herself now. She comes flying past me and I step out to block her way. "Babe, you need to stop," I tell her.
"I can't. I still have to ch-"
"No. You need to stop. This tornado is happening whether you’re ready or not," I say cutting her off as her eyes continue flicking around the big club. "Where’s should we go?"
"My office should be the safest," she tells me before the distinct sound of hailstones begins to echo around the room.
“It’s not long now,” Luke says as everyone starts to crowd around. “What’s the plan?”
“Rylee says her office should be the safest,” I say as Cami nods in agreement. I rest my eyes on Rylee as she looks up at me with a slight fear in her eyes. “Lead the way.”
With that, she turns on her heel and begins walking off to the side of the club and down a long hallway.
I fall in behind her and can practically feel the nervous energy radiating off of her. I can’t help but reach out and slip my hand into hers, hoping the gesture manages to ease her mind. She looks down at our hands before looking up at me.
“Quit freaking out. It’s not a big deal,” I tell her, trying to play it cool and acting as if holding her hand in mine isn’t giving me all sorts of feels.
Her lips press together in a firm line before she gives in and continues leading the way to her office, allowing me to keep my hand in hers, and fuck, it feels good.
We hurry into her office and she instantly let’s go of my hand as she makes her way around her desk. She hits the power button on her security monitor and brings up the footage of all the outdoor areas.
Rylee twists the screen around so we can all see it and I must say I’m impressed with her security system. Maybe Rebels in due for an upgrade.
Jace falls into the couch beside Cami while everybody else gets comfortable. Rylee wheels her desk chair around to see the monitor and with the boys taking up all the other chairs, I walk over to Rylee, hoist her out of her seat and make myself comfortable before pulling her down on my lap.
If it was any other day, I have no doubt she’d be fighting me on it, but with the image of the hailstones blanketing the outside of her club, she doesn’t say a word. “My fucking truck,” Jace mutters to himself as he glues his eyes to the screen while he watches the hailstones slam into his beloved tuck over and over again.
The wind begins to pick up again and Rylee’s back straightens. Just like the rest of us, she can sense it’s about to hit.
The noise from outside starts to increase and I find my hand coming to a stop on Rylee’s waist, hoping I can ease her fears.
“Holy shit,” Cami whispers as the wind starts going absolutely nuts, sounding like a deathly howl that chills me to the bone. The tree’s out in the courtyard are swaying like they’re in a church choir singing about the holy spirit, but the wind is
still increasing.
“Shit, this is going to be a bad one,” Caden grunts as he sits on the edge of his seat, watching the screen.
A massive crash is heard from within the club and all eyes start scanning the monitors, trying to figure out what had happened. Finding nothing on the monitors, Rylee shoots out of my lap and sprints for the door. “Oh, hell no,” I grunt as I dive after her and grab her around the waist. “Over my dead body,” I tell her as I hoist her back to the desk chair and hold her down more firmly.
“Let me go, you big twat,” she demands as she fights against my grip.
“Sure, as soon as the tornado passes,” I tell her.
“You’re so frustrating,” she yells.
I can’t help but scoff at the woman. “This coming from the chick who’s trying to run out into a tornado.”
My little firecracker lets out an angry huff and I can practically see the steam coming out of her ears. Geez, I can only imagine how good our fights are going to be in the future. I can’t wait to see her get all fired up.
Rylee gasps as her whole outdoor landscaping is instantly wiped out. “No, no, no, no,” she begins chanting to herself as she shakes her head. Her hand comes down on top of mine and she squeezes it with everything she’s got.
Heartbreak is written all over her and I know without a doubt that as soon as all of this is over, I’ll be the first one helping her put it all back together.
The floor starts vibrating and the lights begin to flicker. I can practically feel the building shaking around me. A photo frame drops to the floor and smashes as another massive crash is heard, followed by the howling and the lights completely turning off.
“Fuck, get down,” Luke yells.
At once, I grab Rylee and throw her down to the ground and cover her body with mine.
I’ve seen tornadoes completely wipe out whole towns. They’re unpredictable and absolutely terrifying. From the sound of it, this one is close but it’s not right on top of us, otherwise, we’d most likely be gone. That’s doesn’t mean we’re in the clear though, these bastards can change course in a matter of seconds.
I hold onto Rylee with everything I’ve got until the noise begins to die down. I wait a minute before deciding it’s safe to get up.
“Oh my god,” Cami breathes from somewhere underneath Jace.
“Are you ok?” I murmur to Rylee as the lights flick back on.
“Yeah,” she says. “I think so.”
I drag myself up off her and help her to her feet as the others around me do the same. “You guys ok?” Caden asks.
We all nod, but Rylee is too busy making her break for it.
Fuck.
I go after her knowing that the building could be in any shape right now. Not one of us would be able to guess what we’re about to walk out into, but one thing I know for sure is that it could be fucking dangerous.
We get to the end of the hallway and Rylee comes to a standstill as she takes it all in. “Fuck,” she sighs, completely deflated.
It could be worse, but to Rylee, I’m guessing this is a massive deal.
A fucking tree sits on her dance floor leaving a wide gaping hole in the wall, though, it looks like it has gone mostly through a window which is easily fixed, it’s just a bit of work that will need to be done to repair the wall.
There’s debris covering the club from top to bottom where it has all flown in from the hole. The bar looks as though someone has gone through and swiped their arm across all the bottles and glasses, knocking them to the ground while tables and chairs have been thrown across the room.
I walk out into the club behind Rylee while I continue surveying the room. On the bright side, the club has come out of this pretty good. Apart from the wall and window, there doesn’t seem to be any other structural damages, though, I haven’t done a thorough search.
From what I saw on the monitor, the outdoor courtyard and rooftop will need the most work.
Rylee walks further out into the dance floor and stops to pick up a chair that lays at her feet. Cami comes up behind her and wraps her arms around her. “Are you ok?” she murmurs, making a sickening jealously fly through me as I wish it could be me giving her that support.
“No,” she sighs as she looks out at the mess.
“Keep your chin up,” Cami tells her. “It could have been so much worse. We’ll get it cleaned up.”
Rylee turns in Cami’s arms and gives her a proper hug. “Thanks,” she murmurs. “You should get out of here and check on Style Me Crazy,” she tells her.
Cami looks around the club and presses her lips into a tight line. “Are you sure? I could stay.”
“No, you need to check on the store, and besides, there’s not a lot I can do until the storm completely passes. I’ll have to order a dumpster and buy a shit load of cleaning stuff, but I probably won’t be able to do that until tomorrow.”
Cami raises an eyebrow at her. “I’m serious,” Rylee says. “I’ll be spending the day checking over every inch of this place. You’ve already helped me enough,” she tells her before looking over at the rest of us. “That goes for all of you. You guys should probably go check on your gym.”
“I’m good,” I tell her, wanting nothing more than to stay here and help her put this mess back together.
“Don’t be stupid,” she says. “You have a business to run, get out of here and make sure you can still run it.”
I hate that she’s right, but I hesitate until she looks at me with absolute pleading in her eyes that it breaks my heart. She needs to be alone so she can do whatever it is she needs to do, though something tells me she wants to break down and cry. I give her a quick nod and look over to the boys. “You heard the woman. It’s time to go.”
“Huh?” Jace grunts, knowing it completely goes against my morals to leave a woman in need like this, but never he worry, I’ll be back here first thing in the morning.
I walk up to Rylee and silently give her a kiss on the cheek while I squeeze her waist, letting her know it will all be ok. The boys and Cami follow me to the door when I hear her calling out from behind. “Wait,” she says in a voice that sounds as though it’s moments away from breaking.
I turn back around and give her a questioning look. Her eyes flick to her car in the middle of the mess before coming back to mine. “Could you help me get my car out of here?”
I can’t help the smile that crosses my face. Whether it’s there because she got over her stubbornness to ask for help with her car, or simply because she’s personally asking for something from me, I don’t know, but whatever it is, I like it. “Sure thing, honey,” I say before nodding at the boys who help to push the tree across the floor and out of the way. I just hope we didn’t scratch up the floor any more than it already is.
Now that I know she’ll be safe to get herself out of here and home, I leave to inspect the damage on Rebels.
We pull up out the front of Rebels with Jace grunting about the hail damage to his truck and I feel absolutely sick at leaving Rylee by herself, but she’s a strong woman. She can handle it.
I look up and down the gym, pleased that all we got here was the hail and strong winds. Just as I thought, our signage is fucked, but I had already mentally prepared for that. The street outside the gym is the worst of it, excluding a massive crack down one of the windows. All we need to do is replace the window and the signage, and give the outside a scrub with a pressure hose.
With the storm still doing it’s best to move on, we decide there’s not much we can do today and head our separate ways to check our homes, though again, I’m not too worried, my home is out of the way of this particular tornado.
As I’m driving home, I pull up Xander’s number on my phone and give him a quick call. His gym and Charli’s salon would have been a lot closer than Rebels was. “How’s it going?” I ask as he answers the call.
“Alright,” he says. “Charli’s got hit pretty bad, but Warriors Paradise is all good. It would have been a lot wor
se if that girl of yours didn’t have an in-built supersonic tornado detector.”
“I know,” I chuckle. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Nah, just needs a good clean and new windows,” he tells me. “What about you guys?”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Were all good,” I say before wrapping it up and ending the call.
All I need to worry about now is helping Rylee put her life back together.
Chapter 15
Rylee
After a shitty, sleepless night, I trudge out of bed and hop straight in the shower. It’s going to be a massive day, actually, probably a massive week. It’s going to take me forever to clean up the club. I cringe every time I think about it, which just happened to be all night.
There’s just so much to do.
I ordered the dumpster last night and was lucky I called when I did. It was their last one, though, I have a feeling it’s not going to be enough. At least I can breathe easier knowing it will arrive first thing this morning and I can start throwing shit out.
After a scalding hot shower, I get myself dressed in my tights and runners, knowing today is going to be exhausting and not just in the physical sense. Seeing my club like that tore me to shreds. All the hard work I put in over the years was nearly wiped out, but as Cami had said, ‘it could have been worse’.
I get out to my car, pleased it wasn’t destroyed by a flying tree. I mean, driving that thing inside was one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.
After stopping by the store and filling my car to the absolute brim of cleaning products, mops, brooms, trash bags, and paper towels, I pull up at my club. I park right by the front door, pleased to see the dumpster already here. I smile to myself, thinking that things are already going my way. Besides, it can’t get any worse than what it already is.
I start unloading my car and dumping things by the front door of the club when I notice a few things already inside the dumpster. I groan as I look over at the building beside mine. Those damn fuckers. I’ll be looking up my security footage and returning their shit right to their front door.
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