Texas Tornado

by Lani Lynn Vale

  Using my hands instead of speaking it aloud, just in case he was close enough to hear me, I held up two fingers, then signed the letters a-d-u-l-t as slowly as I could, and then held up one finger, and spelled out b-a-b-y. I wasn’t sure if whoever was out there would know what I was spelling, but I figured it was worth a try in any case.

  However, that was all I was able to get out, because the rear door slammed open, Frank called out for the boy who went outside over ten minutes earlier, and then he growled a frustrated curse when the boy never came.

  Frank called to his wife, who started shuffling herself into the family room, not sparing me a single glance, and then made her way outside, closing the front door as she went.

  Minutes ticked by as Frank bellowed for the ‘boy’ to return. It was only after ten such minutes of this continuing, that he finally called out for his wife again, only for her to not respond either. Secretly, I was giggling inside. Outwardly, I was as cool as a clam as I sat with my back against the sleeping child and waited.

  It didn’t take long for Frank to come barreling back in the room, waving his shotgun around. “Where’d she go?”

  I looked at him and pointed towards the front door, staying silent.

  “She never came back in?” He asked, eyes frantically searching the living room.

  I shook my head. More than likely, the woman was now in police custody. Not that I’d be telling him that.

  He figured it out though. “You got buddies out there? You call the cops bitch?”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t technically lying.

  “You bitch!” He said, and then raised his shotgun.

  I closed my eyes, almost serenely, and waited. I knew it was going to happen. James would shoot the fucker, and I really hated seeing heads explode. Like bad. So, to block it out, I plugged my fingers into my ear, crowded the baby back behind me, and squeezed my eyes tightly shut.

  I felt the boom, even though I didn’t see or hear it. Something heavy thumped hard onto the floor somewhere across the room from me, but I stayed where I was. I didn’t even open my eyes.

  It wasn’t until I felt the distinct impact of the door hitting the wall that my body was leaning against before I opened my eyes. Then I quickly shut them again, my mind refusing to acknowledge what had once been Mr. Newman’s head.

  Something touched my shoulder, and I opened them to find a black helmeted head in my face. I resisted the urge to slap it away, instead waiting patiently for the man to speak.

  “You okay?” Helmet head asked.

  I nodded.

  “The baby?” Helmet head probed.

  I scooted over carefully, revealing the sleeping form huddled in the corner.

  “I think they gave the baby something. He hasn’t moved an inch since I got here. Pulse is strong though.” I explained.

  “Medic.” Helmet head bellowed.

  Just then, a commotion at the door had my eyes travelling to it, and I was relieved to know that James was finally there. True, it wasn’t as if I could see the man, per say. However, I knew that body almost as well as I knew my own. Regardless of whether I could see his skin and face or not.

  “Shiloh!” James yelled as he barreled towards me.

  I made to stand, and helmet head helped me up.

  In the next moment, I was engulfed in James’ arms. Although it was anything but comfortable to be pressed up against his hard, unforgiving helmet, with his sniper rifle slung over his front, and the million and one tactical thingie mabobbers hanging off his belt, I hugged him back for all I was worth. Not caring in the slightest that I’d most likely be sporting bruises tomorrow.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay.” James groaned.

  I held him even tighter before I said what I really wanted to say. “What took you so long?”

  Chapter 20

  Never argue with a woman holding a torque wrench.

  -Life Lesson

  Shiloh

  Weeks passed, and within no time at all, Christmas was around the corner.

  After the hostage situation at the Shady Lane Mobile Home Park and the Newman’s, James made it a point to drill home the idea of safety. Lillian herself had now mandated that for each unscheduled visit, we have the presence of a uniformed police officer to accompany us.

  Now here I was, with eight days until Christmas, and I was bored.

  James, Sebastian, Sam, and my dad had all made it a point to spend some time with me, but I always ended up being so freaking alone. I’d started doing Insanity in a vain effort to stay in shape, since everyone refused to let me go outside to run. Which didn’t really upset me so much as make me feel claustrophobic. I was so freaking tired of being caged up in this God forsaken house that I would go nuts.

  The ringing of my phone pulled me out of my contemplations, and I answered it on the second ring. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Shiloh. Want to come over to Free? We’re going to play some games. Have margaritas, and then decorate the Christmas tree.” Blaine said giddily into my ear.

  I pulled the phone away from my face, and readily agreed. “I love you, Blaine. Will you have my babies?”

  “Yes, you just have to come over first!” She laughed. “I’ll send Elliott over in the truck. He’ll be there in fifteen minutes, okay?”

  “Yes, thank you.” I said before hanging up the phone.

  Looking down at myself, I decided that the bright green leggings with purple jingle bells would be festive, and decided against changing them. I covered up my black tank top with James’ old high school baseball sweatshirt and slipped my feet into my Ugg boots.

  Yes, they were ugly, but they were soft and warm. The eighty-degree weather had finally decided to act like winter, and had dipped into the low twenties overnight, making it colder than a witch’s tit. Especially since James refused to turn the heater on anything above sixty five degrees.

  I folded the blanket I’d been using moments before, and then grabbed my purse, and waited by the front door patiently, like a good girl.

  The knock at the door came a few minutes later, and Elliott’s voice projected through the door. “You can come out, Shiloh.”

  I grinned as I yanked open the door. “You can have my babies, too. Thanks for saving me.”

  He laughed. “I think that’s anatomically impossible, but you’re welcome.”

  “I’m so flipping bored. James got called in, and I’m dying here all by myself.” I sighed as I walked to his truck and hoisted myself inside before he could even open his own door.

  “Yeah, so bored that you told one of the local church people off.” Elliott laughed.

  “I didn’t tell them off!” I said indigently.

  “That’s not what James tells me.” Elliott snickered as he backed out of the driveway and headed towards the main road.

  “It was honestly not that big of a deal. I don’t understand what the big fuss is about.”

  “So, when the pastor of the church down the street from you asked you where you were going when you died, you didn’t mean to say Rader Funeral Home?” Elliott gave me a teasing look.

  “Well, yeah, I did mean to say that.” I finally agreed.

  I mean really. What did the man expect when he dropped that bombshell in my lap? Yes, I did believe in God, but I didn’t want it thrown in my face that I was a sinner. Nor did I want him to tell me I was going to hell because I didn’t make church every other Sunday.

  “Everyone got a real kick out of that at the shop when James told us.” He explained as he pulled onto the street that Free was located on.

  Up ahead of us, a log truck pulled onto the road, and I gave an involuntary shudder.

  “I hate those things. Ever since I saw Final Destination, every time I see one of those, I think about the chains breaking and the logs skewering me through the front glass.” I explained to Elliott who sported a wary look.

  He laughed. “Yeah, I can see that. I feel the same way when I see them on the interstate.”

  Pu
lling into Free, he parked his vehicle around the back, and walked with me to the side door that led to the activity room in the back of the garage.

  All the women were gathered there, margaritas already in hand.

  “Hey, y’all started without me?” I yelled as I made my way into the room.

  “Of course not. We just heard you pull in, and we picked up our glasses.” Ember said guiltily.

  Liars. Ember’s was nearly half-gone. Blaine was on the verge of empty, another empty glass was next to my full one that Ember had just gestured to.

  “Liars.” I laughed and went to my drink, taking a large swallow before turning to take a seat at the table.

  “Later, ladies.” Elliott said as he walked towards the outer shop area.

  “Wait!” I called to him, stopping him before he could leave.

  “Yeah?” He asked, turning around.

  “Thanks for the ride. And will you send Janie in here for some food?” I asked sweetly.

  “Sure thing, sweetheart.” He agreed and left.

  The next hour was spent playing Apples to Apples, but was interrupted when Janie came storming into the room. Her eyes were flaring hot, and she turned her head, scanned the room, found my eyes, and the stomped towards me with deliberate steps. She reminded me of her father when she had that determination etched on her face, and I couldn’t withhold the smile that took over.

  “What is the reason I can’t be out in the shop with Max and Sam?” She demanded.

  I managed to catch the laughter that threatened to spill from my throat, but only just barely. “Well, I was wondering if tomorrow you wanted to go shopping for Christmas presents before we go visit your mother.”

  She grimaced. “I’ll go shopping with you, but only if you take me to the Harley shop.”

  I pursed my lips. “Well, that’ll work for your dad, Sam, and the rest of the guys, but what about your grandmother and Cheyenne?” I asked.

  She thought about that for a moment, but then came up with the perfect solution. “We’ll go to Lowe’s, too. They’re right across the street from each other.”

  The laughter bubbled out of my throat, and I smiled at her, pulling her in tightly and giving her a big hug. Her wiry arms wrapped around me surprisingly tight, and I luxuriated in the warmth she exuded.

  Never once had I seen her mother get a hug like this, and I was more than a little smug about it.

  “What? You’ve gotten to hear Max sing?” Blaine blurted from across the room.

  “Yeah, hasn’t everybody?” Payton asked.

  “What’re y’all bellyaching about?” Gabe asked as he came into the room.

  Grease covered him from head to toe, and he looked like he’d been letting oil drip all over him instead of letting it drip into the drain pan like it was supposed to.

  “Yick. What’ve you been doing?” Ember eyed Gabe from across the room.

  Gabe’s smile lit the room. “What, do I look that bad?”

  “Yeah.” Ember wasted no time in telling it how it was.

  He laughed, went to the fridge, and grabbed a beer. “What’s the big deal about hearing Max sing?”

  “You’ve heard him sing?” Blaine breathed, hanging on Gabe’s every word.

  “Well, yeah. But he was drunk, so I’m not sure it counted. So have you, now that I’m thinking about it.” He laughed and left the room, beer in hand.

  “Payton, go ask him to sing so we can hear.”

  I rolled my eyes. Yeah, right. Even I knew that wouldn’t work. The man was very private. Although quick to lend a hand and laugh, he never volunteered any information about himself. In the year or so that I’d known him, I could count on one hand the number of things that I’d learned about him from his own mouth.

  “He wouldn’t do it.” Payton sighed wistfully. “He doesn’t do it very often, and when he does, it’s only ‘cause he thinks he’s alone.”

  “I thought you’d all heard him sing before.” I questioned.

  “So Max says. I was drunk. I don’t remember a thing that happened that night.” Blaine pouted.

  “I bet I could get him to do it.” Janie said from beside me.

  Every eye turned toward her.

  “You know, that’d probably work. The girl’s got every man here wrapped around her little finger.” Cheyenne teased.

  Which was why, five minutes later, all five of us were pressed to the side of an old El Camino, watching as Janie pleaded with Max to sing to her.

  “Janie,” he whined.

  “Please, Uncle Max. Come on, please?” She said, giving the pouty lip for extra incentive.

  Sighing, he turned towards the motorcycle he was replacing the exhaust on, and started singing, tightening bolts as he did.

  We were all dying by the time he’d finished the last verse. Cowboys and Angels definitely would be a must buy song for me in the very near future. Max could’ve easily made a career out of singing. It just showed the type of man he was that he’d decided to protect our country instead.

  “That good, pumpkin head?” Max asked Janie.

  “Will you sing Frozen?” Janie tried the lip pout again.

  “I draw the line at country. I’ll sing anytime you want, but it’s gotta be country. Give me some George Strait, or Garth Brooks anytime over that Disney crap.”

  Janie contemplated what Max had just said, absently leaned over and grabbed the next bolt to hand it over to Max, and finally arrived at what she’d been thinking. “Daddy says that Johnny Cash and George Jones are the best. I’m inclined to agree with him.”

  “Well, not that your daddy is wrong, but there are other people that sing country that are worth listening to.” Max laughed.

  “Daddy says that country music is about life. That no other music can even compete.” Janie continued.

  “That’s true.” Max agreed.

  “Daddy told me I couldn’t sing ‘I’m in Love With a Stripper’ anymore. That’s how I know. He said that country was the way of life, and I had to live in the North before I could sing anything else.” Janie told him solemnly.

  The girl could talk a mile a minute, but the things that came out of her mouth were just amazing.

  “That’s not a good song for a girl like you to sing.” Max nodded, his hands deep inside the belly of the bike.

  Then, out of the deep blue seas of Janie’s head, she rocked our worlds. “My mommy makes me sad.”

  Max froze and turned to Janie. His hands were covered in grease, but he gathered Janie up to him and gave her a hug. She didn’t care about the grease in the slightest.

  “Why does she make you sad, pumpkin?”

  “She makes me talk to some man when Shiloh has to go to the bathroom. She measures me for dresses and never gives them to me. She told me last week that she had a surprise for me in a couple more weeks, but she won’t give that to me either.”

  Time seemed to freeze.

  Although we’d thought we were being inconspicuous, we were proven wrong when Max called to Payton.

  “Payton, baby. Will you bring me a beer?” He called, concern etched tightly over his handsome face.

  Payton stayed frozen, just as I had. We both, as well as Blaine, Ember, and Cheyenne, knew something more was going on. We just didn’t know what.

  “What’re y’all doing?” James asked from behind me.

  I jumped six and a half feet in the air, and spun around, hand clutching at my heart. “Jesus, did you have to do that?” I gasped.

  “What are y’all doing with my kid?” He asked suspiciously.

  Max, having heard James’ question, stood up to his full height, Janie in hand, and came straight towards us. Reaching my hands out, I took Janie from him, and left Max and James to talk in private.

  Hours passed.

  Sebastian arrived to take us back to James’ house, sans James. Janie and I spent a few hours coloring, making dinner, and getting ready for bed. Not once in those few hours did she mention to me what she’d said to Max. Which made m
e aware of the bond those two had, and how I’d need to work harder to get in there.

  Sebastian hadn’t stayed, which didn’t surprise me. The two of them stayed over every night, but were gone until after I went to bed most nights and before I woke most mornings.

  Daina was with Todd, according to the note on the table, and I stifled a laugh at the reaction that would raise out of James. Although they weren’t officially moved in together, they still stayed together most nights. Daina only returning to grab even more clean clothes. It wouldn’t take long until everything was at Todd’s place if she kept it up.

  As I tucked Janie into bed, and kissed her lightly on the forehead, she looked me straight into the eyes and rocked my world for a second time that day. “I love you, Shiloh.”

  Tears blurred my vision. “I love you too, sweetheart.” I said as I brushed her hair away from her eyes.

  “Will you tell daddy to come give me a kiss when he gets home?” She asked as her eyes closed.

  “You know I don’t have to tell him. He comes to see you every time he gets home, no matter what time it is.” I laughed.

  “Yeah, but there may be a time when he forgets, and that’s your job. To remind him.” She said sleepily.

  Kissing her cheeks one last time, I stood, and backed out of the room, my eyes staying locked on her, closing the door quietly.

  My sleep that night was fitful at best. I’d woken twice to find no James, no dad, and no Sebastian. It was going on four in the morning, and I was starting to really worry.

  Which is how I found myself in the basement, watching Top Gun, wishing that I knew how to fly like Goose and Maverick. The movie ended, and I decided that James definitely chose the wrong branch of the military. Navy dress whites were way cuter than the Army’s dress uniform.

  Getting up to go check to see if anyone had arrived home, I came to a sudden halt with one foot on the first step when James’ voice halted me.

  “I love you. You know?” James’ deep voice said from above me, making me jump yet again.

  James was sitting at the very top. Back against the door.

  I’d been longing to hear those words from him for months. Except I’d expected them to be sweet, not harsh. He looked haggard. His hair, what little of it there was, was in disarray. His eyes were blood shot, with half circles making his eyes look bruised. His skin was flushed. His knuckles were bloody and raw.