Storm Warning (Broken Heartland)

by Quinn, Caisey

  He huffed out a loud sigh to let his friend know he wasn’t into this. “This is ridiculous, man. If she wants to talk to you, she’ll call.” The last thing he wanted to be doing was going to some stupid-ass party thrown by Bitch Boy himself. “Dude, I don’t even know what she looks like.”

  Coop decided then and there that this was officially the shittiest summer ever. Kyle had talked him into coming along to look for his mystery girl. Apparently, she’d pulled a disappearing act on him, and for whatever reason, he thought she’d be here tonight. But so far no sign of her. Not that he even knew exactly what he was looking for.

  Kyle was practically jogging ahead of him. “I know it sounds stupid to you, but she loves me. Even if she hasn’t said it, I know she does. It’s not like her to just blow me off. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

  Coop was about to make a smartass comment about her “blowing him off” when Kyle stopped so fast he nearly ran right into him.

  “Hang on a sec. I’ve got to say hello to a few of these shitheads. Then I’ll show you a picture on my phone.”

  Coop hung back as his best friend talked to some Summit Bluffs football players about their game last season. The two high schools were rivals, but that must have ended when they graduated because Kyle seemed to be cool with them.

  Coop was looking for the keg when he saw Ellie May storming toward him, looking even more upset than she had the day he’d said she was like a sister to him.

  “Ellie May? What is it? What’s wrong?” Coop tried to grab her, but she juked right and then left and went around him. The sounds of her broken cries echoed in his head over the shitty music blasting from a nearby SUV.

  “Hey.” He stuck an arm out in front of Lynlee Reed. “What the hell happened to her?”

  Lynlee licked her bright red lips and eyed Coop’s arm hungrily. “Well…that happened.” She raked her fingernails across his forearm, turning him to face the direction Ellie May had come running from. “Turns out loverboy has a girlfriend. Bet EJ’s wishing she hadn’t given it up to him about now.”

  “Given what up…” His voice trailed off as he watched a lanky brunette wrap herself around Hayden Prescott. The pain EJ was running from—it was because of this. His fists clenched so tight he was sure he’d have scars on this inside of his hands. He was going to tear Bitch Boy in two. Or maybe into fours. Yeah, quartering him would be more fun. And then he could feed him to the hogs. He was pretty sure they even ate teeth, so there’d be no way to identify the body.

  Thankfully, the smoking hot brunette walked off as Cooper headed that way. Her white dress looked expensive, and he’d have hated to get Bitch Boy’s blood all over it.

  Why so many gorgeous girls were fooled by this jackass was beyond Coop. Maybe it was the money. Or the face. If it was the second one, then his luck was about to run out because it was about to be mangled.

  Coop couldn’t even count the number of nights he’d lain awake dreaming about sinking his fists into Hayden Prescott’s face on one hand. Which was why he was going to beat his ass with both hands.

  A scream rang out from nearby as Cooper grabbed Hayden by the collar of his button-up Polo shirt. “I warned you, you pretty boy piece of shit.”

  “Warned me about what?” Hayden’s beer fell from his hand as he reached up to grip Coop’s wrists. “What the hell are you doing, Joe?”

  “Fight!” Someone yelled out as most of the party gathered around them.

  Swinging him in a one-eighty until his back slammed into a black Range Rover, Cooper got as close to Hayden’s face as he could manage—close enough to breathe the same air, which was closer than he’d ever wanted to be. “I told your stupid ass to leave her the hell alone. That was your warning. But you couldn’t do it. Couldn’t just leave her be.”

  “Ella Jane?” Hayden’s face was red and then purple but Coop didn’t care. All he could see was the white-hot rage burning him up from the inside out.

  “Hell yes, Ella Jane. Or did you confuse her with the leggy brunette who was just all over your dick?” Pulling Hayden forward just to slam him against the vehicle once more, Coop practically growled in his face as the car alarm began to ring out. “She saw you, you son of a bitch. She saw you with that girl. You know about her dad and you pulled that shit on her. And I know…” Shaking his head, Coop released Hayden violently.

  He couldn’t bring himself to say it. He prayed Lynlee was lying. But the shame on Hayden’s face indicated otherwise.

  “Where is she, Cooper? Is she here?” Hayden asked frantically as Coop cocked his fist back.

  “Whoa, Coop. Easy big fella,” Kyle Mason said as he caught his friend’s fist from behind.

  Wrapping him in a bear hug, Kyle yanked his friend out of the circle that had gathered. “Come on. There’s a serious storm coming in. We need to get out of here.” He let go long enough for Coop to surge forward once more. But Kyle grabbed his shirt and pulled him back before he’d taken two steps. “He’s not worth it, man. Whatever he did, he’s not worth it.”

  “Oh yeah?” Coop bit out as his adrenaline shot through him at record speed. “What if he screwed your sister and then lured her here to watch him make out with his girlfriend? What if I saw her bawling her eyes out running to her truck less than two minutes ago? He still not worth it?”

  Kyle shook his head. “Naw, man. You can’t afford to get in trouble. Your dad’s selling his truck just to get by. You think they want to bail your sorry ass out of jail?”

  Coop’s heart rate slowed slightly. The guy had a point.

  “But me on the other hand, I have enough money for bail in my savings account. Be sure you get my wallet before the cops cuff me.” With those words, Kyle charged through the crowd toward Hayden with Coop close behind.

  The force of someone grabbing him by the neck of his shirt caught Coop off guard and nearly caused him to lose his footing. Suddenly he was facing the opposite direction than the one he’d been headed in. Rain dropped from the sky in sheets, making it nearly impossible to see anything. He swung blindly, connecting a few times with various body parts of the guys holding him back until he broke free.

  Bedlam began to break out around him. The Summit Bluffs lacrosse team—Coop knew it was them from their matching T-shirts—had blocked Hayden from his reach. But from the looks of the blood running from his nose, Kyle had landed at least one good punch.

  Shit. Kyle. He was lost in the chaos. Punches and shouting and madness took over until a loud clap of thunder rattled the ground.

  The siren song of multiple car alarms going off wailed all around them. People began to run in every direction.

  “Come on. What’s done is done. We can handle it later,” Kyle shouted as he ran by. “Let’s go, Coop. This storm is here! Now!”

  “I’M going to kill him. Swear to God. He’s dead,” Coop told Kyle as they drove the back roads to the Masons’ place. “You didn’t see, man. You didn’t see that chick all over him and Ellie May’s face.” God, that damned look. Letting an animalistic growl escape, he punched the steering wheel, nearly causing them to run off into a ditch.

  “Coop, I—”

  A long signal blared at them from the radio and both boys stopped to listen.

  The severe storm warning issued for Arden, Beacon, Calumet, Dessin, and Owasso counties has been upgraded to a Tornado Warning…Dangerous and extremely large, destructive hail up to softball size is expected with this storm. Locations reporting hail include Arden, Beacon, Calumet, Dessin, and—

  Kyle reached forward and turned down the warning. “Relax, Coop. I’m pissed, too. You tried to warn me about him. Deep down I knew…dammit. I knew something like this might happen. I’d just hoped I was wrong.” He ran a hand through his soaking wet hair. “Let’s just get to my house and get her and Mama down to the basement and we can deal with all of this after this storm blows over.”

  Coop tried to take enough deep breaths to calm himself down but his heart was pounding right along with the lig
htning shooting across the sky—rapidly and without any signs of slowing down. Just as he’d begun to get a grip on himself, he turned into the Masons’ driveway. Only to see that Ella Jane’s truck wasn’t there.

  An iron fist of dread gripped his heart in his chest, squeezing it hard before flinging it into his stomach.

  His best friend turned to him, his face contorted into a mask of fear and confusion. “Where the hell is she?” Kyle asked, voicing Coop’s exact same thought at that moment.

  SHE’D seen. Holy mother of shitty timing. Ella Jane had seen Cami kiss him just to prove that there was nothing between them. Not that it made it okay. He had to find her. Had to explain. Even the worst storm he’d ever seen wouldn’t stop him from getting through to her.

  Sprinting to the shelter of Pop’s truck, he thought about how he’d feel if he ever saw Coop’s lips on hers. A shudder ran through him, and not just because he was soaked to the bone.

  He was glad her brother had punched him in the face. He deserved it. Even if he hadn’t meant to hurt her, he still had. Covered in mud from Kyle Mason knocking him on his ass in the pouring rain, Hayden made his way to the truck. A drenched Jarrod Kent stopped him just as he reached what would’ve been shelter from the storm.

  “Dude. Nice score on the blonde. Sorry I busted you. But since you’re all done, can I get her number?” Jarrod had the nerve to smirk at him.

  “What the fu—” Thunder cracked loud enough to drown out his words.

  “She didn’t know you had a girlfriend, I take it,” Jarrod shouted over the rain. “She flipped her shit, dude. My bad. Anyways, no hard feelings, Prescott.” With that, the other boy jumped into his Audi SUV and spun his tires, slinging mud all over Hayden and his granddad’s truck.

  No. No no no. It was so much worse than he thought. His mind ran wild with the knowledge Kent had dropped on him. She thought she’d been a side thing. Thought he was a lying cheater like her dad.

  Surely she would know he wouldn’t have invited her to the party if he were hiding a girlfriend. Wouldn’t she? Jumping into the truck, he grabbed the damp phone from the pocket of his jeans. Luckily he had the most expensive protective case money could buy.

  Every second it took the phone to pull up his recent calls was a second she was probably growing to hate him. Chest aching from how hard his heart was slamming into it, he cranked the truck with one hand and clicked on her name with the other.

  A few beeps came through the line. We’re sorry. Your call cannot be completed—

  He pressed the red end button and cursed the universe. And whoever the hell “we” was in the “We’re sorry,” recording.

  The radio let out a long wail of a warning signal and an automated voice began rattling off a warning for nearby counties. Including Calumet. Which he was right in the middle of.

  This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. If you cannot get underground, go to a storm shelter or an interior room of a sturdy building now.

  The loud, rhythmic pounding of hail and rain on the roof of the truck echoed his frustration.

  After trying to call again, he gave up and clicked through to his messaging screen.

  His heart nearly thundered to a stop when he saw that he had a missed text from her. It was from ten minutes ago.

  If you meant any of it, if any of it was real, meet me at The Ridge.

  That was it. Nothing else. No “I hate you,” or “How could you?” His breathing was labored as he struggled to think. The Ridge was probably the worst possible place she could be. It was elevated and offered no protection. But he had to get there if that’s where she was. His fingers flew across the screen as he messaged her back.

  On my way. I’ll explain everything, angel face.

  A tiny sliver of relief glimmered in his chest. She was okay. He would explain. He would get Cami to talk to her if he had to, to tell her everything and anything she wanted to know. But first he had to get her the hell out of there and to someplace safe.

  Pointing the truck toward The Ridge, he pulled onto the main road. The wipers rocked against the windshield as fast as they could in the currents of water washing over them. Hayden squinted, leaning as far forward as he could to try and see out of the windshield. Steam filled the cab and fogged up the windshield.

  He pushed the panic rising up in him as far away as he could. If anything happened to her...It will be because of me.

  When his phone buzzed in his hand, he nearly cried out in relief. But when he looked down, it wasn’t her calling.

  Pops, the screen said.

  “I’m heading home as soon as I find Ella Jane,” he said into the phone. “She’s at The Ridge and I—”

  “Hayden, get…” The old man’s voice crackled through the line and then static burst into his ear. “Now…shattered…to the hospital.”

  “What? Pops, I can’t hear you. What did you say?” Hayden gripped the steering wheel with his free hand and tried to stay in the middle of the road. He could feel the tires threatening to lose their grip in the rushing water.

  “Your grandmother… unconscious.”

  “Pops?”

  “Ambulances…all out. Need you…”

  The bad connection made Hayden want to hit something hard and throw the damned phone out the window. He couldn’t reach Ella Jane. Couldn’t understand a word his granddad was saying. Something about his grandmother and ambulances.

  “Help,” was the last word he heard the old man say before the connection went dead.

  But he couldn’t help. Couldn’t get to his girl and couldn’t get to his grandparents. Because the storm was right in front of him, coming at him like the trains Ella Jane loved to watch. It was wide and black—the devil dropping down to earth as his gran would say—and for a split second, he could only stare at it in awestruck horror.

  Snapping out of his brief encounter with shock and turning the wheel as sharp as he could, he had one last thought as the tires squealed in protest, losing their fight against the rushing rapids.

  I can’t help anyone, Pops. I can’t even help myself.

  ON my way. I’ll explain everything, angel face.

  She’d been staring at his reply for every second of the eleven minutes since it had come through. The storm was raging outside of her truck and he still hadn’t shown.

  Panic swirled inside of her. Panic and hurt and betrayal and the deep need to know he was okay even if it had all been a lie.

  And then once she knew he was okay, she would demand the truth. Even if the truth was she’d just been a summer fling behind his beautiful girlfriend’s back.

  Anything was better than not knowing.

  Her phone vibrated in her hand, jolting her from her trance of staring at it and playing out a dozen possible scenarios in her head.

  Her brother’s face filled her screen. She pressed accept on a sigh.

  “Kyle?”

  “Where the hell are you, EJ?” The panic in his voice was a thousand times more intense than her own.

  “The Ridge. I was supposed to meet—”

  “Get your ass home right this second. They just issued a tornado warning. It’s touching down. You have to get out of there.”

  Her brother was the calmest person she knew. It took a lot—well, it took a guy making a move on her—to really upset him. And she’d never heard him this upset.

  “I am. Hayden is meeting me here and then I’ll—”

  “Listen to me, dammit. Forget Hayden. Do you hear me, EJ? Forget him. Get home right now.”

  “Okay, okay.” She cranked her truck and jumped at the sound of the wailing sirens both inside and outside of her truck.

  Weather Service Meteorologists and storm spotters are tracking a large and extremely dangerous storm cell that has been identified as a tornado six miles southeast of Oklahoma City. Doppler Radar shows this tornado moving east at approximately forty miles per hour.

  This is a tornado emergency for the following counties…Arden, Beacon, Calu
met, Dessin—

  “Kyle. Are you still there?”

  Her hand shook visibly—or maybe her entire body was shaking—as she reached to turn the radio down so she could hear her brother through the phone.

  “Don’t take the main road. It’s flooded,” he shouted at her.

  She reached down and shifted into reverse, but when she hit the gas, the tires spun. Solid thunks of hail began to beat down on the roof and tears slipped from her eyes. This was so bad. She was an idiot. She’d lived in Oklahoma her entire life. She knew the warning signs. But she’d ignored each and every one of them—distracted by something that was over before it had begun.

  Slamming her foot down as hard as she could, she cried out when it didn’t budge.

  “I’m stuck, Kyle. The truck. It’s stuck in the mud. It’s not budging.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she heard it. Surely the trains aren’t running in this weather.

  But she could hear it coming, could feel the vibration.

  Static blared through the speaker against her ear, but she thought she heard her brother’s voice.

  “It’ll be okay…coming to get you.”

  His words soothed her for the moment. Her body trembled in the truck as she clutched her phone and waited for her savior. The one man she could actually depend on, count on to be there for her. The only one she’d ever be able trust.

  “SHE’S stuck in the mud at The Ridge. I’m going to go get her in my truck. Park your dad’s truck in the barn now before this hail destroys it and it ain’t worth shit,” Kyle yelled at Coop through the rain beating down on him as he got out of the passenger side.

  “No. Hell no. I’m coming with you. Get your ass back in this truck,” Coop demanded.

  “No. This will blow over and then what will you tell your dad? What will he do about paying the bills? Go! Now!”