Chapter 36
“What tornado?”
-Flint
A roaring in my ears sounded like the ocean. I always liked the ocean. Even on a turbulent day, the waves calmed me. I often thought about buying a piece of land near the ocean and setting up a hammock right along the beach so that I could nap to the sounds of ocean waves.
But in my fantasies, my oceanfront property was always someplace warm.
And right now, I was far from warm. Cold rain seeped into my bones, causing me to shiver. I sucked in a breath and choked on water.
Shit.
I was face-down in a tiny lake. Someone far away called my name.
“Flint!”
I shook my head, trying to clear some of the ringing. Why were my ears ringing?
There was a pain in my left hand. I tried to shake it out, but something tied me down.
“Flint!”
I shook my head again. Why was it so black?
Oh. Probably because I had my eyes closed. I was sleeping on the battlefield. I was for sure going to get marks on my record for this.
I rolled over to my back, squelching in the mud. Where was I again?
A small hand slapped my face. “GOD DAMN IT, Flint! You wake up, right this instant!”
I knew that voice. That sultry, phone-sex operator voice. But that couldn’t be Celia. She never cussed. She said things like “sugar honey iced tea” instead ofshit.
I laugh-coughed and blinked the water out of my eyes. “Damn, woman. I never thought I’d be around when you finally went off the deep end and uncorked your inner motherfucker cusser.”
“Flint! You’re alive!” Celia’s sweet and spicy scent enveloped me as she threw her arms around my neck. “But you’ve got to get up! That lightning knocked you on your butt, and there’s a tornado on the ground. Hurry!”
My ears were ringing. I thought she said tornado. “Tornado?”
She slapped me again. “FLINT! Get yourperfect buttup and back to the barn before we get sucked up into a tornado!”
“Blow, babe,” I sat up and looked around the field. The fire in a nearby pine tree was sputtering out with the driving rain. “Tornadoes don’t suck. They blow.”
“What-the-heck-ever! Get on your feet Mendota,” Celia ordered me.
Slapping me. Bossing me around. I really could get used to this side of her.
Something tugged my left hand. My belt. I connected it to the rogue calf as a lead, and the little gal was still with me. The ringing subsided in my ears slightly and was replaced by the wailing of tornado sirens.
I bolted to my feet. “Fucking hell, Celia. There’s a tornado coming.”
She slapped my arm, tugging me toward the barn. “That’s what I’ve been saying, you big lug!NOW MOVE!”
We took off toward the barn, slowed down by the calf and the blinding rain. The tornado sirens were non-stop in their wailing. My phone blared out a warning as well, but we didn’t stop to look at it. That’s the kind of delay that got you killed in weather like this.
We got to the barn, but the big doors wouldn’t open. I yanked open the people entrance, pushed Celia and the calf inside, then slammed the door shut behind me.
I secured the calf in her pen, then threw Celia over my shoulder. She let out a small protest but didn’t say anything else. Well, maybe she did, but I couldn’t hear her through the ringing in my ears.
