“Sloane is right.” Matt comes up behind me and folds his arms across his chest. He isn’t laughing. “That was really stupid.”
“And pointless,” Tracy adds with her own scowl, gesturing toward where the storm is starting to weaken already. “It’s falling apart.”
Wes’s smile dims as he takes in our small group. Behind me, Tracy and Matt are silent, their stances stiff with tension. Matt slides an arm around Tracy’s waist, tugging her into his side as he lets out a long breath as though fighting for calm. I just shake my head and start toward my car, the awful churning sensation in my stomach not quite gone.
“You’re fine this time,” I say as I pass Wes, pausing long enough to meet his eyes. “But one of these times, you won’t be.”
“Oh, c’mon, it isn’t that serious,” he starts to protest. “We’ve all done it. Last year, you—”
“Last year, I made a miscalculation that left me no choice.” I jab my finger into his chest, ignoring the flood of memories. Almost everyone who’s been out here for any amount of time has had close calls. I don’t like to dwell on mine. “You did that forfun, Wes. You took an enormous risk. You got lucky. One day, that luck is going to run out.”
He only smirks and shoves a hand through his damp hair. “You worry too much.”
It’s an old argument I’m not in the mood to repeat. “Someone has to,” I say wearily over my shoulder before getting into my car and heading for the next storm.
Chapter Four
The storms track east, deeperinto Oklahoma, chasers trailing after them like a flock of starlings in formation along I-40. Somewhere east of Elk City, I watch a brilliant burner sunset next to Tracy, our cameras on tripods pointing toward an impressive lightning show.
“I love sunset lightning,” she says with a happy sigh as another cloud explodes into pale lavender splinters and thunder rolls lazily across the open fields. I hum my agreement, captivated by the brilliant oranges and reds and pinks peeking out from the horizon while the storm grumbles in the distance.
“Kansas looks like the place to be tomorrow.” I glance back over my shoulder to where Matt has his camera pointed at a different part of the storm. Wes is thankfully off doing his own thing. “I’m probably going to try to get north tonight so I have time to pop into Mae’s in the morning. In the mood for donuts?”
“I’malwaysin the mood for donuts.” Tracy pivots, then shouts across the field, “Matt! Sloane wants to stop at Mae’s in the morning. You in?”
“I ever tell you I don’t want a donut, that’s how you know I’ve been kidnapped.” Matt grins wide with the excitement of a kid left unsupervised with a cookie jar. “I’ll text Wes.”
My groan slips out before I can stuff it back down. “Do we have to?” I grumble to Tracy, too quietly to be overheard.
“Matt chewed him a new one about the hook punch earlier.” Her eyes slide to mine, something curious peering back at me. “You know Wes. Stubborn as the day is long. Just like someone else I know…”
“My stubbornness doesn’t extend to idiocy.”
Tracy shrugs. “Maybe not, but I’m just saying, the two of you have an awful lot in common. He’s not a bad guy, Sloane. He stayed with us for a week when he was in LA for a job and—”
“And he’s reckless and arrogant and mocks me at every opportunity,” I interrupt. It’s not the first time she’s tried to convince me that Wild Wes isn’t exactly what he appears to be since she started dating Matt. After enduring her teasing earlier, I’m beyond not in the mood. “I get he’s close with Matt and that you want us to be friends, but we’re too different. It is what it is. I keep the peace for your sake.”
I let out a long breath, my gaze straying to the horizon where the vibrant burn of the sunset is fading into twilight. “I think I’m going to call it a night and knock out a chunk of the drive before I crash. See you in the morning?”
Tracy stares at me, a slight crease between her brows, and then nods. “Ten work for you? We shouldn’t have too far to go from Mae’s to catch the storms if they pop off east of Dodge City like the models are saying.”
I nod my agreement and head for my car, but I’m stillturning our conversation over in my head when I pull into the dusty parking lot of Mae’s Donuts the next morning. I’ve known Tracy a long time, and she’s always been a straight shooter. When we were chasing together, before she started to get closer to Matt, she agreed that Wes was an obnoxious adrenaline junkie with a death wish.
Nothing has changed as far as I can tell. Her relationship status aside, Wes is the same guy he’s always been, all of his antics alive and well.
As if in answer, he pulls into the parking lot behind me in a cloud of dust and music that cuts out abruptly when he kills the engine. “Mornin’, darlin’,” he calls, exaggerating his drawl before emerging with a neon pink cowboy hat plopped on his head. It would look ridiculous no matter what, but the fact that he’s in flip-flops, hiking shorts, and a T-shirt hardly helps.
“You and those cowboy hats this season,” I mutter, squinting at him in the bright sunlight. “Do you even know how to ride a damn horse?”
“I do, actually.” Wes tips his hat at me with exaggerated charm, like he’s not a trust fund kid cosplaying a guy with a grueling job. “Been a while, though.” Shadows flicker across his face, and when he speaks again, his accent is tidily tucked away once more. “Tracy and Matt are running a little late. Should be here in fifteen.”
Of course they are. I make myself breathe out slowly before I say anything. “Great.”
Wes chuckles, my obvious irritation yet another joke to him. “Still pissed about yesterday? I’m fine. I got this amazing video—”
“Good for you.” Not wanting to rehash the argument, Ipoint at the monstrosity on his head before starting for the door. “Where did you even find that hideous thing?”
He grabs the handle and holds the door open for me with a dramatic sweep of his hand. “There’s this magical place called the internet.”
