“Only one. I do have feelings, you know.”
She chuckles. “Okay. Let me think.”
She peers out the window at the rain lashing against it. It’s getting even harder, and I turn a corner to find puddles on the road. If we meet anyone coming the other way, this could be bad. But there’s nowhere to stop and wait this out.
I don’t want to share my concerns with Kayla, so I focus on the road and taking it slow, and give her a smile as if I’ve got no cares in the world.
“I knew you wouldn’t find anything irritating about me.”
She turns with a big eye-roll. “I was thinking about which irritating thing to choose.”
“Ouch.” I hold my hand to my chest, mock offended. “And I thought I was the asshole.”
My phone buzzes in the console. It’s hooked up to the car through Bluetooth, and it’s Grant.
“Are you out of this rain?”
He sounds concerned, and I glance at Kayla; she’s clasping the sides of the seat again.
“We’re still on the road, had to take a back road to the retreat. Why, what’s up?”
“A tree’s down on Mountain View Road. It’s blocking access.”
That’s the road we should have taken if I hadn’t been so distracted by Kayla. It’s lucky we missed it, or we could have gotten caught by the downed tree.
“The river’s swollen. There are concerns of flash flooding.”
“Shit.” Trust Grant to check on us. I’ve gotten to know the ex-Navy SEAL over the past few weeks. He came for one of the weekend retreats but ended up staying. I think it’s because of a certain woman who works in the bakery, but the guy’s as shy with women as he is capable with everything else.
He’s a solid guy, and if he thinks the weather’s bad, then I’m going to listen.
“How close are we to the Wild Way?” I ask Kayla.
The Wild Way is a river that meanders down the mountain. In places it’s a trickle, and in others it’s a churning waterfall. She peers at her phone, and at the same moment a one-lane bridge comes into view on the road ahead of us. I put the brakes on, but it’s too dangerous to pump them hard. The water under it is high, but there’s nowhere to go but forward. I grip the steering wheel hard and steer us over the narrow bridge and out the other side.
There’s a rest area on the other side, and I pull over for a breather. Rain lashes the car from all sides, and I can barely see the road. This isn’t a safe time to be heading further into the mountains.
“We should turn back.”
Grant is still on the line, and he says something, but the signal is too broken, and his voice is crackly. Then he cuts out. Atthe same moment, there’s a roaring noise. I turn in my seat and can just make out the murky waters of the river behind us.
“Shit.” I put the car in drive and floor it. The tires spin, and we jump a few feet up the road. The tires skid and I grasp the wheel, but the road is too slippery. The car goes sideways into the bushes and bounces off the compacted earth of the bank.
We lurch forward and back, and the engine dies. Through the rain-splattered windshield, I see the hood is dented. I try the engine, but the car won’t start.
“Are you okay?”
Kayla is wide-eyed and gripping the seat, but before she can answer, the roar behind us grows louder, and there’s a loud crack followed by a crash.
I turn in my seat to find the bridge we just crossed is gone. The river churns angry and brown, spilling over onto the road where we were moments ago.
Kayla’s staring too, and we look at each other. The bridge has been taken out by a flash flood, the car won’t start, and it’s pouring down rain. We’re trapped.
5
KAYLA
The bridge crashes into the water behind us. The noise is like thunder, and I jump in my seat. Behind us, the river is a raging torrent, and in front of us the rain slashes against the dented hood of the car.
