Page 103 of Unraveling Connections

I nod, scoop my phone up off the floor, and then head out of the door. I manage to move through the house without running into anyone, although I do stop and give Runa some fuss because otherwise, I won’t hear the end of it later, and she will just sit and meow at me until she has decided I have learned my lesson.

It doesn’t take me very long at all to get up to the stables, and get Tank tacked up, and ready to go. By the time we head out on our favourite trail the grey skies have started to worsen, and it is now raining. It’s not too bad, only a light drizzle really and I need to clear my head more than I am worried about a bit of rain, it doesn’t bother Tank in the slightest, so we head out anyway.

For a time, we just ride, moving at a fast pace and burning off some of this extra energy that I have so that I can at least start to get my thoughts in line and working the way that they should so that I can begin to make sense of the circling thoughts. It’s incredibly freeing, and the trust that I have with Tank means that I can let my mind race as fast as we are and trust that he is not going to misbehave.

It takes a while but eventually we’re both ready to slow down a bit, and when that happens, I realise that I’ve been so lost in my thoughts that I haven’t noticed that the rain that was a drizzle not that long ago is down starting to pick up and alongwith it so is the wind. This seems a bit more than just a bit of rain.

I sit up straighter in my saddle as I look around and try to work out exactly how far I have come and how long it’s going to take me to get home.

“Fuck,” I curse and Tank snorts, almost like he is in agreement.

I must have been lost in my thoughts for longer than I thought because we are actually a couple of hours away from the house, and the rain is only getting heavier.

“Come on, Tank, baby, we better head back. I don’t want to be out in this any longer than we have to be,” I tell him, and again, he snorts.

The weather is getting worse faster than I had hoped, so I push Tank into a canter as we race back through the woods.

I am soaked through, rain dripping down my back between my coat and my neck; I keep having to swipe the rain out of my eyes so that I can see where we’re going, but it’s no use, and I’m having to rely mostly on Tank knowing how to get us home. The wind howling through the branches isn’t helping matters and if I don’t get ill after this, I will be incredibly fucking shocked.

Suddenly the sky lights up with the flash of lightning and then thunder booms so incredibly loudly that it spooks the usually bomb proof Tank, he rears up in panic, and thanks to the rain making everything slippery I can't keep a good enough grip on him and fall off, landing with a hard thump on the floor as Tank, still panicking bolts off through the woods.

Fucking hell that hurt, I grumble to myself, as I take stock of any injuries that I have. Fortunately, nothing is broken, but I am going to have some pretty monster bruises, I can just tell. I'm also covered from head to toe in mud. Glancing around I have no idea where I am, and Tank is nowhere to be seen, he has most likely taken himself home.

Sighing, and wishing that I would warn more layers as the woods light up with a flash of lightning once again, I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I mutter. The screen is smashed and there is absolutely no way that I can make a call on it, it is completely dead. I must have landed on it when Tank threw me.

Looking around at the dark woods, the weather making it seem much later than it actually is, I scrunch my face up. Are you supposed to stay where you are when you are lost or carry on moving? It’s probably going to be a while before anyone realizes that I am missing, and to be honest, I am starting to shiver from being so wet and the chilling slice of the wind. It’s because of these reasons that I start to walk, hoping that it will at least keep me warm and that I am heading in the right direction.

Atlas

Jensen came down and filled us in a while ago, and honestly, I don’t know how I feel about what he said. I think it says a lot that in the past, I would have immediately said that he was lying and playing with Ever’s feelings, but now I'm questioning it. I know a conversation with him is looming, I know that in my gut, but I also know that conversation is going to throw me through a fucking loop, and I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.

So, I am taking a leaf out of Ever’s book and putting a pin in it, like she likes to say. I will deal with it, just not right now.

“Is Ever back yet?” Rage asks with a frown as he walks into the front room.

“No,” I reply, and then realising just how worried he is I ask, “why? What is going on?”

“Look outside, I think that storm that we were preparing for has come through early, the weather is horrendous,” Rage explains, just as he finishes thunder booms loudly sounding like it's right on top of us and I jump up.

“Maybe we should check the cameras and see if she is up at the stables. This came on pretty quickly, but she has been gone for a couple of hours, so hopefully, she made it back there before it got worse,” I suggest. I really fucking hope I am right.

“Is Ever back?” Cash asks, coming into the room, and we shake our heads.

As Rage quickly fills Cash in on the plan that we have, I send a text to the guys, and do the same. By the time I look up everyone is in the front room and Pete has his laptop out, a worried look on his face as taps away, and we all silently watch him.

“She’s not at the stables and neither is Tank, so they haven’t come back yet,” Peter says.

“I don’t like this,” Luc mutters, looking out of the window as yet more thunder cracks above us.

“Me neither,” Riot agrees.

“Let’s get our gear on and grab the four-wheelers; we can go and look for them,” Trick suggests.

“Tank won’t like the thunder; she might be hurt,” Rage says, heightening our worry even more.

“Gear up,” Trick snaps and we all disperse, getting ready to go.

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