Page 12 of Whirlwind

Finley leans forward in her seat, hands gripping the wheel to get a better look up at the sky that’s now turned a pale and sickly green. Another sign of what’s to come.

“It’s rotating!” When she sits back, her smile is wide. “I think you’re right.”

I glance down at my phone then look back at the developing storm. “Up here, you’ll see a road on the left. Take that.”

“We’ll be far enough away, right?”

“Scared, Finley?” I ask, repeating my quip from earlier.

“Are you?” she volleys back, our eyes locking for a moment.

“That’s part of the fun.”

She tips her chin and turns her sparkling eyes back to the road while I determine the exit routes in case we need one.

“Ryker, holy crap. Look!”

My chest smarts when I hear her speak my name. I may like when she calls me Professor West, but my name? Since the moment she first slipped up, using it when she asked me a question in front of the whole class, I’ve craved the sound of it on her lips—especially at night when I’m alone in my home, trying not to think of her as I wrap my hand around my di—

I clear my throat and follow her finger, which is pointing to the supercell now directly in front of us. Another kind of spark lights in my chest. “We’ve got a funnel!” I pump my fist. “Drivedown this road then pull off to the side. That was your camera in the back, right?”

“Like I would leave it behind?”

We give each other a knowing smile, and then she steps on the gas. When we’re another mile down the road, she asks, “Are we close enough now?”

She bounces in her seat, and I bite my tongue at her palpable joy and thrill for storm chasing. I can’t wait to see her with my team and find out how she reacts to that environment. I know she’ll thrive in it.

Her passion for chasing is another reason she got the spot for this weekend’s chase—second only to how smart she is. Over the last year, I’ve learned a lot about all of my students, but Finley gets the best grades, chases solo often, shows up to my office hours when she has questions, even challenges me on data she believes I’ve missed.

I still remember the first time she came to my office a month after class started and did just that. It was hard not to fall inappropriately in love with her right then and there. No other student had done that before—too scared to challenge the “Twister Tamer.” But not Finley.

“Let’s stay conservative with this one,” I say, interrupting my own thoughts. “We’ll have plenty of opportunities this weekend to get up close and personal when we have Thor.”

“Right.” She pulls off to the side of the road. “Probably better to be inside a tornado with an armored vehicle built for that sort of thing.”

“Always a good idea,” I quip.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and push open the door. Sticky wind whips around me as I step out of the car, and it’s so strong that I have to hold my hat down and keep my footing steady.

As I make my way to the front of the car, Finley heads for her camera. I take a moment to type out a quick text to my communications lead, Ezra. Since he’s in Oklahoma with therest of my team, I’ve been keeping him updated so I can have another pair of eyes on the storm.

ME

Looking like this is going to drop a tornado. I’ve sent you my location.

EZRA

Copy that, boss.

ME

Alert the National Weather Service that I have a confirmed funnel, and I’ll update upon touchdown.

EZRA

You think this is my first rodeo?

ME

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