Page 36 of Whirlwind

“Is it connected on that side?” Ryker asks me.

I break our eye contact and pull my hand back from the heat of his. I do as he requests, making sure the rocket’s secure where he can’t properly see. “You’re good.”

“Step back, Ms. Buckley. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The same words he said earlier wrap around my heart and squeeze. Their meaning holds more weight each time he repeats them, because I know he doesn’t mean just physically.

With a nod, I step down before moving to where the guys are standing just far enough away so they aren’t in the rocket’s path but still close to Thor. Joey puts his arm around my shoulders as we watch Ryker do what he was born to do.

He holds down his backward cap with one hand as the wind gusts become strong and harsh against our bodies, his head tipping back as if he’s sending a silent prayer to the tornado gods. “Launching now.”

Ryker ducks down into Thor and closes the hatch. A second later, the rocket launches into the sky with a loud pop and whooshing noise.

“Oh my god,” I mutter under my breath. “It’s going!”

The rocket goes up and up, cutting through the strong wind and toward the inflow band. The world seems to go silent as we wait, and Ryker reopens the hatch to watch with us as it slices through the air.

Right when I think it’s going to work, it takes a sharp and sudden nosedive, descending quickly toward the ground, the parachute and sensor that released dropping with it. It lands in the field in front of us, maybe one hundred yards away.

There’s utter silence among us, then a loud laugh breaks through. It starts out light but builds into a belly laugh. Joey and I glance at each other with confusion before we turn our gazes to Ryker, the source of the sound.

Hawk joins in, followed by Ezra’s deep chuckle.

“Well, I guess my last-minute tweak fucked it up!” Hawk yells to Ryker.

“It’s okay, it got up there pretty high,” he answers before getting out of Thor and joining us on the ground.

“I see where it landed,” Ezra says, pointing to where I also saw it land.

“Ezra and I will get it once the storm clears,” Hawk says. “The three of you go get data from the ground.”

“Not going to happen,” Joey says, pointing toward the sky.

The group of us follow his finger to where the tornado is quickly dissipating, the storm weakening as fast as it came. It’s wild to see in person, and it’s not the first time I’ve witnessed it. Sometimes tornadoes will fade gradually, but other times, they can go from violence to nothing in moments. It’s the unpredictability of weather—reminds me a lot of humans and a certain professor of mine.

“Fuck,” Ryker mutters under his breath.

“You tamed that one too hard, Tornado Daddy. Scared the shit right out of it with that rocket,” Joey chirps.

The group laughs, and Ryker smirks before he notices the way Joey still has his arm around me. Ryker’s gaze morphs to the same grumpy one he gave us when Joey had his arm around me at the gas station. I have the urge to call him out on it right here, but I show restraint for what feels like the millionth time today.

“Everything okay, Daddy?” Joey asks. I stiffen under Joey’s arm and look up at him to find he’s grinning like a sly fox.

His words shake the grumpy glare from Ryker, who forces a tight half-smile on his face. “I’m fine. Just thinking about the rocket.”

Liar.

“Let’s take some time to regroup,” Hawk suggests. “We’re in a good spot to catch a storm if another looks good, and I’ll see if I can figure out what went wrong.”

“We can grab some food at a diner near here,” Ezra adds. “I see it on maps.”

Ryker nods. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Hell yes! I could crush a greasy double cheeseburger!” Joey cheers, letting go of me and making a beeline for Thor. “But lunch is on T-Daddy!”

Chapter thirteen

Ryker

---