Page 55 of Through the Storms
Oakley swallowed hard. Chloe was right. There was a farm in the trajectory of the tornado. As much as she loved chasing, this was the part Oakley hated. Seeing a field torn up was one thing, but a house or barn was something else.
Oakley held her breath as the tornado moved toward the house. They were too far away to be sure what the tornado had struck, but the debris cloud tripled in size.
“It hit something,” Riley said, being the first of the group to recognize what was happening.
Chloe hunkered against Riley and buried her face against Riley’s shoulder. “I can’t watch. I hope those people are safe.”
The tornado appeared to be losing steam as it continued its path to the east.
“All right, everyone, time to get in the van. We need to make sure everyone is okay over there.”
The sisters scampered into the bus, not needing to be told twice.
“You do that?” Riley’s tone held a note of admiration.
“Course we do. We check to see if anyone needs help and call the authorities.”
“I didn’t realize.” Riley gave her a slight smile. “But it’s certainly the neighborly thing to do.”
“It’s the right thing, too. Not all groups do, but we made the pledge from the moment we started Two Trees that we would never get so caught up in the chase that we lose our humanity.”
As they talked, Riley led Chloe to the van and offered a hand as Chloe stepped inside. “If you need any help when we get there, I’d be happy to assist.”
Oakley clapped Riley on the back. “Thanks. I’m gonna take you up on that offer.”
CHAPTER 22
As Chloe fell facefirst onto the hotel bed, she tried to let out a tired groan, but it came out as a whimper. She was exhausted. It was nearly midnight, and she hadn’t been able to sleep on the nearly two-hour drive back to Wichita.
“Did you say something?” Riley called from the bathroom.
Chloe twisted, so her face was no longer pressed against the mattress. “Nuh-uh.”
Riley peeked around the corner. “What was that?” Riley’s eyes were alert and showed no sign of the fifteen hours they’d spent chasing today.
Chloe flopped onto her back and lay out like a starfish. “Would it be wrong to crawl under the covers fully dressed?”
Riley smiled. “You look exhausted.”
“Ya think?” Chloe lifted one eyebrow. “And you don’t. How do you look so damned refreshed?”
“The nap on the way back did me wonders. I must have been out for a good hour.”
“Try two.”
“Really? No wonder I’ve been contemplating a trip down to the fitness center. I’m taking it you probably won’t join me.”
Chloe groaned. “You’re killing me. I still can’t believe after the day we had you were able to fall asleep so easily.”
Riley went to the mini fridge and pulled out two waters. She unscrewed the caps on both and handed one to Chloe. “I don’t think you got enough water today.”
Chloe’s chest swelled as she reached for the bottle. Riley was so thoughtful—conscientious. It was weird, but after only three days, Chloe had grown accustomed to the subtle ways Riley looked out for her. Weird wasn’t the right word, foreign was more accurate.
“Hey, you okay?” Riley asked.
One more thing. Riley picked up the subtleties in Chloe’s reactions. With Dennis, she could have been bright red and glaring, and he’d not even notice. Why was she comparing Riley to Dennis? She’d obviously gotten herself way overtired. Riley continued to study her. Chloe needed to say something, so she muttered, “Thank you.”
“That didn’t answer my question.” Riley sat on the corner of the bed.
