Page 64 of Into the Tempest

“Ellis,” Tully said frantically. “Where’s Ellis? Is he here? Tell me he’s here.”

Rowan appeared, holding one of his kids, and Ellis came out from behind him.

As soon as Tully saw him, he sucked back a breath and finally exhaled, his hands on his knees, relief almost knocking him over. “Thank fuck,” Tully cried, then collected his brother in a fierce hug.

Ellis was as shocked as the rest of them, and Tully pulled back, taking his brother’s face in his hands. “Your house. Your whole street, Ellis.” He shook his head. “It’s gone. I thought you mighta been there. I was so fucking scared.” He pushed against his stomach with the heel of his hand, as if the knots that had been there were beginning to unravel. He was still breathing hard.

Ellis shook his head, eyes wide. “What do you mean, gone?”

Tully held him by the shoulders. “I mean it’s gone.” Then he looked at his parents, at Rowan and then Zoe, who was standing in the door with a small child on her hip. “So much is gone. The damage. From the bureau to here.” He shook his head and his voice trembled, teary-eyed. “The damage...”

I went to him then and pulled him against me. His hands came up slowly to fist my shirt and he sobbed, the relief that his family was safe, that Ellis was safe, finally bubbled over.

His dad came over and rubbed his back, then his mum went to Ellis. Her sad eyes met mine. “You’re both okay, and we’re all okay, and that’s all that matters.” Then she took Ellis’ face in her hands. “Houses can be rebuilt. Things can be replaced. People can’t.”

He nodded and wiped a tear from his cheek, then he came over and literally peeled Tully away from me to hug him. His mum took my arm. “We were so worried about you both. We came up when the eye passed over, but then the sirens went off so fast, so we all went back down.”

Tully cry-laughed, wiping his tears. “Well, I got a story about that,” he said. Then his eyes met mine. And if I could read him at all, perhaps his eyes acknowledged that my message on the radar screen had saved his family... “But the story can wait.” He looked around at everyone. “We’re all okay. That’s all we can ask for.” Then he looked at Ellis. “Come on, let’s go take a look at your place before the cops close it off.”

I grabbed Tully’s arm and nodded to Shane, who was still filming the street, and to Lindsey, who was standing there like she was barely held together. “We should ask them where we can take them.”

Tully’s mother noticed Lindsey then and went to her, bringing her over. “Are you okay, dear?”

Lindsey scrubbed a tear from her cheek and recomposed herself, though she was far from her newsreader put-together appearance. She nodded. “Oh, we’re fine,” she said. “Well, I mean, first up Doctor Overton saved us from being struck by lightning, then we sheltered in the bureau office with them and with another family he saved from being struck by lightning, and our van was tipped over, so then they drove us back—” She sucked back a breath and started to cry. “I’m fine.”

Yeah. She was not fine.

Tully’s mother looked at me. Everyone looked at me. “I didn’t save anyone, really,” I said. “I just prevented—”

“Yeah, he did,” Shane interrupted. “Saved those two little kids, one hundred percent. I got it on tape too.”

“Oh good,” Tully said, sourly. “Gonna run it before or after the footage of his mother’s death this time? Which is worth more ratings?”

Oh boy.

“Tully,” his father chided.

“No,” he said flatly. He glared at both Shane and Lindsey. “I won’t ever be quiet about it. Jeremiah can save your life, the life of those kids, and every person in this whole fuckin’ city, like he damn well did today, and you’d still use him for ratings. Remember what I said about eating a whole bag of dicks—”

I pulled his arm, dragged him over to the Jeep, and pushed him so his back was against the door. He opened his mouth, another rant about to pour forth, no doubt, so I shut him up the only way I could think of.

I took his face in my hands and kissed him.

In front of everyone, and they were all watching, but I didn’t care.

He grunted in surprise but slowly and surely the tension and the anger left his body. When I was sure he wasn’t so mad anymore, I put my forehead to his. “It’s been a helluva day, Tully. It’s not over yet. Your brother needs you.”

Tully’s face crumpled a little, more tears fell, and he nodded, his forehead to my chin. He let out a shaky breath and regrouped. “Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Tully scrubbed his face, ignored the news crew, then looked over at Ellis. “Come on. I’ll drive you.”

They were all looking at us. I had just kissed Tully in front of them, so it wasn’t surprising. Embarrassing still, nonetheless.

“We’ll be there shortly,” his mum said.

Ellis opened the passenger door to the Jeep. “Get in the back,” Tully said. “That’s Jeremiah’s seat. Learn your place.”

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