Page 4 of Day of the Storm

She was a woman of science, but her family had rubbed off on her.

He was still standing there, just watching her. “Are you trying to get on my last nerve?”

“Aren’t I always?”

“Fill out the form, Sean. Then get out of here. I’ll text you when I’m on your number.”

“I’ll wait. Keep an eye on you. You’re trouble, after all.”

She would have said more, but the sounds of sirens drowned out everything.

Warning sirens, not TSP.

She looked at him just as an alarm sounded in the building itself.

There hadn’t been any warnings issued for the day. She’d have known—her middle brother, Houston, worked at the news station as a meteorologist. He kept her and everyone else in the family up to date on every minute weather detail in almost real time.

As she thought it, her phone rang. Houston’s ringtone.

She grabbed the phone quickly and answered, practically yelling to be heard over the alarms.

“Take cover! It’s the big one!”

Before she could respond, she heardit. The roar everyone almost always mentioned.

The freight train.

She started toward the conference room doors. Glass exploded around her, just like it had that day the bombs had happened.

She couldn’t stop herself.

A. J. screamed.

Just as two hundred pounds of strong male dove straight at her.

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Sean reacted.He heard the sirens, heard the alarms, and heard the storm itself. And she was in danger.

That was all he could think about.

Glass shattered around them. Debris flew everywhere as he fell to the floor with Autumn Jane wrapped up in his arms. He yanked her closer as they slammed into the cheap hard linoleum floor.

The table was big and sturdy.

He rolled them both until they were beneath it.

Still, it wasn’t good enough.

The building was coming apart around them. She was on her back beneath him. He felt every curve of her pressed to him, but he didn’t have time to think about that. He tucked her head under his chin, used his hands to protect her as best he could.

The roar was deafening.

The building was going around them. There were two floors of offices and people above them.

They were going to be crushed. It was inevitable.

But if he was going to damned well die today it would be with Autumn Jane in his arms. He pressed a quick kiss to herforehead. “It’ll be ok, baby. I promise. We’ll be together when this is over!”

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