Taking Passion by Storm (13 page)

Chapter
Thirteen

Nadine
thought her heart would burst. She flattened her body against the rock wall and
watched the others descend on the digital camera and tiny recorder like
vultures. How were they even sure they belonged to her father?

“
Look here,” said Gina, moving through the pictures on
the camera. “He caught the tornado as it was moving toward him.”

Nadine
made a small sound before she could pull it back. They all stopped talking and
stared at her, making her wish once again she’d stayed underground where she
belonged.

“
Let’s see what’s on the recorder,” said Merrill, his
voice gentle. “He might have been talking into it the way he does.”

She
didn’t even know that about him, but they all did. What else didn’t she know?
She realized these people had spent more time with her dad in the past seven
years than she had.

Addison
came and stood next to her, reaching down to squeeze her hand. “It’s all
right.”

“
How do you know that stuff belongs to him?”

“
Barcodes.”

“
What?”

“
Each piece of equipment belonging to a Storm Trooper
has a barcode on it. It identifies who it belongs to. The codes on both pieces
are your father’s.”

She
put a hand to her mouth as her father’s voice bounced off the walls of the
cave.

“
I ran like a fucking freight train. That was a big one
… EF3 or 4 I’m betting. It’s moved off, but I caught some great pics. I still
have to find my other things. Fucking wind took them away. Once I find them,
I’m off in search of my team.”

There
was nothing else on the recorder after that. They all stared at one another,
and then Gina glanced toward Nadine. “It proves he was here, in these caves.
And he probably didn’t go far. He wouldn’t leave these behind.”

“
Then why did he? Why did he leave them here to begin
with?”

No
one answered her, but it wasn’t necessary they did. She saw the same conclusions
on each of their faces. Something had drawn him outside, and he hadn’t come
back for the camera or recorder because he hadn’t been able to.

“
We need to let the others know he likely isn’t east of
the city,” said Lee.

Addison
nodded. “I agree.” He pulled out a walkie-talkie, glancing at Nadine.
“Sometimes these work for short distances, but I need to go outside to use it.”

She
nodded, then dropped her gaze to the floor. She didn’t want to look at anyone
right now.

“
Let’s go search the caves near here,” said George,
“then spread out.”

The
others filed out except for Merrill. Nadine looked him in the eyes, wishing
they’d never found this stuff. “He’s not dead.”

“
How do you know that?”

“
Because I know your dad. He outran a big tornado. When
you can, look at the pictures. If he can escape that, he is not dead.”

“
Then where is he? It’s been almost a week.”

“
My best guess? He’s hurt and holed up somewhere until
he heals because he knows he can’t travel at his best with an injury. His
batteries are dead so he can’t use his laptop, or
walkie
.
He’s close. He wouldn’t have gone far and left this behind.”

“
How did he get separated from the others to the point
they couldn’t find him, then?”

“
We don’t know yet. He’ll tell us when we find him.”

She
wanted desperately to believe him, but something about all this made no sense.
“Where is the nearest shelter?”

Merrill
scrunched up his face, thinking. “About a mile east of here.”

“
Your email said the others with him got to a shelter,
but he did not. How did he end up on this side of the city, so far away from
everyone?”

Merrill
grinned. “Did you hear what the recorder said? He outran the tornado.”

“
Your email said it wasn’t a large tornado.”

“
Then maybe another came up, and that’s the one he
outran.”

“
For a mile?”

“
Nadine, your father is in better shape for a man his
age than all of us put together. Yes, for a mile. I believe he could have done
that.”

“
Why would he go back outside and not take his
equipment?”

“
I don’t know.” He put his arm around her shoulder.
“Come on. Let’s go find out.”

****

Addison
wished he knew what to say to Nadine as they started searching the caves near
the one where they’d found Dixon’s camera and recorder. George and Merrill had
done a quick schematic of the area, and they split up in teams as they searched
in a widening circle. Most of the caves weren’t deep, but some were.

George
went with Lee and Alesia, Gina and Suzanne went with Merrill, and that left
Addison and Nadine. They agreed not to search any of the deep caves since there
were only two of them.

She
looked utterly defeated, and while he could understand why, he didn’t believe
they’d find her father dead. There were thousands of caves within a half mile
radius. Searching them all would take time. The other Storm Troopers were now
on their way to this side of the city, so soon they’d have extra help.

They
had searched twenty-four caves total by the time they stopped to eat. Lunch was
cold sandwiches and fruit, and they ate inside one of the larger caves since
the wind had begun to pick up after they decided to take a break.

Addison
sat next to Nadine, watching her face carefully as they listened to a violent
thunderstorm outside. He searched his mind, desperate for a way to help her
through this. At one point, he and Merrill exchanged a long glance, and Addison
swore the man read his mind because the next thing out of his mouth was a
request for Nadine to share with them her favorite memory of her dad from her
childhood.

It
was so good to see her smile. “That’s easy.” She shifted her weight so her body
language wasn’t as closed, her eyes brighter now. “I was ten, and there was
this boy next door named Marion. He got made fun of a lot because that’s
traditionally a female name. This one day the neighborhood bully kids were
picking on him. He was over at my house, and we were trying to build a dog
house for a stray his mother had let him take in.”

“
I miss having pets,” said Gina, her voice wistful.

“
Me, too,” said Nadine. “We had cats growing up, and I
always wish I had one now. So Marion and I were trying to build this house and
doing a decent job, but then the little hoodlums came over and started kicking
it apart and torturing Marion with name-calling. My father heard them and came
out of the house. It was Saturday morning and he was home, but was on call all
day and he didn’t like to be disturbed when he was on call because it usually
meant he’d be at work a long time once he went in.”

“
Did they wake him from a nap?” asked George.

“
Yeah, I think they did. So he came outside and glared
at them. Everyone was afraid of him, including those brats, but one of them
thought he’d act all smart-mouthed and told my dad he had no right to tell them
what to do.”

“
Oh boy,” said Alesia. “Big mistake.”

“
He stood up even taller and said, ‘I haven’t told you
to do anything yet. Instead I’m going to give you some advice. The next time
you get the urge to come over here and harass my daughter and her friend, ask
yourself one question.’ The kids all had these looks on their faces like here
it comes. Just another adult going to try to guilt us into leaving Marion
alone.”

“
Oh I wish I’d been there,” said Suzanne. “Just to see
the look on your dad’s face.”

“
What was the question?” asked Lee.

“
He said, ‘Ask yourself how many times you’d enjoy
having someone hold your hand down on the stove top with the burner on high.’
One of the kids looked confused, so he asked him if he’d ever accidentally
burned his hand. The kid said oil had splattered once when he was cooking
chicken, and my dad asked him if it had hurt.”

“
Oh, I bet I know where this is going,” said Merrill.

“
The kid said yeah, it had hurt, so my father asked him
how he thought it would feel if someone had dipped his entire hand in the oil
and held it there. The kid kind of blanched, and then all of them did. Then my
dad said, ‘Every time you make fun of Marion for the good name his parents gave
him, or come over here and kick apart something my daughter has built, that’s
how it feels in their soul. Like someone has burned them, and is holding that
body part down to keep burning them. So ask yourself how many times a day you
could handle that. If the answer is less than one, think twice about kicking
her work or making fun of Marion’s name from now on.’”

She
shifted her weight again. “Then he gave them that look. You all know the one I
mean. It’s the one that says you’re about to be nailed.” The group chuckled.
“And he said, ‘As many times as you do or say something to someone that burns
their soul with pain that way, karma will pay you back a hundredfold.’ He glanced
around and then asked, ‘Who knows what that means?’ The kid with the smart
mouth pipes up. ‘It means you get back what you do to others a hundred times
over?’ My dad said, ‘Exactly,’ then asked them to think about that for a few
days.”

“
Did they leave?” asked Addison.

“
They did. One of them waited until they were down the
driveway and turned around to call me and Marion babies, but they didn’t bother
us again.”

“
He has a way of putting things in perspective,” said
George. “He really makes you think.”

Nadine
nodded, the smile still on her face. It was then Addison realized the storm had
stopped, so they gathered up the remnants of their meal and made their way back
outside again.

****

Nadine
felt better during the afternoon. She was touched that one of them had asked
about her childhood, and in telling the story it reminded her of her father’s
strength. Not only his physical strength, but the conviction of his character
and his wisdom. It also made her realize that Addison and the others were
right. He wasn’t dead.

If
he was, they would have found his body by now out in the open. He was in one of
these caves, probably hurt and unable to leave. They would find him. She felt
certain of it.

It
was nearing late afternoon and they had searched a total of sixty-one caves for
that day. Merrill declared the day a huge success, and told them the other
Storm Troopers were in a shelter waiting out a large storm, but would join them
in the bunker that night and then help them search in the morning. “We’ll get
even more done tomorrow with the extra help.”

The
group was heading back, and came across a group of caves that was off by
itself. Gina had managed to link to a satellite about an hour earlier, and said
there was nothing on radar, so they decided to search the caves and then head
back. That would knock fifteen more off the list, and Merrill was thrilled with
that kind of progress for one day.

Nadine
and Addison thought they’d chosen a shallow cave to search, but then Addison
spotted a tiny crevice near the back wall that opened into a series of sloping
tunnels. “We need to go back. We’ll have Merrill and George earmark this cave
for tomorrow. If we try to search all of it now we’ll lose the light well
before we finish.”

They
were close to the opening outside when Addison stopped. “Why is it so dark
already?” Nadine froze. They looked at each other for a moment, and then
Addison told her to go back inside the crevice and wait.

“
Not a chance,” she said. “You go out there, so do I.
I’m not going to end up in this cave alone.” Her voice shook, but she didn’t
care. She was afraid, and he needed to know that.

They
both peeked outside and spotted the other two teams doing the same thing from
just inside the caves they’d been searching. “Stay inside,” called George, his
voice nearly carried away by the wind. “Bad one coming.
Very
bad. We might be here all night.”

“
It came up in like two seconds,” called Gina, waving
her laptop in the air.

Nadine
had thought she understood what her dad was up against, but as Addison waved to
the others to let them know they had heard and understood, she realized she was
only just beginning to learn what the Storm Troopers faced every single day.

Chapter
Fourteen

After
Addison waved to George and Gina to indicate he’d heard them, he and Nadine
glanced toward the east. “That must be what the other Storm Troopers were
hiding from,” he said. One of the odd things the fucked up weather program had
done was obliterate the normal directional flow of storms so they could
literally spring up from any direction now. This one was coming fast and
furious, and judging by the smell in the air, it contained a boatload of rain.

“
What if it floods the caves?” asked Nadine. She barely
heard her own voice over the wind.

Addison
didn’t answer, and that frightened her more than anything. As the wind
strengthened even further, he took her hand and they slipped into the crevice.
He found a tunnel that sloped upward so that was where they headed.

She
could still hear noise from outside, and that was just as unnerving as thinking
about this space filling up with water. Was that what had happened to her dad?
Had he sought shelter from a storm inside one of these caves and drowned?

Nadine
let out a muffled cry, which earned her an arm around her shoulder as they
finally stopped. Addison placed the lantern on the floor in front of them. “We
have plenty of provisions. We’ll be fine here until it passes.”

She
wasn’t thinking about a lack of provisions. She couldn’t get out of her head
the image of her father hiding in a cave while it filled up with water. As the
sounds from outside grew louder still, Nadine snuggled against Addison’s warm
body and tried to simply keep breathing.

“
Do you want to tell me another story about your dad?”
he asked.

“
Not right now.”

“
It would be better than listening to the storm.”

“
I only want to sit here and wait for it to pass.”

He
pulled her closer and was silent for a few moments, but she knew he was right.
They could hear everything out there, and it sounded terrible.

“
The sun will be down by the time it passes,” he said,
“and none of us feel safe traveling in the dark. We might be stuck here, like
George said.”

She
shifted her weight to face him, every high and low she’d experienced since
Saturday coalescing into this one moment. His eyes blazed with lust and an
emotion she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Even in this dim light she was able to
discern the passion in them. This man would not ever hurt her or let her down.

She
remembered him from as far back as her memories went, although he’d only been
fourteen the year she’d been born. But once he graduated from high school and
went on to college, he became a frequent visitor in their home. In a way, he
had always been there for her. The things he’d said to her in the past few days
told her he intended to be there for her in the future as well, but in a very
different way.

Did
they even have a future, or would they die tonight in this cave? The storm
still sounded strong, but now those noises faded into the background as Nadine
continued to gaze into Addison’s eyes. In three short days, she’d gone from
hiding away between her job and home, wrapped in a cocoon she’d spun, to
participating in a rescue mission alongside men and women she’d admired all her
life. She owed that to this man.

Not
only had he allowed her to come to the surface with him and these teams, but
he’d shown her what sex was really like. What it was meant to be, with a man
who cared about her and whom she cared about in return. They would find her
father, and she’d return to her life underground, but so would Addison. What
would happen then?

Was
this a heat of the moment thing or had he meant what he said? Did he want her
in his life? Was it possible that Nadine Jarvis could have a normal
relationship? The kind of relationship she’d once let herself believe was
possible?

“
Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said. “I’m watching
emotions pass across your face with lightning speed.”

“
That’s because you’re a mind reader.”

He
smiled slightly and shook his head. “No. Not even close. You’re simply very
transparent.”

“
I’ve been told that.”

“
Please talk to me, Nadine. Let me help you make sense
of this.”

The
desperation in his voice almost brought tears to her eyes. She had let him in,
then pushed him away because she’d been worried what others might think. To hell
with that. It should be obvious based on the interactions in the group that no
one judged either of them. She had nothing to worry about. The only one
preventing this from going further was her.

“
Addison, I have been attracted to you since … I really
don’t know how long I’ve felt an attraction to you. Probably before I should
have felt it, but I’ve known you my entire life. It was difficult not to be
attracted to you.”

“
Thank you for telling me that.”

“
I’m still attracted to you. That never left me, even
after the rape. My feelings for you are stronger now that we’ve made love, but
I don’t know how to have a normal relationship. I’m not even sure what that is,
but I want to try. I want to try with you. You’re the only person who has been
able to bring me this far. You’ve the only person I’ve let into my life far
enough to allow the possibility of this happening. You’re the only man I can
imagine trying this with.”

The
look of gratitude on his face melted his heart. “Oh Nadine, I meant what I
said. I’m not going to hurt you. I want the same thing from you. I want you in
my life, not only for this mission, but once we’re back underground.”

“
Even if that means one day I need to back off, or if I
realize I can’t do this after all?”

“
Yes. Even if it comes to that. I told you that. I
wasn’t lying when I said it.”

“
I’m sorry. I must sound ridiculous to you. Like I
can’t make up my mind, or haven’t remembered anything you and I have already
said to each other.
”

He
stroked her hair, which sent shivers down her back. “Not at all. You sound like
a woman who has been through a traumatic experience, is finally starting to
come out the other side, and who isn’t sure she’s worthy of anyone’s time or
attention.”

Nadine
drew in a sharp breath. How had he done that? How had he plucked the core of
her feelings out of her heart like that? “That’s it exactly,” she whispered.

“
Tell me what you want to do from this point on. You
know how I feel. Now I need to know what you want from me.”

Nadine
heard the storm still raging outside, but the voices inside her head were
louder. They told her to stop hiding and start living, and to begin by letting
this man into her life all the way. She kissed him, and at first he almost
hesitated, as if afraid to believe this was real, but then he pulled her onto
his lap and shoved his tongue inside her mouth.

Nadine
moaned loudly in the back of her throat, wrapping her arms around his shoulders
and moving so she straddled him rather than sitting sideways. She pushed her
body against his, and the guttural sounds he made as his tongue worked its
magic over hers reassured her that she’d made the right choice.

Addison
released her mouth and planted soft kisses on her neck, then reached down to
unzip her jacket. It was suddenly way too warm in the cave.

“
I want you,” she whispered. “Only you. I don’t want to
hide any longer. I don’t want to be afraid.”

He
gazed into her eyes with so much emotion her heart nearly burst.

“
I believe everything you said to me. Now it’s time for
me to prove that to yo
u
.”She removed her jacket and
shirt, pulling it over her head before she lost her nerve. Addison’s jaw went
slack. To know such a normal gesture could reduce this man—who had done and
seen so much of the world—to nothing more than a horny male made her feel
seductive and alive.

She
unhooked her bra and removed it, then unzipped his jacket. He moved her off him
gently, then shed his clothing faster than she’d ever imagined anyone could
undress. She giggled as she removed the rest of hers. This was the first time
she’d ever been naked inside a cave. It was the first time she’d been naked
outdoors, but no one would see them. She could barely see Addison in the low
light.

He
fished a second lantern out of his backpack and lit it. Nadine wanted to ask
how he carried so much weight around because the lanterns were heavy, but he
pulled her into his arms and she no longer cared how he did it. She was lost in
a sea of sensations that were both familiar yet new. She felt uninhibited here,
away from everyone, knowing they weren’t merely down the hall. No one would
hear this. No one would see Addison wander into the kitchen, barely dressed.

“
Fuck!” He took several steps away from her and slammed
one fist into the opposite palm. “Shit!”

“
What’s wrong?”

“
I don’t have any condoms with me. No lube, either.”

Her
elation deflated as if it had been a balloon that someone let the air out of.
“Okay. Right. Yeah. We need a condom at least.”

He
stared at her with an expression she couldn’t fathom. “Well, not really.”

“
Excuse me?”

“
I mean we don’t actually need it. I mean if you get
pregnant, I wouldn’t freak out or anything.”

“
Why on earth not?”

“
Because I wouldn’t.”

Was
he out of his fucking mind? She couldn’t even speak. All she could do was stare
at him.

“
Unless of course there’s a reason you’re opposed to
having children with me one day.”

Nadine’s
mouth opened, but nothing came out at first. It took her several seconds before
she could form a coherent sentence. “I can’t honestly say I’ve ever thought
about it. Not because of you, specifically.”

That
was entirely true, but how could she put her silly fantasies into words right
now without sounding like a lovesick teen?

“
I’ve thought about it,” he said. “I mean settling down
and getting married … having a family. I want what my friends have.”

“
With me?”

“
Yes.”

Holy shit.
“How on earth can you know
something like that already?”

The
corners of his mouth turned up. “You already asked me that.”

“
I know.” That was true. She had asked him the same
question, just yesterday.

“
My answer hasn’t changed since yesterday.”

Long
moments passed before he spoke again. Long moments during which Nadine tried to
picture being married to this man and having his children. It was everything
she’d ever wanted, but what if she wasn’t ready? What if she was too fucked up to
ever have that kind of a life?

“
Did you not mean what you just told me, Nadine? That
you were ready to do this? That you believe everything I said?”

“
No, I mean, yes. I meant what I said. I
do
believe you. I want this, and I want
it with you.”

“
But not marriage and children. That’s not what you
want. You only want sex.”

She
laughed, but not because she found what he’d asked humorous. It was more a
release of emotions that she couldn’t even process. “I didn’t say that.”

Addison’s
grin sent a shiver down her spine. “I know you didn’t, but you’re still not
getting away that easily.”

“
Is this your idea of a marriage proposal then?”

“If
that’s what you need to have unprotected sex with me, and so you’ll realize how
serious I am, then so be it.” He got down on one knee, and she laughed again.
“Stop laughing, please.”

“
I’m not laughing at you.”

“
I realize that, but I’m already shaking with fear
here.”

Nadine’s
smile faded. He was afraid of her?
Why?
This gorgeous, perfect man could have any woman he wanted.

He
glanced around, then picked up a twig. Twisting it into a circle, he held it
out. “Nadine, will you marry me? I’ll get you a real ring once we’re
underground again.”

“
Stop teasing me,” she whispered.

His
smile faded now, and he took her hand “I am not teasing you, love.”

“
Love. Yeah.
That
word. You called me that yesterday, too. I always thought people got married
because they were in love, not because they wanted to have sex without a
condom.”

“
That’s why you think I’m doing this?”

His
voice held a note of defeat that sent physical pain through her. She didn’t
want to hurt him, but she was confused. “Only because you said as much.”