“I’m curious why that bag is so important. It was the only thing besides you two to leave the car. He handed it to you before he was blown from the overpass. That’s one important bag.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I just want to make sure I’m not transporting drugs in my cruiser.”
My mouth fell open and then snapped shut.
“Have I offended you?” Reyes asked although he was clearly unaffected by my reaction.
“Shepley doesn’t do drugs. He barely drinks. He buys one beer and babysits it all night.”
“What about you?”
“No!”
He wasn’t convinced. “You don’t have to do drugs to sell them. The best dealers don’t.”
“We’re not drug dealers or smugglers or whatever the current term is.”
Reyes pulled onto the shoulder beside the flooded Charger. Water and debris sloshed into the open windows. “That’s going to cost a lot to repair. How is he going to pay for it?”
“He and his dad share a love for old cars.”
“Restoration project for father-son bonding? All paid for with dad’s money?”
“They didn’t need to bond. He’s very close with his parents. He was a good kid, and he’s an even better man. Yes, they have money, but he has a job. He supports himself.”
Reyes glared down at me. He was just … massive. Still, I had nothing to hide, and I wouldn’t let him intimidate me.
“He works at a bank,” I snapped. “Do you really think I’m hiding drugs in this bag?”
“You’ve been holding on to it like it’s made of gold.”
“It’s his! It’s the only thing I have of him besides that drowned car!” Tears burned in my eyes as the realization of what I’d just said formed a lump in my throat.
Reyes waited.
I pressed my lips together and then tore at the zipper, yanking at it until it opened. I pulled out the first thing I grabbed, which was one of Shepley’s shirts. It was his favorite, a dark gray Eastern State tee. I held it to my chest, instantly breaking down.
“America … don’t … don’t cry.” Reyes looked half disgusted and half uncomfortable, trying to look anywhere else but me. “This is awkward.”
I pulled out another shirt and then a pair of shorts. As I unrolled them, a small box fell back into the backpack.
“What was that?” Reyes said in an accusatory tone.
I dug in the bag and fished out the box, holding it up with a huge grin. “It’s the … this is the ring he bought. He brought it.” I sucked in a ragged breath, my expression crumbling. “He was going to propose.”
Reyes smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I said, opening the box.
“Not transporting drugs. I would have hated to arrest you.”
“You’re a jerk,” I said, wiping my eyes.
“I know.” He rolled down his window to flag down another officer.
With the help of the National Guard, the turnpike had been cleared, and traffic was running smoothly again, but as the sun began its descent, another set of dark clouds started to form on the horizon.
“That looks ominous,” I said.
“I think we’ve already experienced ominous.”
I frowned, feeling impatient. “We have to find Shepley before dark.”
“Working on it.” He nodded to an approaching officer. “Landers!”
“How’s it going?” Landers said.
With him standing next to Reyes’s window, even in a cruiser, I felt like we were being pulled over, and any minute, Landers would ask Reyes if he knew how fast he was going.
“I have a little girl in my car—”
“Little girl?” I hissed.
He sighed. “I have a young woman in my car who’s looking for her boyfriend. They took shelter under that overpass when the tornado hit.”
Landers leaned down, giving me a once-over. “She’s lucky. Not all of them made it.”
“Like who?” I asked, bending just enough to get a better look.
“I’m not sure. Can you believe one guy was thrown a quarter of a mile and ran all the way back to the turnpike, searching for someone? He was covered in mud. Looked like a melted candy bar.”
“Was he alone? Do you remember his name?” I asked.
Landers shook his head, still chuckling at his own joke. “Something weird.”
“Shepley?” Reyes asked.
“Maybe,” Landers said.
“Was he hurt? What was he wearing? Early twenties? Hazel eyes?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, ma’am. It’s been a long day,” Landers said, standing up.
All I could see of him then was his midsection.
Reyes looked up at him. “C’mon, Justin. She’s been looking for him for hours. She watched him get sucked out by a damn tornado.”
“He had a significant laceration on his shoulder, but he’ll live if the fire chief can talk him into getting it taken care of. He was hell-bent on finding his, um … how did he put it? Epically beautiful girlfriend.” Landers paused and then leaned down. “America?”
My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open into a gaping smile. “Yes! That’s my name! He was here? Looking for me? Do you know where he went?”
“To the hospital … to look for you,” Landers said, tipping his hat. “Good luck, ma’am.”
“Reyes!” I said, grabbing his arm.
He nodded once as he flipped on his lights, and then he threw the gear into drive. We bounced as the cruiser crossed the median, and then Reyes pressed a heavy foot on the gas, barreling down the turnpike toward Emporia … and Shepley.
Shepley
The nurse shook her head, dabbing a cut on my ear with a cotton ball. “You’re lucky.” She blinked her long eyelashes and then reached behind her for something sitting on the silver tray next to my stretcher.
The ER was full. The rooms were only available for the more urgent cases. Triage had been set up in the waiting room, and I’d waited for over an hour before a nurse finally called my name and escorted me to a stretcher in the hall where I’d waited for another hour.
“I can’t believe you were going to walk out of here.”
“It’s getting late. I have to find America before dark.”
The nurse smiled. She was a tiny little thing. I’d thought she was fresh out of nursing school until she opened her mouth. She reminded me a lot of America—tough, confident, and would accept zero percent of shit anyone might give her.
“I told you. I looked,” she said. “America is in the system, which means she’s been seen here. She’s probably out looking for you. Stay put. She’ll come back.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t make me feel better”—I looked down at her badge—“Brandi.”
She smirked. “No, but getting these wounds flushed will. Keep this clean and dry. You’ll have a small nip gone from your ear.”
“Fabulous,” I murmured.
“You’re the one who took shelter under an overpass. Don’t you know anything? That’s worse than standing in an open field. When a tornado goes over a bridge, it increases the wind velocity.”
“Did they teach you that in nursing school?” I asked.
“This is Tornado Alley. If you don’t know the rules already, you’ll be eager to learn after the first tornado season.”