Rainbow (Ruthless Kings MC Baton Rouge #1) - K.L. Savage Page 0,4
rapidly against my forearm as his innocent eyes round at me in fear.
“Stay here, do you understand me?” I repeat.
He nods, and I notice the sides of his head are damp with sweat.
I hear a loud crack like a gunshot—no, not a gunshot. The wood is breaking. As I look around, all I can see are the embers licking trunks of the trees as hell breathes its heat onto them. Another groan sounds, and I turn my head over my shoulder to see a tall tree falling over the road, cutting through the smoke and ash.
And it’s coming right at us.
“Get down, Greer!” I cover him with my body as the tree slams onto the bed of the truck. The front wheels lift off the ground, and Greer screams into my ear, ending in a sob. The truck bobs and dips from the pressure, but the tires never touch the ground again.
I lift up and stare out the back window to see the camping supplies catching on fire. I grip Greer’s neck, then hold his face. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Are we going to die? Are Mom and Dad going to die?”
“No one is dying. Okay? We have to get out of this truck. We have to go check on Mom and Dad.”
The truck bobs again, and Greer shouts and digs his blunt nails into my arm. “Okay. Alright. I just want to get out of here.”
“You and me both.” I pat his cheek and look out the front windshield to see Dad, but I can’t see through the smoke. “Okay, you ready?” I ask as I reach for the door handle. I hiss when the heat strikes my fingers. “It’s hot. Be quick.” I open the door, and the smoke from the fire billows in, fogging the cab.
The smoke dries my throat, the ash brushes against my skin, and the heat stings my eyes. Shrugging off my zip-up hoodie and placing it in front of my face, I run around the truck just as my brother jumps to the ground. I remove the hoodie from my face and press it against his. “Do not remove this, you hear me?”
“What about you?” he asks, removing the damn thing from his mouth to talk to me.
I don’t care about myself, but I gather the front of my shirt and put it over my mouth. Above us is another terrifying creak; without looking, I press Greer closer to the truck and take the pain of the heat. I glance around and stare at a tree across the road that has flames traveling up the body to the very tip. It sways. The wind growls again and gives me a moment of clarity to see the SUV smashed against the tree. Dad’s head is pressed against the steering wheel, and he begins to move at the same time the tree does.
“Dad! Get out of the car!” I try a fruitless attempt to yell. But I know he can’t hear me. So, I turn around and grab Greer. “You stay right here. Okay? Don’t fucking move from this spot.”
“Okay. Nathan, be careful.”
I run to the SUV, and the tree snaps. I slide to a stop and watch it fall. Sparks fly from the branches, reminding me of fireflies swirling out on a summer’s night.
It’s oddly comforting for a moment. But, oddly beautiful, in a split second, I’m not thinking of absolute destruction.
“Nathan!” Greer screams as the tree falls, and I run backward, slipping on the dirt.
I trip, and my ass hits the ground first. The dirt is hot under my hands, and I scurry away as quick as I can, coughing from the smoke. I watch in horror as the tree crushes the SUV my parents are in. The smoke and ash circle back around as the wind tornadoes around us, blocking the view of the metal crunching and scraping against the tree.
“No,” I gasp with tears in my eyes. “No! Dad! Mom!” I scream for them and get to my feet.
“Nathan,” my brother sobs.
Fuck, I don’t know what to do. Who do I go to?
I run back to Greer, inhaling scorching hot smoke. I place my shirt in front of my face and squeeze my eyes shut. They’re dry, yet tears are falling from them. My heart is breaking, and my hope is beginning to run out. “I’m going to go get them. Stay right here, do you understand me? Right here.”