“The bottom rocker is our club’s location. We’re the Benton chapter, and we have chapters all over the south,” he explained. “On the front, over my heart, is my name, my club title, and the city again.”
I knew he was explaining this to me to get my mind off the fact that the roof was shaking over our heads, literally.
“I can’t believe Dallas hasn’t at least come to check on me,” I muttered darkly.
He tangled his hands in my hair, and I looked up at him…or where I thought he was.
“Your brother is a shit head. And I don’t think he even realizes that he is. Because if he did, he wouldn’t be telling your parents anything about how you were doing. My guess is that he really is worried, but he doesn’t know how to handle it. So, he closes himself off, telling himself that by telling your mother how he thinks you’re doing, he’s helping. Which, in reality, he’s not,” Silas said. “Maybe it’s time you had a talk with him. Let him know you don’t appreciate being tattled on like a child.”
I wholeheartedly agreed, and I’d already planned on doing just that.
“I was going to do that today, but then he had that huge freakin’ party,” I said, annoyance unmistakable in my tone. “I had to park on the street.”
He lowered his mouth down to mine.
“Well, then it’s a good thing he’s preoccupied, because I could really fuck you right about now, on top of his car, and he’d never even know,” he said tightly, lifting my body off the bench and laying me down on the car’s hood.
I laughed. “You know,” I said as he stripped my shorts from me, “this car is my brother’s pride and joy.”
“Well your brother’s pride and joy is about to become our fuck stand,” he muttered, and then he was on me.
Chapter 11
If a man says he will fix it…he will. There’s no need to remind him every six months.
- Coffee Cup
Sawyer
Despite the way Silas was able to keep my mind off the storm that raged on outside, our town, as well as the surrounding towns, was hit hard.
Really hard.
I drove to work in my now very dented car, and I pulled into Dr. Zack’s office lot to see a flurry of activity.
I parked in the back of the lot where the employees had been told to park, and walked into the office, straight into total pandemonium.
“What’s going on?” I asked Joanie.
Joanie, who was standing at the front door, her back holding it open, lifted her head to me and visibly wilted.
“We’re swamped. Zack asked me to send you straight to the back, but you’ll have to walk around the building. There are so many people and dogs here right now that you won’t be able to make it through.”
Giving the crowd one last look, I hefted my bag on my shoulder once more and started to walk through the damp grass around the building.
The building itself was just plain brick. There were only three windows in the entire place, which meant Zack’s office didn’t get hit as hard as he probably could have.
The road to work today had been perilous.
Two of the roads had still been under water.
One had been inaccessible due to a downed power line and there had been so much debris scattered about that I’m sure I looked like a crazy person with all the swerving I had to do to get around the stuff.
I wasn’t risking running it over, though.
That would’ve been just what I needed, to run something over, getting stuck on it or getting a flat and not making it to work on time.
“Sawyer!” Zack called. “Hurry!”
I picked up my pace, moving back through the lot toward Zack, who was in his truck.
“Hey!” I said, stopping at his open window, “what’s going on?”
He shook his head as he ran a hand over his weathered and tired face.
“The tornado that hit Dixie was bad. I’m headed there now to see what assistance I can offer.” He pointed toward the front. “I’ve already got people bringing in animals that they’ve found. I’ve called in my old partner, Bane. He’s going to handle the practice and help anyone who comes in today. You wanna go with me?”
He looked so hopeful that I really couldn’t tell him no.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, circling around the front of the truck.
I smiled when I saw Zack’s Labrador Retriever, Belly, in the front seat.
“Hey there, big girl,” I cooed as I scooted her over and sat next to her.
“You’re going to put her back into action?” I asked hopefully.
He nodded.
Belly was a retired police dog.
Her specialty was finding things, like one would use a Blood Hound.
Belly had been hurt two years ago during another storm similar to this one, and she’d been temporarily retired while she got back into fighting shape.
Even now she walked with a slight limp, one she sustained when the house she’d been searching caved in around her.
“If you’re game, I’d like you to take Belly. I already know I’m going to be busy with a lot of triaging,” Zack said as he pulled out of the parking lot, giving a wave in Joanie’s direction.