Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
SAVVY
Grey was right.
As the hours went on, the storm became angrier, ruthless, and relentless. The longer the silence stretched between us, the more my fears took control, until I was once again sitting with my head between my legs, breathing into a paper bag that he handed me.
As much as he hates me, he also can’t suppress the good guy he attempts to shield under his pissed-off assholery facade.
“We can’t stay in here forever.” Ugh, that came out bitchy. This man pushes my buttons even when he isn’t trying.
We’ve been sitting in silence for close to an hour now, and I’m getting antsy.
He grunts but opens the door, pokes his head out, then exits our shelter. I scramble up to grab a flashlight and follow him.
Crickets chirp loudly, as if they’re in the house, and a few more steps reveal why. All the windows on one side of the house are shattered, glass shards littering every flat surface. Where the heck did these little critters ride out the storm?
“Don’t move.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he points to my bare feet, and I freeze.
He walks down the hall with careful steps, opens a closet door, and pulls out a pair of sneakers and tosses them to me.
“I think they belonged to Moose’s daughter, but they should work for now.”
Lowering them to the floor, I slip my feet into them, then trail Grey through the house.
The power’s out, but the moon is eerily bright and low in the sky, casting shadows everywhere I turn.
I gasp when he opens his front door. “Oh my God.”
Greyson is silent as he takes in the damage.
It’s a war zone. Trees are broken at odd angles and lie like dead wood, bobbing in at least five feet of water.
His SUV is on its side, bent around what looks like a telephone pole, but the most concerning thing is that his house is now an island surrounded by water, mud, and debris in every direction.
Defeat smacks into my chest as I stare at Grey. His shoulders slump, and his eyes shine brighter than normal in the moon’s reflection.
“Are you okay?” I ask quietly.
He doesn’t look at me, but I carefully cross the porch to scan the area where Moose’s workshop used to be. Now it’s just a sea of rubble.
“We’ve never had a storm like this, at least not in the time I’ve lived here,” I say.
“Moose will be devastated.” His tone is quiet, subdued. Before I can offer any words, he turns and stalks back inside.
With a parting glance at the swampy yard, I follow him. I only make it two steps inside before he turns to me.
“If the upstairs fared like the downstairs did, the primary bedroom should be clear of glass and debris. You might as well get some sleep. We’re not getting out of here any time soon.”
“What about you?” I may have shown up here not quite myself, but I’m not a damsel in distress most of the time. I can help…if he’ll let me.
“What about me?” he barks.
I’m proud of myself for not flinching. “I mean, what are you going to do? I can help.”
He studies me as if I’m dog shit he can’t remove from the bottom of his shoe.
“Go to bed, Sav. I’m going to find the satellite phone in the storm shelter and try to reach Braxton. Then I’ll make sure the rest of the house is safe.”
“I can do one of those things or at least start the process.”
“I’d really prefer you to just go the fuck to bed.”
“Right, go to bed so you don’t have to face me. Well, Grey, I hate to break it to you, but if me showing up here in the middle of a hurricane didn’t clue you in to the fact that I’m not going anywhere, I don’t know what will.
“We have shit to work out, yes, but a natural disaster just touched down in the only place I’ve ever been truly happy, so if you think I’m just going to go to sleep while you worry about my family and my town, you can seriously just fuck off.”
I stomp past him and head for his kitchen, where I know he has a bunch of notepads stored.
“Whatever,” he calls to my back. “Just don’t die on my property.”
I snort, and it turns into a full belly laugh. We’ve always had a precarious relationship, but I’ll be damned if I allow him to turn us into lifelong enemies now. He may think of me as his devil, but he’ll never be mine.
He storms off, and I get to work. Until the sun comes up, it’s probably safest to stay inside, so I start in the mudroom by his garage in the back, taking notes of damage and any strange scents.
Luckily, I don’t smell gas or anything toxic, but something in his fridge has most definitely gone bad—I’ll leave that investigation to him.
The windows on the north side of the house are all blown in, but other than a little wind damage, it doesn’t seem too bad. Using a broom, I sweep up broken glass the best I can, then drop towels from his laundry room on the places rain has entered without the glass to stop it.
All things considered, especially after getting a short glimpse of the outside, the inside of his home really isn’t that bad.
“She’s here,” I hear him say.
Scooping up some wet towels, I stand just as he enters the great room.
His intense stare freezes me in place, then his focus shifts to the wet towels in my arms.
The muscles in his bare chest pull taut as he strides into the room. He takes the towels from my arms, then hands me a phone that appears to be straight from the early ’90s—far too big to be new.
My brow is furrowed as he stalks away from me toward the laundry room.
“Hello?” I say, hitting the speakerphone button.
“Savvy? Oh, thank God. We didn’t know where you were.” Madison’s voice quivers, and I imagine her chin trembling as she attempts to hold it together. “It’s bad, Sav. Happiness has never seen a storm like this.”
“I know. What about Clover?” Guilt weighs me down, and I sink to my knees.
Clover isn’t strong like Madi and me. She carries demons stronger than anything I could ever imagine.
“She’s fine. Chief was doing his patrol.
He saw your car on the side of the road near Grey’s place but couldn’t get up the driveway, so he went to your house to check on you.
He found Clover and then stayed with her because the storm hit so fast. It sounds like there’s some damage to your side of the duplex, but she and Chief are okay.
Brax said it’s not safe to do inventory yet, but as soon as the sun comes up, we’ll start gathering the troops and checking on everyone. ”
“It’s going to be a few days before anyone can get to us,” Grey says from the doorway.
He avoids eye contact, but I hold the phone out, and he repeats himself.
“From what I can tell, the hurricane ran in a circle around my property. No one is getting in, and we’re not getting out until the water recedes and we get some chainsaws up here. ”
Without looking at me, he leans down, places his hands under my armpits, and hauls me to my feet as if I’m a rag doll.
“At least you’re together.” Madi has always been a glass-half-full kind of friend.
“Has anyone heard from Moose?” Grey asks as though he didn’t just manhandle me to my feet.
“Yes, I was able to get to Cian and Elle’s house. Moose is there with them,” Braxton says.
“And they’re okay?” I ask.
“Everyone seems to be good. We’ll know more in the morning. Grey, you said something about water?”
“Yeah.” He sighs and steps closer to the phone I’m still holding.
We’re shoulder to shoulder now, but the icy vibes ricochet off him.
“The levy at the dam must have broken. The house is raised just enough that it didn’t flood.
I’ve got maybe twenty feet of grass before it hits water, and judging by where it hits the tree line, it’s probably six to ten feet high. ”
“Holy shit.” Braxton sounds as though he’s pacing. “You have supplies, right? Moose said he left the house in good shape for you.”
Grey looks down at me, and I swallow hard. Why must I stare at this man all the time?
“Yes,” he says, never breaking eye contact. “He was taking care of the place while I was in California. We’re fine for at least a week.”
“A week?” Madi and I squeak in unison.
“I didn’t say we would be here for a week, I said we could be here for a week and be fine.” Grey’s eyes cloud over as he glares at me.
“Let’s touch base in the morning then, yeah?” Braxton sounds as tired as I feel. “Just…”
“What, Brax?” At least I’m not the only one Greyson barks at.
“Don’t kill each other before we can get to you.”
A muscle in Grey’s jaw jumps, and I decide to push him—just a little.
“Oh, Brax,” I singsong. “Don’t worry about us. We’re reconnecting just fine. We’ll be BFFs before long.”
Grey’s growl echoes in the large room.
“Right.” Braxton laughs. “Like I said, don’t kill each other. And get some sleep. I have a feeling the next few days are going to be hell.”
“Agreed. Hell is exactly where I’ve landed.” Grey takes the phone from my hand. “Tell Sage I love him, and I’ll be in touch soon.”
He disconnects the call before Braxton can reply.
“Reconnecting?” He squares off to face me, his shoulders tense around his ears. “To be very clear, Savannah. We’re stuck together because even Mother Nature is a crazy bitch sometimes. I don’t forgive you. I won’t forgive you. We will never be friends.”
God, why is he such a little baby?
“Screw you, Grey. If I’d known you were such a little bitch, I never would have slept with you in the first place.” He pulls back, eyes wide and twitchy. It feels like a small victory for me.
“I’m the little bitch?” His tone is a low, dangerous warning I don’t heed. The heat from his anger soaks into my borrowed clothing that hangs off me like a wet towel.