15. Nash
Nash
The storm hits while I'm still at the station.
Dispatch radios crackle nonstop with emergency chatter. Half the county's already flooding and it's not even noon yet. Another transformer blew on the south end of town twenty minutes ago, and one of the deputies just reported trees down near the highway.
Wonderful.
I stare out the office window toward the darkening sky while thunder rolls overhead. Nelly's still out there somewhere, no doubt. Fighting the wind and the battering rain to do something with that house.
The realization settles ugly in my chest.
"Sheriff?" Deputy Miller asks from the doorway. "You heading out?"
I just nod while still staring out the window. "Yeah."
"You think it's gonna get bad?"
"Already is. Get home safe. Keep your home radio close just in case."
"Yes, sir."
I grab my keys off the desk and head for the bullpen. Phones ring off the hook while my deputies shuffle around, gathering paperwork and radios to take home with them. The storm warning murmurs from the mounted television overhead.
"Everybody listen up," I call over the noise.
The room stills and all eyes turn toward me.
"I'm shutting the office down until further notice. Emergencies route through home radios only, so keep them charged and nearby. If conditions worsen, nobody drives unless absolutely necessary. If you're needed, you'll be radioed by badge number. Understood?"
A chorus of agreement answers me.
I don't wait around after that.
The second I step outside, wind nearly tears the door out of my hand. Rain needles across my face while I jog toward my cruiser, and the only thing on my mind is her.
Nelly.
I grip the steering wheel tighter as I pull out onto the road.
The streets are already flooding at the sides, rushing water into our storm and sewer drains.
It gurgles along gutters in angry currents while the branches of our old oak tree thrash about.
My visibility drops every few seconds when the heavier sheets of rain slam against the windshield.
I wonder if Nelly has stocked up on things she needs for the next few days.
Probably not.
The thought forces me to pull off onto a side road so I can turn around. I head straight for the grocery store and heave a sigh of relief when I find it still open.
I could use a bit more food in the apartment, anyway.
The automatic doors slide open and cold air blasts across my soaked uniform. It skitters shivers through my body as people swarm the aisles to grab bottled water and batteries like the apocalypse is knocking.
And honestly?
Might not be far off.
I grab a cart and move up and down the aisles.
The bottled water is gone, but there are a few gallon jugs left, so I grab a couple.
The canned vegetables have been cleaned out, but there's still plenty of soup.
My favorite protein bar is still on the shelf.
It doesn't take me long to find that most of the batteries are sold out.
Good thing I've got my little stash at home.
I walk down the small aisle dedicated to kids, where little toys and stuffed animals live.
There are a few blankets still on the shelves, and for a moment, I wonder if Nelly might like one.
I reach for a stuffed bear and squeeze it in my hands.
No sharp spots to irritate an Omega. I rub it along my cheek. It's not the softest, but it's close.
I toss it into the cart and grab a couple of fuzzy blankets as well.
Maybe she'll like those.
I stop by the snack aisle because that's all I see Nelly eat, and I find her favorite granola bars. She likes the extra peanut butter ones, but apparently, no one else in The Grove does.
I grab six boxes and toss them into the cart.
Jerky. Chips. Sodas. Cereal. The full gallons of milk are gone, so I grab a couple of half gallons. By the time I get to the register, I've got a cart almost filled to the brim with things for the apartment.
I don't even know if I've got places to stash all of this.
My jaw tightens. This is ridiculous. I don't need all this shit for a storm system that won't stick around more than a few days.
Lightning flashes, thunder booms, and the grocery lights flicker.
"If you're gonna check out, do it now," the cashier says.
I pile everything onto the conveyor belt.
The drive back home is even worse. I almost can't see through the rain.
Wind shoves my cruiser sideways twice before I can make it back across town.
Tree limbs litter the roads. Sirens wail somewhere in the distance.
My radio crackles beside me, and I listen to the emergency dispatchers as I pull into the complex's parking lot.
Now, I just have to get all this shit up to my apartment.
I slide the endless number of grocery bags up my arms, my shoulders straining under the bulk while thunder shakes the building. Lights flicker again as I get into the elevator, and it makes me pause.
Nah.
I'll stay safe and take the stairs.
Hauling all of those groceries up the stairs with bags dangling from both arms takes me from shivering to sweating in minutes. Getting into my apartment feels like a relief. I'm shaking by the time I make it into the kitchen and plunk the plastic bags onto the counter.
It's only then I realize my apartment is dark and silent.
"Nelly?" I call out.
I get nothing in return and my stomach drops.
"Nelly!" I exclaim as I rush toward her room.
I knock on the door, but when silence greets me again, I ease it open.
Darkness. I look behind me at the bathroom she uses, and there's nothing but more darkness.
I race into my bedroom and stare out the window, looking toward the house next door.
But the rain is coming down so hard that I can't see much.
My pulse kicks harder against my ribs.
I grab my keys again and step back into the hallway before my nostrils flare. Her scent lingers faintly in the building, but so does another. Ink and smoke.
Levi.
My jaw stiffens instantly.
I follow the scent trail upstairs and find myself stopping in front of Levi's apartment. Her scent is stronger here, and relief shoots through my veins.
At least she's not out in this mess being stubborn.
I draw in a deep breath to calm myself as I knock on the door.
"Coming!" Levi shouts.
"Levi! It's me. Is Nelly in there with you?"
When the door swings open, Levi stands there completely shirtless. It takes me a second to register anything other than that before the smell of sawdust and vanilla pours out around him.
"Hey there, Sheriff," Levi says as he leans against his doorframe and crosses his arms. "You're soaked."
I look down at myself and, well, I guess he's right. I look back up at him to respond, but when my attention slides over his shoulder, I see Nelly.
Curled sideways on Levi's couch.
Wearing one of his shirts that practically swallows her whole.
She laughs at something on the television, and I clock Levi moving, inching into my line of sight.
"You good, Sheriff?" he asks.
My attention snaps to him. "My apartment was empty. I thought maybe Nelly was still out in this shit."
Levi grins. "She was until about an hour ago. I got her inside."
"I'm sure that was a task."
He shrugs. "Nothing a good toss over the shoulder couldn't fix."
I… have no idea how to feel about that.
Levi manhandled Nelly?
And she didn't freak the fuck out?
"Hey! Nash!" Nelly calls out. "You survived. I wasn't sure when you were going to be home."
Levi moves out of my way so I can see her in all her glory.
"Got some supplies for us downstairs," I say. "Grabbed some of your favorite snacks."
"Awww," Levi says with a smile.
But when Nelly smiles, it's like the sun ignites in my chest. "You didn't have to do that, but thank you."
I thumb over my shoulder. "Got you a couple of blankets and a stuffed animal, too."
She blinks. "You did?"
I nod. "In case you're still struggling to nest. I know some Omegas don't like storms."
She stares at me for half a second longer than necessary. "Oh. Well. Thank you."
Levi moves to one of his windows. "Storm's getting nasty."
"No kidding," I say.
I keep my eyes trained on Nelly. Levi's place smells like the two of them, and while it tugs at my instincts, it's not in a bad way. Nelly's safe, and that's all that matters.
I clear my throat and look down when she stands from the couch. "Honestly? I'm sure the storm won't last more than a couple—"
A violent gust of wind slams against the building hard enough for the windows to rattle. The lights flicker above our heads once. Twice. Three times, and Nelly's face changes.
I want to go to her and wrap her up.
Keep her away from this storm until it passes.
Soothe her instincts until she can nest properly and find some sort of comfort for herself.
"Oh, no," she murmurs as she rushes toward me.
My arms are ready to receive her… until Levi's hand catches her wrist. "Nelly, no."
She whips around on him. "But the house—"
"Is still standing," he says.
"You don't know that, Levi."
"I do," I say as I step into Levi's apartment and shut the door behind me. "I just drove past it. Everything is soaked, but the tarp is holding just fine and nothing's flooding yet."
Nelly searches my gaze. "Really?"
I nod. "Really."
But her shoulders tense anyway.
I know what she's thinking. She's wondering if the grading is holding. She's wondering if the porch has been washed away. She's wondering about the runoff with the gutters and whether she anchored them back into place well enough.
"Hey," I say softly as I walk toward her.
Those lovely eyes of hers focus on me. "Yeah?"
I don't know what possesses me to do it, but I reach up and cup her cheeks. "You'll be okay, and so will the house."
She sighs heavily. "It feels like this project is cursed."
"Just bad timing with the weather. You'll figure it out with Ford and Knox. You always do. This isn't the first home you've flipped, and it won't be the last."
Another knock raps softly against Levi's door, interrupting whatever she was going to say. Three soft taps in quick succession.
"Jesus, how many people we collecting today?" he asks as he moves to answer it.
And when he yanks it open, there stands Beau.
Drenched head to toe, with his own set of grocery bags hanging from his forearms.
"Storm came early, huh?" he asks.