Storm Season (11 page)

“Hold on. And tell me when they’re out of sight,” Jasper said, sparing a quick glance to be sure Tobias wouldn’t be flung around the cab as they took the sharp turns. He lightly hit the brakes, slowing the truck as he approached the curve, watching the road carefully for the turn off, and hoping they wouldn’t get to it before they momentarily lost sight of the van.

The big curve they were currently rounding straightened up ahead, only to turn back in the opposite direction a few hundred feet down the road, forming a giant “S.” Just before the second turn, there was a gap in the trees, and what looked to be a dirt road heading through it. It was perfect, if they timed it right.

Now!

The word jolted into Jasper’s head with an intensity he’d never felt before and he hit the gas without conscious thought. The truck engine roared. Jasper tightened his hands on the wheel, fighting to hold it to the road. The truck careened around the curve, barely keeping all four wheels on the ground, and covered the distance between the curve and the turn-off in just a few seconds. Jasper didn’t look in the mirror as he turned the wheel, taking the turn at a speed far too dangerous for the angle of the curve and the dirt road they now found themselves on. He didn’t want to know if the van had caught up, if the men in it had seen them turning off the main road. If he didn’t know, he could pretend it had worked the way he’d planned.

He kept the pedal pushed all the way to the floor and the truck sped down the dirt path, only easing up when the bouncing from the uneven road threatened to tear the truck apart. It was only then that he dared ask. “Did we lose them?”

Tobias twisted around, peered out the back for a long moment.
I think so.
He turned back around and settled next to Jasper with their shoulders pressed together.
I can’t see them. Or the road.

Jasper eased off the gas a little more, slowing the truck to a speed more appropriate for the rough dirt path. It was barely wide enough for the truck, with branches occasionally scraping both windows, and the ground cracked behind them, the dry top layer of dirt giving way under the weight of the truck to the water-saturated mud underneath. If anyone thought to look, it would be obvious that they had passed that way.

He drove on in silence, focusing on the road so he could ignore the way Tobias’s shoulder was pressed against his, the way Tobias’s hand kept bumping against his thigh with every jolt of the truck. It was only so they could talk, nothing more.

A
LARGE
drop of rain hit the windshield, and then another. Jasper cursed and leaned forward, peering through the slanted glass and tree limbs at the rapidly gathering clouds above. He could feel Tobias’s panic rising, and his own wasn’t far behind―they were still more than a mile from Durrysville if he was reading the odometer and map correctly, and at least half of that was on the dirt path, which would be impassible once the rain truly started.

Tobias scooted closer, pressing his shoulder tightly against Jasper’s, and twisted his fingers together in his lap.
Hurry, please.
The words were soft, barely a whisper in Jasper’s mind, but the desperation behind them was clear.

“I’m trying.” Jasper gently pushed forward on the gas pedal, easing the truck to a higher speed. The road ahead looked clear, but the dirt hid obstacles more easily than pavement, and the sparsely falling rain was increasing the danger.

They were in sight of the paved road that would take them into town when the rain started falling in earnest; a sudden torrent of large drops drenched the windshield and blinded Jasper. The truck skidded forward as he hit the brakes, slipping in the new mud, and he fumbled desperately for the wipers as he struggled to keep the vehicle straight.

The back end slid as they crept forward, barely staying on the path. Jasper’s eyes were riveted on the road ahead, but he could feel Tobias next to him, frozen in his seat, more still than Jasper had seen him since they’d met. Jasper wanted to offer comfort, to pat a knee or squeeze a hand, but he couldn’t release the steering wheel, even for a second.

Lightning flashed in the sky as Jasper carefully navigated the turn onto the paved road. The lightning was still distant, close enough to be seen, but far enough away that there was a pause before the thunder rumbled lightly. The drops hitting the windshield were large and coming fast, but they were still water, not ice.

As soon as the truck had fully turned, Jasper hit the gas hard, shooting the truck forward over the rain-slicked pavement. A spray of water arced in their wake as the truck hit puddle after puddle, but this close to town the road was smooth, and he could again give into the urgency that had been driving him all day.

Durrysville was boarded up, shut tight against the evening’s storms, but Jasper had been there once before, not long after he’d moved inland, and was able to find the local inn even in the dark and rain. It didn’t take long to secure a room―the owner did not want to be out in the storm any more than Jasper did, and there was no question of turning someone away once the storms had started―and they were able to slip inside, bags in hand, before the wind picked up and the true lashing rain began.

The room was warm and secure, with thick walls and no windows, and for once, Jasper found the enclosure comforting. He sighed, slipped off his shoes, and collapsed onto one of the twin beds, vaguely noting Tobias doing the same on the other. He could barely keep his eyes open.

A warm hand stretched across the gap, brushing against Jasper’s arm.
Good night.

“Night,” he mumbled in return, as he rolled closer to the warmth of Tobias’s hand and let sleep claim him.

D
ESPITE
the excitement, Jasper didn’t sleep well, tossing and turning fitfully through the night and waking several times to rumbling thunder and pounding rain and sleet. The last time he woke, the air was quiet, heavy with moisture that stuck in his throat even in the secure walls of the rented room. Sleep was elusive, his muscles itching to move as he rolled and stretched beneath the sheets.

When Jasper gave in to the inevitable and opened his eyes, Tobias was still asleep, sprawled out across the other bed, the covers tangled around his legs and one arm hanging into the gap between the beds. Jasper rolled onto his side to watch the other man sleep; he wondered at the twisting in his stomach as his eyes followed the tanned arm up to the slender figure resting on the bed.

The feeling deep in his gut grew as his eyes slid over the figure to the mess of sheets and blanket. The distance between them stretched, the three foot gap seeming wider than it really was. Somehow, over the past few weeks, without Jasper realizing it, sharing a bed with Tobias had evolved from an act of necessity into a luxury.

Smiling softly, he crossed the distance between them and gently untangled the sheet from around Tobias’s legs, arranging it over his shoulders. There was no reason for them both to be up this early; Jasper planned to grab some fresh food as well as a few additional things he’d thought of in route from Brightam’s Ford. He needed to send a message to Darius and Carla as well, in the hopes that they’d know more about the men now that they had a name to associate with them.

As Jasper picked up Tobias’s hand to tuck it back in the bed, the younger man stirred, rolled slightly, and tugged Jasper toward him. One brown eye opened and peered out from under a mop of tangled curls.
Is it time to get up already?
The urgency from the previous day was missing from the sleep-muddled words.

“I was going to send a message to Darius, do some shopping. You can sleep if you want.” Jasper sat down on the edge of the bed, smiled down into Tobias’s sleepy eyes. “It will take two days to get to the next town, so we can leave a little later if we want.”

Two days?
Tobias’s eyes widened as his hand tightened around Jasper’s.

Jasper could feel the way Tobias’s clenched fingers quivered and didn’t need to be told what was causing his sudden panic. “There’s a spot about halfway that will work for a night, but nothing was ever built there,” he soothed, smiling and squeezing a sheet-covered shoulder. “We’ll be safe from the storms there.”

Are you sure?
Tobias clenched his fingers tighter.
If it’s safe, why didn’t they build? Why isn’t there a town or something there?

“The area isn’t suitable.” Jasper shifted, turning to look straight into Tobias’s worried eyes. “There’s a large cave, it’s supposed to be fitted with a wall, or something, to keep the weather out.”

It’s just a cave? There’s no way we can make the next town? No other place to shelter?

“It’s too far. The land between here and Folsom’s Hollow isn’t suitable for building. The cave is safe enough. We won’t be the first to shelter there. We’ll be safe, I promise.”

Tobias stared back for a long moment, nodded.
Good.
His eyes slipped shut as his body relaxed again, his fingers loosening on Jasper’s hand.
Don’t want to get caught in a storm again. I don’t like them.

“No one does.” Though Tobias had more experience with them than most, and was able to say so with far more authority than Jasper.

Yeah, well….
Tobias grinned, his eyes opening just enough to sparkle mischievously at Jasper before he rolled over and pulled Jasper fully onto the small bed.

Jasper yelped, too surprised to protest more, and blinked when Tobias let his eyes drift fully shut again. “Tobias?” He did
not
need to spend the morning lying next to Tobias, not when there were things to be done.

What?
came the all too innocent sounding response, the sleepiness in it belied by the strength with which Tobias clutched Jasper’s hand.
You have to still be tired.

Jasper wanted to protest that he wasn’t still recovering from injuries, that he didn’t need much sleep, that there were things he needed to do before they could leave, any number of excuses he could come up with, but his limbs were heavy, the bed soft, and Tobias’s body warm next to him. A few minutes couldn’t hurt. He would lay there, rest a bit, let Tobias fall back asleep, and then go do what needed to be done.

He wasn’t giving in, just humoring his… companion. Friend. Whatever he was.

T
HE
post office had drastically cut down their hours due to the storms, but they sold envelopes and stamps and were still making deliveries as far as Brightam’s Ford, which was all Jasper really needed. The inn had provided a pen and paper enough for him to scribble a note to Darius, telling him of their encounter on the road and what they’d seen on the truck.

He didn’t start the note until he got to the post office, afraid that if he did, they’d have already cut the route back to Brightam’s Ford. When the clerk cheerfully informed him that they were still delivering―though she would make no promises about for how much longer―he had started scratching away at the hotel stationery.

He was almost done when a commotion arose across the street at the store where Tobias had gone to browse. Jasper scrawled the last line and signed quickly, stuffing the paper into the envelope and tossing it to the clerk with a shout of thanks as he ran out the door.

Just as Jasper reached the street, Tobias stumbled out of the shop, shoved by a pair of hands and followed by angry shouts. He staggered a few steps, almost falling before he regained his balance and limped to Jasper.

“What happened?” The mob pouring out of the shop did not look happy, and people from neighboring businesses, including the post office Jasper had just left, were joining them, scowling and casting threatening looks toward Tobias even before the low murmur that circled the crowd told the newcomers what had transpired inside the store.

I, uh,
Tobias looked around with wide eyes, pressed himself closer to Jasper’s side.
I sent to one of them. The woman in the purple.
He glanced over at a woman in the center of the crowd with a bright purple dress and a canvas bag over her arm.

“Tobias….” Jasper kept his voice soft and out of the ears of the nearest bystanders.

It was an accident!
Tobias pressed close to Jasper. The crowd grumbled in agitation, with several people stepping closer, steely gazes directed at Tobias.

“How?” Jasper turned shocked eyes toward Tobias. “Can’t you control it?” If Tobias was losing control….

Yes! I just….
He scanned the crowd, pulling Jasper with him as he backed away from the main group.
She bumped into me and I just told her to go ahead. I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t want to send anything to anyone; just to look and pick something out, I swear! I didn’t even realize that she would hear me until I’d already sent it, and then it was too late and she was all mad and screaming about devils and spirits and—

The stream cut off as strong hands yanked Jasper backward. People surged around him and cut off his view of Tobias. “Wait! Stop!” He struggled to get free, twisting his shoulders, but the tight grip on his forearms didn’t loosen as he was dragged backward through the crowd.