CHAPTERSIX
“Hey, Sam. What brings you by?” Rev asked, walking out onto the front porch with two bottles of beer in his hand, the screen door slamming closed behind him.
Sam stepped up onto the porch and gladly accepted the cold beer Rev held out to him. “I don’t know if you heard, but the weatherman is sayin’ the hurry-cane out in the Gulf is takin’ a turn and coming right at us. Says it’s bad. Could be several days before the rain lets up. I’m just passing through, seein’ if anyone needs help buckling things up before the storm hits.” Sam paused to take a swig of his beer.
“Nah. I think I’m good. I just have a few things out back to put away.”
“Some of the folks have decided to take their family into the Quarter and stay with friends for the night until the storm passes. They’re worried about the narrows washing out and stranding them with no supplies. You good if that happens?” Sam asked.
“Yep. I’m good. I try to stay stocked up around here. Means fewer trips into town. Fewer run-ins with tourists this time of year.”
“I hear ya. It’s the nature of the beast around here. Everyone’s gotta come from everywhere to piss in the streets. I gotta say, I don’t mind the women flashin’, though.” Sam laughed at his own joke and finished his beer.
Rev shrugged. There was a time in the not-so-distant past he liked people-watching in the Quarter. Now? Not so much. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the concept of fun or partying. Hell, he was a guy. He loved it, but it wasn’t what he was into these days. He preferred the quiet of Bayou Rouge. He enjoyed the peacefulness of being away from the hum of the city. More than anything, he wanted to find someone who was fine going out for a night on the town or chilling out at home and making a homemade pizza and watching a movie.
“I better get my ass movin’. I have a few more people to check in on before more clouds roll in. Thanks for the refreshment.” Sam pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the bead of sweat above his brow. “My dad always used to say, the hotter it gets, the worse this storm is gonna be.”
“Your dad was a wise man. Take care, Sam. Let me know if you need anything. I’m not going anywhere. I’m set to ride it out here.”
“Will do. Take care.” Sam nodded and hopped in his battered old pickup truck.
* * *
Rev was just finishingup the dishes when the lights flickered. As he looked up, he saw a Jeep meandering past his house.
“What the hell?” Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the interior of the SUV. He saw a woman white-knuckling her steering wheel as she tried to navigate the flooding dirt road.
The warning Sam had given him about the strength of the storm and the fact that the road was already flooded made him seriously doubt the woman’s ability to safely navigate the narrows.
Armed with that knowledge, he dried his hands and threw on his boots, knowing she was going to need help. He jogged off the porch and across his yard, hoping to catch up with the woman, but she had apparently picked up speed.
“It would be faster and easier to catch up with her if you let me take control.”His tiger’s voice filled his mind.
“Approach her as a tiger. Are you kidding? She’d likely have a damn heart attack.”
“No shit, Sherlock. As soon as we get close enough, you take control and help her.”
“Showing up naked after shifting wouldn’t be much better. So, no.” Rev didn’t know why the animal had such a vested interest in helping the woman, but clearly, he did. They had stayed through every storm, every damn hurricane, without so much as batting an eyelash. For some reason, this storm felt different. It was almost as if it were a living, breathing thing, beating down on all those in its path.
The wind whipped past him as he took off at full speed, sprinting parallel to the road. After a few minutes of hard running, her taillights came into view. The narrows had indeed washed away. The Jeep was sunk up to its frame in the thick mud. The tires spun, splashing jets of murky water behind them. He could hear the woman’s heart racing as water rushed past the vehicle and over the hood.
Rev came as close as he could get without getting swept away by the current. “Hey!” he shouted at the driver.
She rolled down the window and shouted back at him. “I’m stuck! I can’t go forward or back, and I can’t open my door.”
Rev assessed the situation. There was no way she was coming out of any of the doors. The water was already halfway up the side. Even with his advanced strength, he didn’t know if he’d be able to hold the door open and keep the woman from being swept away. He noted the back end of the vehicle was higher than the front. “Can you climb to the back?” he shouted.
“Yes.” She put the Jeep in park and turned it off. The back hatch clicked and slowly began to open.
Rev watched as the woman carefully but quickly crawled over the seats to the back of the vehicle. She anchored her purse across her body.
“Can you catch this? It’s got my equipment in it. I can’t leave it,” she yelled.
“Yes. Toss it. I’ll catch it,” Rev shouted back, positioning himself so he wouldn’t drop the items.
She tossed the backpack to him. He caught it with no problem and flung it over both of his shoulders to secure it. The water continued to rise, splashing across the rear bumper of the Jeep.
“We really have to go before the water gets any higher,” he shouted.