Rainbow (Ruthless Kings MC Baton Rouge #1) - K.L. Savage Page 0,3

the lump in my throat.

“That’s not good, right? That’s bad? That has to be really bad.”

“It isn’t great, Greer.” I tighten my hands on the wheel and continue to follow Dad.

Greer tries the radio again, but static is the only thing that comes through, along with a few jumbled words I can’t quite make out.

“Damn, it’s hot,” Greer mutters, taking off his baseball cap and running his fingers through his thick hair. He wipes his forehead with his arm, and I double-check to make sure it’s the air conditioning that’s on, not the heat.

The air is on full blast.

And it’s getting hotter.

“We have to turn around,” I whisper in fear. My voice shaking from the truth.

That’s the bitch about the truth, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s so strong and makes you terrified that it leaves your voice weak and trembling. But no matter how unstable it makes you, the truth should be shouted.

Even if it’s just above a whisper.

I honk the horn just as a large gust of wind howls, rocking the truck from side to side.

“Nathan?” Greer grips the side of the door and his knuckles turn white. His eyes are round with fear as he looks around. “I can’t see anything. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” The wind takes the opportunity to howl again, like a wolf echoing in the darkness. The sound sends a sliver of terror down my spine.

I turn on the lights, but I gasp when I see thick ash all around us like snow. I can’t see a thing. The lights are actually making it worse. I flip them off and try to keep an eye on Dad’s taillights.

It’s my turn to wipe the sweat off my brows. My shirt is starting to stick to my skin, and I can’t tell if it’s hot or my nerves getting the best of me. “Call Dad,” I tell Greer. “Now!”

“Okay, alright. I’m calling.” He presses the phone against his ear and his cheeks pink as his Adam’s apple bobs. “There’s no service.”

“What do you mean?”

“It isn’t ringing. It’s just… it’s just an odd dialup sound that says, ‘I’m sorry, your call cannot be completed.’ What’s that mean, Nathan? What’s it mean?” he shouts at me as he begins to panic. His eyes dart around the truck, and a mustache of sweat forms above his top lip.

“Hey, don’t make me slap you. We have to stay calm and focused, okay? Panicking won’t do us any good. Understand?”

He nods sporadically and the shaggy ends of his hair bob over his forehead.

“It’s going to be fine.” No sooner do the words leave my mouth when a massive explosion of fire ignites from the tree line.

The heat from the blast is suffocating. I can’t breathe. Dad swerves to the right to miss the tendrils of the flames reaching for him. He skids to a stop and fishtails, the passenger side of the car slamming against a tree.

“Mom!” Greer shouts, clawing at the dashboard.

Another wave of fire whistles from between the branches, and soon the treetops are burning. The heat is becoming too much to bear.

“Mandatory…” static, “evacuation…wind—” the radio cuts out again “—changed direction. The fire has merged with another wildfire and has started to engulf Yosemite Natio—.” The radio collapses back into white noise, adding to the suspense of the blaze flickering around us.

“I thought it was too far away. How did the fire get here?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about fires. It said it merged with another one. I didn’t know there was another one!” I knew it. I fucking knew we shouldn’t have come out here.

I wipe my face again, soaking my hand with sweat as I swerve right and park on the side of the road away from the flames. “Stay in the truck, Greer.”

“You can’t be serious? I can’t let you go out there alone.” He reaches for the door handle, and I slam my arm against his chest, so he’s pinned against the seat.

The glow of the flames reflects off the window as they inch closer to the road. “You can’t get out of this truck; do you understand me?” I have to raise my voice because the wildfire is loud. So much louder than I ever would have imagined.

The whoosh and roar of the fire snap at us like a whip. The fiery arms reach across the road, threatening to engulf us in their deadly embrace. I hold my brother against the seat even harder. The wild thump of his heart beats