Recovery by Nicole Dykes (top 5 books to read .txt) 📕

He smiles. “I’m sure they’re lovely.” I laugh again as he walks to the stove, eyeing my bowl of cereal. “You guys want a real breakfast?”

Jase slowly slides his hand out of my shirt. “They’re fucking fantastic, and yes.”

Tommy laughs, winking at me as he grabs a frying pan. “You guys hear the forecast? Severe weather.”

“Fuck,” Jase grumbles as I finish my cereal that Tommy clearly disapproves of.

“Is it always storming here?”

Jase and Tommy give me a simultaneous, “Yes.”

Jase’s strong arm wraps around my waist. “So what are we going to do today?”

Tommy seems intrigued. “You guys have the late shifts?” We both nod as he cracks some eggs. “Fuckers. I’m already late to work.”

I laugh because he’s still here making breakfast. I suppose this is Logan and Quinn’s fault for hiring friends.

I turn to Jase. “I wouldn’t mind being shown around town.”

He looks surprised by that. I haven’t wanted to go out since I moved here, always saying how much I hate the big city. It’s still true. I still want to live in a small, safe town, but one thing has changed.

Jase.

I don’t want to leave him.

“Jesus, is that hail?” Mya asks, and I nod just as I’m pelted in the face with icy rain.

“Yup, come on.” We just got back from exploring Nashville and are climbing out of my car. It seems we’re just in time because the pouring rain has turned into hail.

When she said she wanted me to show her around today, I thought for sure she was fucking with me. She hates it here. She wants out, but I took it and ran.

We went to the Musicians Hall of Fame because I was pretty sure she didn’t want to go to the Grand Ole Opry. And lord knows, I didn’t want to either. But the Hall of Fame was badass. Then I took her downtown and out to a nice dinner.

It was in the back of my mind that if maybe, just maybe, I could make the city bearable to her, she might stay.

God, I want her to stay.

Of course, the fucking weather isn’t working with me.

The sky lights up, and then there’s a loud crack of thunder. “Fuck, that’s close.” I usher her inside, and we head up to our place. I flick on the lights, and Mya moves to the large window, looking out.

I move behind her. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to stay away from windows during a storm?”

She sighs and leans back into my body. “I’ve never been able to avoid the storm before.”

I know she’s speaking metaphorically now. “Still thinking about that KC call?”

She nods her head, still staring out the window. “I was never afraid of storms. Never. We had them. Some were pretty damn severe, but I wasn’t afraid. We had to stay away from the windows to avoid bullets. Could never go outside when it was dark. Could never walk alone at night. So many rules where I grew up.”

It’s amazing the things she’s endured. My mother warned me about glass breaking during a storm. Mya was afraid someone would shoot her in the place she should have felt the safest. “No wonder you hate the city.”

“This is pretty nice, though.” She turns around, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I wasn’t afraid today.”

I smile, letting pride surge through me. “I’ll never let anything hurt you.”

“Some things are impossible to stop.”

There’s another flash of lightning and a loud crack, killing the lights and leaving us in darkness. She flinches from the loud sound.

“Fuck, power’s out.”

She nods against me, and I think she’s about to kiss me, but then the hail picks up, hitting the window with a fierce attack. Then I hear the sirens.

Fuck.

“Tornado.”

“What?” Now, she sounds frightened.

I take her hand. “Come on. It’s okay. There’s a basement in the bar.”

I wonder if everyone’s already there. I haven’t checked my phone, having ignored it most of the day. If there was a weather alert, I had no idea. Mya uses hers to light the way as we walk down to the bar and find it empty. I find the door to the basement and tug it open, seeing Tommy, Logan, and James when we walk down the stairs. It’s lit up with a lantern and a few candles.

“Where the fuck is Quinn?” I look to Logan, who’s gritting his teeth.

“At home with the baby.” He’s fucking worried.

“She’ll be okay. She in the basement?” He nods. “Where’s Finn?”

He shrugs. “Fucker won’t answer his phone.”

God damn it.

I turn to Tommy, who grins. “He went home with some skanky looking chick. I’m sure she has a basement.”

“She better.” I take a seat on the bench they moved in here for just this occasion.

Mya takes a seat next to me. “Do you think it’s bad?”

James hands her a bottle of water. “They said it has potential to be. Where the hell have you two been? We called.”

We share a look, and I shrug. “Tour of the city.”

“Is that code?” Tommy wags his eyebrows.

I laugh. “I wish.”

Mya playfully punches me, but really my mind is on Finn. Where the hell is he? That fucker better be okay.

“Shit.” I turn to Tommy, who’s looking at his phone. “It’s bad.” He holds up a grainy Facebook Live video from a local station of a tornado having touched down.

“Fuck.” I watch as it rips through main street. “That’s right here.”

He nods grimly as we hear the sounds from the storm above us inflicting damage.

Mya looks up at the stairs as we all huddle together, and I hope it passes soon.

Moments later, the tornado is gone, but it’s torn everything apart. We were trapped in the basement, the debris blocking us in. How we survived, I’m not sure, but thankfully we were able to reach help. It takes Fire and Rescue to open the door to the basement, releasing us from what could have easily been our graves.

As we come out of the rubble, I peer through what