“Pull the weather service map of the storm, Swanny. I want to see the path the tornado took.”
Swanny bent over one of the computers and a few moments later, the screens in front of Donovan lit up and showed multiple views of the tornado’s trajectory.
Donovan studied it carefully and his breath caught when he saw the exact path the storm had taken. A knot formed in his stomach and his fingers curled into tight fists.
“Fuck,” he whispered.
“What is it?” Joe asked sharply.
“We have to go,” Donovan bit out. “I need you and Swanny.”
“What’s going on?” Joe demanded. “Talk to us, man.”
“Eve,” he said. “God. I didn’t even think. I never should have let them stay there tonight. I knew the f**king weather was going to be bad and I knew that shitty trailer they’re living in provided no protection from the elements whatsoever. And Cammie is sick. Goddamn it, I should have hauled them out of there earlier.”
“You aren’t making any sense,” Swanny said in a calm voice.
Donovan’s fist came down on the countertop with a rattle. “They were right in the path of the tornado. That trailer would have never survived even the weakest storm, much less an F3 like this one was. We have to get over there. I hope to f**k we aren’t too late. If they were killed I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Shit,” Joe muttered. “Let’s go. Swanny and I are with you. Should we call out the others?”
Donovan shook his head. “Maybe Sean, though he’s probably up to his ears with all the other victims. The others need to stay with their own families. We’ll see what we’re dealing with when we get there. If we need help, we’ll call then. Right now I have to get the hell over there and make sure they’re all right.”
“Let’s roll,” Swanny said shortly.
Donovan hurried out to his truck. Joe got in the passenger seat and Swanny hopped into the extra cab. He roared out of the compound, scanning the sky for any sign of impending daybreak. It was lightening toward the east and within thirty minutes they’d have enough light to see what they were dealing with.
“There are flashlights in the back, Swanny. Under the seat. Pull those out and make sure they work. It’ll be light soon but we’ll be there in ten minutes and we’ll need them.”
“On it,” Swanny said.
There was rustling in the back and a few moments later Swanny said, “Got ’em. Looks like you have four.”
He handed two up to Joe and kept the others.
“Careful, man,” Joe murmured. “Keep it on the road. We aren’t going to be of any help to them if you wrap your truck around a tree.”
Donovan eased off on the accelerator, knowing his brother was right. But it didn’t quell the urgency he had to get to Eve and her siblings. Damn it, but he should have never walked away. He knew in his gut it was the wrong thing to do, but he’d consoled himself with the fact that he and Maren would be returning the next morning. He just hoped to hell his hesitation hadn’t cost them their lives.
“Christ, it’s a mess,” Donovan said as he dodged a fallen tree.
The entire way, he could see no sign of power in any of the houses they passed. But he hadn’t seen complete destruction either, something that bolstered his hopes that the trailer hadn’t been demolished.
But as he got closer to the road where Eve’s trailer was, the worse the damage was. Treetops torn off. Debris everywhere. As soon as he turned onto the road, he knew it was going to be bad. The very first house, well, it wasn’t even a house any longer. Only the foundation remained. And oddly, the furniture still sat where it had been situated inside the house. But the walls and roof were gone. He hoped like hell that no one had been inside when the storm struck or that they at least had a basement to seek shelter in.
“Did the rest of your team check in, Joe?”
Unease gripped him. Skylar and Edge roomed together in a house they shared rent on, but Donovan had no idea if they had a basement. Nathan, Joe and Swanny had helped their teammates move in but Donovan had never been to their house, a fact he now lamented.
“Yeah, they’re good. Tornado didn’t touch them. They barely even got any rain,” Joe said.
“Did Steele check in?” Swanny asked.
“Yeah. He and Maren and the baby are fine. Maren gave him shit about them sleeping in the basement, but I’m guessing she won’t be complaining in the future.”
Donovan braked hard, swerving into the ditch, curses blistering his lips. Fuck, that was close.
“Holy shit, that was a near miss,” Joe breathed.
A huge tree was lying crossways over the road, preventing a vehicle from passing. No way around it or over it. They were going to have to go the rest of the way on foot.
“Let’s go,” he said grimly.
Grabbing the flashlight and his medic bag from the seat, he climbed out and set out at a brisk pace, climbing over the downed tree and shining his light down the road.
There was shit everywhere. Limbs, shingles, even a badly misshapen door. And a suitcase?
“Grab that, Joe,” Donovan directed.
“It’s full,” Joe said as he hoisted it up.
“Put it to the side where we can find it. I’m sure it belongs to someone on this road.”
Donovan broke into a jog, rounding the corner to where Eve’s trailer was located. The sky was starting to lighten just enough that Donovan could see where the trailer was. Or rather used to be.