Deadly Storm Read Online Free Page B

question. “I’m not sure I want to get in the middle of a family squabble, angel.”
    Grady snorted. “He’s scared because he knows I’ll thump him.” He flexed his bicep for emphasis.
    “Oh, please, I could take you,” Ally said.
    “Do you want to place a wager on that?”
    “Bring it on.”
    Sophie stepped between brother and sister. “No. Not today. There’s a chance we’re all going to get wet if we’re not careful.”
    “What do you mean?” Emma asked. “I’m too fat to be wet.”
    “You’re not fat,” Finn said.
    “If I want to be fat, I’ll be fat,” Emma snapped.
    “Hurricane Hormone is hitting land,” Finn quipped.
    “I would stop saying things like that if I were you,” Ally said, gesturing toward Emma’s murderous face. “I don’t think she likes it.”
    “I can never tell which way the wind blows these days,” Finn said, unruffled. “I just roll with it.”
    “Speaking of rolling, it looks like a storm is rolling in,” Jake said, trying to distract everyone.
    “We’re supposed to have storms every day this week,” Sophie said. “I was looking at the forecast, and there’s more than a fifty percent chance of severe storms every afternoon for the next seven days.”
    “I heard there might be some tornados, too,” Mandy chimed in.
    James kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry. If it becomes necessary we can take cover in our bed until all the storms have passed.”
    Mandy brightened at the suggestion. “Fun.”
    “Definitely fun,” James agreed.
    “I don’t like storms,” Emma said, her shoulders stiffening. “Are we really supposed to get bad storms?”
    “It’s okay, sweetie,” Finn said, rubbing her back. “The security building is safe. Nothing bad can happen.”
    “What happens if there’s a tornado? Where do we take cover?”
    “In the storeroom on the main floor,” Finn said.
    “Isn’t that locked most of the time?” Emma’s eyes widened.
    “We’ll give you a key,” Grady said. “Relax. That storeroom is like a fortress.”
    “Tell that to the baby growing inside of me.”
    Grady leaned closer and directed his voice toward Emma’s stomach. “That storeroom is like a fortress.”
    Everyone burst into laughter, including Emma.
    “I think we should move this party inside,” Jake said, straightening as he studied the storm clouds. “It’s getting closer.”
    As if on cue, a rumble of thunder rolled over the patio.
    “Okay, everyone pack up,” James instructed. “I should be able to finish this stuff before the rain hits.”
    Everyone scattered and started collecting supplies, and by the time the first fat raindrop hit the patio James was closing the sliding glass doors behind him. “Do I have excellent timing or what?”
    “You’re the perfect man,” Mandy agreed, rolling onto her toes so she could give him a soft kiss. “I’ll reward you later.”
    James grinned, relieved she appeared more relaxed. “I’ll reward you with an hour-long massage if you go and get the steak sauce out of the refrigerator.”
    “Sold,” Mandy said, smiling brightly.
    There’s my baby , James thought. He smiled as he watched her move toward the kitchen, momentarily lost in thought. Once he regained his senses, he carried the meat platter into the dining room. “Mandy is getting the steak sauce,” he said. “Do we have everything?”
    “I think so,” Grady said, scanning the table. “I … where are the napkins?”
    “I’ll get them.” James jumped as thunder boomed close enough to shake the house. “Crap. That’s really heating up.”
    “We’re safe here, right?” Emma asked, timid.
    “We’re safe,” James said. “This house has been here since the 1960s and it’s still standing.”
    “I know but … .”
    “But nothing,” Finn said. “You’re fine. I won’t let anything happen to you or little … Daisy.”
    “Daisy?” James asked, arching an eyebrow.
    “We’re trying out different names,” Finn said.
    “Well, I don’t