Storm Warning Read Online Free PDF

fly.
    Then she remembered being eighteen years old and meeting her brother for the first time. She had been standing in the café after working a double shift on a Saturday and he walked in.
    “ Are you Tory Fairchild ?” h e had asked. “ I’m Adam. We have the same father. He doesn’t know about me .”
    They had stuck together ever since . E ven after she ’d told him their father had died ten years prior , he’d stayed . She ’d pulled out the eight thousa nd dollars she had saved and he’d had some money to spare. Sam and Lou’s Café sponsored their first year of storm chasing.
    They ’d met Billy Small during a weather seminar in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the three of them set out — Billy for his research, Adam for the adventure , and Tory for atonement .
    Tears welled up in her eyes. At eight years old , she knew what it was like to have her home and heart ripped away when it was right with in her reach.
    For years , she was so angry with herself for not holding on tight enough. Even when she’d grown up and realized there was physically nothing she could h ave done to save her family, she was still angry. Maybe even more so.
    “ — for anything in the world, huh Tory?” Adam nudged her and brought her out of her trance.
    “Hm? What?”
    “Are you okay? You look a little pale.” He brou ght his hand to her forehead. T he brotherly gesture amus ed her more than it annoyed her.
    “I’m fine, j ust hung over.” She straightened in the seat.
    “It’s only about a half hour ‘ till we reach the h otel. Gabe scored big. This one’s got an indoor pool and fitness center. Seeing as how we’ll be there for a week, I think I’m going to be gaining a new pair of biceps.”
    Tory frowned. It wasn’ t possible to be happy about a warm, cozy bed versu s the hard interior of an SUV — n ot when she wasn’t the one supplying it. In fact, it irked her so much that she decided she would be just as comfortable in the truck for the next week.
    “This storm is going to be good. It didn’t lo ok like much this morning , but look — you can already see some of the clouds.”
    “What’s it like see ing a tornado?” Gabe asked as they rolled into town.
    “Man, you mean you’ve never seen one? At all?” Adam asked, baffled.
    “Nope. Don’t get many in L.A.”
    “It’s like nothing else. First, it gets dead silent. Creepy a s hell. Then the sky just like— falls down and circles. Half the time, it looks like the ground rises up to meet it and it just goes. It’s insane. A thrill.”
    “How about you, Tory? Got any scientific explanations?”
    She shrugged and focused her gaze out the window , where it had been the entire trip. She was still angry with him , and she wouldn’t forget it. He made her feel something besides the hatred she had sworn herself too. And he enjoyed every minute of it.
    “Tory hates tornadoes. ”
    “That’s enough, Adam, ” she said calmly enough.
    “Well, it’s true. ”
    “You hate them and you chase them?” Gabe asked.
    She hated the hint of curiosity in his tone. It was none of his damn business. She worked to keep her tone flat and unemotional. “I don’t hate them.”
    “Well, you certainly don’t — ”
    “God damn it, Adam! I said that’s enough!”
    Adam put the car i n P ark in front of the hotel, met her glare spark for spark , and held it there. Even though her mind knew her brother meant no harm, her heart shuddered with pain. Years, she thought —aching—and the pain still destroyed her. She cursed the tears and fought them back. She already looked like a fool. Crying would only make it worse.
    “What’s with you , Tory?”
    “Just leave me alone, ” s he said quietly , her voice radiating the pain. She jumped out of the truck and stomped off, not giving a damn where she was going.
     
    Gabe stayed in his seat, rooted, and watched Tory walk —more like stagger—away. He’d heard about her temper, but didn’t picture it being so intense. Her