Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I emerge from the supply closet with shaky legs and a pounding heart, struggling to regain my equilibrium after… well, after whatever just happened with Daichi in there. Part of me wants to bolt for the exit and get as far away from this place, from him, as possible, before I do something reckless again.

But the rest of me, the part that’s spent all this time fighting for the Book Club’s survival, knows I can’t just abandon ship now. Not when the open house is still in full swing and families are counting on us.

Sucking in a steadying breath, I straighten my shoulders and stride out toward the main lobby with as much poise as I can muster. I won’t let my personal, uh, indiscretions derail this event.

I am a professional, damn it, and I have a job to do here.

Making out in the closet is sooooooo professional, Winta.

I spot Gia across the way, fielding questions from a cluster of curious kids while their parents watch in amusement. Catching her eye, I offer her a tight smile and a thumbs-up to signal everything is still running smoothly.

For the next thirty minutes, at least.

I tour the room, talk to neighbors I’ve only ever seen in the streets or convenience stores around here, and check in on my family. Ean and Karina are laughing at some joke the deputy mayor is telling. Suri, Myra, and Tilli are all milling about. Rosa is reading a book with her dog pair, Raimei, quietly in the corner (no surprise there), and Demi is holding two rabbits while her hedgehog pair, Sencha, balances on her shoulders.

Movement outside the window catches my eye. The mature trees at the end of the street are flailing in gusts of wind that have picked up over the last hour. Dark clouds in the sky race by at an alarming pace.

My mini-tablet in my back pocket chimes and buzzes. I pull it out and frown at the severe weather alert on the screen. Glancing around the room, I’m not the only one frowning at the alert.

Maybe we should call it a night early and send everyone home?

The first ominous rumble of thunder rolls through, loud enough to make the floor vibrate beneath our feet. A startled hush falls over the crowd as all eyes turn toward the wall of windows overlooking the back gardens.

Thick sheets of rain are just starting to lash against the glass in heavy, wind-whipped waves. The leading edge of the storm system has officially arrived.

“Oh no…” I murmur as I take in the deteriorating conditions outside. This isn’t just a light shower we’re dealing with. This is a full-blown torrential downpour headed our way, complete with gale-force winds that have the trees lashing back and forth.

Another booming peal of thunder sounds, much closer this time. Several of the kids shriek in alarm, clutching at their parents as the first few brave souls edge towards the exit, clearly hoping to make it home before the worst of the storm hits.

But that’s when a different sound cuts through the rising panic — a terrified, high-pitched wail coming from the direction of the gardens. My head whips around as the cry rises again, unmistakably a child’s voice.

“Help! Somebody help, please!”

Panic shoots through me as I realize the cries are coming from outside. Abandoning all thoughts of crowd control, I take off at a sprint.

“Winta, wait,” Gia shouts after me, voice laced with alarm.

But I can’t stop. I can’t even pause. Not with a child in danger out there.

I burst through the doors as a ferocious gust of wind and rain hits the open-air garden. The Club’s giant olive tree whips around, its leaves becoming dangerous weapons. The downpour hits me all at once, making it difficult to see and drenching me in seconds. I squint through the heavy rain.

“Hello! Where are you?” I bellow into the howling maelstrom, praying the child can hear me over the raging winds. “Keep calling out! I’m coming to get you!”

Another terrified wail rises from somewhere off to my left, near the koi pond. I lurch in that direction, shoes slipping and sliding in the rapidly pooling mud as I fight my way against the driving rain.

Finally, I spot a small, hunched figure huddled beneath one of the larger trees, arms wrapped around a puppy.

“Hey there, it’s okay. I’m coming, don’t be scared.” The little boy — he can’t be more than five — looks up at the sound of my voice, eyes wide and streaming with tears, but he doesn’t move from his spot. His arms shield a shivering bundle of fur clutched to his chest, too petrified to abandon his furry friend to the raging storm.

“Don’t worry, we’re gonna get you both inside,” I shout over the deafening roll of thunder as I reach his side. “Just stay close to me, okay?”

Wrapping a protective arm around the boy’s shoulders, I tuck him against my side, and we make our way back to the doors, fighting for every slippery step against the punishing wind and rain.

I practically carry the drenched, shivering boy through the doors, cradling him and the trembling puppy against my chest. My hair is plastered to my skull, clothes soaked through and weighing me down as I stagger in. Daichi is right there, taking the boy and puppy from my arms.

Right away, a small group gathers around us — staff members, worried parents, and even some of my family. Gia hurries over with towels, looking relieved.

“Oh, thank the stars, you found him!” She wraps the plush fabric around the boy’s shoulders as I ease him down onto a couch. “We were just about to send out a search party when you went bolting into that monsoon like a madwoman.”

I nod shakily, too winded and waterlogged to respond. The adrenaline crash is setting in, making me lightheaded and unsteady on my feet.

Gia seems to pick up on my dazed state, reaching out to rub at my arms in an attempt to restore some warmth. “Hey, you still with me? That was one hell of a heroic act.”

“I - I’m fine,” I rasp out, blinking to clear my vision. “I heard him yelling, and I couldn’t stop myself.”

A warm, solid presence appears at my side then, and I don’t even need to look to know who it is. Daichi’s familiar, earthy scent surrounds me, cutting through the damp chill as he drapes a heavy, dry towel across my shoulders.

“You’re shivering,” he says, deep voice laced with obvious concern. “Here, let me…”

Strong hands grab my upper arms and gently turn me to face him. My breath catches in my throat as his intense gaze pins me. Maybe I’m imagining it, but there’s a deep awe and admiration in his eyes that leaves me speechless.

“That was… incredibly brave, what you just did,” Daichi continues, oblivious to our rapidly accumulating audience. “Rushing out into that storm without a second thought was kind-of stupid, but” — he shrugs — “I would have done the same thing. I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispers before pulling me in and kissing my forehead.

Why is he even being nice to me? Didn’t I just turn him down a few minutes ago?

“Mikey! Oh, thank god, there you are.”

A frantic woman barrels through the crowd. With her frazzled appearance and the way she scoops up the boy in a fierce embrace, it’s clear she’s his mother. The puppy lets out a startled yip from where it’s still bundled in the towels.

“Don’t you ever wander off again, you hear me?” The woman is weeping with relief now, clutching her son and showering his damp hair with kisses. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere.” Another woman runs up and hugs them both.

A deafening boom of thunder shakes the entire building, cutting off electricity and plunging us all into the dark before the emergency lighting clicks on. Screams of alarm erupt as every head turns toward the back windows, where an ominous strobe effect is flickering in the raging storm’s aftermath.

Lightning. Brilliant forks of it arcing across the slate gray sky.

The hair on my head and arms stands up, my brain prickling with dread.

I realize what’s happening just a split-second before the deafening crack and blinding flash. A massive bolt of lightning hits the old olive tree in the garden with a resounding boom. The ground shakes from the impact, sending a violent shockwave through the air.

“Everybody down!” I have just enough time to shout in warning before the tree lets out a long, ominous groan… and topples directly toward the back of the building.

People scatter, fleeing the main area of the club in a desperate surge towards the lobby in front. Daichi’s arms encircle me and yank me sideways into his solid bulk as that towering olive tree comes crashing through the windows in a hail of shattered glass and splintered wood.