Page 74 of Seduced in Ink
“Okay, let’s get you over to your mom,” Aaron said to Madison.
“I don’t need to be held and mothered,” Madison whispered.
“I don’t know where Guy is. So, yes, I’m going to make sure you’re with your parents. You don’t have a choice in the matter,” he said through gritted teeth. Madison froze, and he cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, it’s the whole storm and potential mudslide thing. And thinking of everything else. It sort of pushed up in my mind. I need to be alert. Much more than I am. Thank you.”
He leaned down and kissed her hard, tugging on her hair just enough to make her part her lips.
“Be safe. I’ll be right back.”
He told her parents what was going on, and they placed Madison between them as if on guard. He made his way with Ralph to the generator.
Outside, the rain lashed so hard that it slapped at his face, stinging his skin. It was coming down so hard, he was afraid he might bruise, but they kept going.
The wind howled, and they had to shout at each other to get things done. The downpour raged, and lightning arched above them. He worried they might get electrocuted if they weren’t careful.
The generator was in a small outbuilding behind the main one, and honestly, he didn’t think it was going to be enough to power the whole place.
“Is this it?”
“We’ve got four more, but the fifth one was damaged beyond repair. And now these are having issues.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Aaron said. “I’ve got one like this at home. But shit, they’re not easy to work with.”
“So I’ve discovered. You can bet your behind I’ll be learning how they work inside and out the next chance I get. Never again will I allow myself to get into this situation.”
Aaron liked this Ralph guy. Soon, the two of them were setting up the generators, Aaron’s body aching from the exertion.
Going from building to building wasn’t easy. Both of them slid in the mud, falling at times, bruising and cutting themselves on jagged rocks.
The rain came down in sheets, and Aaron knew a few trees were already down. There would be no going home tonight.
If they weren’t careful, though, the mudslide could be a real thing. He looked up the mountain, trying to see through the storm, but he couldn’t tell if anything was forthcoming. The scariest thing was that they would never know until the mud was already there, bringing down half the mountain with it.
He just hoped to hell that didn’t happen.
They kept moving, working as a unit until his knuckle’s bled, and he was cursing up a blue streak. Finally, however, the low hum of the generators hit his ears, and light filled the building.
“Jesus Christ, thank God.”
“Thank Aaron Montgomery,” Ralph said with a laugh, and Aaron snorted, shaking the other man’s hand.
“My staff was instructed to keep all people where they were. We’re trying to conserve energy, but I have a feeling we’ll need to call the authorities for help. The storm is twice as big as I thought it would be. Nobody thought it was going to be like this.”
“Seems like,” Aaron said. “I need to get back to Madison.”
“Of course, you do. Thank you again. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.”
“You would have muddled through. We all figure out things when we need to.”
They made their way back, the rain coming down even harder now, the ground beneath them a muddy, slippery mess.
He shook himself before he went in, knowing he probably looked a fright.
A couple of people glared over at them and gave them sneering looks, but they could go fuck themselves. They were safe inside, dry, and now warm with the lights on because Aaron had worked his ass off right alongside Ralph to ensure it.
Aaron couldn’t find Madison right away, so he went over to where Maeve and Mark were talking, both of them whispering.