House in the Florida Keys
Dragonlots aka Dana Bell
Chapter 4
Wind howled around the house and Benton cringed. Double checking his instruments, he was fairly certain it was already too late to evacuate inland. The shutters in his lab rattled and he glanced up, hoping they survived. His most pressing concern would be if the water over ran the key and flooded the house. Jonny wouldn't survive if they were forced to climb to the roof.
"Any idea how bad this going to get?" Race stood in the doorway, like he braced himself against an attack.
"No." He and several others had been collaborating to be able to predict the paths of hurricanes. The whole house shuddered. "Jonny!" He bolted for the door.
Bannon must have known he was in a hurry because he'd moved out of the way and then followed Benton down the hallway to the nursery.
Scooping the baby up, he turned to pack a bag, only to find the body guard already there. "What do you need packed?"A quick list came to mind and he watched the man follow his instructions. "Can we still get out?"
From another part of the house Benton heard wood splintering and explosions as windows blew out.
"Come on, Doc." Race grabbed another blanket and tossed it over him and his son. "Move!"
Seconds later the windows in the nursery shattered. Bannon slammed the door shut and Benton could hear glass fragments hitting the wood.
"This way." Benton turned back toward the lab. "We set up room in case of tornadoes."
"Sounds good."
Near the end of the hall, he found the door. "I can't,"
"Got it." Bannon opened it and the two men entered. "How secure is it?" He put the bag down.
Sitting on one of the two bunk beds, he found it amazing Jonny hadn't cried. Two blue eyes stared up him, so full of trust, he knew he'd do anything to protect his son.
"For now, its' the best we can do. If we get flooding," he shrugged. "I don't know."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The storm seemed to last forever and the noise was deafening. Race turned on the narrow bed, resting, but not really sleeping. Dr. Quest had finally scrubbed to exhaustion and Jonny slept secure in a wooden cradle, not far from his father.
The rest of the room had shelves with supplies, some extra blankets, flashlights, candles and even a small restroom. He had to admire the man and his planning.
He'd heard the door rattle a couple of times, but not seen any water. There'd been more windows broken and who knew what else. He'd heard lots of noise. No telling what they'd find once the hurricane passed.
"Did you find out anything about the murders?" Dr. Quest's voice through the storm noise.
Race settled on his back. "Thought you were asleep."
"I've been napping since my wife…" he didn't finish his sentence. Race knew what the older man had meant to say.
"Only that they're certain the same person did it. I managed a few calls to some contacts. They promised to check into it."
"I have a lot of enemies." He heard the regret in the other's tone.
"My gut tells me this wasn't an attack on you." He tried to stretch out his cramping leg. "I should know more later."
"Phone lines might be out for a while."
"We'll cross that bridge when we reach it." He folded his arms under his head. "My first duty will be to get the two of you out of here."
"Going to depend on the damage."
"Let's just hope that plane of yours can fly."
"There are going to downed trees, debris everywhere."
"So it takes a little while."
"Depending on the damage," he heard Dr. Quest sigh. "It'll take some time to repair my home."
Race blinked. He hadn't thought about that. He'd have to check around and make sure the entire structure didn't collapse on them. Not to mention possible animal intruders looking for a safe harbor.
"It'll be all right." He'd never been good at reassuring people.
"You sound like Rachelle."
"You were a lucky man." Race hadn't meant to sound envious.
"I know."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
When they finally emerged from the storm shelter, Benton tried not to despair. The damage to house proved to be extensive. Half the roof was missing, allowing water to drip in on the furniture. The main room and kitchen had been completely destroyed. None of the windows survived.
"Sure it wouldn't be easier just to move?" Race glanced at him.
"I know it looks bad." He moved his sleeping son in his arms. The infant stuck a finger in his tiny mouth. "It's home."
"Must be nice to have one." He couldn't remember the last time he'd had someplace he'd stayed more than a few months.
"You travel that much?"
Race half shrugged. "I'm used to it."
"I'm sorry."
The white haired man gave him an odd look. "I'm going to check out the plane."
"You do that."
Leaving the scientist outside the wrecked house, Bannon walked toward the plant and tree littered runway. Benton watched for a few moments, before locating an overturned chair, awkwardly righting it and sat down. "You would have been heart broken, Rachelle."
He knew how hard she'd worked to make their house a home they could both enjoy. Seeing the destruction, he almost wanted to abandon the place and start somewhere fresh. No reminders of his wife staring him in his face, bringing the pain he felt to the surface.
Any coward could run. He prided himself on being able to solve any problem, no matter how difficult. Getting through his grief would be the same.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The runway had plants tossed all over it. A couple of downed trees, torn up by their roots, blocked his passage. Race could clear them away with a good chain saw. He reached the hanger and forced the door open. Part of the structure had crumpled, but at least the plane stood undamaged.
He smiled. At least they'd had a piece of luck.
First things first, check the plane, clear the runway, plan an escape. He'd run more complicated ops in the past. This would be simple.
Heading toward the plane, he stopped and stared at the wiggling mass underneath.
"Great. Snakes."