Praying for Rain (Praying for Rain Trilogy, #1)(56)

For some reason, God likes me today. I hope I don’t fuck it up.

When I get back to Rain’s room, she’s kneeling in front of her open window, gripping the ledge as she waits for whatever the fuck is coming. Her backpack is on her shoulders, almost bursting, and I can see that she’s wearing a hoodie underneath it.

I cross the room and lean against the wall next to the window. “That sweatshirt had better not have a Twenty One Pilots logo on it.” I smirk.

Rain looks up at me with fear carved into her beautiful face. “That’s what you’re thinking about right now?”

From here, I can see that the sweatshirt says Franklin Springs High.

Thank fuck.

I bend over and kiss her worried, wrinkled little forehead. “Try to relax, okay? The horsemen aren’t real. Whatever is coming, it’s human. And, if it’s human”—I pull the left side of my Hawaiian shirt open to show her my newest acquisition—“we can kill it.”

Rain’s shoulders sag as she gives me a brave nod. “Sit.”

She pats the carpet, and I notice a fresh bandage, antibiotic ointment, a pill, and a glass of water laid out on a paper towel beside her.

The sight makes me feel like I’ve been punched in the heart.

“Wes?”

I bite my lip and try to focus on the grinding, crashing, squealing noises approaching outside and not the stinging sensation behind my eyes.

“Baby, are you okay?”

Baby.

I’ve never been anybody’s fucking baby, not even when I was a baby. But, for some fucked up reason that I don’t understand, I’m hers. Maybe, one day, being treated like I matter won’t hurt so goddamn much, but I hope not. I hope it guts me every time, forever, as a reminder that this girl is a fucking miracle.

“Yeah,” I whisper, clearing my throat as I drop to my knees beside her.

Rain gives me a shy smile as she goes to work on my arm, jumping a little from the grinding, gnashing, crashing sounds getting closer outside. I pop the Keflex into my mouth and swallow it without taking my eyes off her.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asks, looking up at me through her long, dark lashes.

“Because I fucking love you.”

The smile on her face lights up the dark room. It’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, and I suddenly can’t wait for whatever is coming to get here so that I can kill it and turn its teeth into jewelry for her to wear.

Especially when another crash makes her gasp and cover that beautiful smile with both hands.

We look back outside as lights illuminate the highway. The overturned Corolla to the right of the driveway begins to lurch and move, scraping across the asphalt as Rain’s eyes lift to mine.

“Listen to me.” I cup her face in my hands, stealing her attention. Commanding it. “The horsemen aren’t real. Do you hear me? Whatever that is, people are behind it. People who are gonna fucking die if they try to hurt a hair on your head.”

Rain nods as the lurching sedan at the end of her driveway rolls sideways and takes out her mailbox. We both turn at the same time, watching as the force behind the shove comes into view.

“Is that a—”

“Bulldozer!” Rain takes off like a shot.

I grab my flashlight and take off after her, but by the time I make it downstairs, the front door is already wide open.

“Fuck! Rain, stop!”

I don’t catch up to her until she’s almost at the end of her driveway, jumping up and down and waving her arms. The bulldozer slows down as I dart in front of her, shoving her behind my back and grabbing the revolver under my arm.

“Well, got-damn!” a voice shouts from the cabin of the idling machine.

I shine my flashlight toward it and find Quinton and Lamar—the brothers from the hardware store—shielding their eyes from the beam.

I lower the light but keep my hand on my gun.

“You got it working!” Rain yells, jumping up and down behind me.

“I told y’all we weren’t gonna get no damn flat!” Lamar shouts over the snarling engine.

“Finally got the damn thing up and runnin’,” Quinton adds, “and none too soon. Rednecks in town done lost their damn minds.”

“We’re getting the fuck outta here,” Lamar adds. “Y’all comin’?”

“Yes!” Rain shouts, peeking out from around my arm.

Quinton gives her a little salute, and I don’t know if I want to blow his head off for looking at her like that or pat him on the back for making her so damn happy. Personally, I don’t give a shit if we stay or go. As long as Rain is with me, we could live in a hollowed-out tree for all I fucking care. Supplies, shelter, self-defense—those are just icing on the vanilla-flavored cake now.

“We’ll be right behind ya.” I holster my gun and give the guys a nod.

I don’t trust them—I don’t trust anybody with a dick around my girl—but the survivor in me recognizes a good resource when it sees one.

I follow Rain as she tears back into the house, flying through the kitchen and into the garage. I shine the light ahead of me as I step into the musty, humid space and find a very excited Rain standing next to a very badass Kawasaki Ninja.

“Do you know how to drive it?” she asks, the contents of her backpack jostling with every bounce. “My mom never taught me.”