Page 41 of Hard Rain

Same man.

Thunder cracked overhead hard enough to rattle the mountains.

“Vehicle.”

Whip didn’t argue.

Sheets of water hit sideways as they scrambled around the front of the SUV. By the time they climbed inside, both of them were soaked through. Water dripped from Whip’s hair onto his jacket while cold worked its way beneath every layer he had on.

Axel grabbed the handheld radio immediately.

“Grady, you copy?”

Static answered.

Nothing else.

Whip pulled out his phone and watched the signal bounce between one bar and none. The tiny icon flickered twice before disappearing completely.

No surprise there.

County Twelve was a pain in the ass on a clear day. Tonight, the storm was chewing through everything in its path, including whatever chance they had of calling for help.

Outside, lightning flashed through the timber. The pine wasn’t moving.

The SUV wasn’t either.

When he shifted in his seat, the vehicle rocked slightly against the muddy shoulder where it had buried itself during the slide.

They weren’t driving anywhere tonight.

Axel tried the radio again.

More static.

Half a voice.

Gone.

Whip stared through the windshield.

The cabin sat two miles away through dark timber and miserable terrain.

The road was finished, they couldn’t get through, and the mountain wasn’t stable.

And Cutter was still out there somewhere—he wasn’t going to stop because a storm rolled through. If he had made it to the cabin, there was no guarantee he’d stayed there.

Whip stared out the window.

The answer wasn’t complicated.

The road wasn’t opening anytime soon. The SUV wasn’t going anywhere. Cell service had disappeared. The radio wasn’t doing much better

The cabin was still there.

And they were out of options.

“Looks like we’re hiking.”