Essential Beginnings (10 page)

“You were right, Tank,” Mav said grimly, stepping out of his vehicle while leaving the door hanging open as he moved to lean on the wheelwell and hike a foot up on the fender of his Rubicon. He moved his sunglasses up to his head, briefly meeting her gaze before zeroing in on Ernie. “Berke spoke to Paige, the woman he dated from the USGS, and she’s positive the earthquake from yesterday will be the catalyst to the caldera erupting in a major way.”

“Why hasn’t that come across the talk radio channels?” Henley asked, their personal issues immediately taking a backseat to the news Mav was presenting. All the dire scenarios that Ernie had brought to the table last night came back with a vengeance and she did her best to tamp down her panic. It was one thing to play with assumptions, but it was another to actually deal with the fallout. “I’ve been listening to the radio since I got back and there hasn’t been a word of anything else happening.”

“That’s not true,” Ernie denied, shaking his head. “There have been small swarms of activity occurring, but the state and government officials wouldn’t want to cause a panic. Am I right?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Mav said, nodding his head and then running a hand down his face in frustration. “Berke and the others are on their way here, but who knows when this thing could blow. I gave them alternate frequencies for emergency communications once the grid collapses.”

“Are you all talking about Yellowstone?” Kellen called out from the road above where he’d walked down to join them. Henley could see Mav stiffen at the sound of another man’s voice and he narrowed his eyes once he saw Kellen coming down the drive toward them. “The broadcasters are discussing it now.”

“Mav, why don’t you drive us back to the lodge?” Ernie motioned toward the vehicle. “It’ll be quicker.”

Ernie and their guest had taken the back seats, leaving Henley to ride shotgun. The short ride was made in silence and when they all piled out, Kellen nodded toward his cabin. Mav took his time in shutting the door on his vehicle, eventually pulling up the rear and surprising Henley when he fell into step beside her.

“Is this the guest you were talking about?” Mav murmured, his voice low and deep. Henley wanted nothing more than to ask for his forgiveness, but she knew this wasn’t the time or place. “What’s his name?”

“Kellen Truman.” Henley looked up at Mav, who had yet to take his eyes off of the stranger in front of them. “He claims to be from Utah but hasn’t said what he does for a living. He wanted his own cabin, so that makes it easier since we haven’t staffed the lodge yet.”

“Military.” Mav didn’t hesitate when he answered, but the response didn’t ease her mind. If anything it made Henley more nervous as they walked into the cabin. Everything appeared as it had when she’d prepped the place, with the exception of a small overnight bag to the right of the door. “I’m Maverick Beckett, a friend of Tank’s.”

The two men shook hands, but it was apparent they were sizing each other up. Ernie had already made his way over to the counter to where the portable AM/FM shortwave radio was plugged in, as there was in every guest cabin. He turned up the sound, preventing Kellen from having to reply.

“…honestly surprised FEMA or the White House haven’t issued the surrounding states an evacuation order, Steve. We’re talking about major cities being buried underneath ash all the way to the East Coast should the caldera completely erupt. We are not being told the truth and it’s going to cost a lot of people their lives. The long-term effect of this will be devastating not only to the United States but those in the direct path of the prevailing winds. This is the big one the experts have been warning us about for years and I can tell you firsthand from the data that’s been leaked that this is it.”

“Julie, FEMA has already announced that the citizens have nothing to worry about. The White House is remaining silent on the issue while the USGS is apparently following suit. Could you explain to those tuning in exactly what the Yellowstone Caldera is, what causes this type of supervolcano to erupt, and the consequences of such a natural disaster?”

“Of course. A volcano of any type or size is…”

“We need to prepare the town,” Ernie said, turning to them with determination and sorrow in his eyes. He understood best of all the devastation that was about to rain down on them. “Mr. Truman, it looks like this might be the worst and luckiest day of your life.”

“I’m well aware that the government keeps classified information from the hands of the public, but not announcing that the Yellowstone caldera is about to erupt would be paramount to killing the residents within at least three states.” Kellen was looking at Mav when he spoke. She couldn’t figure out if it was a planned speech or if the man truly thought that. “Are you certain that your friend is right?”

Kellen had just confirmed Henley’s suspicion that he’d been eavesdropping on their conversation down by the river and that didn’t sit well with her. They already had too much to worry about with regards to keeping everyone safe than to have to worry about a stranger whose intentions were not yet known. She glanced toward Ernie to catch his reaction, but he was already walking to the door.

“Yes,” Mav replied, surprising her when he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as they followed Ernie outside. “You’re more than welcome to stay here, but we’ll be in town getting the necessary supplies we need and alerting the residents.”

“I think I’ll stick around to make a few phone calls,” Kellen replied as Mav and Henley were about to cross the threshold. “I have family in that area and would like to warn them.”

“I understand,” Mav said without turning around. He kept a hold of her hand as they walked to his Jeep. Ernie was already in his black Ford F-150 pick-up truck. Mav did turn back to say one more thing to Kellen, who was standing in the doorway. “I have friends coming this way and they’ll be prepared to do what it takes to protect this town until we make a decision on what to do.”

Henley could feel the tension radiating off both men as if the sun had suddenly exploded and she turned to see what Kellen’s reaction was to Mav’s statement. There appeared an underlying respect in the man’s posture, but she’d been such a bad judge of character lately that she wasn’t so sure she’d read his body language correctly. He nodded his understanding and finally turned, shutting the door to his cabin as Ernie sped by them getting a head start into town.

“You want to tell me what that was about?” Henley asked, almost afraid of the answer but not enough to ignore what had just taken place. “Shouldn’t we be able to trust him if he’s military?”

“He’s had military training,” Mav clarified, opening the passenger side door to his Jeep. “It’s in the way he carries himself. We don’t know a thing about the man and I wanted to make it very clear that this is our town. We protect what is ours by any means necessary. The bunker is secured, as well as the lodge. Leaving Truman here won’t be a problem for now. Let’s drive into town since we don’t know how much time we have and see if Ernie can convince the other residents that it’s safer here than to travel anywhere else.”

“Are you still skeptical of that?” Henley asked, climbing into the seat and wanting to stop in at the diner to watch the news. They didn’t have televisions in the guest cabins and although the emergency radio provided them news, she wanted something more visual than her imagination. “Do you think we should head north?”

“Canada has to be aware of what’s taking place and I’m sure they even have their own geologists, scientists, and whoever else on their payroll to give them the information they need.” Mav’s gaze appeared somewhat solemn with his next sentence. “They’ll be careful as to who they allow across their border since they’ll also need to worry about their own citizens.”

“Tank thinks we’ll be safer here,” Henley pointed out before Mav closed her door. She waited for him to get into the driver’s side before she continued, her previous apprehension returning about their earlier argument. It was a silly thing to think about when their lives were about to be placed into eminent danger. “I’m inclined to agree with what he showed us last night.”

“All of his information is based on the wind patterns and while that is still likely the case, I’d rather have multiple avenues to take should we need them.” Mav started the engine and quickly made a U-turn, following Ernie’s path into town. “The bunker is only made to hold a couple dozen people, thirty at most. That won’t work if the entire town decides to stay based on Tank’s theory, so he better be right.”

Henley rolled down her window, the temperature hovering around fifty-six degrees. She wasn’t sure they would hear something of that magnitude should the volcano explode, but she didn’t want to take the chance of missing something. The fresh clean air was flowing in while Mav left a trail of dust in their wake. They were twenty minutes outside of town, but it wasn’t like they needed to go over anything. They’d discussed it until they were blue in the face last night, which only left one topic. She was being given an opportunity to apologize before they possibly met their maker and she needed this resolved.

“Mav, I’m truly sorry for how I’ve treated you these last few years during your visits,” Henley said softly, glancing in his direction. The only indication that he’d heard her was the tightening of his fingers on the steering wheel. She continued to stare at his large hands, her skin tingling as she remembered what his caress felt like on her face. “I didn’t handle this morning very well. You were right about everything…I’ve come home to hide and I’ve done a piss poor job of dealing with my problems. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, but you said it like you saw it and I reacted in a way I’m not proud of.”

“It doesn’t matter now, Henley.” Mav never once looked her way and Henley’s heart hurt at the damage she’d done. “Nothing does except seeing that the people of this town survive the aftermath of what is to come. Our problems are insignificant compared to what we’re facing.”

“It does matter, though,” Henley insisted, not willing to let this go. “I’ve wasted three years of a friendship that we could have had because I didn’t want to put myself out there, to let myself be vulnerable. Yet you put not only your emotions out there every day, but also you risk your life. I didn’t see your sacrifice until today and it opened my eyes to my own selfishness. I’m not saying that what I experienced in my life wasn’t appalling in its own right, because there was little humanity in the life I lived. You were right about that, Mav.”

They fell into a silence for another eighteen minutes, but it wasn’t a comfortable quietness. The time stretched until Henley thought she’d burst from the thoughts that were running through her head about the two of them and the weight of what was about to happen in the upcoming days. She’d even parted her lips to say something else as they crossed into town, but Mav finally responded.

“It’s not just friendship I want, Henley.” She wasn’t sure how to respond, considering earlier this morning he told her something quite the opposite. Mav pulled in front of the diner and parked, taking the key out of the ignition before looking directly at her to drive his point home. “You and I…we’ve been going round and round with this for three years plus. We’ve run out of time for any type of relationship and trust me when I say that survival is not an easy thing in what is about to become our reality. I’ve lived it and it changes a person. If you thought there was little humanity before you haven’t seen anything yet. The only people I’ve been able to trust aren’t here yet with the exception of Tank. I can promise you this—I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe because it’s who I am. There is no ulterior motive other than we take care of our own.”

Mav shoved open his door and Henley continued sitting in her seat as he walked around the front of the vehicle like the gentleman he was. From what he said it wasn’t his mother who had taught him that. Henley was a little in awe that he still held true to who he was with everything that was going on. The gesture made her feel even more remorseful than she had before and she waited until he was really looking at her after he’d opened her door to speak.

“I know you don’t have an ulterior motive, Mav. I hope one day you understand how sorry I truly am that my insecurities hurt you the way they have.”

Mav studied her and then held out his hand, helping her down until she was standing in front of him. She wasn’t sure if he accepted her apology, but this was a start. Henley rose up on her tiptoes and impulsively kissed his cheek, wishing she could erase the last three years.

“I don’t want your pity, Henley,” Mav said softly, waiting for her to step to the side so that he could shut the passenger door. She was surprised when he backed her against the metal, his body covering hers and reminding her that he’d awoken something dormant inside of her. Her eyes met his and like last night, time stood still. “I want you and no matter how angry I was with you this morning, that hasn’t changed. You want another
friend
? Feel free to hit up Kellen back at the lodge. If you want a man…I’m right here in front of you.”

“Mav, Sheriff Ramsey is bringing the mayor over to the diner,” Ernie said earnestly, appearing out of nowhere and causing Henley to startle a bit. Mav stepped away and for the first time in years, she missed the warmth of a man’s body. How quickly things changed and the chaotic events around them weren’t giving her time to think them through. What struck her odd was that Mav didn’t look like he expected a response as he focused on Ernie. “The White House is about to have a press conference.”

A shiver of fear traveled down Henley’s spine at the thought that Mav might be right about her view of people in general. She’d been living in a bubble and hadn’t allowed anyone inside, even those who’d had the best intentions. Mav had always been an open book which she’d chosen not to read, but he didn’t want her to just peruse the prologue. He wanted her to join him in his story and she didn’t know if she could do that. Ernie had always respected her privacy and she’d grown accustomed to people keeping their distance because of her demeanor. Now her sanctuary was about to be invaded by nature and the instinct in these people to survive would kick in, bringing with it not only the kindness but the ugliness of humanity.