HOLY SMOKES

fourteen. riggs

Magnolia laughed, holding onto the back of Dexter's seat as he swerved from the left to the right, trying not to let the rest of the StromPAR team pass them. She had loosened up a little, her fear pushed the side by the sheer amount of awe that washed over her as she watched the two funnels.

And she could just imagine Boone's smile when he saw the second vortex form. Wide and toothy, like he'd gotten candy or something. Just as the StormPAR team passed them, her phone buzzed and she moved towards the back of the caravan as she pulled it out to see a text from Hunter.

The team and I are meeting with a few of the families from the other day. Some agreed to talk to us, tell us about what happened.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, she had come to Oklahoma to help out. To help lead her team as they worked to clean up towns and raise money. But she had been hanging out with Boone more than she had been doing her job. Even if she knew that without the Tornado Wranglers they wouldn't be raising nearly as much money, she still felt awful.

There was a tiny part of her that felt like she was using their fame, and in a way she was. She knew that. But they had all agreed. And while it helped her raise money, it also helped them out. Dani had told her that their fund for tornado relief had also gotten an influx of donations.

They're website had been blowing up and they sold over five hundred t-shirts in just a few days.

Still, she hated that she wasn't helping like she should've been.

Before she could even type a reply, another text rolled in...

Congrats on your engagement

Her eyes went wide, her mouth going dry as she typed a response.

How'd you know about that?

My room is right next to yours

Her cheeks flushed as it sank it. If they had shared a wall that meant he heard, well, everything. She had tried to be quiet, she really did. She bit her lip, she covered her mouth with her hand, and she had even tried to use a pillow to muffle her moans and her screams. But Boone wasn't having any of that.

Said she sounded too pretty, that he wanted to hear every sound that left her. And she couldn't deny him, especially not after he secured his red bandana around her wrists to keep her from covering her mouth again.

The thought had her shifting in her seat as she reached up and toyed with the red fabric that was tied around her neck. She never thought she would've liked having her hands bound, but he was so gentle when he had secured it around her wrist.

Thanks

It was all she could think to text back, especially since images from the night before – and even that morning – were playing through her head and all she could think about was Boone. His filthy words that made her moan, his hands on her body, the kisses he left all over her skin. The marks he'd left behind, and not just on her neck.

She shook her head, shaking the thought. It definitely was not the time to be lost in dirty daydreams. She put her phone away and took a breath, hoping her cheeks weren't beet red – they were.

She made her way towards the front of the caravan just as Dani grabbed the radio, "alright, Tyler, we gotta make a choice. Which one are we going, left or right?"

"Does it matter which way we go?" Magnolia asked curiously.

"One's gonna stay, the other will fade out." Dexter told her.

"Oh," she hummed, nodding her head.

"Alright, we're going right." Tyler's voice came over the radio. Just as they reached a fork in the road, Javi went left and Tyler went right.

"Hundred yards to intersect," Lily's voice came over the radio. "Dexter, hang back."

Dexter pulled to a stop, and Magnolia watched out the windshield as Tyler kept driving down the road a little farther. Her fingers dug into the seat when she saw the tornado moving right towards the truck.

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched the truck come to a stop, and just as the augers dug into the ground Boone climbed out the window with his yellow bandana covering his nose and his sunglasses covering his eyes.

She watched carefully, straining a little to see what he was doing as he loaded the rocket launchers that were mounted to the side of the truck.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she twisted the ring around her finger. Dani looked from the red truck, to her phone – where she had been reading comments – and finally to Magnolia.

People were starting to notice the ring on her left hand, of course they were.

But she didn't mention any of those comments as they all watched. And just before the tornado reached the truck, it vanished.

"That was disappointing." Dexter mumbled, slowly pulling the caravan forward as Tyler climbed out of the truck, watching the other tornado.

When Dexter pulled to a stop, Magnolia climbed out and made her way towards the truck as Dani hopped out, "Hey. We shouda went with her."

Tyler sent her an unimpressed look as Magnolia passed him, simply patting his back, then she continued towards the truck as the backdoor opened and Boone jumped out.

"I'm sorry, baby." She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes.

"Kiss me, it might make me feel better."

She laughed as she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. His hand gripped her waist, tugging her closer to him. She pulled back as he wrapped his arms around her, one hand moving down to her ass. "Feel better?"

He tilted his head to the side a little as if thinking about it, "nope, we should try again."

She complied, molding her mouth to his and he brushed his tongue across the seam of her lips. She parted her lips just a little and he groaned appreciatively as he rolled his tongue against hers.

"Is that a ring?" Ben asked, leaning across the seat and the couple pulled apart.

"Damn right, it's a ring." Boone hummed, kissing the end of Magnolia's nose as she giggled.

"Hey, guys," Lily leaned out the window. "It's headed for a town."

"Alright, let's head over there." Tyler nodded, forgetting about the disappointing live stream. "Let's go."

"Come on, angel." Boone nodded towards the truck and she swallowed hard before using the step to hoist herself up. It helped that Boone kept his hands on her waist to help her up, and once she was in the middle, Boone climbed in beside her. He reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to his lips then he brushed a soft kiss over her knuckles.

>>>>> • <<<<<

"I'll be right back," Magnolia told Boone when she saw Hunter pull up, him and the team piling out of his SUV and the Ranger Rover behind him. "Hey, guys. Thanks for gettin' here so fast."

"Yeah, uh, well..." Hunter mumbled, avoiding making eye contact with her. "You got the lay of the land? Where do we need to start?"

"Dani, Dexter and Lily are handin' out food and water, if a couple of you could help, that would be great. Um, there's a few missing pets, Boone and Ty are lookin' for a lost dog over that way. We could get a couple small groups together, cover more ground. But we should really focus on the people, making sure they get medical attention, if they need it. And maybe just a hug or two."

"Okay, I'll, uh, grab my camera." Hunter turned.

"No videos today, just take a few pictures. And make sure people are okay with it first. They've just lost everything, don't need unwanted photos of that." She told him and he nodded, still not meeting her eyes. Which she was grateful for, but she couldn't dwell on the fact that he'd overheard her and Boone the night before, she had work to do. "And for those that don't have a place to stay, I called a few nearby hotels, and they already got rooms set aside."

"Got it," Hunter nodded, his camera in hand. "Alright, let's get to work." He looked over the group, they all nodded, then they separated as they pulled on their work gloves. "Hey, look, Maggie-"

"Nope, not talkin' 'bout it," she mumbled, her cheeks red as she turned and made her way back towards Boone and Tyler as the latter whistled.

"You okay?" Boone asked softly when she reached his side, pulling her worn out gloves back on. "Your face is red. You get too hot?"

"I'm fine," she smiled at him, loving how he worried. And he didn't look convinced, so she sighed. "Hunter had the room next to ours last night..." She mumbled, her eyes on her boots.

"Oh," he mumbled and she nodded.

"It's awkward 'cause we work together." She shook her head a little, reaching out to move a piece of wood. "But now's not really the time to talk about it. Got a dog to find."

He simply nodded, but a small smile played on his lips.

He whistled, looking around, "come here, boy!"

Magnolia made her way closer to the house, watching her step as she stepped over the rubble, then she let out a whistle. "Where ya at, buddy?" She called out, hoping the dog could hear her. She bent down, making sure her dress covered everything as she looked around, but she didn't see any movement. She found a door that had been ripped from its hinges, she reached out to move it but her hand slipped and her glove did nothing to stop a sharp piece from slicing through her palm.

"Ow!" She groaned, pulling her hand towards her, the blood had already soaked through the fabric of the glove.

"Baby, you okay?" Boone asked, looking over at her from where he stood on the other side of a pile of rubble.

"Yeah, just cut my hand." She told him, her teeth clenched as she pulled the glove off. He was quick in making it towards her, grabbing her hand carefully to get a better look.

"Fuck, angel,"

"How bad is it?" Tyler asked, his brows creased in worry.

"It's not-"

"I'm gonna take you to one of the ambulances," Boone cut her off, looking over his shoulder at Tyler, who nodded. "We'll be back."

"I'm fine, really." She told him as he pulled the bandana from around his neck and tied it around her hand.

"That looks deep, you might need stitches." He placed his hand on her back, leading her towards the close ambulance.

"Boone."

"And I'm gettin' you better gloves."

She smiled up at him, leaning over to kiss his jaw, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She didn't need stitches, but the EMT did tell her to take it easy after he had wrapped it up. So, while Tyler and Boone were digging through the rubble, she merely walked around, calling out for the dog.

"I don't think he's over here," Magnolia told the two as she made her way towards them, using her left hand to keep her balance as she stepped over the rubble.

"Yeah," Boone made his way towards her, hands on her waist as he lifted her up and put her on the ground so she wasn't standing on the unstable rubble. "We can look over-"

"I'll be back," Tyler mumbled when he saw Kate then he made his way towards her. "It was a nice play on the left twin."

"I'm gonna look over this way," she pointed towards the side of the house and he nodded.

"Be careful."

"Always," she got him a soft smile and made her way towards the neighboring house that had been torn down, only one wall still standing. She was close enough to hear Scott as he introduced the local bar owner to an older man.

"Oh, this is Uncle Marshall. This is the, uh, owner if the bar here," Scott explained, making Magnolia's brows pinch.

"How you doing?" The man asked, shaking his hand.

"You're the owner?" Riggs asked, pulling his hand back.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I'm sorry what happened. We're gonna make it right. Here's my card."

The divot between her brows only deepened as she watched the older man hand over a card, that didn't seem like someone trying to help would do. And it made her all the more curious about what StormPAR did.

"Hey, baby," she turned, making her way back towards Boone.

He panicked a little as he stood up from looking under the demolished porch, "You good? You hurt?" His eyes scanned up her entire body, making her smile as she put her hands on his shoulders to calm him down,

"No, I'm fine, just got a question."

"Oh," he relaxed under her touch. "What's up?"

"Just overheard a conversation between Scott and some guy named Marshall, they were talkin' to the owner of the bar. Handed over a business card." She let her hands drift down his arms, forcing herself from getting distracted about how thick his muscles were. "You know anything about Marshall Riggs?"

His brows creased, but it was hard to tell under the bill of his hat, "you don't know 'bout what they do?"

"No, only talked to Scott and Javi a few times. Never really seen Riggs before."

He let out a soft sigh, "Riggs is a developer. He buys up land real cheap after people lose everythin'."

"That's awful," she mumbled before she looked over to see the bar owner reading the card as Scott and Riggs walked away. "I'm gonna go talk to him, I'll be back."

"Baby, wait..."

"Gotta tell him he has other options, that's what the relief fund is for."

He smiled at her, "my angel in action." She flushed at the name – and the memory of the night before. "Can't let you save the world with dirt on your face, though." He used the bandana around her neck and wiped at her cheek, where some dirt had been smudged.

"Thank you," she leaned up and kissed his cheek before she turned, making her way towards the owner of the bar. "Hi, excuse me." She smiled politely as he turned towards her. "My name's Magnolia."

"Justin," he held his hand out and she shook it, regretting it when he squeezed her injured hand, but she seamlessly covered it up as she pulled her hand back.

"I run a non-profit, we raise money for tornado survivors and I overheard that you lost your bar."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded.

"My team and I would like to help you rebuild, if that's what you want."

"Oh, I couldn't-"

"It's what the money's for. To help people rebuild after the worst thing happens. If you'd like, I could personally get in contact with local contractors for you. We can get things started when everything is cleared up. Though most of the constitution will be put off 'til after storm season."

"We could really rebuild?" He asked, his voice a little shaky as he held in tears.

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

The tears broke free and he moved to hug her, "thank you. Thank you." She patted his back before he pulled away, wiping at his eyes as a smile tugged at his lips. "This means everything."

"She's getting on nerves," Scott muttered to Javi so his Uncle wouldn't overhear.

"Yeah, Riggs isn't gonna like that one bit." Javi simply patted Scott's back. "But we got a radar to find."

"I'm not local, but we do have a branch over in Oklahoma City, I'll make a call, give them your info. I'll also give you theirs, so you can call once things settle down some." She told the man, before exchanging numbers. And after a few more thank yous, she made her way back to Boone and Tyler.

"How'd it go?" Boone asked, standing up straight as she neared them.

"He's gonna rebuild, and with all the new donations, we can rebuild the entire town. Riggs ain't gettin' anywhere near this land if I can help it."

Boone smiled, "ain't she amazin'?" He asked, his eyes never leaving hers as she blushed a little.

"Absolutely. Y'all can make out later. We got a dog to find." Tyler mumbled.

"You okay, Ty?" Magnolia asked as she stopped at his side. "You seem irritated." "Yeah, I'm fine." He huffed, clearly not fine after his conversation with Kate. Magnolia just nodded as she started looking for the dog again, whistling and calling out for him.