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  Rumbling Thunder

  B.F. Harrolle and A.J. Harrolle

  Copyright © 2019 by B.F. Harrolle and A.J. Harrolle

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or copied without prior written permission of the authors. Except by a reviewer who may quote small passages in a review to be printed in newspapers, magazines, or journals.

  This book is a work of fiction. Characters, places, and names are all from the author’s imagination. All characters in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people is coincidental.

  This book is published by B.F. Harrolle and A.J. Harrolle with KDP

  Acknowledgement

  To friends and family

  Dedication

  To Michelle

  Because we love you.

  CHAPTER 1

  Rumbling

  Rainy was frustrated, sitting in studio one, looking on as Tim, Assistant Director of The Imakey Dance Company, explained for the tenth time what the ballerina was doing wrong. Her father Donavan was the Artistic Executive Director and principal choreographer of the company. In reality, he did so much more; everything from marketing to fundraising. And she knew her father would have sent the young dancer packing long before now. However, Donavan wasn’t there. He, along with her mother, Jessica, were on vacation. She didn’t even know where they went off to this time. They never said and she never asked.

  Being home for the summer had not been in her plans. However, Quinn, her sister, who was the same age as her, talked her into coming. Funny how she already figured out good old Dad, had something to do with that. No, she and Quinn were not twins. They had been switched at birth. Oh, they loved each other as much as any two sisters could, and Rainy knew this because she had an older sister, Samantha, who was killed along with her toddler son, Keyon, in a car crash a few years back. She and Samantha shared a room together when they were growing up. And now Rainy would not go into that room for any reason. That’s one reason she didn’t want to come home for the summer; there was just too much to remind her of Samantha and Keyon. But Quinn had told her that she could stay at the penthouse. The penthouse had belonged to Elyssa Masterson, their grandmother. Well, really her grandmother. Only Quinn grew up as her granddaughter, not her. The old woman has passed away shortly after Rainy had met her. Even so, Rainy was happy she had gotten to meet her, but glad that she had been raised by the Graystone family. She’d had it so much better then Quinn, who grew up in a boarding school.

  Maybe it was because she grew up around dancers that she no longer cared to be part of this world. She even hated the smell of the dressing rooms. It smelled like old sneakers to her.

  The best part was that Quinn wasn’t even in New York City, but on a trip with Rosa, her housekeeper. Rosa was more or less like Quinn’s family. She had more to do with raising Quinn than Elyissa did. Rosa also was the caretaker of the penthouse Elyssa had left Quinn. Not that Rainy didn’t get any of her grandmother’s fortune. She would inherit millions when she turned twenty-five years old. But that was six years from now. So for the time being, she worked doing odds and ends jobs to pick up a little cash. Not that her parent’s hadn’t been taking good care of her. She had room and board on campus. And really wanted for nothing. However, she liked to make her own way. Even though she knew she only has to ask, she wouldn’t dare.

  She’d had her hopes up of seeing Pedro, her boyfriend of four years now. He was the premier danseur of Imakey. They were crazy in love with each other. However, when she left for college things changed. She wrote him love letters by text, often not hearing from him in return. Maybe it was a man thing; she wasn’t sure. When she came home for Christmas, he was so happy to see her and promised to write her back. He said he would call her every day. But it never happened. He’d texted her once on her birthday. If he was done with her, why doesn’t he just tell her? She more than likely wouldn’t see him on this trip. He was down in Mexico visiting family.

  The other dancers were getting fidgety, shifting from foot to foot. Rainy wished Tim would work with the young dancer one on one, and let the rest of them move onward with their day.

  Finally, Tim turned towards the other dancers.

  “You guys break for lunch. Be back here no later than two o’clock.”

  He didn’t have to say it again. Rainy went and grabbed her bag, pulling out a pair of dance skin pants. She pulled them on over her leotard, changed her shoes, and went out the back door. She was going to drive her dad’s car, but after thinking it over, she could walk to their house faster because of the New York traffic. Her parent’s lived about a half mile away from the dance studio. She walked through the alleyway and heard rumbling, not sure at first what it was until she saw the motorcycles moving past the alley down the street. Stopping, she watched them. There were so many bikers. And there seemed to be all kinds of motorcycle. Some with women on the back, only not women riding their own bikes. For some weird reason, Rainy didn’t want the bikers to see her. She waited in the alley until she felt it was safe to venture out. Walking to the end of the alley, she poked her head out and looked. The bikers were down the street. Now she felt it was okay to walk to her folk’s house. She crossed the street at the light and turned down a side street to take a short cut home. When she came to the street they lived on, she saw two bikers at the corner bus stop. They were messing with a teenage girl. They were both laughing when they pulled off. The girl flipped them off, and one of the bikers turned around and was going back towards the girl when the city bus pulled up, and the girl ran on board. Rainy was thankful that the two bikers didn’t notice her, and she ran the rest of the way to the house.

  It didn’t take her long to forget about the bikers. While rummaging around looking for something to eat, she saw a picture of her late sister that had been stuck in one of the kitchen drawers, and that made her sad.

  After she ate her lunch and returned to the studio, she hoped Tim had worked something out with the ballerina. Then maybe her day would move faster. Sitting in the dressing room, she texted her mother to see when they would be returning home.

  “ Sometime this week,” her mother texted back.

  Resting her feet on the bench that was in front of her, she leaned her head against the wall, and she did what she told herself she wouldn’t. She texted Pedro. Closing her eyes, she prayed he would text her back, but she knew he wouldn’t. Maybe there wasn’t a signal where he was, but it didn’t matter, he hadn’t texted her when he was here in the city.

  Chapter 2

  Dad

  Rainy woke up and knew at once her folks were home. She could smell the aroma of coffee wafting through the house. Turning to look at her clock, it was only 6:15, she could go back to sleep for another hour if she wanted to. But she decided to go downstairs and see her parents. After all, she would only be home for six weeks before she returned to college. She was attending the University of California, close to where her maternal grandparents lived.

  After she dressed for the day, she headed for the kitchen. There she found her father sitting at the dining room table reading over some papers. Rainy stopped and waited, not sure if she should enter the room She was waiting to see if her mother was around. Before they had left, she and her father had gotten into an argument about her dancing. Her side of it was she didn’t want to spend her whole summer dancing for his company. His side was he needed someone who knew the dance, which she did. And after all, he was paying for her education. This was a first for Donavan Graystone; he had never thrown money in her face before. And even if he was right, she got angry with him.

  Just when she was going to turn around and return to her room, he said, “Rainy?”

  She hesitated.“Yes, Dad, it’s me.�
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  “You want some coffee?”

  “Sure, that sounds nice,” she said as she made her way into the kitchen. Not sure where they stood with each other and not wanting to get into another argument, she rounded the breakfast bar and took a seat on one of the stools.

  “Glad we’re talking again,” her father said, as he stood up from his chair and rounded the counter to enter the kitchen. His back to her as he prepared the coffee.

  “It’s been over a week, Dad. Can’t stay angry forever.”

  “Just so you know, I did as you said. I asked your sister if she would take your place.”

  He placed a cup of hot black coffee in front of her.

  She looked at him, hopeful. “What did she say?”

  “She and Rosa won’t be returning from Mexico for three more weeks. It seems Rosa has lots of family and wants to visit with all of them before they return.”

  Rainy looked down. She was disappointed. “Oh,” was all she said.

  “Look at the bright side, Rainy. Before you know it, you will be back at school and won’t have to put up with me.”

  She looked up at her father and wanted to change the subject before they got into another disagreement. “Where’s Mom at?”

  “She’s asleep.”

  “Oh.”

  “That seems to be your favorite word this morning,” he said as he lifted his cup to take a sip of his coffee. Placing the cup back on the table, He said, “Rainy, honey, if I didn’t really need you for this tour, I wouldn’t ask. I just don’t have the time to prepare another ballerina.”

  “I know,” she mumbled, looking down.

  Jessica, her mother, walked in and embraced her, kissing her on the cheek.

  “I’m happy to see you Rainy. Did you miss us?”

  Rainy smiled back at her mother. “Of course, Mom.”

  She stayed in the kitchen after her father went to get ready for work. She talked to her mother for over an hour before she went upstairs to get ready for her day.

  When she came back downstairs, her dad had already left for the studio After she said goodbye to her mother, Rainy set out to walk to the studio herself. In a way, she was happy her father was back. Maybe now they could get somewhere with this dance. And if her dad wanted her to dance the lead, who would her leading man be? There were eight male dancers for her father to pick from. Maybe Jonas; he was a good dancer. Not as good as Pedro, but still good. She wished it would be Pedro. She missed him so much and would love nothing more than to have his arms around her. They had met when she was only fourteen. She had run away from home, and she was walking on the interstate. She had fallen asleep under a table in a rest area. A highway patrolman was trying to catch up with her. Somehow she had managed to elude him. When she woke up, there were people seated at the same table she was under, and the highway patrolman was talking to them. The man tried to tell him in broken English that he didn’t see anyone walking on the highway. The young boy translated for his father. The patrolman finally left, and she crawled out from under the table. The man’s wife and two kids were there with him. She thanked him for not giving her away. But when she started to leave, she realized their truck was broken down. Rainy felt bad. After all, the man had helped her out of a jam, and she couldn’t just leave them there.

  She turned, walked back to where they sat and waited. “Is anyone coming to help?” she asked.

  “Si, my uncle is on his way,” said the boy who spoke perfect English. Rainy decided to stick around and make sure the uncle made it there before she left. While they waited, she found out they were migrant workers, and they moved around a lot. She also found out their names. The boy was Nardo, his sister Demi, his mother Delfina, and his father was named Edberto.

  When their uncle Jose arrived, he told Edberto he could fix the truck, only he had no money for the parts it needed. Edberto only had enough to get them down south. Rainy had three hundred dollars on her. She opened her backpack and taking twenty dollars out to eat for the rest of the week, she went to Edberto and tried to give him her money. But he wouldn’t take it. Rainy placed the money on the table and put a half full soda can on it to keep the wind from blowing it away, she then walked out of the rest area.

  It was the following afternoon when they found her. They insisted she come with them. Delfina told Nardo to tell her they would find her work. Finally, she caved in. So much for her mother telling her to never get in the car with a stranger.

  They traveled all the way to Homestead, Florida. There they worked the fields together. Rainy had been with them for weeks when she found out they had another son. It was Pedro. Rainy couldn’t help but fall in love with him. Not only was he good looking, but he was also kind. He even gave up his bed for her. From that day forward, they were a couple.

  A few months passed, and her father showed up with the law to take her back home. Till this day, she had no idea how he found her. Leaving Pedro broke her heart. And Pedro’s too. That’s why she knew he loved her. He came to New York City to find her. He told her later that he didn’t think he would ever get to see her. Donavan blocked him every way he could. But he wouldn’t give up. Rainy felt that’s why her father took an interest in Pedro. Because anyone who was that determined could be a great dancer. And in just a few short years, Pedro had become a star.

  Rainy walked into the dance studio and went to see where she was working. She went to the board and found out she was with Tim. She rolled her eyes. It was going to be another long day. She wished she was working with her dad. Not that Tim wasn’t a good choreographer, he was. She just preferred her father’s way of teaching a dance.

  Chapter 3

  Rattled

  After a week of the same routine every day, the dancers were now in the same studio together. Rainy was excited. She would find out who the leading male dancer would be. First thing that morning, she headed for studio one and as she entered, she saw a group of dancers crowded together. They were all talking and laughing. Not sure what was going on, she started down the stairs towards the dance floor.

  She noticed Tim and Ellen standing off to the side. She was not too happy to see Ellen because that meant they would be split up into groups again. In her youth, Ellen was a prima ballerina. She often came here to help her father get the dancers ready. Rainy felt that Ellen was beautiful, even in her sixties. But as a person, she didn’t care for her, feeling she was a real snob. She and Quinn dubbed her the witch of studio one.

  Ellen stepped out onto the dance floor and clapped her hands to get the dancer’s attention, “Alright ladies and gentlemen, you can have your reunion later. Time to get to work now!” she ordered. Rainy was standing on the bottom step. Ellen turned towards her. “Would you like to join us, Miss Graystone, or are you going to stand there all day dreaming?”

  Rainy rolled her eyes and stepped out onto the dance floor. That’s when she saw him, Pedro. He was talking to a young ballerina. Rainy squealed, and ran and jumped on him, expecting him to catch her. But he didn’t and almost lost his balance. Instinctively, he pushed her back.

  “Damn, girl, give me some warning next time before you jump on me like that.”

  Rainy was taken aback. She always ran and jumped into his arms, and he’d never complained before. She could only stare back at him, not sure of what she should say or do. She stood still. Tim then ordered the male dancers to come with him to the other studio. And Pedro walked away from her without saying a word. Rainy stood and watched him walk off. He was still the best looking man she’d ever seen. He had broad shoulders and defined arms and chest, along with his head full of wavy black hair. And a devilish grin that ran the girls crazy. His eyes were black as a starless night. His skin looked as if it was kissed by the sun.

  “Alright, ladies, let’s start at the barre,” Ellen demanded. After their warm-up they worked on floor routines for three hours and then took a short break. Rainy went and grabbed a bottle of water. She stood at the railing that went around the studio and drank her wat
er. Her gaze landed on a group of new ballerinas that were seated together on the steps that led down to the dance floor. They were all laughing and joking among themselves. Rainy didn’t know any of them. Not even their names. She had been away at college when they joined the company. And she already knew that they had a crush on Pedro. One of them was the red-headed girl Pedro had been talking to. She wondered if they had something going on.

  “Time to get back to work,” Ellen insisted. Two more hours of floor routines, then it was lunchtime. Rainy made her way to Donavan’s office. She knew he had yogurt in his little refrigerator. She grabbed one container and a plastic spoon, taking a seat on the sofa. She opened the yogurt and slowly started to eat. She was still feeling the sting from Pedro pushing her away. She knew things had changed between them, but she didn’t know he didn’t want her to touch him. And how were they going to be partners? Well, it wasn’t going to work. She wanted to hold him so badly, and she dreamed of him all the time. She knew he used to love her. What had happened to change that?

  Donavan came into the office and sat behind his desk. He gave her a mild glance after he took his seat. “You’re not having lunch with your boyfriend?”

  Rainy looked up at him. “And who might that be?”

  “The same guy you’ve been dating for the past four years.”

  “It seems he has other plans, Dad.”

  Donavan frown at her. “You two fighting?”

  “No!” she said as she stood up to throw her trash away. Donavan handed her a paper towel.

  “Thanks,” She said, wiping her mouth and hands.

  “He’s just tired. He just got back this morning,” Donavan reasoned.

  “Good for him!” Rainy said as she sat back down.