“Damn,” Taylor said. “Who’s gonna tell my girl?”
“Someone will,” Tyler said, putting his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
Taylor’s lips formed a hard line. “You gotta go, Ty. You gotta climb that cliff and get out of here.”
Tyler shook his head with a small smile. “Not leaving you.”
Taylor’s eyes glossed over. “Dad, Tyler. He can’t lose both of us.”
Tyler looked up at the dirt wall, then back at his twin. “There’s only time to boost up one. You go.”
Taylor looked back at the approaching fire then back at his brother. “Not leaving you here.”
“I’m not leaving you here,” Tyler said, his temper thin. “But we both can’t stay.” He pointed to the cliff. “You’re the better climber anyway. Go. Explain to Dad. Tell him I’m sorry. Tell him I’m with Mom.”
Runt took off his helmet and raked his fingers through his hair, his eyes wide. “Fuck, we’re going to die.”
The heat grew more intense with every passing second, the smoke filtering down the ravine.
Taylor’s eyes met the gaze of each of his crew. He wiped his eyes, his mouth, then nodded. “Okay … okay.”
chapter seventeen
the spitfire
Naomi
W
e followed Trex to the locker room as a team. I hadn’t had time to workout, and that was the only explanation I had for the uneasiness that had come over me in the last half-hour. The guys checked their weapons, scrolled through their phones for a few minutes, then prepared for afternoon orders. We were all restless, walking the corridors day in and day out, and we all struggled with the guilt that we didn’t feel the peace we thought we’d find back together again with guns in our hands and off work by dinnertime.
Trex’s radio scratched, and Saunders came over the speaker. “Trex, report to the control room with your team immediately.”
“Copy that,” he said, gesturing for us to roll out.
We made our way to Saunders, our excitement for a possible mission almost palpable.
Saunders was standing in front of the Control Room entrance when we arrived. He escorted us past the computers and ancient equipment with dozens of knobs and buttons to the corner where the exterior monitors were. “The Queen’s Canyon fire is within ten miles of the Complex.”
“So? The irrigation systems and the Complex Fire Department can handle it. We can bring all personnel and equipment inside,” Trex said. He looked at us, taking a step toward the door. “We should get started.”
“The winds aren’t in our favor, and…” Saunders pointed at a section a few miles out from the outer fences. “There’s a small group of wildfire fighters who are getting closer to our outer perimeter. They’ve been instructed to save the Complex. But if the winds change, they’re fucked.”
Trex’s expression changed. Two deep lines formed between his brows. “The Alpines are out there today. Did anyone on com happen to say it was them?”
My throat felt tight, and that uneasiness I’d been feeling intensified.
“No, they didn’t,” Saunders said.
No one was moving. “We should get out there,” I said. Keep eyes out, maybe be ready for a quick evac.”
“You’re not trained for that,” Saunders said.
Before I could cut off his balls with my words, Trex did his thing.
“Get the satellite on the area,” he said, pointing at the monitor. “Now.”
Saunders sighed. “Your objective is to make sure the people in this facility and property are safe. That’s your only objective.”
“We’ve all been staying at the same hotel for weeks. They’re all friends, and they’re not only civilians, but civil servants,” Trex said, taking a step toward Saunders. “And they’re protecting this complex. This falls directly under my objective.”
Saunders was trying to hide that was he was intimidated, but the deep bob of his Adam’s Apple when he swallowed gave him away. “With all due respect, Trexler, I disagree.”
“I don’t give a fuck if you agree or not.” He headed for the door. “Let’s go.”
I tried not to grin too much when we followed, glad to see my commanding officer back to his old self. He stopped just outside the metal door of the control room. “Naomi, go upstairs and get us clearance to help.”
“What?” I said, instantly feeling sick. “How?”
Trex frowned. “From Bennett.”
I began to talk, but nothing came for several seconds until I felt my cheeks flush, and that pissed me off enough to speak. “You want me to owe him a favor? Are you fucking serious? There’s gotta be another way.”
Harbinger frowned. He wasn’t happy with the plan either.
“It’s the quickest way,” Trex said.
I looked down Charlie corridor to the stairs that led to Peter’s office. We had no time to waste. Trex was right.
“Damn it,” I hissed under my breath.
I climbed the stairs two at a time, propelling myself forward by pulling on the railing. Two security guards were standing on each side of the door, and I showed them my badge.
“Hold up,” one said. “Is he expecting you?”
I sighed. “Call it in.”
“Is he expecting you?” he repeated, this time firmer.
“No, but he’ll want to see me. I have info he needs to hear.”
“You’re going to have to call Bianca,” the other piped in. “Make an appointment.”
“It’s time sensitive. Call it the fuck in,” I demanded. “Naomi Abrams. Right now!” I barked in my militia unit commander voice.
They both went for their radios, but only one alerted the other side of the wall of my presence. Before he could even explain or say my name, Bianca gave them the green light, and the door clicked.
The soldiers stepped aside, and I tried and failed to keep the petty grin off my face.
Bianca was standing, her blue blazer and matching pencil skirt hugging her thick curves. Peter wasn’t always in town, but when he was, Bianca always looked like a million bucks.
She gestured to the door with her outstretched hand, absolutely annoyed at my unannounced arrival. “He’s just through there, Abrams.”
“Thank you,” I said. I walked through his door, closing it behind me.
Peter was standing at the end of a rectangular mahogany table, pretending to be preoccupied with his bookshelf.
“I need your help,” I said. No time to waste, right?
Peter turned, unable to keep the emotion from his face. “Sure, whatever you need.”
His response stunned me for a second, and I stumbled over my request. “There is a group of wildfire fighters trying to keep the canyon fire from reaching the Complex. It’s less than ten miles from here. The Complex Fire Department is on it, and we’re securing equipment and personnel, but…”
“Yes?”
“Trex would like to take our team to evacuate the hotshots if necessary.”
Peter frowned. “Are they in trouble?”
“They could be. Peter, we don’t have time for this. We need a green light. From you.”
Peter thought about it for a few seconds.
“You said whatever I need,” I said. “I need authorization. These guys are my friends. They’re Trex’s friends. We have to make sure they’re not in danger.”
“They’re always in danger, Naomi, they’re firefighters.”
“Peter,” I warned. “I have never asked you for a goddamned thing. Make this happen.”
“Are you giving me orders?” he asked, perturbed.
I grit my teeth. “Fine. I’m calling in a favor.”
“A favor,” he repeated, an edge of curiosity in his voice. “How am I going to justify our security team leaving the facility during an emergency?”
“Trex is locking everything down as we speak. Peter…” I swallowed. “Please.”
“Ev
ac only? No hero shit?”
“Yes.”
“I have your word. Straight there, straight back?”
“Yes, Peter! For fuck’s sake! Make the call!”
He looked down, his eyes darting around the floor, and then his gaze met mine. “Bianca! Trex’s team is clear to leave the perimeter to evacuate civilians. Let everyone know,” he called, still staring at me.
“Thank you,” I said, turning on my heels and rushing out. I was barely at the bottom of the stairs when an alarm sounded. I used my radio as I ran. “Trex! We’ve got clearance for evac only. Best I could do.”
“Copy that,” Trex called back.
I picked up speed. The fire was moving fast, so we had to too. We had less than half an hour to locate the Alpines and get them to safety if they were in trouble, maybe less. My bad feeling only got worse the closer I came to the warehouse.
I turned a corner, sprinted down Delta corridor, and finally reached the warehouse, running all the way to my team only to see the large exterior door closing.
“Are they going to open it again or what?” Martinez asked. His faced darkened as the door pinched off the sunlight.
Trex shook his head. “The general has the Complex on lockdown.”
I looked around for an alternative, then nodded to a smaller door. “We can fit the ATVs through there.”
Trex looked at the guards. “Close it behind us?”
The older one pondered, then nodded.
“Load up!” Trex yelled, jogging to the corner of the warehouse with rows of ATVs.
We each grabbed helmets, chose an ATV, revved the engines and ramped out the smaller door, zooming past the Complex firefighters and the still-open gate they were working out of. We kept our radios on, fanning out at Trex’s command, racing over the rocky terrain of the Cheyenne Mountain toward the area where we last saw the Alpine crew on the screens in the control room.
“Bark if you see anything,” Trex called across the radio.
We drove for ten minutes, then fifteen, our ATVs kicking up dust rivaling the smoke. The dark cloud settling in the Rocky Mountain National Forest grew thicker the more distance we created between us and the Complex.
The unease from earlier had grown to worry then fear. Trex had called in to Saunders a few times to get eyes on the Alpines, but they hadn’t seen them.
“Flames, one o’clock!” Kitsch said.
We drove past drought-parched aspens and blue spruces that stood helpless in the crosshairs of the fire. One whipped me in the face, reaching in for my cheek past my helmet and goggles. Trex signaled for us to slow and then stop just feet from a shallow cliff’s edge. He dismounted and looked across. The fire was less than two hundred yards away and barreling toward us, and I could swear I could hear muffled yells in the flames.
“What the hell?” Sloan said. The smoke was clearing before our eyes. The winds had changed.
“Trex!” a barely audible but familiar voice came from below.
I yanked off my helmet and scrambled from my ATV. “Zeke!” I stopped just short of the edge, fell to my knees, looking down. Zeke and a small group of Alpines were standing below, working hard to fashion a hoist for Fish. He was leaning against the twisted trunk of a large aspen, dirty, sweaty, and in pain.
Trex stood behind me. “Everyone all right?” he called down.
Taylor Maddox stood next to his twin brother Tyler and Zeke, looking up at us in confusion.
“What are you doing here?” Zeke asked, his eyes bouncing from me to Trex then the rest of our team.
“Does it matter?” I asked with a wide grin. Even with the fire closing in, I was happy to see him.
Zeke and Taylor glanced back at the approaching flames. “You got a rope?” Taylor asked. “Fish rolled his ankle. We’re not going to beat the fire outta here.”
“Lucky for you,” Trex said as Harbinger let down a rope. “We’ve got wheels too. Is this everyone?”
Tyler nodded.
The Alpines sprang into action, tying the rope around Fish’s chest. We pulled him up first, then the rest of the Alpines climbed up one at a time. They were exhausted but used the last of their energy to pull themselves up the rope and over the ledge. We yelled encouragement to each one as the fire burned closer. The smoke began to surround us just as the last hotshot, Taylor, had nearly reached the halfway point. The fire crawled across the ground and soon the end of the rope was flickering.
“Let’s go!” Tyler barked. If he was afraid, he hid it well. “Double time!”
Taylor put one hand over the other, but the flame was climbing faster than he was.
“He’s not going to make it,” Zeke said.
My mind spun for something quick and drastic.
“Move your ass, Maddox!” Tyler yelled.
As the fire reached Taylor’s feet, his brother smacked Zeke and lurched forward, his top half falling over the edge, his legs following. Zeke dove for Tyler’s ankles, grabbing them just in time.
“Got him!” Tyler yelled.
My heart was throwing punches at my rib cage, watching Zeke nearly go over the edge.
The other Alpines joined Zeke and heaved both Maddoxes to the top.
Trex kicked off the rope, letting it fall to the bottom, watching the fire engulf what was left.
The Alpines were covered in soot, their shoulders sagging from exhaustion.
“You okay?” I asked Watts. He nodded. I turned to Zeke, looking him over. “You okay?” I repeated as I ran my hands over his baggy yellow shirt and khaki cargo pants. The fire was burning behind us. I could feel the heat permeate my uniform and light up my face, forming instant beads of sweat on my forehead that dripped down.
Zeke was already soaked. He removed his helmet just long enough to wipe the dripping sweat from his face. “Yeah,” he smiled, looking down at me. “Thanks for picking me up from work.”
Zeke climbed on the back of my ATV, wrapping his arms tight around my middle, Taylor with Trex, Tyler with Sloan, Fish with Martinez; Runt and Smitty crawled on with Kitsch, Watts and Cat with Harbinger. The smoke was already choking us by the time we pulled away.
Sloan pulled a bit ahead, and I surged forward. The Complex fire crew was gone when we arrived at the fence line, and even through the smoke, I could see that the warehouse doors were closed. The ATVs kicked up dirt when we paused, ash falling around us.
Soaked, bleeding from sharp branches, saturated with mud, soot, ash, grass, gravel and leaves, we slowed to a stop near the entrance of the Complex. The parking lot was just a few hundred yards away. Everyone turned back, watching the fire twist and devour everything in its path.
“Hold up,” Zeke said. “It’s about to turn.”
The trees beyond the fire line that had moments before waved their branches toward us, showing the flames the way to the Complex, were now sacrificing themselves, inviting the fire to devour them whole.
We heaved, trying to catch our breaths through the thick smoke as it seemed to be magically pulled away with the wind. Just like that, the fire moved in a different direction, away from the Complex, away from us.
We sat for a moment, in disbelief that we were no longer being chased. A breeze was the difference between death and destruction.
Sloan removed his helmet. “Holy shit. It’s like that damn thing has a mind of its own.”
“I have to remind myself that it doesn’t,” Zeke said.
I turned to face him, his arms still around my waist. “How did you know? That it was about to turn?”
Zeke winked at me. “It’s a secret.”
Fish groaned, looking down at his swollen ankle. He was missing a boot, and Smitty’s arm was burned.
“Trex to Saunders. Come in, over,” he called over the radio, leaning my head toward the mic.
“Saunders,” he repeated, his radio clicking off.
“These men need medical attention. Call for a couple of ambulances to meet us at the fi
rst security check and make a call to their HQ to report their guys are safe, over.”
“Copy that, over,” Saunders said, his side going silent again.
“Isn’t there a medical facility on site?” Zeke asked.
I kept my voice down. “It’s a top-secret, high security military base. No one gets in without prior clearance. No exceptions.”
He looked down at my shoulder patch, my badge, then simply nodded.
Trex motioned for us to continue, transporting the dirty, sweaty, exhausted hotshots to the first booth via the ATVs.
I hopped off when Zeke did, hugging him, then evaluating the new cuts on his face.
Zeke winced. “Did you have to drive through every tree branch between the cliff and the Complex?”
“Yes,” I said. “Did you notice we were the first ones back?”
One side of his mouth turned up. “You’re so damn competitive.”
I winked at him. “You have no idea.”
The ambulance arrived, loading up the injured first. I couldn’t stop checking Zeke for injuries, for some reason unable to wrap my head around the fact that he was safe. Something still didn’t feel right.
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah,” he said again, touching my arm. “A little dizzy still, but I’ll be okay.”
“You’re sure?”
He kissed my forehead. “I’m sure. Everyone is okay.”
“I’m not asking about everyone,” I said.
He grinned. “I know.”
The sun had gone down, and it felt safe in the darkness to let my softer side show.
“Fish?” a woman called, jumping out of the back after the first paramedic.
“Here,” Fish called. “Over here, Logan.”
She hugged him, tears and dirt smudging her face, her dark hair sticking to her wet cheeks. “You’re okay?”
“Yeah. I’m okay,” Fish said.
Sanchez leaned in to whisper, “Isn’t that Bobby’s mechanic?”
“Yeah,” Jubal said, watching her hug Fish with curiosity.
Another man stepped out of the passenger side seeming relieved. He was tall, a squared jaw, and too clean and pretty to be an on-duty hotshot. He was even prettier than Watts.
The Edge of Us (Crash and Burn Book 2) Page 14
