Forged

by Piper Stone

  I have to wonder if this could be love.

  Love? What in God’s name did she know about love? Laney dropped the pen and closed the book. At this point, she didn’t want to make any more of the situation than what had really occurred. They’d shared a wonderful time together. Fantastic. She closed her eyes, sliding her hand into her robe and pinching her nipple. Moaning, she twisted and pulled, just like he did, her body tingling from the slice of pain. Her nipples remained sensitive, hard and as she opened her robe with the other hand then cupped both breasts, she envisioned his commanding face.

  Holding her breath, she could almost feel the warmth of his hot breath as he stood in front of her naked body. She allowed one hand to travel down her stomach to her pussy. She remained wet and could smell their combined cum. The scent was a powerful aphrodisiac and she wanted nothing more than for him to be here, bending her over the counter, whipping her like the bad girl she truly was.

  She laughed and swirled the tip of her finger around her clit. My God, she was so wet, her cunt quivering. Her legs began to shake as she slipped two then three fingers inside her pussy, pumping in and out. The way he’d fucked her, hard and fast was savage, almost brutal. Opening her legs, she continued thrusting, flexing her fingers open as she panted. Seconds later, hairs stood on the back of her neck, as if she was being watched.

  Jerking her hand from her cunt, she looked out the picture window into the yard. There was no one outside, no person spying on her, but she was far too uncomfortable to continue. Tying her robe, she walked toward the expansive glass, peering outside. The eerie feeling remained. Don’t do this. Don’t ruin something so special. Slipping her slickened fingers into her mouth, she sucked as she walked back to the counter.

  As she placed the cups into the dishwasher, she wiggled in her robe, whimpering as the terry cloth scraped against her ass. A spanking. My God, the man had spanked her and with his belt. She couldn’t even believe the event had occurred or that she’d not only allowed it but nearly begged him. She glanced out the window, watching the way the light breeze blew through the pine trees.

  The clear night had turned into a cloudy and brisk day, the kind of morning she adored. This was Saturday and she had nothing to do but figure out what she was going to wear for her date. Date. Hell. She shivered and heard Topper whining. “You need to go out, baby boy? Let’s go. Mama needs some fresh air anyway.”

  The frigid air hit her in the face and she inhaled as she held her arms and walked out onto the porch. Topper bounded down the stairs and off to the woods. Leaning against the bannister, she couldn’t help but think about every delicious moment they’d shared, especially the way he’d carried her into the bed, snuggling against her. This wasn’t what she’d expected in any manner, but she felt free and safe at the same time. Then he’d read her diary. “Stop it.” The hiss seemed to float out from her mouth, remaining like a tarnish on the beautiful experience. At some point, he’d ask additional questions. She needed to be prepared with a decent enough sounding lie.

  Lie. Isn’t that what she’d been doing almost her entire life? What was the damning expression? You could run but you couldn’t hide? She groaned and shifted when she heard her cell phone. Her gut told her Troy was calling. A trickle of fear shifted all the way down the length of her legs. Some brave chick she was.

  “Come on, Topper. Come back inside.” Laney left the door open a crack as she raced to find her phone. The moment she dragged the iPhone from her purse, she slunk back. Unknown. Another unknown phone call. No more fucking around. “What the hell do you want?”

  The silence was terrifying.

  “Look, you asshole. Don’t call me here again or else.”

  There was no menacing laughter, no heavy breathing. Nothing terrifying. She glared at the phone before she ended the call. When Topper bounded in, she slammed and locked the door, leaning against it. Smiling, she hit redial, prepared to take out the intruder with nasty words. When the automatic recording came on, telling her the phone call couldn’t be connected, she looked down at the pup. “That’s it. A robocall. I’m terrified of a robocall. Well, no more, baby. Mama is through with fighting spirits. What do you say? Go with me to find a festive dress today? I have a special date tonight.”

  Woof!

  The sound of Topper’s tail thumping against the wall gave her courage, but not to face the nonexistent enemy. Herself. And her needs. She might have just found the perfect man to keep her in line. Giggling, she headed toward the bedroom. Time to take a shower and get the day started. She dumped her phone onto the bed and began to hum as she walked into the bathroom.

  Removing her robe, she made faces at her reflection before turning sideways. The whip marks were evident, even a few yellowing. She’d wear his mark for days. The thought was riveting.

  Buzz. Buzz.

  “All right. Last team up for the day. Remember, you’re going to be evaluated on your ability to hit the jump spot as well as utilization of the new parachute. You have one attempt today. That’s all the time we have. On the list is Puevos, Hansen, Grey, Frost, Martin, Perez, Walker and Wallace. Let’s go,” Moose barked as he nodded toward the plane.

  “Your mind in the game, buddy?” Stoker pushed his shoulder against Garcia’s as they headed for the plane.

  “About as much as you are, daddy and husband to be.” Garcia nodded to the others who would be on the plane.

  “Okay. Geez. Why don’t you hire one of these planes to run a banner through town?”

  “You know what? I just might.” He trotted backward as Stoker chased after him.

  “You do and I sick Jessica on you!”

  Garcia climbed onto the plane, Stoker just behind him. As he sat down, he glanced at the others. Steel Frost had the same angry look as he had the day before, his ice blue eyes remaining unblinking. “Frosty in here,” he whispered.

  Steel turned his head slowly, his expression one of ire.

  Zane moved beside Garcia and darted a glance at Steel as the plane doors were closed and the plane began to roll. “I’d leave him alone. He has his demons.”

  “Don’t we all?” Stoker asked.

  “Yeah, but he lost someone dear to him only two months ago. Hasn’t been the same since.” Zane held out his hand. “Heard a hell of a lot of good things about you guys.”

  Garcia kept his eyes pinned on Steel as he shook Zane’s hand. “We try. What’s the news with you guys?”

  “What do you mean?” Zane asked.

  He could tell Steel was homing in on their conversation but was far enough away, given the noise of the rumbling plane, they couldn’t be heard. “Heard you guys are overstaffed.”

  Zane opened his eyes wide. “I guess everybody knows folks are going to be cut.” He shook his head. “Damn fucking bureaucrats. They have no idea what we face every summer. Did you see the Wildland Commissioner watching our every move?”

  “He’s a fair guy, at least from what I heard,” Stoker added.

  “Not what we’ve heard. Has an ax to grind with our team.” Zane kept his voice low. “Ever since the accident.”

  Accident? Both Garcia and Stoker looked at each other.

  “Okay, guys. We’re coming up on the jump. Five minutes. Time to get the gear ready,” the spotter called from the front.

  All the men stood, readying themselves and checking their equipment.

  “Damn chutes cost a pretty penny. Better be worth it.”

  Garcia looked at the smokejumper, an arrogant ass who’d created issues on the field for their team. Jimmy Martin had a reputation of being a badass, an angry former Marine who took his position seriously, his private life almost the same. Get out of my way or die.

  “Leave it alone, Martin. Do your job and jump,” Zane suggested.

  “Remember, they’re all looking at you.” Steel said the words with no inflection.

  “Frosty isn’t the word,” Stoker whispered.

  “Okay, guys. We are two minutes out. Get in position,” the spot
ter called.

  One after the other, they lined up, waiting for the door to open.

  “All you need to do is hit the mark. A truck is waiting to take you guys back down. Good luck.” The spotter looked back at his monitor.

  “Here we go,” Garcia said through his teeth. For some reason, he had a terrible feeling about the jump, a nagging that had been in his gut since that morning. This could mean the end of his career. He fell into a zone, cognizant of the orders given, but ready to face the consequences. After all, he wasn’t that good.

  “All right. We go in five, four, three, two, one. Jump!”

  Steel was out the door first, Martin second, Grey and Perez followed by Stoker and Garcia. As they began to freefall, Garcia looked up at the late afternoon sky, the clouds covering the sun, hovering over in a woeful blanket. He counted, preparing to pull his cord. One, two, three, four, pull! Yanking the cord, he experienced a high as the parachute jerked up before beginning a silent float to the earth. This was another moment when he felt so free and a calm washed through him. He kept his feet together, moving in a slow but purposeful fall. Stoker was close by, his parachute in perfect formation. He heard a strangled sound, a call that he could hear over the wind. Looking around, he waited, homing in.

  “Martin, pull the cord!”

  Garcia heard the terrified demand and glanced down. Jimmy Martin was freefalling. The parachute hadn’t opened.

  “Pull the cord!” the command came again, this time coming from Zane.

  “I did.” Jimmy’s voice was almost too quiet, utterly controlled.

  “Pull the second chute, goddamn it!” Steel screeched, his voice echoing in Garcia’s ears.

  Garcia put his feet together and twisted until he could just see Jimmy pummeling toward the earth.

  “Pull!” Stoker screeched.

  “Come on, buddy. Pull.” Garcia’s words were muffled. The man continued to fall, spiraling and picking up speed.

  “No! Pull! Pull!” Zane screamed.

  The scream was high pitched, a knowing of what was about to happen. “Aaahhh!”

  As the others floated to the edge of the mountain, they watched in horror as Jimmy Martin, a veteran smokejumper and team member fell to the earth, hitting the edge and tumbling off the cliff.

  “No!”

  Chapter 7

  “God fucking damn it!”

  The angry voice rang out over the rest of the men, who stood silent, their faces ashen.

  Captain Phillips paced the ground, cursing under his breath. “How could this have happened and where the hell is your captain?” He jerked to a stop and glared at Moose, his face indignant.

  “He’s on his way,” Moose insisted yet he kept his voice low. “We had everything checked. The accident shouldn’t have happened.”

  “This is fucking bullshit!” Steel tossed down his equipment and stormed away. “I’m done with this. Done!”

  “Well, it fucking did. What the hell precautions were taken with these chutes? Did anyone actually test them before we placed all our men’s lives in danger?” Captain Phillips confronted Moose, his voice strained.

  “What in the hell happened up there?” Riker asked as he flanked Garcia’s side.

  Garcia looked up at the larger man and swallowed hard. “I don’t know. We jumped. His chute wouldn’t open. That’s all I know.” He’d never been around a jump like this. He was shaking from adrenaline and rage. Clenching his fist, he looked around at the other jumpers. Every man and woman bore the pain of losing one of their own.

  “This is fucking ridiculous,” Antonio spat as he joined the group.

  Stoker shook his head and looked up toward the mountain. They could all see flashing lights from the emergency vehicles. “I can’t believe this.”

  “When your captain gets here, I need to know. Do you understand?” Captain Phillips pointed his finger at Moose and walked off, heading in the direction of the team. When he approached, he softened his expression. “Puevos, Hansen, are you guys okay?”

  “Yeah,” Stoker answered first.

  His eyes never leaving the mountain, Garcia finally nodded. “I swear to God, it was as if he didn’t care he was going to die. He didn’t react. He didn’t flail. He didn’t fight. He just dropped.”

  The captain patted him on the back. “Some men know when their time is up. Sad but true.”

  “That’s bullshit. The chute should have worked,” Moose insisted.

  “Yes, it should have. You were responsible for making certain they worked,” Antonio snapped.

  “Fighting isn’t going to help anything,” Zane said as he glared at every man.

  Garcia gave his captain a sideways glance. “There was nothing we could do. Nothing.” He watched Cooper talking with the Wildland Commissioner, able to tell Cooper was more than pissed.

  “He fell off the mountain. The goddamn mountain.” Stoker’s voice was barely audible.

  Cooper lumbered over, his face pinched. “They don’t know a damn thing. But I can tell you this, those chutes came from China. China! The county ordered them, and Wildland didn’t check them out. Not once.”

  “There will be a huge lawsuit,” Riker piped in.

  “And there should be,” Landen half whispered.

  The captain grimaced. “Okay, I’m going to be here a while. Antonio, take the crew back. We are done here and no, there’s nothing you can do. You both did your best.”

  “Doesn’t seem like it, Cap’n,” Stoker said as he kicked his heel into the dirt.

  Boone wrapped his arm around Stoker’s shoulders. “Tough when this shit happens, but it does.”

  “Especially when corners are cut,” Riker snarled.

  “Okay. Enough. Go back to the hangar. Go out and have a drink. Get your mind off this. I’ll get as much information as I can, so we can figure out next steps.” Captain Phillips had a faraway look.

  “What the hell are the next steps?” Garcia whispered. He exhaled when the captain looked at him, his eyes holding such sorrow.

  “All right. Let’s get out of here.” Antonio backed away, beckoning for the team.

  Stoker and Garcia stood behind as the others climbed onto the bus. There was nothing left to say, no words that would calm an aching spirit. “Did he have a family?” Garcia finally asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m sure they’ll take care of his family if he has one. Come on, buddy. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” Stoker gave him a smile. “I know it’s hard.”

  “Seeing a man die or knowing it could have been one of us?”

  “Both.”

  As they climbed onto the bus, Garcia took one last look at the mountain. No matter what anyone thought, smokejumping was a dangerous profession.

  The team sat quietly as the bus rolled, passing by several of the Rattlesnake team. Not one of them waved or even reacted. They were all shell shocked.

  “You can bet the captain will find out what went wrong,” Sawyer finally said.

  “If anyone will tell the truth,” Landen stated.

  “You can’t think like that,” Cooper piped up.

  “And why the hell not? Our jobs are already in jeopardy and sub-par equipment was purchased. I think we all need to understand that no one in this town gives a fuck about what we do.” Sawyer’s voice rang out.

  Everyone looked at him, the usually quiet man who never bucked against the profession or anyone in charge.

  Riker held up his arm, his fist clenched. “Prevent. Protect. Preserve.”

  “Yeah. Well, we tried,” Landen said, sadness in his tone.

  “Prevent. Protect. Preserve,” Cooper stated. “We can do this.”

  They all slumped against their seats, the usual rowdy bunch squelched by the occurrence.

  Garcia had no doubt. None of them would ever be the same. They all remained in a zone, quiet and un-talkative.

  “So, this girl,” Stoker said after several minutes.

  “Laney Cavanaugh,” Garcia whispered. He clenched his fis
t, unable to get the fall out of his mind.

  “She’s the right one?” The question was matter of fact.

  “Yeah. I think she is.”

  Stoker bumped his arm. “Then you need to make certain she understands what you do.”

  Garcia exhaled. “Yeah, I know.” He looked out the window, studying the terrain, his mind racing.

  “The clandestine comment from before. What’s wrong?” Stoker continued.

  “I just think she has a past that’s coming back to haunt her. She’s afraid and worried about getting involved. It’s not about what I do.” Garcia issued the words carefully. He could tell the others were paying way too close of attention.

  “Then you both need to be honest with each other, but give her time. Trust is very tough. You know I get it.” Stoker laughed. “Every day with Jessica is new and usually challenging.”

  “I get it. I really do, but I’m not looking for marriage or kids or anything like it.” Garcia continued to look out the window.

  Landen snorted. “Sorry, guy. Not trying to listen in but you’re absolutely looking for a relationship. You were built for one.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Garcia moved to the edge of his seat.

  “You’re just ready. That’s all.”

  Stoker chuckled. “I think Landen is right. You are.”

  “Like fuckin’ hell.” As soon as Garcia said the words, he huffed, his heart racing. Why lie to himself? He was a lonely man.

  A buzz sounded, coming from the radio at the front of the bus.

  “What the hell?” Antonio moved up, grabbing the pole.

  “This is Captain Banyon of the Fire Department. Units 12, 15 and 16 are looking for any available units. We have a three-alarm fire coming from the base of the Bitterroot Mountains. Several ranches are involved. We are surrounded by fire. I repeat. We are surrounded by fire.”

  “Fuck!” Riker hissed. “That’s not far from here.”

  Antonio shook his head and grabbed the receiver. “Captain Banyon. This is Antonio Giovanni of the Jackal smokejumping team. We hear your position and we’re on our way.”