by Sharon Dunn
Bryan chuckled. “Either that or she’s so scared she’s speechless.” His heart swelled with affection for this helpless creature.
“The bag Mackenzie gave us is on the floor by your feet.”
Bryan leaned forward and picked up the baby tote. He opened it, pulling out a cup with a lid that was half-full of amber liquid.
April made a “ba” sound and reached for the sippy cup. Bryan pulled out a stuffed cat. “You want this?”
She looked at him and then at the toy. He tucked it close to her armpit and she held on to it. April took several gulps of juice from her cup.
“They probably didn’t think to feed her or give her water.” Sarah’s voice was filled with indignation.
Sarah increased her speed as the road evened out and the car rolled over the hills. She looked down at her instrument panel. “The gas gauge is going down really fast. They might have hit our tank when they shot at us.”
“I think we might have bigger problems than that.” Bryan pointed up the road at the approaching car. “I think that’s Mason’s ride out of here.”
Sarah sucked air through her teeth. “Maybe they’ll slip past us and think we’re just a family out enjoying the wilderness.”
Still about two hundred yards away, the car edged toward them.
Bryan glanced out his window. His mind raced with possibilities for escape. “This is Mason we’re talking about. He probably phoned ahead and alerted them about us.”
“What do we do?” Sarah scanned the road, panic evident in her voice.
Bryan slumped down in his car seat and angled April so she was lying down and not visible through the window. “The road veers off up here. Hurry. See if you can get there before they pass us.” Not much of a plan. For sure, the men had seen their car.
Sarah adjusted her hands on the steering wheel. “Are we hoping that Mason hasn’t alerted them?”
“Yes, and we’re hoping that these guys aren’t even connected to Mason. We’re hoping all sorts of unrealistic things.”
Sarah pressed the accelerator. “The gas needle’s on empty anyway. We’re not going to get very far.”
The car was within fifty yards of them. He couldn’t see the driver or the passenger clearly. Sarah turned her head so the driver wouldn’t have a clear view of her, either. She veered off on the spur Bryan had pointed out. The car eased past them just as their car lumbered up the side road.
Bryan craned his neck. “Can’t see them anymore. Maybe we’re safe.”
“Should I try to get back on that road?”
Bryan leaned over and looked at the instrument board. “We’ll run out of gas before then. Take this thing as far as it will go. Then we’ll hike up the road. If Mason got cell reception, I should be able to also. One of the other searchers has to be close.” Bryan gazed down at April, who had fallen asleep in his arms.
Sarah glanced over at him, her expression warming. “She seems really comfortable with you.”
“Yeah. Weird, huh?”
The car chugged. Sarah pumped the gas. “That’s all she wrote.”
“Let’s get to the top of that hill.” Still holding a sleeping April, Bryan pushed the door open. He rested the little girl against one shoulder and hoisted the baby bag onto the other. “Phone Grant Pittman.” He recited a number to her. “He’s part of the search.”
Sarah pressed the numbers. She waited. “He’s not picking up.”
Bryan adjusted the sleeping child in his arms. “She’s getting heavy.”
“I saw a sling in the bag.” Sarah rooted through the tote and pulled out what looked like a long piece of fabric. “We can take turns carrying her.”
“I’ll go first. Once we contact someone, we’ll have to walk out to where they can find us.” Bryan glanced down the hill. The men in the car must have decided picking up Mason was their priority—but once Mason was in the car, Bryan was sure he’d start tracking them. “Mason and his men will be looking for us soon.”
“I know. We’d better hurry.” She flung the sling over Bryan’s shoulder and fastened it.
“Here, let me take her for a second.” April stirred but didn’t wake when Sarah gathered her into her arms.
Bryan held the sling open so Sarah could place the toddler in it. He cut a glance through the trees toward the road. “I still don’t see them.” He looked down at April as she slept. It was his responsibility to get the three of them out of here unharmed.
“At least they won’t be able to bring their car where we’re going. We’ve got a head start on them.” Sarah held up the phone. “Who do you want me to call now?
“Try Jake.”
“Jake? The guy who picked us up when the men brought me to the lake?”
Bryan nodded and recited a number to her. “He lives close. He’ll be able to get here fast.”
They hiked the remaining distance to the ridge. Bryan continued to glance over his shoulder. He thought he saw the shimmer of a car through the trees, but couldn’t be sure.
Sarah stood at the top of the ridge. Her spine went stiff.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think we have more pressing issues than Mason.”
Bryan walked up to where Sarah stood. He tensed at what he saw.
Patches of fire dotted the landscape below. Flames engulfed the mountain opposite them.
TWENTY-TWO
“Those fires are still pretty far away, right?” Even Sarah could hear that she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Her gaze darted nervously toward him as fear took up residence in her knotted stomach.
“The problem is roads may be cut off. Help might not be able to get to us.” Bryan’s voice gave away no anxiety, though he must be in just as much turmoil as she was.
His calm fortified her own. “So how are we going to get out of here?”
Bryan resumed walking along the ridge, taking long strides. “We have to try to reach someone. Notify them of our position.”
Sarah scrambled to keep up. “Okay, so give me a second and I’ll keep trying to reach Jake.”
“We don’t have time to spare.” Bryan walked even faster. April stirred in his arms. He patted her head, soothing her. “Maybe if we can get to an open area, a helicopter can reach us.”
“We could try sneaking back down the road. We know the fires aren’t in that direction.”
“Too risky,” Bryan said.
“So what are you saying?” Sarah spoke between breaths as she jogged beside Bryan.
He pointed toward the horizon. “We need to get to fire tower six. There’s a helicopter landing pad not too far from there. We can call for help on the radio. Someone might even still be there.”
Sarah stared down at the forest below. Plumes of smoke rose up in at least three places.
Bryan stopped. He leaned close to her, their shoulders touching. He traced a path down the mountain and up the other side. “That’s where we’ll go. I think we’ll be able to avoid the worst part of the fires.”
Sarah looked down the mountain in the direction they’d come. A man in a light-colored shirt moved along the tree line. He held a rifle. “Let’s get down on the other side of this mountain.”
They hiked across the barren part of the mountain into the forest. When Sarah glanced up at the ridgeline, three men stood watching the forest below. She picked up her pace. Despite having to carry April, Bryan stayed ahead of her.
Several deer ran by them and the faint smell of smoke lingered. They walked for at least twenty minutes before Bryan suddenly stopped. He tilted his head toward the sky. “I need to get my bearings. See where that tower is at. Hold her for a minute.”
Sarah lifted April out of the sling, which woke her. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind shifting over to Sarah. The baby nestl
ed against her, her forehead glistening with sweat. Despite the tree canopy, the forest seemed to be getting hotter.
Bryan walked over to an evergreen with low branches and proceeded to climb it. Sarah rooted through the baby bag and found a package of crackers for April. With April settled chewing on her food, Sarah dialed Jake’s phone number.
“Hello?”
“Jake. This is Sarah Langston. I’m the one who—I’m a friend of Bryan Keyes.” Sarah explained their situation.
Jake said, “Bryan was right about road access. They’re not letting anybody into that area at this point.”
“We’re going to try to make it to fire tower six.” Sarah pressed the phone against her ear. “That’s the closest place where a chopper might be able to land.”
“I’ll do everything I can to alert the authorities that you’re trapped in there. I can let the police department know, too.”
“Thanks, I’ll try to stay in phone contact.”
Sarah hung up the phone. April offered her a bite of her half-chewed cracker. Sarah touched the little girl’s soft cheek. “Thanks, sweetie.”
Bryan shouted from the tree. “I think I see our route.”
The sound of branches breaking alerted Sarah to someone or something moving through the forest. She gathered April more tightly in her arms and slipped behind a tree. Any hope that it was some animal fleeing the fire faded when she heard human voices. Sarah peered out from behind the tree. Her breath caught. She’d left the brightly colored baby bag out in the open.
Mason’s men moved through the forest, their voices growing louder. Sarah gazed up and over at Bryan, who had concealed himself in the thick boughs.
Sarah remained still. April made a “ba ba ba” sound and kicked her leg. Sarah placed her fingers gently over April’s mouth, hoping she’d understand.
The men’s voices quieted.
April pulled Sarah’s hand away and shook her head.
Sarah squeezed her eyes shut.
Please, don’t make any noise.
She heard what could have been a footstep. And then another. Her heart pounded in her rib cage. Sweat trickled past her temple. April played with her necklace, touched her earrings. Several minutes passed.
Bryan poked his head through the branches. “I think they went past.”
“Was it them?”
He climbed out to the end of a thick branch and dropped down. “I heard them, but never saw them, so I can’t be sure.”
“What if they’re out in front of us now?”
April held her hands up to Bryan. He gathered her into his arms. “That’s a chance we’re going to have to take. We’re not that far from the tower.”
Her sense of direction had gotten completely turned around. “Will we be going by the lake?”
“No, we’ll come in on the other side. No high, steep mountain to climb.” He started walking with April looking back over his shoulder. Sarah walked behind. April waved at her. At least the little girl had no idea what kind of danger she was in.
Before long, they hit a wall of heat. In the distance, she could hear trees crashing to the ground. The air filled with smoke. April coughed.
Bryan tore off a piece of his shirt. “Is there water in that bag?”
Sarah dropped the bag on the ground and rooted through it. “There’s a juice box.”
Bryan saturated the piece of cloth with the liquid and then tore off two more pieces of fabric and wet them down, as well. “Put this over your mouth. Help me get April back in the sling.”
All of them were sweating. The temperature had to be past a hundred. The air grew thicker and hazier with smoke. Bryan increased his pace. The trees thinned, and they stepped into a clearing.
Bryan pointed off in the distance. The dome-shaped roof of the tower rose above a rock formation.
Almost there.
* * *
Bryan raced up the tower stairs. By the time Sarah had entered the tower, he had set April on the floor. He ran around the tower closing all the windows.
Sarah glanced around. “Where’s the fire spotter?”
“He must have left once he saw the fire down below. Fire should move downhill toward the lake. Smoke inhalation is our biggest worry,” he said.
April picked up a cup and tried to drink. Sarah found bottled water and poured some into April’s sippy cup.
Bryan picked up the radio. “This is fire tower six. I have an emergency situation here.”
Dispatch came on the line. “Fire tower six was evacuated twenty minutes ago.”
The smoke outside grew thicker.
“This is Bryan Keyes.” Sweat trickled down his face. “I manned this tower up until a few days ago. I’m here with a woman and the missing nine-month-old child. Can you send in a chopper to get us?”
“Let me see what I can do. Out,” said the dispatcher. She came back on the line minutes later. “Fire tower six. We have a bird that is approximately seven minutes away. Can you get to the landing pad by then?”
“We’ll be there.” Bryan clicked off the radio. His eyes darted around the room. He grabbed a blanket and one of the water bottles. “Wet this down. Your clothes, too.”
They worked frantically and were out the door and down the stairs in less than three minutes. Bryan wrapped the damp blanket around April and held her close to his chest. The mechanical noise of the chopper grew louder as they ran. They zigzagged around a burning tree. April cried. Bryan held her tighter. Sarah grabbed hold of his shirt as the smoke thickened.
The helicopter sounded like it was on top of them though it was still some distance away. Smoke obscured their view. Sarah coughed. Finally the helicopter descended, creating an intense wind. April coughed and cried.
Bryan signaled Sarah to get into the helicopter first. He handed April to her and then climbed in himself.
The helicopter lifted off. Sarah belted into a seat, holding on tight to April. Bryan leaned forward and spoke to the pilot. “There are at least four other men stranded out there.”
Whatever Mason and his men had done, they didn’t deserve to die in this fire—no one did.
“Roger that, we can send another chopper to search the area,” said the pilot.
As the helicopter gained elevation, Bryan stared out the window at the landscape below. The fire had jumped in some areas, creating patches of forest that were black or burning while others were untouched.
The pilot radioed ahead. The helicopter set down not too far from Mackenzie and Christopher’s home. Mother and father stood outside their house along with little Ethan, but all three of them ran toward the chopper as it came down. Bryan climbed out first. Sarah handed over April.
The parents tearfully gathered April in their arms, thanking and hugging both Sarah and Bryan. They walked back to the house, mother holding baby, father carrying Ethan on his hip with his arm around mother. A happy family. Nadia emerged from the house and ran toward the family.
“What’s that about?” Bryan grabbed Sarah’s hand.
“I imagine Nadia just wanted to see that April was okay.”
Two police officers stood behind the family, watching their surroundings and Nadia.
The family embraced Nadia.
“She gets to see April even after the adoption?”
“Limited contact. But Chris and Mackenzie agreed to send Nadia pictures and a letter every now and then letting her know how April is doing.” She turned to face him. “It’s the way I set up the adoption with Marie. You had already stopped speaking to me by then, once you signed away parental rights. I made those decisions on my own.”
The pain in her voice stabbed at his heart. Bryan’s throat tightened. He hadn’t let himself think of these things for ten years. “You have pictures of Marie?”
Sar
ah nodded. “She was adopted by a couple in Wyoming. I got to meet them.”
Bryan leaned close, kissing Sarah on the cheek. “I’m sorry I did that to you, left you like that.”
Sarah turned toward him. Her eyes filled with love. “You’re forgiven.”
Warmth pooled around Bryan’s heart. The sincerity of her words made him feel as though he’d been released from the cage he’d been in for ten years.
Grant approached them. “Could you two use a ride back into town?”
Bryan nodded. Grant led them to his patrol car. Bryan and Sarah sat together in the backseat holding hands, but not speaking.
As they came to the outskirts of town, Grant spoke. “Chief wants to debrief you about what happened out there with Mason. He’s got kidnapping charges against him now. That guy is going away for a long time.
If he gets out of the forest alive.
“Sarah, I think he’s going to want a statement from you, too,” added Grant.
They entered the quiet station. Sarah gave her statement and then wandered out into the break room where she settled on the couch that had become her home away from home. After he completed his statement, Bryan found her asleep there. He shook her shoulder.
“Hey, I borrowed a friend’s car. I can take you home.”
Sarah sat up, joy evident in her voice. “I can go home?”
“They managed to rescue one of Mason’s men out of the forest. It looks like the others perished—Mason included.”
Sarah let out a breath. “So there won’t be a trial.”
Bryan shook his head. “Nadia is staying one night at the hotel. It’s all set up for her, and she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Can we swing by the hospital to see how Crew is doing?”
“Sure,” Bryan said.
Bryan drove through town and found a parking spot close to the hospital entrance. Still holding hands, they entered the hospital. The woman at the nurses’ station stood up when she saw them coming.
“Hey.” The nurse studied them from head to toe.
They must be quite a sight. She’d rinsed her face off at the police station, but looking over at Sarah, Bryan registered that her clothes were torn, dirty and smelled like smoke.
