by Amelia James
“Uh-huh. Just like old times.” He winked. “But with new skills.” He pointed his tongue and dragged it across her bottom lip.
Oh, hell yes! Her knees buckled, but his possessive grip on her butt kept her body tight against him. All her professional intentions disappeared as Dash nipped at her neck. Her nipples pebbled, straining against her bra and begging for that talented tongue.
“Is this how you two resolve workplace conflict?”
***
The metallic zing of a zipper being yanked closed rang in Dash’s ears. His zipper. He fished his hands from Simone’s pants, then rearranged his shirt. He turned and curled his fingers into a fist, barely restraining the urge to smash the big, stupid grin off Flynn’s face.
Cassie swept past the giddy assistant. “What is this?”
Simone stood up straight and planted her feet. Dash recognized her itching-for-a-fight stance and stepped in front of her. “We got carried away.”
Flynn snorted and Cassie backhanded him. “Why were you kissing her? And don’t tell me it was closure. I didn’t buy that the first time.”
Dash’s face heated. “You’re right, it wasn’t.”
“Yes, it was.” Simone spoke up from behind him.
“What?” He turned to Simone.
“We’re finished, Dash.”
“But what about that…that kiss?” His heart still raced and his dick refused to back down.
“We need to get past it. There’s nothing left for us.” She turned her back to him and lifted her coffee cup with a shaking hand.
He refused to believe that, he couldn’t let Simone go. How could she do this to him in front of people? He leaned close and whispered over her shoulder. “This time I know you’re lying.”
“Prove it.”
He couldn’t, not with Cassie and Flynn there and more staff members coming in.
Cassie stepped close to him and raised her voice. “Does last night mean nothing to you?”
Oh, she’s fighting dirty. Dash stiffened and Simone tensed up beside him. What could he say that wouldn’t screw him?
“Both of them?” Flynn gasped. “Dude, that’s not fair.”
Dash snarled at the punk then cowered as both women turned against him.
“What did you do with her?” Simone snarled.
“She did it to me!” Brilliant, dumbass.
A burst of static severed the tension in the room as the radio came to life. “Spencer Hotshot Crew to command, over.”
Thank God! Dash grabbed the microphone. “Command here, over.”
“The wind has changed direction, and the fire is spreading out of the wildlands toward the urban interface, over.”
Simone snatched the mic from Dash’s hand. “Say again?”
Cold sweat broke out across the back of his neck. “It’s coming here.” He grabbed the mic, still in her hand. “Hold the line. Wilhelm crew is on our way, over.”
“Make it fast. This thing is kicking our ass, over.”
Dash ran to the satellite with Simone following close behind. “The wind changed direction?” She stared at the screen over his shoulder. “I thought you said the storm is moving away from us.”
“It is.” He scowled, trying to make sense of the information the Spencer crew had given him.
“It was.” Cassie pulled up the newest satellite photo. “The image you saw is old.” She turned on the TV, still on The Weather Channel.
An overexcited forecaster traced the hurricane’s projected path with his hands. “The storm hasn’t followed any of our computer models. Two hours ago, it shifted north, and it’s remained on that path, picking up speed and strength. Hurricane Opal is now a category two with sustained winds of up to one hundred miles per hour and higher gusts.”
“Holy shit.” Dash froze, staring at the screen.
Cassie turned up the volume.
“We’re waiting for an official statement from the National Weather Service, but if Opal remains on this track, I expect new warnings and widespread evacuations to be issued.”
Simone flipped another TV to the local news. The weekend weather guy, Dash couldn’t remember his name, repeated The Weather Channel’s information while warnings scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
The news anchor, Forrest McCoy, appeared at the news desk. “The Belladonna’s Peak fire remains out of control.”
“Thanks, McCoy. That’s just what I wanted to hear.” Dash snarled at the man.
“High winds from the approaching hurricane are expected to increase throughout the day. While no evacuations have been issued yet, residents should begin preparations now. Officials fear that the coming storm could make containing the fire an impossible task, possibly even driving it into the city.”
“What officials?” Simone jammed her hands on her hips. “Does he always editorialize like that?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “He loves drama.”
“I gotta get out there.” Dash grabbed his helmet and his axe, and lunged for the door, but his arm caught on something.
Simone held him back. “Don’t leave me again.”
CHAPTER 9
The fire, the storm, Cassie, and that kiss all warred in Simone’s brain, each fighting for dominance, demanding her attention. She couldn’t focus on everything at once, so she grabbed onto the one thing, the only person she’d ever depended on. Her fingers curled into Dash’s sleeve. “I need you…here.”
He’d been tugging to break free, but when she begged him, he took a step toward her. “You can do this.” His gaze met hers and she found the strength she needed.
Do your job. She released him and spun to face her staff. “I’m ordering a mandatory evacuation of the city from County Road C on the west side all the way to the river along highway seven. Flynn, contact Wilhelm High School and designate them as an emergency shelter.”
“Got it.” He scurried to the phone.
“Cassie, talk to the National Weather Service and find out what the hell is going on with that storm. I need accurate, up to the minute information. Now.”
The forecaster nodded and ran to her desk.
“Dash.”
“On my way.” He scrambled up the stairs, two at a time.
“No.” Simone followed him and snagged his sleeve as he got to the top. “Send your crew, but I want you here—safe.”
He yanked his arm free. “I can’t play it safe. My job is to be out there with my crew.”
“Your job is to follow my orders, and I’m ordering you to help me with the evacuation.” Yes, that’s it. She’d just told half the city to abandon their homes and businesses, and she needed someone to control the chaos.
“No one knows this terrain better than me.”
“No one knows me better than you.” Damn it, what am I saying? She’d thought their romance had ended, that they could work together as colleagues, but she couldn’t let him leave her again. “I know you’re the best firefighter I’ve got, but I can’t put you at risk.” Just tell him! “I can’t lose you again.”
“Simone!”
She spun and found Cassie wringing her hands. “What is it?”
“The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for the coast west of Belladonna’s Peak. It’s expected to make landfall here during the night.”
“We’re inland. What can we expect?”
“High winds, damaging tornados, and heavy rain.” She paced the room, rattling off dire scenarios. “If it moves over the burn area, we could see mudslides and flooding. Who knows what the winds will do to the fire.”
“I do.” Dash’s face turned grim. “It’s going to push the fire straight into the city. I need to be out there to stop it.”
“No, you need to be here to protect us.” She reached for him but her grasp fell short. I have to let him go. Her heart pounded and sweat slicked her palms. “Promise me you’ll come back this time.”
“I will.” He took her hands and squeezed hard to still their shaking. “Don�
��t give up on me.” He moved close, his lips a breath from hers, but he stopped short of kissing her.
Simone felt everyone in the room staring at them. “Do your job, superintendent.”
He cracked a smile and released her. “Yes, ma’am.” He spun and ran out the door.
Simone turned and faced her gaping staff. “Get to work, people.” She strode down the stairs, surveying the chaos she’d ordered. Her people scrambled over the top of each other like bumbling minions carrying out their super villain’s instructions. She stopped three steps above them, crossed her arms and planted her feet, trying to summon the courage she’d shown in her interview. Jesus, how am I going to handle this?
“He’ll be all right.” Flynn scurried over. “When I told Dash I wanted to be on the hotshot crew, he laughed and said my balls weren’t big enough. But I know what he did at Nightfall Canyon last summer, how he saved his crew. I’ll never be as badass as he is, but as long as he’s out there, I’m not afraid of anything.”
The smitten assistant’s praise reassured her somewhat.
Cassie approached with her hands folded and head bowed. “Dash is the best firefighter I’ve ever worked with—okay, the only one—but he’s smart. He’ll make it back safely.”
Simone snarled. “I know all about his skills.” She added a smile to drive the implication home.
Cassie glared up at her. “How could I forget?”
Flynn cleared his throat and both women whirled, making the young man cower. “The command center is in the middle of the evacuation area,” he said. The staff gathered around him, gazing up at Simone as if pleading for their lives. “Are we leaving too?”
She studied the city map on a monitor over his shoulder. She’d only lived here a few days, and hadn’t developed a sense of direction yet. “Non-essential personnel can evacuate. Cassie, Flynn, Heather, and Mark, I need you here.” The police and fire department liaisons manned their desks while the rest of the staff breathed a collective sigh of relief and gathered their personal belongings before getting out.
“I’ll call the governor’s office and ask him to declare a state of emergency.” Simone put Flynn in charge of the phones, taking calls from panicked residents while Cassie worried over the radar. After Simone talked to the capital, she monitored the radio, listening to Dash give instructions to his crew. They’d arrived at the fire faster than she’d expected, confirming the need for an evacuation. Her heart raced and her palms turned clammy. As long as she could hear his voice, he was alive. She clung to that fact, using it to fight off the fear that he might not come back before she got a chance to tell him she still loved him.
***
Trees exploded into flames before the fire reached them. The blaze had grown so huge it created its own thunderstorm. Lightning strikes started fires on the dry landscape. Dash ran along the fire line, radio in hand as the intense heat and relentless wind drove his crew down the mountainside. They’d lost countless structures, and they struggled to keep the flames away from a subdivision that had been abandoned in a hurry. Garage doors stood open, a suitcase lay spilled across a driveway, and one last car sped down the empty street.
“Turn your hoses on the roof.” He shouted at the crew near a home in danger. “Cut back the brush around the fence.” He grabbed his axe and hacked at the potential fuel, tossing it away from the building. The smoke cleared for a brief moment and he caught a glimpse of the city skyline, much closer than it had been an hour ago.
“We’re losing the house!” Brett’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Fall back!” Dash gave up his position and scrambled to the next home being threatened.
“I can’t!” Brett screamed. “I’m surrounded by flames.”
Jesus! Dash shouted at his men. “Ray! Jordy! Where’s Brett?”
“I can’t see him.” Ray appeared next to Dash.
Jordy answered on the radio. “He’s trapped! I can’t get to him.”
“Brett, where are you?” Dash shook the receiver as static blared from the speaker. I can save him! He grabbed his axe and hacked through burning debris, then stumbled as embers rained down around him. A glowing coal landed on his arm and smoldered, but he shook it off and kept going. The paint on the white picket fence around the house bubbled and peeled as a fallen tree branch set it ablaze. Mad Dash leaped over the fence as the entire thing caught fire, surrounding him. He yelled into the radio. “Brett, I can’t see you!”
“Shit! Help me!” A guttural scream ripped through the static and then the signal cut out.
“No!” Dear God! His eyes stung and his stomach lurched, sending his breakfast into his mouth. He’d never lost a crew member—and a friend—before. He’d trained them so well. They followed all the safety protocols to the letter. How could this happen? A bitter lump formed in his throat as he ran toward the burning home.
But Ray snagged his arm and dragged him away from the collapsing structure. “We’ve got to get out.” They smashed through the burned out fence and retreated to a safer area.
Shit! Dash stood on top of a blackened ridge, blinking in the smoke as the fire raced down the mountainside toward the city. Firefighters scrambled, attacking the blaze wherever they could, but their efforts failed. “Wilhelm HC!” His crew stopped in their tracks and gathered around Dash. “Regroup. Ray, take AJ and Jordy down the mountain. We’ve got to get ahead of it.”
“Got it.” Ray gathered the men and led them to the front line.
“Mason, get in the bulldozer and widen the fire lines. Don’t stop tearing up the ground.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dash grabbed his radio and pressed the microphone button, cutting off Simone’s panicked demands for an update. “The wind is pushing the fire toward the city. We’ve already lost the Nightshade subdivision. You have maybe ninety minutes before it gets to the city limits, over.”
“Where are you?” Simone screamed at him.
A towering pine burst into flames right in front of him, sending burning needles raining down. “I’m in hell, darlin’, over and out.” He clipped the radio onto his belt and ran after Ray.
***
“If the fire gets to the city, will it slow down?” Flynn chewed his pen.
“Why would it?” Simone shook the radio, hoping Dash would speak again.
“I don’t know. Concrete doesn’t burn.”
Cassie scowled at her weather monitors. “The wind will just push it to something that will.”
The radio crackled and they listened to snippets of shouted communication. “Ray, get to the bulldozer.”
“I can’t, boss. The fire is on all sides of me. I’ll have to hunker down until it runs out of fuel.”
“Do you have your fire shelter?”
“It’s in the truck.”
“Can you get to it?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Explosions snapped through the speaker. “Not that way. I’ll go around.”
“Damn it, Ray, get to safety!”
“It’s been good working with you, Dash.”
“No, Goddamn it! I’m not giving up on you!”
Static filled the room. No one moved.
“Ray!”
No answer. Simone’s vision blurred as a hot tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped her face. “Status report.”
Flynn rattled off statistics in a quivering voice. “Two firefighters down. The fire is one point six miles from the city limits. That’s five miles from here—the command center.”
“The storm is fifty miles off shore.” Cassie spoke up. “It’s a category four with sustained winds of one hundred thirty-five miles an hour. The wind field extends one hundred fifty miles from the center of the storm. We’re seeing sustained winds at ninety-five miles an hour with gusts up to one hundred and ten.”
“Dash said we have ninety minutes until the fire gets here.” Simone calculated all the numbers in her head. “We don’t have that much time.” She glanced at the satellite, now filled with images of smoke
instead of clouds, and made a quick decision. “We’ve got to evacuate the command center.”
***
Dash had no time to mourn for Ray or Brett. “AJ, how long before the fire gets to the city?”
“I estimate thirty minutes, but if the winds pick up, it’ll be a lot sooner.”
Dash grabbed his radio. “Mason, come in.”
“Here sir, over.”
“Bring the bulldozer to our position. We need a ride into town.”
“On my way.”
But the fire outran the slow-moving vehicle, so Dash and his crew abandoned it for the trucks. Wind whipped around them, flinging flaming debris onto fresh fuel, including the roof of the peanut butter factory just inside the city limits. The building burst into flames as more embers blew into the industrial park, setting fire to everything they touched.
“Wilhelm HC,” Dash announced over the radio. “You’re now urban firefighters.”
CHAPTER 10
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Simone shouted to her remaining staff, swinging her arm in a wide circle as she directed them out the front door. She hated to leave this place. She’d spent more time here than in her new apartment. More time with Dash. His book! She ran down the hall, opposite the direction she’d sent everyone else.
Flynn shouted after her. “Simone, that’s not the exit!”
A growing fear propelled her down the hall. If she lost him, if for some unthinkable reason he didn’t return, she needed to keep a piece of him. She burst into the bunk room and searched the closest nightstand, jerking the drawer open and dumping its contents on the floor. “It’s not here.” Where had she found it? She spotted the rumpled bed and scurried around the bunk. Dash’s book sat right next to the lamp.
Dash nudged her foot with his from the desk behind her, and when she glanced down, she noticed a folded piece of paper in his outstretched hand. Pen scratched across paper as she scribbled in her notebook, keeping her eyes on the chalkboard while she lowered her left hand to grab the note.