by Bella Andre
No, she didn't. She didn't do late nights anymore, didn't want to bother acting like she was having fun with a guy when she simply didn't care. But he was the pilot, not her, so she said, "Sure, that's fine," even though every second of daylight she lost was one more opportunity for Logan to track her down and stick to her like glue.
Dennis held the door open for her and she stepped inside, waiting patiently while he ordered two coffees to go. She really didn't want one, knew the strong black brew would only make her nauseous on an empty stomach, but she took the cup from him anyway.
Country music blared from the radio as they pulled out of the parking lot. "So what brings you to town?"
Whenever possible, Maya liked to move under the radar. The less people knew about what she was doing, the more they talked. "I've heard people call Lake Tahoe the eighth wonder of the world. Thought I'd check it out for myself."
"Got any part of the lake you'd like to head toward first?"
She shook her head. "Actually, I'd like to head out over the mountains, if you don't mind."
He gave her a funny look. "That's the first time anyone's ever asked to do that. I mean, the trees are nice-looking and all, but are you sure you don't just want to head out over the lake instead? It's real pretty, especially this time of year."
"Maybe later, thanks."
He turned into the airstrip's lot and pulled up beside a helicopter. She took a deep breath. Helicopters weren't her favorite mode of transportation, especially given that it was bound to be a choppy ride over the fire as hot pockets of air flipped the small aircraft around like an ember. As always, she was struck by how small the aircraft was, even with room for three passengers and a pilot. As she climbed in, her elbows knocked into the door. The bubble front window went floor to ceiling, wrapping around them head to toe. She clipped on her seat belt and put on the headphones he handed her.
The radio was hopping with a steady stream of voices arranging for gear to be hauled in and out along with one bucket drop after another.
"I knew there was a fire going, but I didn't realize it was this far along," Dennis commented as the rotors started spinning. "You still want to head over the mountains? It might be hard to see much with all that smoke."
She nodded as they lifted into the air. "I'm sure it will be fascinating."
"Man," he said, "it looks like a mother of a fire. I know most of those guys out there, actually."
She shifted in her seat to look more carefully at him. "You do?"
"Yeah, my dad was a hotshot. You know, one of those superhero dudes who puts out deadly wildfires."
She nodded and said, "Wow, that sounds intense."
Had she hit the jackpot entirely by accident? Lord knew she desperately needed some leads, and at this point she'd take anything she could get, especially a local son of a hotshot. Maybe he'd know something about Logan.
"My dad was seriously pissed when I didn't follow his lead and join the crew." He shrugged. "What can I say? Firefighting isn't my bag, even if everyone in town thinks those guys' shit don't stink." He shot her a grin. "I'd rather take pretty tourists up in my helicopter any day."
She made herself smile back, even though she was slightly creeped out by his compliment. The truth was that Dennis's piloting skills were in great demand by the Forest Service. He could have helped put out a lot of fires over the years. But she wasn't here to make moral judgments about other people's professions.
Directing Dennis's attention back to the fire, she asked, "Is your father down there right now?"
"No, he retired a few years ago. But my brother is. Well, my foster brother anyway."
Maya's breath caught in her throat and she found herself coughing. She'd been planning on contacting Joseph's son, Dennis Kellerman, later that morning. Instead, she'd lucked out and he'd been handed to her on a platter. Better still, he had no idea who she was--and seemed to have a very big mouth. The key was to keep him talking as long as she could.
"You okay?" he asked.
She swallowed hard. "I'm fine. Sorry about that. Anyway, I think you were saying that your foster brother is down there. Is he going to be okay?"
He shrugged. "Sure, he'll be fine. Logan knows his way around fire better than almost anyone."
Maya worked like hell not to betray any recognition at hearing Logan's name. Right now the most important thing was to keep asking innocent little questions and find out as much as she possibly could about her suspect. "What do you mean?"
"He moved in with us when he was seventeen. Man, people would never know it now, he's such a do-gooder, but he was a badass back then."
Dennis was wrong. Logan was still a badass, with a capital B. Any woman could see it. Especially her. The fact that he did good deeds on a daily basis only made him hotter. Her breath hitched as she caught herself doing it again. Allowing herself to build up Logan just because he was good-looking and his kisses made her burn with need.
Dennis continued, saying, "He was such a pyro when he came to live with us. He used to light fires all the time. That's probably why he's so good at putting them out."
Holy crap, that's what Logan had been hiding from her.
His pyromaniac past.
Maya was so stunned that she barely managed to keep up her end of the conversation. "And they let him on the hotshot crew with that background?"
Dennis snorted. "No way. No one knows about his background. No one but me and my dad." He shot her a glance. "And now you. But what the hell do you care about something a random firefighter did a zillion years ago? Don't tell anyone, okay," he joked. "I wouldn't want to get the bastard in trouble."
She manufactured another smile, even as it struck her that although Logan had moved in with Joseph as a teenager, and Dennis and Logan were practically brothers, based on everything Dennis had said to her, he obviously didn't know Logan was a suspect in the Desolation Wilderness wildfire. The two men must not be close enough for Logan to call and confide his troubles. Maya made a mental note to find out why.
But Dennis wasn't finished saying his piece quite yet. "Most girls I know love firefighters. You too?"
She paused to make it look like she was giving it some thought. "I guess so."
He snorted again. "If women had any idea how much ass these guys get they might think twice before hopping into bed with them." He seemed to realize what he was saying a moment too late. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be crude. I don't usually do the early morning flights, but I was on vacation all last week so I'm making up hours."
She waved her hand at him and said, "Don't worry about it," even though the truth was that she'd never felt cheaper.
Some silly, stupid part of her had wanted the connection she'd felt with Logan during their fifteen minutes in the bar--even last night when he'd kissed her--to mean something. But now that Dennis had confirmed she was just one of many, it was time to face the truth. Even as she continued to reel from her discovery about Logan's pyromania, she had to accept that there was no connection between her and Logan. And there never would be.
A moment later, they came up on the fire. When she looked down through the clear glass base of the helicopter her breath went. "My God, the entire ridgeline is on fire."
Dennis pointed just to the east of the ridge. "Check that out. Those neighborhoods are about to go up in smoke."
She bit back a curse. The hotshot crew had done an amazing job of playing defense, but they couldn't keep the full-court press going forever. Houses would start burning today. One by one, innocent people would lose everything. All of their pictures. The gifts they'd been given. Mementos they'd held on to for sentimental reasons.
The sense of violation she'd felt last night after losing one suitcase and computer was nothing compared to what these people were about to go through. All they could do was gather up their kids and their dogs and cats and get the hell out, only to watch their homes burn on the news.
"I had no idea it was this bad." Dennis said. "I've definitely got to get ba
ck. I'm sure they'll be calling me any minute now to help with water drops. Sorry to cut your trip short. I'll talk to my boss to make sure he doesn't charge you for the trip."
She nodded her understanding, but needed to find out a couple of things before they turned around.
"Before we head back, can you tell from looking at the blaze where it might have originated?"
She already knew, from the obvious V-like pattern in the hillside, and once it was safe to reenter the terrain, she'd head into the hills to get the information she'd need for a complete report. But right now she wanted to hear what Dennis had to say about it, to see if she'd get lucky again and he'd accidentally give something else away.
Dennis studied the terrain. "Might have been easier to tell you yesterday before it went crazy, but my first guess would be right there. It's pretty hard to see through the smoke," he continued, "but I fly over these mountains every day, so I can tell what's different."
She pulled out a topo map. "Could you point to that spot on my map?"
"Seriously?" he asked, frowning as he looked a little more carefully at her. "Why would you want to know this?"
Perhaps it had been a good thing that she didn't have a clean suit to put on this morning. There was no way he'd guess that she was an arson investigator in her tourist gear. Not until she told him anyway.
"For my scrapbook."
"Whatever," he said as he shifted in his seat to point to a section of the map, and she got a strong whiff of gasoline off his fingers.
She turned to look more carefully at him, studying the easy lines of his body, the careless way his hands were resting on the wheel and gearshift.
Her conversation with Albert hung heavily in her mind. She couldn't trust anyone. No matter how trust-worthy they appeared, no matter how innocent they looked.
Was it at all possible that Dennis knew who she was all along and was simply feeding her information about Logan to send her off course?
And then, as she folded the map and stuck it back in her bag, he said, "Sure am glad I didn't do that hiking trip last week with Logan and my father. Otherwise we would probably have arson investigators on our asses right now. Especially since it looks like those houses are going to fry."
She spent an extra moment working the bronze clasp that held her bag shut, glad for something to do with her hands so she didn't accidentally give away her intense interest.
"Good move calling off the trip," she agreed. "Why didn't you go?" she said in a friendly, offhand tone that was utterly at odds with the significance of his reply.
"My dad wasn't up to it," he said as he spun them around and headed back toward the lake. "And I had other things to take care of."
Busy digesting everything Dennis had said during their illuminating flight, Maya looked out across the wide expanse of blue water and was momentarily stunned by the beauty all around her. Even with her brother's death inexorably connected to Lake Tahoe, she couldn't ignore the magnificence of nature at its best.
"Thanks for the ride," she said, knowing she couldn't keep him in the dark for much longer. As soon as they touched down and he'd unlocked the doors she would tell him exactly who she was, why she was in Lake Tahoe, and that she'd be back in touch with more questions in the very near future.
No doubt, Dennis would be surprised. Especially considering all he'd told her.
It had been another long night in the forest. Logan rubbed one hand across his eyes, forcing back the last vestiges of exhaustion. The fire was spreading fast. Soon it would start taking lives.
He'd run the trails, one after the other as they split off from one another like fingers from a palm. Fortunately, he hadn't found any hot spots this time, hadn't had to bury any embers. But he couldn't keep doing this every day, couldn't withstand the relentless pace for much longer.
He'd grabbed a handful of hours of sleep before the sun had risen and he'd called Dennis to give him a heads-up about the investigation. But he'd been too late: In a sick twist of fate Maya was already up in Dennis's helicopter. Mining for gold.
She'd have had to squeeze information from Joseph, but Logan wasn't so sure about Dennis. Ever since Logan had become a hotshot, their relationship had been a little strained. It was almost as if Dennis thought Logan had joined up just to kiss Joseph's ass.
Logan had stopped trying to talk his friend around it a long time ago. Sometimes things were cool between them, sometimes they weren't. Dennis could be hypersensitive, and while conversations always started off friendly, some innocuous comment often screwed everything up.
He'd find out soon enough what kind of day this one was.
He watched the helicopter head back toward the landing pad from behind the wheel of his truck until he saw Dennis's girlfriend pull into the parking lot.
Jenny was a tall, leggy redhead who automatically made a guy's head turn to guess if her tits were real or fake. But she wasn't Logan's type, and not just because most of the guys in town had already had a ride.
Ten years ago, he'd nearly been seduced by her long legs and big green eyes. But after he'd figured out that she'd already done half the guys in turnouts, he'd let her down easy before things got out of hand. And by the time Dennis started dating her earlier this year, he'd figured his nonrelationship with her was old news, so he'd kept his mouth shut, and wished his friend well, even though she still frequently made passes at Logan when she was drunk. Frankly, she wasn't the first attached woman who came on to him, so he didn't read much into it.
"Hey, Logan." She jumped down from her truck. "I just heard about your suspension. I can't believe they're accusing you of lighting this fire."
"Word spreads fast, doesn't it?" Just as he'd thought last night, there was nothing quite as juicy as a fallen hero.
She put her hand on his arm. "How are you doing?"
He appreciated her support, but he wasn't about to get into it with her. Or anyone else. All that mattered was clearing his name, not sitting around whining about being falsely accused of arson.
"Just working to clear my name so they can find the real arsonist and I can get back on the fire."
"Just so you know, nobody thinks you did it. And everyone's super pissed about them fingering you."
"Thanks," he said as the helicopter headed toward them. "I'm sure we'll get everything figured out soon,"
"What a shitty situation," she said, as she shook her head in commiseration. "I know you've got a lot on your mind right now, but Dennis and I are heading out for breakfast when he lands. Any chance you'd like to join us and try to relax for a little while?"
"I'll have to take a rain check," he said, "but I'm glad you're here. I've got a favor to ask."
"Whatever you need right now, I'm happy to help. Both Dennis and I are."
"Sometime today, could you check in on Joseph? He's slowing down a bit. I know he'd really appreciate some help with the cabin."
"No problem. What do you want me to do? Laundry? Cleaning?"
"You're a mind reader," he said, glad to have one less thing to worry about. "Thanks."
She made a face. "I would have helped out before, but you know how Dennis is about his dad. I don't know what his problem is. Joseph is amazing."
Logan wasn't going to go there. The damage between Dennis and Joseph wasn't any of his business. He'd spent years trying not to get in the middle of it.
A few moments later, the wind and noise from the helicopter rotors forced them back several steps. Logan reached out to steady Jenny, not letting go of her shoulders until the blades slowed. Through the glass, he could see Maya and Dennis talking. Suddenly, Dennis's face went a nasty shade of red and the next thing Logan knew, Maya was hopping out of the helicopter onto the blacktop. When she saw him her eyes widened in surprise, then quickly narrowed.
He barely had the chance to note her interesting fashion choice--even sweatpants and a T-shirt looked damn good on her--before she was in his face. Breathing fire.
"You and I need to talk. Now."
> She didn't wait for him to agree before heading toward the small office on the edge of the airstrip. She clicked open her cell phone and Logan immediately wondered who she was calling and why. And how much more trouble it was going to get him in.
First, though, he needed to find out what Dennis had already told her.
"I blew it, man" were the first words Dennis said.
"Oh shit. You told her."
Dennis's hands were out in front of his body as he defended his fuckup. "I didn't know who she was. She didn't tell me until we landed. I saw the fire and I didn't have enough caffeine in me yet and I couldn't control my mouth."
It was always excuses with Dennis. Always had been. Joseph and Dennis had taken Logan in when he didn't have anyone else and he would give up his life for his adopted family, but that didn't mean he wasn't pissed as hell right this second.
Jenny looked between the two of them. "What are you talking about, Dennis? Who is that woman? What did you tell her?"
"She's an arson investigator. She's here because of the Desolation fire." Dennis looked like he was about to cry. "I didn't mean to sell you out," he said to Logan. "I swear it, man."
Jenny looked helplessly at Logan. "He doesn't know yet. I was going to tell him when he landed." She turned to her boyfriend. "Logan has already been suspended from the fire. That's why he's standing here right now." She lowered her voice to a hiss. "That woman is investigating him."
Logan had never seen Dennis look more upset. Or nervous.
"Oh Jesus, I'm sorry, Logan. They've got to know you'd never do something like that, right?"
"What did you tell her about me?"
Jenny shot a questioning glance at Logan. "What are you talking about? What dirt does he have on you? Is it something that could get you in trouble?"
A muscle jumped in Dennis's forehead. "Swear to God I told her it was just stupid kid stuff. You were never trying to hurt anyone. You were just pissed off at everything." A flurry of words were hurtling out of his mouth as he worked to clear his conscience. "I'm sorry, man. But even knowing about that stuff you used to be into, there's no way she can pin this fire on you. Everyone knows hotshots are holy men around here." Dennis glanced nervously at Jenny. "Besides, it'll be impossible to get any good evidence. It's all burning up. You're safe."
Dennis always did have a knack for saying stupid things like that. A gust of wind dusted them with ashes as Logan reminded himself that none of this was Dennis's fault. He hadn't been a pyro, Logan had.