by Pamela Clare
Today was turning out to be the worst day of his life.
He had warned people this might happen. He had tried to thin the forest west of town. He had tried to get mountain homeowners to create defensible spaces around their homes. Very few had listened. And now it looked like the worst might come to pass.
Every house that burned, every person who was injured, every pet that was lost or killed, even dead wildlife—it would weigh on him.
Rico put a big hand on her shoulder. “He’s going to be okay.”
Vicki nodded. “I know.”
She stripped off her apron, tossed it in the laundry basket, and walked out to the dining room to see whether Rain or Joe needed help closing. Cheyenne and Sam were already gone, along with most of their customers.
Hank still sat at the bar. A regular, he had served time in jail for blowing up his own home while trying to extract hash oil from marijuana. Vicki had watched Eric try to save the house, had watched while he’d shepherded Hank through a mess of his own making. She hadn’t been able to help loving Eric after that.
“What are you goin’ to do with the booze?” Hank asked Joe, who was packing receipts into a bank deposit bag. “I could take some in my car, drive it to safety.”
“No, thanks, Hank,” Joe answered. “The booze stays here.”
Hank looked horrified. “You’re going to let all that fine alcohol burn up?”
“If it comes to it, yes. It’s just booze.”
“Just booze?”
“Come on, Hank.” Rain walked to the front door, Angel still on her back, and held the door open. “Time to go, buddy. Stay safe, okay?”
“Do you need anything else?” Vicki asked Joe.
Joe shook his head. “You take care of you. Don’t risk going home, okay?”
“I won’t.” She had no reason to go home.
Robin and Caden were already safe in Boulder, and Eric kept the originals of their important documents in a fireproof safe for precisely this reason. He’d put copies in a safe deposit box at the bank.
Libby stormed out of the brewery, visibly upset. “I’ve turned everything off. That entire batch is going to be lost. That’s thousands of dollars literally down the drain. I’m so sorry, Joe.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. It’s just grain and hops. It will be okay.”
“No, it won’t.” Libby’s chin quivered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “My house is gone. My street. They said it was engulfed.”
Joe rested a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, listen to me, Libby. We’re not going to leave you without a home. You’re not alone in this.”
“Oh, honey.” Vicki hugged her close. “Do you want to follow me down the canyon? We can go together, wait it out at the fairgrounds.”
Libby sniffed, nodded. “I would like that.”
“We’ll meet you down there,” Rain said. “Lark is already there. She says it has turned into a party. Some of the guys from the Timberline Mudbugs who had to evacuate are apparently putting on an acoustic show.”
That made Vicki smile. Only in Scarlet.
She was about to head out to her vehicle when her phone buzzed.
Lexi.
“Hey, Lex, are you—”
“Austin—he went to get Bear, but the fire burned through there more than ten minutes ago.” Lexi’s voice was thick with tears, her words coming out in a rush. “They don’t know if either of them are still alive.”
Oh, God!
Vicki’s stomach turned. “Where are you?”
“I’m at the Inn. My dad won’t go, and I can’t leave, not without knowing.”
Vicki didn’t think Lexi would be able to drive now anyway. “I’m coming for you. I’ll be right there, Lexi. Hang on, okay? We’ll figure this out.”
Vicki ended the call, found the others watching her. “Austin went after Bear. The fire burned through there about ten minutes ago, and no one knows whether either of them are alive.”
“Oh, God.” Rain raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide.
Joe rarely seemed surprised by anything, but he gaped at Vicki. “Jesus.”
Vicki turned to Libby. “I’ve got to go to her. Are you good to drive?”
Libby nodded. “I’ll follow you.”
Vicki went to her locker, grabbed her clothes, and, not bothering to change, hurried out to her vehicle, her thoughts running in a loop.
Austin couldn’t be dead—or badly burned or hurt. He was the love of Lexi’s life. He was Eric’s best friend. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be.
With Libby close behind her, Vicki drove as fast as she could through traffic, crossing the main highway only after some kind person let them through. She floored it down First Street, smoke making the air hazy, a wall of angry gray stretching to the sky just to the west of town.
She parked in the back and, not bothering to knock, stepped with Libby through the Inn’s private entrance into the kitchen. “Lexi?”
Lexi looked up at Vicki through haunted blue eyes, her face pinched by fear, Emily playing with blocks on the floor beside her. “Still nothing. They don’t have a helicopter to check on him. They’re trying to find a helo to rescue the people trapped at Naomi’s camp.”
God in heaven. Were the kids trapped, too?
Fear filled her belly—for the children, for Naomi and Chaska, for Eric, who would blame himself for anything that happened to any of them.
She sat, took Lexi’s hand. “I’ll call Eric. I’ll ask him to—”
Lexi shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks, her hand holding tightly to Vicki’s. “There’s nothing he can do. No one can get back there except by air. I’ve already called Dispatch twice. They’ll call me if there’s news.”
Vicki knew this had to be unbearable for Lexi. If Eric were missing in a fire…
God, she couldn’t even think about that.
But they couldn’t stay here.
Vicki knew Lexi didn’t want to leave, but she didn’t have a choice. “It’s not safe here, Lexi. I’ll leave my car here. We can take your vehicle down to the fairgrounds and wait for news there. Your dad, Kendra, Emily—we’ll all go together.”
She looked up, met Bob’s gaze, defied him to disagree.
Kenzie couldn’t let herself panic. She had twenty dogs to evacuate, plus Gizmo and Gabby. She didn’t have time to fall apart.
Megs won’t let Harrison take unnecessary risks.
Harrison had been toned out with the Team to rescue people trapped at a camp—that’s all he’d told her—and that meant he was headed straight toward the fire.
He was always the first one to volunteer for tough rescues. Kenzie loved him for it—but it also scared the shit out of her.
Be safe!
The office phone rang—again. Kenzie ignored it, let it go to voicemail. She didn’t have time to talk right now. She had recorded a message for her clients explaining that she was evacuating their dogs to the Boulder County Fairgrounds and that she would update them as the situation unfolded.
She put the dogs in their crates. “Come on, Loki. We’re going for a little drive.”
The Jack Russell terrier whined, no doubt able to sense her fear.
Behind her, the door opened.
She turned to see Chip and Charles.
“Need help?” Charles asked.
Kenzie let out a breath of relief. “Oh, God, do I ever.”
“You helped save our fur babies,” Chip said. “We’re here to return the favor.”
They finished crating all of the dogs and managed to fit four in Charles’ vehicle and three in with Crank and Kahlo in Chip’s vehicle. Kenzie loaded Gabby and Gizmo into her truck without their crates, which left her room for three more pooches.
That left ten dogs.
“I’m going to see what Winona’s doing. Maybe she knows about someone who can help.” Kenzie sent a quick text message to Winona.
How are you getting your animals down?
Winona replied righ
t away.
I’m staying. I don’t have any way to transport them all. I won’t leave Shota. Chase, Naomi, and Grandpa are still up there with the kids. I’m afraid something awful has happened. I can’t reach them.
Kenzie’s stomach sank. “Oh, God.”
Was that who Harrison had gone to rescue?
“What is it?” Chip asked.
“Winona says her brother and the rest of her family are still at their kids’ camp. She’s staying with the animals. She won’t leave them—or Shota.”
Chip’s jaw tightened. “Where are those two ripped and handsome boys who rescued Crank and Kahlo?”
Kenzie didn’t know. “Last I saw them, they were near the roadblock.”
Chip shot out the door, disappearing around the corner at a run.
“So, the point of this is to get the dogs to safety, right?” Charles asked.
Kenzie nodded.
“Come on.” He motioned toward the door. “I have an idea.”
She followed him to the roundabout, where traffic was inching along. What in the world was he doing? She didn’t have time to mess around.
He stepped into traffic, raised his voice. “Can anyone drive a dog to the fairgrounds?”
Kenzie understood now.
She stepped up beside him, her voice all but drowned out by car engines and a helicopter that passed overhead. “Does anyone have room for a dog?”
Traffic kept moving, heads shaking.
Then Hank stopped. He was the last person Kenzie would have expected to help. “You can fit a couple of dogs in my backseat. My house already burned down once, so I don’t have much stuff. Besides, I need the good karma.”
“Can you pull in behind the kennel?”
Horns honked, people angry at Hank for stopping.
He flipped them the bird out the window. “Sure thing.”
With Charles helping, Kenzie loaded Slate, an Australian cattle dog, and Loki, the little Jack Russell terrier, into Hank’s backseat.
“Drive them to Boulder County Fairgrounds and wait for me there. Don’t go anywhere else, and don’t let them out of their crates. Don’t leave them in the car, either. It’s too hot.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Kenzie watched him pull back into traffic and head toward the canyon.
Charles was at it again, flagging down drivers, asking for help.
Herb, the pharmacist, said he could fit a small crate in his front seat.
Kenzie gave him Trixie, the toy poodle, and told him where to meet her.
Seven dogs to go.
Then a familiar pickup truck pulled up, towing a horse trailer behind it.
Nate West looked down at her. “You need some help there, Kenzie?”
Kenzie explained as quickly as she could both her situation and Winona’s. “I don’t know how many animals she has, but one of them is an adult wolf.”
“Right.” Nate nodded. “I’m going to pull over.”
Kenzie followed him as he drove into the kennel’s parking lot, catching a glimpse of Rose as she passed through the roundabout. She looked like she’d just stepped out of the shower.
Nate stepped out of his truck, talking on the phone to someone. “That’s right—a wolf. Okay. I’m at the kennel now. I’ll ask.”
He turned to Kenzie. “How many dogs?”
“Seven.”
Nate repeated the number into the phone. “See you in a few.”
“My old man’s on his way.” He opened the door to the front of the trailer to reveal a living area complete with a television. “How many dog crates can we fit here if we get creative?”
The answer was all seven, Kenzie, Charles, and Nate working together to load the dogs quickly. They had just closed the door when Charles returned, Marc Hunter and Julian Darcangelo beside him.
Nate grinned, hugged Marc and then Julian. “I figured I’d run into you sooner or later.”
They knew each other?
Nate told Marc and Julian what was happening. “I’m heading down the canyon with a couple of horses and the rest of the dogs, but the wildlife clinic still needs help.”
Marc looked at Julian. “I told you we ought to stick around.”
Julian rolled his eyes. “No, I told you.”
Nate chuckled, climbed into his truck. “I’m leaving you in good hands, Kenzie.”
“I can’t thank you enough, Nate. I’ll see you at the fairgrounds.”
As Nate pulled out, his father, Jack West, pulled in, hauling a similar trailer. He leaned out of his window. “I hear there are some critters who need a ride.”
Conrad followed Megs in his SUV, smoke and dust from her tires all but obscuring his view of her pickup. Ahearn brought up the rear in his SUV, the three of them rushing to reach Camp Mato Sapa before the fire did. It didn’t look good. A dark wall of smoke hung over them, flames turning its underside orange, creating a strange twilight. Deer and elk fled, heading down the road and away from the danger.
Forty-three children and twenty adults.
Son of a bitch!
Would they be able to rescue everyone if they packed people in like sardines? The kids would have to be their first priority. After that…
Fuck!
Usually when the Team got toned out, Conrad knew they were going to make a difference. This time, he wasn’t sure any of them would make it back.
Megs had left it up to Team members to decide whether they wanted to take the risk. Not many Team members had been available. Hawke, Taylor, and Moretti were already fighting the fire. Nicole, Sasha, and O’Brien lived in the initial evacuation zone and had their hands full. Acharya rode a motorcycle, which was useless in this situation. Everyone else was scattered—at work, too far from Scarlet to make it, on a climbing vacation somewhere. That had left the three of them—Conrad, Megs, and Ahearn.
The last thing Conrad had wanted to do was drive toward the fire, but he couldn’t let those kids die.
Ahead of him, Megs suddenly stopped, her brake lights flashing red, the color visible through smoke and dust. Conrad slammed on his brakes, stopping a few inches short of her back bumper. He half expected Ahearn to rear-end him, but he managed to stop on time.
Headlights.
On the other side of the road, a van and two other vehicles drew to a stop.
Conrad put his SUV in park and climbed out, engine still running, to find out what the hell was going on.
Naomi sat in the driver’s seat of the van, young children packed in behind her, fear on their little faces.
Conrad’s first reaction was relief. They’d found a way to get themselves out.
Thank God.
Then he heard what Naomi was saying.
“We’ve got all of the children except for Kat and Gabe’s kids. I don’t know how many adults are still there. Deputy Marcs and Gabe Rossiter pulled in after I left. I doubt they could fit everyone.”
“Chaska’s still there?” Megs asked.
Naomi nodded, her expression crumpling. “Grandpa Belcourt, Gabe Rossiter, Kat, and their kids, and several camp counselors and are with him.”
Shit.
“Get these kids out of here,” Megs said. “Scarlet Springs has been evacuated, so you head through the roundabout and straight down the canyon to the Boulder County Fairgrounds. We’ll get everyone we can and meet you there.”
“Thank you!” Naomi reached out, took Megs’ hand, gave it a squeeze.
“Go!” Megs turned and ran back to her own vehicle, shouting over her shoulder to Conrad and Ahearn. “Let’s get the rest of them!”
Conrad climbed behind the wheel again and followed Megs. The smoke was so thick now that it came in through his ventilation system, making him cough, burning his eyes. How were they going to spot the turnoff to the camp when they couldn’t see five feet in front of them?
Embers drifted through the air now like orange snowflakes, landing on his hood and windshield.
Flashing red and blue lights.
It was a
Forest County sheriff’s vehicle, and it didn’t stop. Behind it followed an SUV, Rossiter’s wife, Kat, at the wheel, adults and children in the back.
Was that everyone?
They pressed on, embers falling thick and hard now.
Yeah, this couldn’t be safe.
Ahead of him, Megs stopped again, but this time she put her truck in reverse.
And then he saw.
Ahead, in what should have been the mouth of the canyon, was nothing but flame, and it was moving toward them. If they didn’t get the fuck out of here right now, they were going to roast on the road.
“Damn it!”
In tandem, the three of them backed up, turned around, and headed back toward Scarlet with Ahearn in the lead this time, the fire running toward them.
“Fuck!”
Conrad looked down, saw that he was going almost forty miles an hour. If they’d been driving on a straight road, they would have been able to get away with no problem. Instead, the road curved, while the head of the fire was making a run straight eastward.
It was gaining on them.
Another curve.
The trees on both sides of the road went up in flames.
Keep going. Keep going. Faster!
A flaming branch fell onto the rocky shoulder of the road, sending up a shower of embers. Conrad drove straight through it without slowing.
Another curve.
Spot fires flared up ahead of them, heat radiating through his vehicle. There was nothing he could do but drive.
“Keep going,” he said aloud this time.
All of Conrad’s near-death experiences had come in the Himalayas in ice and snow. How ironic it would be if he ended up being barbequed right here, just outside his hometown.
Kenzie.
He couldn’t do that to her.
He glanced in his rearview mirror, saw Megs riding his bumper, embers dancing off her truck, nothing visible behind her but flame.
The road sloped sharply downhill now, and the fire seemed to fall back. Conrad remembered Hawke telling him something about fire burning uphill faster than downhill.