6. Taylan
Chapter Six
TAYLAN
I get to the firehouse five minutes after the first engine has left. My whole body is tense after the conversation I had with Ava. I want to explain everything to her, but will she give me the chance now?
“You’re driving, Tay. Penalty for being last on the scene.” Grizz throws me the keys. He knows I’m a better driver than he is.
I climb into the truck, while Dean, Mav, and Grizz clamber aboard. Zander and Flint are riding with the Chief, while dispatch radios us with more information from back at the firehouse.
“Call came in, some guy reported a big fire out to the west of Snowflake. Something to do with an exploding tractor and a barn on fire. Everything’s still so dry from the summer it’ll go up like a match to gasoline.” Dean’s voice is excited as I turn on the siren and we speed through the streets.
When we’re on the road out of town, Chief Brock comes on the radio from the other truck.
“Dispatch, this is Engine 1. Are you sure we’re heading in the right direction? I’d expect us to see some evidence of the smoke by now. We can’t be more than a quarter of a mile away. Over.”
“Copy that, Chief. I’ll check with the farmer and get back to you.”
The road is clear and I step on the gas to make up the distance. If it’s a huge fire, then we’ll need everyone on the scene as soon as possible.
“Engine 1, this is Dispatch. The farmer’s number is disconnected. Might be a hoax call. Are you there yet, Chief?”
Brock’s voice is stern. “Yeah, we’re here. Nothing. Barn is fine, the field is fine. Nobody around. Tay, park and wait for instructions. Over.”
I sigh and slow the truck to a stop at the side of the road.
“I hate these hoax calls. Who’d do something like that?” Dean’s voice is disappointed.
I reach for my phone, sitting up straighter in the driver’s seat. I have a tracker on Ava’s car which transmits its location to my phone. She should have either walked to work or taken her car, which would put her near the town square.
Instead, her car is heading out of town on the mountain road. I check the last thirty minutes of footage for the webcam outside her house.
Dean peers over my shoulder. “You’re checking the bird’s nest webcam? I love watching those little guys learning to fly.”
“Nope.”
Ava walks down the path in her front yard. Her face is so sad that it makes my heart ache. She gets in her car.
Dean’s looking at me. “Isn’t that the girl who you went home with–”
“Shut up, bro. I need to concentrate.”
The angle of the webcam isn’t great, but Ava’s movements inside the car are odd. She’s pressed against the window for a second, almost like she’s struggling, and then the car reverses. I rewind the footage. Parked further up the street is that maroon car.
Cold dread sweeps over me. Silas must have been waiting for her in that car. He made the fake call to get me out of the way and then broke into her vehicle to wait for her.
The radio crackles. “All engines, this is Dispatch. We have another callout. From someone we can trust, Callan Connor. Says he can see a thin line of smoke coming from a cabin down the mountain. They’re high up on some trees looking down.”
“Copy that. Engine 2 on our way. Over.” I start up the engine, my heart beating fast.
“What the fuck is going on?” Dean’s voice is just behind me, but it sounds like it’s miles away.
Silas has made Ava drive out of town. And now there’s a real fire on the same road. She’s in danger and I’m going to save her.
The siren blares as I pump the gas.
I have to find her.
Now.