Chapter 9 Aiden
Aiden
My phone buzzes before I even finish tightening the bolt on my prosthetic leg. It’s Eva. She doesn’t usually call; she texts, and the second I hear her voice, my chest tightens.
“Aiden—are you seeing that? We’re trapped!”
I rush to the window and see thick smoke curling up from the distant canopy. My stomach twists.
“Where are you?” I yell into the phone.
“Two miles west of the university research station. I just sent you my location. We didn’t see the smoke—” Her voice cuts off with a cough.
Shit.
I shove the cell in my pocket and grab my gear: gloves, helmet, Nomex shirt.
My prosthetic clicks against the wooden boards as I rush, muscle memory kicking in.
I slip my hand up to Mom’s silver compass pendant and rub it between my fingers, the cool metal solid. I can’t let my girl or my baby down.
I burn down the service road, calling in the approximate location to Captain Bannon. His team’s already on it.
Eva’s vehicle sits abandoned at the fork, its door open, two sets of gear half-packed. I park my truck, toss my pack on, and hit the trail. Smoke stings my eyes and scratches my throat. This part of the mountain is alive with it, but I don’t care.
Not today.
Underbrush catches my arms as ash dots my skin. Not thick yet, no embers, thank fuck, but it’s just a matter of time. My prosthetic leg catches a loose rock, and I adjust automatically.
When my phone rings again from an unknown caller, I answer it immediately, my pulse spiking.
“It’s Julia. I’m sharing my location and sending a pic in case the call drops. Will those help?”
“Yes. How many people are with you? Are you safe?
“Just me and Eva. I think so. We’re in a ravine.”
“Stay put. Share your location with the number I’m about to send you. Call if you have to move.”
I end the call, pull up their location, and call my captain.
“Bannon here.”
“There’s two civilians who are about to share their position. How far out is the crew?”
“Twelve minutes.”
“I’m already on site. My girl and my baby are out there.”
“I know you know what to do, Aiden. Keep your phone close.”
“Copy.”
I navigate the forest, following the blue dot on my screen at a dead run. All my training, all my hard work has led to this moment. I understand these woods just like I understand mountain fires.
After several minutes, I’m almost to the ravine. I start shouting.
“Eva! Julia!” When I hear a faint response in the distance, my chest tingles.
It feels too damn long until I see the girls down in a small creek bed, its trickle of water not providing any respite. Both are coughing, their eyes wide with fear.
“Jesus, Eva! What the hell are you both doing out here alone?” I shout.
She coughs, her words tumbling. “The smoke got thicker, so we switched directions and got turned around.”
The wind shifts, hot and violent. Not a good sign. I grab Eva’s hand, forcing her to meet my eyes. “Grab Julia’s hand. We move together. Now.”
I anchor my prosthetic against a rock and pull them up the slope and out of the ravine. Ash drifts like the start of a light snowfall, dusting our shoulders as we head in the direction I came from.
Hustling, I spot a massive fallen log partially blocking the trail. I don’t even remember climbing over it. “Step onto my knee and hoist yourself over, then grab Julia’s hand.” My command leaves no room for questions.
Smoke stinging our eyes, muscles screaming, Eva crouches at the top of the log to pull up her research assistant, steady and precise like the scientist she is.
“Nice teamwork,” I grunt, sweat stinging my eyes. An ember lands on her sleeve, and I slap it away instinctively. “You good?”
“Yeah,” she says, breath ragged. “You?”
As I check in with Julia, a sudden gust shifts the fire uphill. Smoke swirls around us, so I grab my compass pendant from my pocket and tuck it into her hand. “Hold this. Keep your bearings.”
Her fingers close over mine, grasping the metal between us. “I’m not leaving you.”
I smirk through the cough. “Good. Because I won’t let you.”
Julia snickers despite our tricky situation, and I suspect she knows about us.
Eventually, we reach a small clearing, the kind I recognize from my smokejumper days, giving me a second to gather my bearings.
“See the trail marker?” Eva’s voice is confident as a siren roars in the distance. “We’re close to the university main trail.”
She leads us with careful confidence, taking the exact route my training says is right. In the middle of this hell, I know without a doubt that I trust Eva, fully and completely.
The company meets us at the trailhead in full gear, their mission clear. I nod to the lieutenant and give him a quick update.
“Welcome to the team, Blackshear. The captain’s at the command post.”
I glance back at Eva, ash in her hair and determination in her eyes. For the first time since the accident, I know exactly where I belong.
Anywhere she is.