Chapter 27 #2
“In the closet and the door was partially cracked. They were wide open and Steel, one of them wasn’t full. There’s evidence he took some clothes with him.”
Grimacing, I kept my eyes on Violet. “Thank you for calling, sis. Let me know if you find anything else.”
“Of course.”
“What did she find? What?” Violet demanded.
“Where were those two boxes you found?”
“In the closet in the room Damon was staying. Why?”
“Supplies to start fires.” At least he hadn’t found them earlier.
She breathed out. “That’s really why they wanted inside the house. They didn’t know Jasper had rented it out again.”
“Yep. No doubt. There’s evidence Damon took some things with him. The boxes were wide open.”
I didn’t need to say what we were both thinking. Was it possible he was so upset he’d reverted back to starting fires? I wasn’t going to share the last with her.
“Let’s get going,” she pushed, turning away and returning to the hunt.
With a quick text to Bart, I trailed behind her. If Damon tried to start a fire with anything that Josie had mentioned, there was a good chance he could get himself killed.
We continued in the same path, going another few hundred yards before her exasperation settled in.
“Where is he?” she asked, her voice stronger than mine would be.
“Chin up. Look for anything. A single sign we’re going on the right direction. A torn shirt. A tennis shoe. Whatever.”
We continued moving, following a map I had on my phone. People reported in every fifteen or so minutes before expanding the grid. We’d walked for over an hour, already hearing signs of the river in the background.
“Damon. Come on, honey. Mommy misses you.”
We kept pushing. Kept going.
“Take a breath,” I told her, gently grabbing her shoulder.
“No,” she hissed, jerking away from me and swinging around to face where I stood. She slowly lowered the flashlight, taking gasping breaths. When she doubled over, I took her into my arms. She fought me at first, but I refused to let go, grimacing from how hard her body was trembling.
“Stop fighting me. I am so sorry I made you go out tonight. I am so sorry.”
She sobbed a couple of times, allowing me to hold her. The entire time her body was tense, but at least she wasn’t fighting me. “I don’t blame you. I just overreacted.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not, Steel. I just realize over and over again what a terrible mother I am. He needs my full-time attention right now and I haven’t been able to give it to him. Let’s just keep going. Please?”
I wasn’t going to change her mind. She was determined to blame herself. Sighing, I scanned the forest with the flashlight, taking a few seconds to listen for any sounds.
“Let’s head closer to the river.”
“Okay.”
We continued going. Another fifteen minutes passed.
“Report in,” I said on the communications radio.
“Nothing,” Denver reported.
“Not a thing,” Viper added.
One by one the team reported in. “Keep going.”
When I turned around, she wasn’t standing where I’d last seen her.
Shit. Why did I think she’d follow my rules?
“Violet. Where did you go?” Hearing nothing, I turned in a full circle, sweeping the beam in a complete arc. There was no sign of her. “Violet. Answer me!”
“Right here. I found something.”
Jesus. The woman was trying to give me a heart attack. I found her crouched over something on the ground. “What did you find?”
“One of Zorro’s toys. Damon took a toy with him. He couldn’t bear to give them all away.”
Crouching beside her, I pressed my hand on her back as she pulled the toy to her face. “That means we’re close. We’re going to get him, baby. It’s Steel. We have a sign of him. Head this way,” I said into the radio.
“Will do,” Bart answered first.
“Come on. Let’s go. The river attracted him.” The water was fifty yards away and while it was shallow where we were, soon it would become a raging river as it flowed further downstream.
We had to get to him before he was thirsty.
There was no holding Violet back. With the stuffed toy in her hand, we moved in the same direction we’d been going. With no sign of him at the water, within another fifteen minutes, I was beginning to get a very bad feeling.
“What is that?” Violet asked when she came to a sudden halt. She sniffed the air and froze. “Smoke. That smells like smoke?”
I flanked her side, taking a deep breath. Ah, fuck. “Do not move. Stay right here. Let me call this in. Be advised we smell smoke. As of yet, we’re unable to see signs.” No visible flames.
“I’ll call it in, Steel,” Viper said, adding, “Get back here.”
“No can do. We’re not leaving Damon out here alone.” I ended the communications and by the time I turned around, she was gone.
Again.
“Damn it, Violet.” This time, I could hear her footsteps as she raced through the forest. Within seconds, I was able to follow the beam of light.
She’d managed to get several yards ahead of me.
By the time I was close to catching up to her, the smoke was thicker, swirls sliding through the trees like a thick blanket of fog.
“Damon. Damon!”
When I caught up to her, I stopped her from going any farther. “You can’t do that. You can’t run off from me. Don’t you know what it would do to me if anything happened to you? It would gut me. Plus, Damon needs his mom.”
She pulled her arm free, ready to spew whatever she needed to say when her beam caught something. “Wait. Look right there.”
Lunging forward, I grabbed whatever it was from off the ground. “Is this Damon’s?”
“Yes. Damon. Damon!”
A sound caught our attention. I threw up my hand, listening. A popping sound. Then voices.
Then I could swear I heard something else, as if a can being kicked.
And a cry.
Not an adult cry, but one coming from a child.
“Follow me. Do not go anywhere.” We both took off running with me clearing the way as best as I could. it didn’t take long for an orange glow to cover the horizon.
“Damon. Damon!” Violet yelled. “Where are you, baby? Talk to me.”
“Mom. Mom! Mom!”
Terror filled his voice.
When I noticed flames, I pushed her back. “No. You are not going any further.”
“Yes, I am.” She struggled, fighting me with everything she had. “He’s hurt. He’s hurt.”
“Let me get him. Calm down. Okay?”
“Steel. You have to. Please.”
“I will.”
I should have known what she’d do. As soon as I backed away, getting ready to save him, she took off around me, sprinting toward the fire.
We both broke through the bank of trees at the same times. Flames were licking up several trees, the stench indicating it had been started by gasoline. Within seconds, it was a wall of flames.
“No!” she screamed.
“Mom!”
He was directly behind the wall. The fire was now following the line of trees and even worse, he was pinned in on one side by the river. With the rate of the increase of the flames, he had maybe two minutes before the fire reached him. If he jumped into the river from where he was, he would die.
I dropped the bag and the dart gun, debating the idea of going in after Damon. There was no other choice if the child was going to live.
“He didn’t start this fire. I know he didn’t. That’s not my son,” she exclaimed. “He wouldn’t have.”
I moved in front of her, keeping as calm a voice as was possible. “No, he didn’t do this. I don’t care about the evidence. I think he heard something. But let’s worry about that later.”
“Please. Let me go.”
“Stop it. Now. I don’t have time to argue with you,” I gritted out with both hands on her shoulders. “I need to save his life. But you cannot move. Do you hear me?” She was staring at the fire. “Do you?”
“Yes. I hear you. I won’t move.”
“Alright. I got this. Okay? Just keep everyone back. Don’t let them follow me.” With limited resources and people, the rescue was going to be dicey as hell, but there was no choice. “Give me the blanket we brought.”
“That won’t save you.”
“It’s what smokejumpers use for protection. The fire-retardant material should work.” It should work. I kept repeating the thought.
She didn’t hesitate, yanking it from my bag. “Here. Be careful.”
“I’m going to try. I’ll get him.” With that, I threw the blanket over my head and shoulders and moved toward the fire, debating the best angle once again. Finding the weakest spot, I backed away and gave her one last look.
Then I rushed forward, taking a giant leap through the flames.