Chapter Twenty-Two
Wolf
The fire glows like a beast on the horizon, lighting up the trees in surreal flickers of gold and orange. It feels like the entire universe is burning, but inside this little hunting shelter, everything’s hushed. The only sound is the low crackle of the contained fire and the occasional pop of something collapsing in the flames.
Audrey’s curled beside me, wrapped in one of the ugly metallic emergency blankets, her hair damp but rapidly drying, her skin warm and smelling of smoke and adrenaline. I’ve never felt more alive than I do now.
“How long do you think it will take them to reach us?”
I let out a chuckle. “Well, considering the people we know, I’d be surprised if it takes much longer. I’m sure the entire US Army’s been sent by now... not for me, but for you.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re pretty damn important yourself, Wolf.”
“Okay, I have to admit my brothers are most likely freaking the hell out.”
“It’s wonderful having so many people love us.”
“Yeah, there have been times I’ve felt smothered by it, but right now, I’ve never been happier knowing I can’t easily disappear. As a teen, that wasn’t something I was pleased about.”
She laughs. “I shouldn’t find anything humorous right now, but my heart’s filled with so much joy at being able to love you that I’m having a difficult time being sad.”
“We can feel joy at our love and sadness for the land around us at the same time. No one can tell us what we’re supposed to be feeling.”
She pauses. “I’ve never been afraid I was going to die before. You were amazing handling that plane, Wolf.”
“I should’ve tried to land to the left of where we hit, then there wouldn’t be a fire,” I tell her. She shakes her head.
“You did amazing. Don’t doubt yourself. You kept your cool when so many others would’ve crashed, and no one would’ve walked away. You saved both of our lives. I’ll never let you forget it.”
I know better than to argue with her, so I quit trying. We can argue about it when we’re far away from here, tucked safely into a warm bed with the fire contained. For now, I’m just grateful to have this place and this woman alive and mostly well. We’ll make it through this just as we’ll make it through many journeys in life from this moment forward, some good, some great, and some bad. That’s life.
“You know, I wasn’t in fear of dying. I was in fear of losing you.”
“That’s exactly how I felt,” I say.
She chuckles. “You were in fear of losing you too?”
I shake my head at her. “You’re quick right now, aren’t you?”
“I’m always quick.”
“It’s one of the many things I love about you.” I kiss her cheek as I rub my hand down her back. “I’ve faced danger many times. I’ve crashed, burned, and been a part of rescues before, but never have I been so invested in the life of another.”
“Why do we wait to share how we truly feel until the last possible moment?”
“Because we’re fools,” I tell her without hesitation. “We’re so consumed with protecting ourselves that instead we cause harm. We’re not meant to be alone in this life, yet we all try to walk different paths. If we simply trusted others, we’d be much better off.”
“That’s easier to say than do. We also believe we have more time than we actually do. This life begins and ends in the blink of an eye. Often we don’t get to experience something that makes us realize how fragile we really are. Sure, we see trauma all around us, but we believe it can never happen to us. We’re foolish.”
“Maybe that’s all part of it,” I say. “We have to figure things out. It’s a journey, and if it were easy, we wouldn’t grow.”
We sit in silence for a moment, then hear a sound outside. At first it’s quiet, but as a minute, then two, pass, the noise becomes unmistakable. It’s the rhythmic chop of helicopter blades cutting through the sky, and it’s clearly coming our way. I’m both relieved and a little bummed our intimate time is coming to an end.
Audrey gives me a smile. “It seems we’ve been found.”
I nod before rising. My clothes have dried enough to put back on without a tremendous amount of effort. Audrey also rises and gets dressed. We move together to the door and fling it open. The helicopter is floating low in the air as a piercing search light roams over the ground. We’re no longer alone.
I move back to the fire and douse it with enough water to put it out ten times over. When I’m sure the fire’s out, Audrey and I leave the safety of the cabin and look up with relieved smiles as the helicopter’s spotlight finds us while the blades whip around in a frenzy. The chopper lowers, and I see Nick Armstrong hanging halfway out the side with a headset on. Cooper peeks out behind him. Damn, am I glad for the friendships I’ve made through the years.
The rescue bucket’s lowered, and I place Audrey in it. I give her a kiss before she’s pulled away from me. My heart thuds as I watch her ascend, and I don’t take a breath until she’s safely pulled inside. The bucket’s lowered again, I climb in, and am pulled up into the helicopter. I quickly take Audrey’s hand as I climb out into the safety of our way out of this mess.
Cooper pats my back hard and looks at me with a smile. I can see clear stress around his eyes. They’d feared they’d be too late.
“You took long enough,” I say as a joke.
He shakes his head. “You scared the hell out of a lot of people.” I nod. I hate that, even though it was certainly not intended. “You really need to learn how to have a nice, calm, relaxing weekend.”
“We don’t want to grow bored in our old age,” I tell him.
“I’m starting to think I wouldn’t mind a bit of boredom. Rescuing the people I love is becoming a habit.”
“Wasn’t it you who did a crash landing in the Pacific?” I remind him.
“Yes, it was. I did that rescue too,” Nick says with a shake of his head.
“Maybe I need to find new people to hang around,” Audrey quips as she shakes her head.
I pull her close. “It’s far too late for that.” I lean down and kiss her as the chopper flies away, then look up, growing serious.
“How much damage?” I don’t want to ask, but I need to know.
“It’s bad. You went down near a hot zone. We have teams in place, but the ridge is flaring. They’re on it, but it’s definitely a battle.” I wince at his words.
“I need to get out there and help,” I tell him. Audrey turns and looks at me with fright.
“What are you planning?”
“I’m gonna fly,” I say.
“Are you sure you should? You’ve been through a lot, and we haven’t had any sleep.”
“I started this, I can’t walk away.” I pray she’ll understand. This is who I am, and I can’t walk away. I don’t know what I’ll do if she asks me to do just that. She gives me a long, assessing look, then nods and takes my hand.
“I understand even if I don’t like it,” she finally says. I let out a relieved breath. More than ever, I know this woman is already home to me. She’s my partner, and we’ll continue to lift each other up, never intentionally pulling each other down.
It feels like forever before we touch down in the staging area for the firefighting crews. It’s like landing in a war zone. Smoke is blanketing the hills as radios buzz all around. There’s a smoky glowing orange haze hanging in the air. It’s organized chaos and unbearable heat.
Audrey stays by my side as we’re handed bottles of water, and quick medical checks are done. We’re given new clothes that we quickly change into. This team knows how to move quickly. Unfortunately, they deal with dangerous situations far too often.
I spot Jayden pacing near the mobile command center, talking on his phone. Drake is wearing a headset and coordinating logistics like a man born for it. Both of my brothers live here, and they’ll protect our home. What’s more phenomenal is that the Armstrongs don’t live here, but dropped everything to jump in because of our friendship. That’s what love is all about.
“We have two more ridges flaring up,” one of the firefighters shouts. “We need more water planes up now or it’s going to jump the line and hit the edge of that neighborhood!”
I look at Audrey. “I have to go.” She nods before leaning in and giving me a quick kiss.
“Promise to be safe and come back to me.”
“I will,” I assure her. I turn and find Cooper.
“The plane over there is fueled. She’s ready to go.”
I nod. “Thanks.” I turn and start running for the plane, my body itching to get back into the sky. I caused this, and I damn well will help stop it.
The waterplane roars to life beneath my hands like an angry beast, ready to run. I welcome it. There’s something about fire in the distance and water beneath your wings that makes everything else in the world fade.
It doesn’t take long to launch into the sky. I fly low, skimming the lake to scoop water, then arc high toward the growing inferno. Every drop counts, and I have to be close. Each pass I make is critical. I stay on the radio and coordinate with the other planes and choppers in the air, each of us locked into the same mission — to save these hills and the neighborhoods. We must protect life.
I’ve left Audrey behind to do this, but I’m sure she’s already jumped in to help wherever she can. There’s not a chance she’ll sit back and wait. That’s not the woman I know, the one I’ve fallen head over heels in love with.
I make one drop, then another, and another, and before I know it, hours have passed. We work long into the night, and my adrenaline-fueled body keeps me alert and moving. No one gives up, no one stops the battle.
On one of my final passes, I see the flames far too close to a cul-de-sac filled with families, pets, memories, and history. I push the plane hard, faster than I should, and dump everything I have. Right behind me, other crafts do the same. I circle back and see the water hitting like thunder... and smile as the fire recoils and dies.
It’s been a hell of a battle, but finally we see the smoke turning from angry orange into soft gray. It’s been hours of pure hell with smoke so thick it feels like flying through fogged glass, and water drops that have to be timed to the second, but by the time dawn bleeds across the hills, the fire is almost out.
We’ve done it. We’ve saved the line; we’ve saved the community. I turn my plane and head back to the staging area, so exhausted that I know I don’t have much more in me. It’s all been worth it, though. It’s worth it... for her.
I land to cheers all around. The atmosphere has changed from when we first arrived. Now we know the major battle has been won. The war isn’t over, and we have to stay on top of it, but the fire that was out of control is now contained, and the mop-up crews will get the final flames out. I climb from my plane, my lungs aching, my arms like lead, and my body covered in sweat and ash.
I’m nearly knocked from my feet when Audrey comes flying from nowhere and throws herself at me, her arms locking in tight around my neck. I find the strength to hold her, lifting her from the ground as true joy fills me.
“You did it, Wolf, all of you did it,” she says with joy in her voice.
“We all did,” I tell her. She holds me tight.
What started as my worst living hell, has finally ended with all lives saved. I refuse to think about what could’ve happened. It didn’t, and I can’t dwell on it or it will eat me alive.
We’re soon joined by my brothers and friends. Everyone’s exhausted but filled with joyful relief. So many battles aren’t won, so we have to take pleasure in the ones that are. Everyone’s covered in soot, exhaustion, and happiness. We lost some of the mountain, but we saved the town. We’ll plant, and new life will begin where the fire started. The phoenix will rise from the ashes. I hold Audrey and know I’m home. It doesn’t matter where we are, as long as we’re together. And together we’ll conquer anything put before us.