Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Allie’s head pounded. She sucked in a breath, and pain lanced through her chest. Probably from where Ray had thrown her over his shoulder and then tossed her on the ground. She’d jarred her ribs landing on a rock. He’d knocked her good upside the head too. Maybe that was why it was so hard to open her eyes.
Cold night air pressed in on her, and she shivered.
She should’ve known Ray was lying. As soon as she was out of the car, he’d grabbed her. She tried to move her arm. It wouldn’t budge. She pulled. Both hands were restrained.
“He’s on his way. Once he’s taken care of, she’ll be joining him too.”
Allie cracked her eyes open just enough to see a blurry image of Ray march behind the lantern on the ground. Her vision swirled, and she slammed her eyes shut again against the wave of nausea that hit.
“I think I know how to cover up my own tracks.” He nearly spat the words at whoever he was talking to. “There’ll be no trace of these two when I’m done.”
She tried cracking her eyes open again and saw he had a phone in his hand.
“Whose fault is that? I wasn’t the one who dumped Paulson out on that ranch. That’s on you.” Pause. “I know what I’m doing, Earl. If you’d done your part with the fire, Jen and the boys would have been taken care of too.”
Nausea roiled in her stomach. The boys! God, please keep them safe .
“We’ll take care of these two tonight and deal with them later—” He stopped. “Yeah. He’ll show. I have the girl to make sure of that. And once he does, we won’t have any more witnesses left.” Pause. “Hey, you should be grateful I’m willing to help clean up your mess!”
Allie took a slow breath in and opened her eyes again. This time she was able to focus. Ray stuffed what looked like a satellite phone in his pocket and mumbled to himself.
She had to get away from him. Warn Jen and…Dakota.
Where was he?
He’ll show. I have the girl to make sure of that .
This was a trap. Her hands were bound behind her back. Her ankles were duct-taped together.
Why had she pushed Dakota away thinking she was better off alone? He knew all about her horrific past and still wanted to give it a shot. What she wouldn’t do to see him now. To tell him she was sorry for listening to her fears instead of giving them a chance. Because that’s all it was. Fear of repeating the past. She might say she’d walked away for his sake, but it was glaringly obvious now. She’d done it because she believed the lie that she deserved it.
There’s grace. Mercy. Loving kindness. Did you forget about those?
Belle’s voice filled Allie’s heart. She wasn’t alone here. This wasn’t a punishment. It was time for her to take stock of things. Because Belle was right. Allie was trying to pay back for one bad choice and debt she could never pay anyway.
All you can do is receive .
Okay then.
Lord, I need You .
Something rattled in the bushes just outside the ring of lantern light. Ray pulled a pistol out of his hip holster. He pointed it out in the dark. “I know you’re out there, hotshot.”
With a snarl and a flash of black fur, Scout leaped at Ray.
His powerful jaws clamped down on Ray’s gun arm.
Ray dropped the pistol and roared. Someone else yelled, “No!”
Ray backhanded Scout’s head. The dog released his arm and fell to the ground. He didn’t move.
Allie screamed. “Scout!”
Ray charged her way, eyes boring into her filled with such hatred and darkness they looked like the pit of hell itself.
She braced for what he would do. Held her breath.
“Allie!” A dark form crashed out of the forest and lunged at Ray, knocking him down.
A blur of familiar red hair made Allie’s breath catch. “Dakota!”
They hit the ground. Both men thrashed, tumbling over each other as they grappled. Rolled. Grappled some more.
Dust flared up in a cloud.
Ray swung his arm, and Dakota’s gun went flying. He grabbed Dakota and flipped him onto his back. The lantern toppled over and shattered, casting darkness about so Allie could barely see.
Dakota cried out.
She gasped. “No!”
Ray stood over Dakota, who grasped around in the dirt.
Something metallic glinted in the air.
“A knife,” she screamed. “Ray has a knife!”
Dakota swung a gun up to face Ray right as the other man plunged the knife down toward him.
Three loud bangs sounded, flashing light so bright Allie could barely watch.
Ray staggered backward. The knife fell.
He clutched his chest, and blood blossomed on his shirt.
Dakota clambered to his feet, his chest heaving, the gun still pointed at Ray.
But the bigger man fell to the ground and didn’t move.
Dakota kicked the knife away. He bent over and put fingers to Ray’s neck, checking his pulse. But in the dim light of the moon, what looked like remorse and pain flashed on his handsome face.
Dakota staggered over to her with a flashlight now shining. He cut the tape at her ankles and then her wrists.
He fell forward but caught himself on the tree trunk. His moan went right to her heart.
“Kota, are you okay?” Allie rushed to him.
“Check…Scout.” Dakota’s breathing was labored. He sank to the ground and pointed over to the black Lab with his flashlight as he handed it to her.
Allie leaned over Scout’s still body. He was breathing, at least.
“Scout? Do you hear me?”
His black nose twitched. He opened his eyes and raised his head.
“Hey, buddy. I’m here.” She sank her fingers into the loose skin around his neck. She buried her nose in his fur and let the tears fall. “It’s gonna be okay.”
His tail gave a weak thump, and he allowed Allie to check him over while he lay there, watching her warily. She listened to his breathing. A little fast, but not horrible. She checked his gums. Normal. With a light hand, she scanned his body for wounds. “You doing okay, boy?”
He sat up, then stood. The Lab moved tentatively, but he could stand and walk on his own. That was a good sign.
Dakota, on the other hand, had his arm pressed against his stomach. She moved slowly over to him, fighting the dizziness. He didn’t protest too much when Allie lifted his hand. “You’re bleeding.”
“Yeah. He caught me in the same side as my cut from the tree fall. Help me up.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” She crawled over to where Ray’s phone had fallen on the ground and called emergency dispatch.
He didn’t fight her too much, which made the rumble of concern in her gut a full-on siren. But as they waited for help, there were a few things she wanted to get off her chest.
“You came back for me.” She wiped the ash off Dakota’s forehead. Scout lay next to her, his snout resting on Dakota’s leg.
“Of course I did.” His face wrenched in pain, but he sat up. “But I shouldn’t have left in the first place. I told you I’d be there for you, but I let you walk away.”
She reached out, rested her palm against his chest. “You were right. I was too afraid to let anyone know the truth about what I’d done. I shut everyone out. Including you. But…if you think you can live with my past, with the consequences I can’t change?—”
He pulled her in closer, quieted her with a tender touch on her lips. His finger traced her bottom lip. Then her brow. His head dipped low, their foreheads together. “Just a chance, Allie. That’s all I’m asking for. We can’t change our pasts, but they don’t have to define us either. And I think we could have a pretty awesome future together. What do you say?”
She closed the space between them, finally her lips on his. He kissed her back softly, as if savoring each point of contact.
Yeah, she could get used to this.
Scout sat up and barked.
Allie laughed. “Guess we know what Scout thinks.”
“Smart dog.” Dakota scrubbed Scout’s blocky head.
“He is, isn’t he? I always knew he had good instincts. But I believe we weren’t finished yet.” She leaned in for another kiss, this time wrapping both arms around his neck, her fingers tangling themselves in his hair as he met her passion with plenty of his own.
Dakota pulled back for a second. “You better watch out, Monroe. I’m falling hard for you.”
“Glad it’s not just me.”
Because Dakota Masterson was better than any hero her imagination could come up with.
Now that Dakota had had a taste of the sweetness that was Allie, he couldn’t get out of this hospital room fast enough. He finished dressing. How much longer was the doctor gonna take? He wanted to see Allie. No, he needed to see her. Needed to see that he hadn’t imagined that kiss at the campground. That she was really here, waiting for him.
He paced the small exam room. Slowly. Every muscle in his body hurt, but he didn’t have to stay overnight.
Thanks for the small mercies as well as the big ones, Lord .
Now that he was stitched up, he was ready to go.
Dakota was about to flag down the nearest medical professional when the nurse knocked and came in. She handed him a stack of papers.
“All right, since we can’t talk you into staying overnight, here are your discharge papers. But the doctor needs to know where you want your prescription for pain meds to be sent. Do you use a pharmacy here in Ember?”
“Not necessary. I’ll stick with ibuprofen.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure? You have bruised ribs, stitches, not to mention the injuries to your hands and face.”
“No thanks. I don’t do so well with narcotics.”
“All right. Then sign here and you’re free to go.”
He scribbled his signature on the tablet she handed him and walked out to the waiting room.
Allie’s smile lit up as soon as she saw him. Looked like she’d been checked out too. Her head was wrapped with gauze, and she had a nice shiner, but she was still the most beautiful woman he knew. She rushed over and hugged him. Scout barked.
“You want a little attention too, huh?” Dakota reached down and scratched the dog behind his ears.
“We’ve been waiting for you. Everything is okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good. You?”
“Doc said I’m fine. And…”
Dakota stayed kneeling by Scout. “And what?”
“I talked to my dad. And Mom.”
“You did?” He stood, reached for her hand. “How did it go?”
Her eyes shimmered with tears. “I got the whole story out, and by the end I think we were all crying. Somehow, my dad knew, or at least suspected a lot of the details already.”
“So they didn’t kick you out of the family?”
She wiped the tears that had fallen. “No. They were just waiting for me to come back home, in a sense. They said I was already forgiven and that nothing changes how much they love me.”
“I told you.” He smirked.
Allie rolled her eyes at him. “I know. Go ahead and rub it in.” She paused. “I think I’ll spend some time with them before I head back to Benson. And maybe when you’re done for the season or have some time off, you can come with me to meet them.”
Dakota’s heart swelled. “I’d like that.” Before he could say more, Scout pawed at their legs until Dakota bent down and rubbed his flanks. “Is someone feeling neglected?”
The dog licked his cheek.
“All right, Scout. My turn. Lie down.” Allie waited for Scout to obey—which he did the first time! Then she stood on her tiptoes and planted a sweet lingering kiss on Dakota’s lips.
“Now that is the best medicine a guy could ask for. But be careful. I might get addicted.”
“I think that suits me just fine.” She kissed him again.
“That’s enough of that, you two.” Kane sauntered in twirling his keys. “Since neither one of you is supposed to be driving, guess I get to be your chauffeur. You ready to head to the sheriff’s office? They want your statements.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Dakota kept his good arm around Allie as they walked out to the truck. “Did they find the boys?”
Allie nodded. “They’re safe and sound with their aunt. And Jen is still here in the hospital. She said she’ll move in with her sister for a while until they get settled and find a new place to live.”
“Good. And Earl?” Dakota asked.
Kane opened the truck door for Allie. “From what I hear, he’s still out there. Are you leaving the hotshots to look for him?”
“No, although the doctor wants me off the crew for the week until I get my stitches out. Maybe I’ll do a little investigating while I’m recovering.” Dakota hefted himself up gently into the truck.
Allie sat in the middle, while Kane drove. “What about you, Allie. You sticking around?”
She looked over at Dakota and took his hand. “Yeah. I’ve still got some training to do for Scout. And you never know when a search and rescue dog will come in handy.”
Kane turned out of the parking lot. “Yeah, there’s something strange going on around here. I feel like we’re just hitting the tip of the iceberg. So count me in on whatever you two are investigating. Someone’s gotta watch your six.”
Allie chuckled. “Yeah, especially with all the trouble Dakota seems to find.”
“Trouble? Me?” Dakota gave her a look of mock innocence.
“Oh, I knew you were trouble the first time I saw you.” She gave him a pointed look.
He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Yeah, but you like it.”
“Maybe.” Her eyes lit with a mischievous glint. A pause. “Okay, fine. I do.”
She kissed him until Kane cleared his throat. “All right, all right. That’s enough, you two. I said I’d chauffeur, not chaperone.”
Allie laughed. Dakota smiled. Flashing back to where he’d been a year and a half ago, in the throes of his addiction, he couldn’t have imagined this was where he’d end up. A hotshot firefighter. An incredible woman wanting him to meet her family. A man humbled and broken but now, somehow, so much stronger because he knew what it meant to depend on God. Every day was a blank slate. And he had plenty of family, brothers and sisters in Christ, to help and serve.
How did that old hymn go?
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.
Thank you for reading Flashback ! Gear up for the next Chasing Fire: Montana romantic suspense thriller, Firestorm by Lisa Phillips. Keep reading for a sneak peek!
SECRETS. BETRAYAL. SACRIFICE.
THIS TIME, THEY'RE NOT JUST
FIGHTING FIRE.
He thought his life was over…and then she walked back in.
Charlie Benning has always been a rescuer—first with the Last Chance County Fire and Rescue team, and now as a firefighter with the Jude County Hotshots. But this summer isn’t about saving lives—it’s about hiding his own terrible secret. A secret he’s keeping from his estranged daughter, Alexis.
But fate is about to intervene.
Will their secrets destroy their second chance?
Jayne Price raised her son, Orion, on her own just fine, thank you. And now, she runs Wildlands Academy, a summer camp that teaches kids how to fight forest fires and confront their own teenage angst?—kids like Alexis Benning, who clearly has a chip on her shoulder about her semi-estranged, firefighter father.
And Jayne has her own issues, like not wanting her only son to join the elite smokejumping corps. It’s enough that he’s risking his life as a hotshot on the Jude County team.
Then the wildfire turns its force onto the camp and suddenly the hotshots show up to help her fight it. Only problem…the last person she expects is for her former flame, Charlie Benning—the man she can’t forget—to show up working alongside her son.
Rather, his son.
Who he doesn’t know exists.
And then Charlie discovers the secret she’s been keeping, and he’s torn between anger and the long-simmering love that refuses to die. And Jayne isn’t about to let go of the man she loves a second time. But if the blazing wildfire isn't enough, a dangerous and relentless killer is on the prowl in the woods…
Now, with the camp cut off from the outside world and the fire closing in, it’s a race against time as Charlie, Jayne, Orion, and a team of courageous smokejumpers join forces to protect the campers against a merciless inferno and a murderer. But the biggest threat of all might be Charlie’s devastating secret that could destroy the happy ending they’ve waited for so long.
Prepare for an edge-of-your-seat journey that will leave you breathless until the very last page, in book four of the Chasing Fire: Montana series.