Page 14 of Burning Escape (Chasing Fire: Alaska #3)

SEVEN

Orion could finally catch his breath. Tori and Joann were back with the doctor. Kitri was talking to Deputy Sheriff Mills while they waited in the lobby for her turn with the doctor. Now he needed to let the team know he and Tori were okay. He excused himself and went up to the front desk.

“Could you call the Midnight Sun smokejumper base camp? My partner and I have been missing and need to let them know where we are.”

She looked up the number and dialed, handed him the receiver.

“Midnight Sun jump base. This is Tucker?—”

“It’s Orion.”

“Orion? Thank God! Everyone’s been worried. Where have you been? Where’s Tori?”

“Tori’s with me, here at the clinic in Copper Mountain. We ran into some people that needed help. And we could use a ride, but not sure how long we’ll be. I don’t have a phone.”

“Obviously. You two gave us quite the scare. Jamie couldn’t get anything off your tracker rings.”

“I know. I left mine at base, and I think Tori’s broke. But what about everyone else? Did everyone on the plane…”

“Took Vince and Cadee a day to get to a phone and call in, and Neil should be released from the hospital today, but everyone is good or they’re healing. What happened out there?”

“Long story. The gist of it is, a small off-grid community took us in. We didn’t have a way to contact anyone. And then there was a drone attack on a homestead.”

The woman behind the counter raised her eyebrows.

Oooh. This might not be the best place to talk. They didn’t need to incite panic in the general population. “So, anyone free who can come get us in Copper Mountain?”

“Sure. I’ll send one of the smokejumpers, but right now they’re out in the middle of something, so it will probably be a few hours.”

“Sounds good. I don’t know how long the doctor will take anyway, and we’ll need to make sure these two women with us are settled. So we’re not going anywhere.”

“As soon as you’re back, I want a full report.”

“Will do.” Orion hung up as Kitri was called back by a woman in scrubs. He went over to the deputy.

“You saw this drone, by any chance?” Deputy Mills stuck his thumbs in his pockets.

“No. We came and saw Kitri passed out on her porch. The chickens outside the coop were dead. The other animals I saw seemed fine. Someone needs to check it out though. There’s a small off-grid community called the Refuge not far from the homestead.

They’re peaceful people. I would hate for them to be targeted. ”

“The Refuge? I think the sheriff’s heard of them. We’ll look into it. Got a number where we can reach you if we have more questions?”

“I don’t have a phone at the moment, but you can find me at the Midnight Sun jump base.”

Mills wrote down the info and left. Orion let his head fall back against the wall and closed his eyes. With the adrenaline of everything that had happened fading, a bone-deep weariness sank into him.

At least everyone was safe. The weight of having to protect three women and a baby was not a light one. He stretched out his legs, tempted to put his feet up on the coffee table, but he refrained, thinking of all the times his mother had scolded him for having dirty shoes on furniture.

He must’ve dozed off, because the next thing he knew, Tori was rousing him. “Hey, sleepyhead.”

Orion rubbed his eyes. “Hey. Is Josiah?—”

“He’ll be okay, but they need to monitor him overnight, and Joann is going to stay with him.

But for the moment, she’s okay, so I’m going to walk over to my apartment and shower.

I might burn these clothes when I’m done.

” She pulled the collar of her shirt and shuddered.

“And I’ll bring some food when I come back. Want anything?”

“Tucker is sending someone to get us. Should be here in a couple hours or so to take us back to base camp.”

“I don’t know that I should leave Joann overnight. I had to show her how to use a flushing toilet. And where’s Kitri?”

“Back with the doc, I assume. Haven’t heard anything.” Orion stood and stretched his arms. His shoulder ached. “I’ll go get food…except I don’t have a wallet on me. It’s at base camp.”

“Why don’t you come with me? I’ll grab my debit card, and you can use that to get us some burgers while I take the hottest shower possible and wash my hair three times.”

“So basically, you’re saying I should take my time?” Orion chuckled.

“Exactly.”

They walked out into the cool evening. The brisk air tousled Tori’s blonde hair.

She glanced at him. “Thank you for everything you did out there. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably still be stuck in that tree in the middle of the bush.”

“You know, for a fake married couple, I think we did all right.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, as fake husbands go, you’re not so bad. Guess we make a pretty good team.” They waited at an intersection for a muddy truck before crossing. She looked at him. “And I’m sorry.”

“Sorry about what?” Orion asked.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about joining the smokejumping team when we met. I just?—”

“It’s okay. I get it. It’s hard to make the team, and you had to focus. And I wasn’t the best team player as we were battling it out for that spot.”

“But out there, I knew you had my back. If I had to be stuck with anyone—” She shrugged at him and smiled. “I’m glad it was you, Montana.”

Montana. Memories of their kiss swirled through his mind. Without thinking, he opened his mouth. “Is there any chance?—”

She reached out her hand like a crossing guard stopping traffic. He knew that look from the night they’d met. The look she’d given him right before she’d told him they should leave things the way they were.

“Never mind.” Seriously. What was he thinking? It wouldn’t work out between them.

But it didn’t stop the ache inside at that truth.

They reached the little downtown area of Copper Mountain. Tori led him through an alleyway that ran along the Last Frontier Bakery. Her car—with a new windshield, apparently—was parked behind the building.

“I see you got your windshield fixed. Have you had any more issues or threats? After all, I am your husband. Do I need to go out and put some hurt on someone?”

She laughed. “I haven’t had any problems since training started. If my ex was here, he’s long gone by now, probably.”

Tori used a magnetic hide-a-key hidden in a planter against the back of the building.

“So, you live in a bakery?”

“There are two apartments above the bakery. I rent one of them.” She led Orion up a set of stairs and to one of the doors on the second-story porch that ran along the back of the building. “I get to live with the smell of fresh-baked bread and coffee. It’s amazing.”

“I bet.” Orion looked out at the mountains in the distance. “Not a shabby view either.”

“Right?” She leaned over the rail and breathed deep. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this.”

The content look on her face brightened up…

everything. She lifted her face to the sun, letting the light cast a glow around her.

Orion had never known such beauty. But before she could catch him staring at her, he looked away.

Sitting against her door was a withered bouquet of roses and a long skinny box wrapped with a bow.

“Looks like someone sent you roses. They must’ve been here a while since they’re all shriveled up.” Not that Orion had any right to the sudden haze of green that came over him. He and Tori had only pretended to be married. She could date whoever she wanted.

But Tori didn’t look happy to see the flowers. In fact, her tanned skin had gone rather pale.

“I don’t know, but usually my neighbor brings packages in while I’m gone.” She bent down and picked up the roses. “No note. And—ouch!” She stuck a finger in her mouth. “Great. As if I needed another cut.”

“Thorns?” Orion took the bundle from her while she inspected her wound.

“Yeah. One of many reasons I’ve never been fond of roses.”

Orion barely caught the muttered words. “Maybe the gift will be more thoughtful. It looks like it could be a necklace or something.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe.”

She opened the lid of the box and froze. The contents spilled out and clattered on the porch planks.

There, at Tori’s feet, lay a knife covered in dried blood.

* * *

A shock of cold—almost like being doused with a bucket of ice water—ran over Tori. But she didn’t want to fall apart in front of Orion. It was bad enough she’d woken him up last night with her stupid nightmare. It wasn’t his fault the messiness of her life kept coming back to haunt her.

“We need to report this.” His words helped waken her from the stupor.

She averted her gaze from the bloody knife. “Not until I get my shower.”

Yeah, it was dumb, but she needed to take control here.

Hold it together, Mitchell.

Tori tried to stop her hand from shaking as she inserted the key in the lock. Orion scanned the parking lot and the area around them before following her into the apartment.

“Who would do this to you?” Judging by his tone, Tori had no doubt Orion would take down whoever it was if they were here. Probably his inner Captain America talking.

He set the dead roses on her little dining room table, right inside the door. Neither of them touched the knife.

She bent over to unlace her boots, grateful her hair created a curtain hiding her face. “Probably the same creep that wrecked my windshield.”

“Your ex-boyfriend?”

She nodded and plopped down on her couch. “He used to buy me red roses.”

Orion sat next to her. Didn’t say anything, but she appreciated the warmth of his presence.

She laid her head back and stared at the ceiling.

Maybe she should tell him. Just get it out. Then he’d see that he really had lucked out when she’d walked away from him that night they’d met. That a hero like him had no business with a girl like her.