Page 16 of Burning Escape (Chasing Fire: Alaska #3)

EIGHT

After being with Tori almost constantly for the last forty-eight hours, it felt weird to Orion to go their separate ways.

But here he was, riding back to base camp with Cadee and Vince—who apparently were getting along really well for a change, maybe too well—while Tori stayed in Copper Mountain with Joann at the clinic overnight.

The difference in these two since the last time he’d seen them was astounding. What on earth had happened to Cadee and Vince the last couple of days?

Orion didn’t like leaving Tori in town. Especially after all she’d shared with him.

Losing both parents. Razor. Horrible church experiences.

No wonder she’d been leery of God and anything to do with faith.

Looking out at Denali in the distance, he wished she could see the vastness of the One who’d created the mountains, and more so, the depth of His love.

Lord, help her to see the truth of who You are and how much You love her.

“You need anything before we leave town?” Vince asked from the driver’s side.

“I’m good. Even grabbed a new phone before you arrived.” Orion held up the box to show them, but they were too busy making puppy eyes at each other to notice. “And thanks for coming to get me.”

“It worked out. Everyone else was busy, but we had some follow-up police business here anyway.”

“Police business?” That didn’t sound good.

“It’s a long story. Got tangled up with some militia guys, and it led to more trouble, but it’s fine.”

“So what else did I miss at base camp?” Orion asked the couple. He was definitely getting some third-wheel vibes. He needed to keep the conversation going, or Vince and Cadee would continue sneaking glances and smiling at each other.

“We’ve been grounded until we get another plane, so we’ve been busing out with the hotshots. Saxon has been working on a backup plane though. If they get it running, we’ll be back in business.” Vince glanced back in the mirror.

“And everyone made it okay with the plane crash?”

“Saxon managed to get Neil out of the plane after it hit the ground, which was a miracle all on its own, though Neil’s condition is still serious.

Logan and Jamie are working to track stuff down with the militia and figure out what they’re doing.

Her brother is still out there. You and Tori were the ones we were worried about.

Everyone else made it back to base camp before nightfall the day of the crash, though it took us a little longer.

” Vince reached over and held Cadee’s hand.

Cadee turned around to face Orion. “And what Vince is totally glossing over is that while you were gone, he was arrested by the FBI for embezzling funds. But it was actually an old coworker of his from the DEA who was involved in a real-estate slash money-laundering scheme and was framing him.”

“Wow. You guys have all the fun without me.”

“So what about you and Tori? What happened out there?” Vince seemed eager to change the subject.

Orion explained what had happened after their jump.

“With the militia chasing us, I ended up falling down the side of a mountain. Tori and I had some minor injuries.” No need to mention the possible concussion or shoulder now that he was feeling better.

He told them about the Refuge and how Joann and Josiah had ended up with them.

“Then we hiked to the homestead and found that it had been sprayed by a drone, and the woman that was there needed help. Drove them all to town, and you know the rest of the story. Oh, except that, apparently, Tori has a crazy ex who’s leaving creepy gifts and threatening her.”

“You told the sheriff, right?” Vince asked.

“Yeah, talked to Deputy Mills about the drone attack and Tori’s stalker.”

“Should she be staying in town alone with a stalker around?”

“Believe me, I had this discussion with her. But you know how stubborn she can be. She didn’t want to leave Joann and the baby.

The only reason I agreed is that the deputy promised to keep an eye on the clinic tonight, and if Josiah is strong enough to be released tomorrow, Tori wants to bring Joann and the baby out to base camp until we can get them back home. ”

“So you and Tori are good now? Everyone said Vince and I were the ones at each other’s throats all the time, but I always thought it was you guys who couldn’t get along.” Cadee gave him a suspicious look.

That’s probably what everyone on base had thought with the way Vince and Cadee always went head-to-head. They’d certainly been more vocal about their conflict than him and Tori.

There was something about their time at the Refuge, pretending to be married, that he didn’t want to air out in front of everyone. He wanted to tuck it away in a special place, protected.

“We didn’t tear each other apart, and we made it out of the wilderness alive, so yeah. We’re good.” But he couldn’t deny he wanted more.

He wanted to be there for her. And he wanted to keep her safe.

Somewhere in the last two days, they’d gone from being competitors to being allies, even friends.

But more than that, he wanted her to know God’s grace.

To experience it herself. It tore him up inside that she’d been so hurt, that she was blinded to the truth of God’s goodness.

“That’s good,” Cadee said. “You and Tori actually seem like a good fit as far as partners go. I think that’s why Jade couldn’t decide which of you to cut. Then Colson broke his leg, and she didn’t have to decide.”

Partners.

He liked the sound of that. Work partners, who had each other’s backs.

Of course, he couldn’t shake the thought of that kiss they’d shared the night they first met, but that was best left in the past. Kinda hard to build a life with someone who didn’t share the same faith.

But he could help find the guy who was harassing her and keep her safe.

Not that there was time to contemplate such a thing once they reached base camp. As they drove in during the late, sunlit hours, light reflected off the Quonset huts and metal-sided hangars. The foothills in the distance guarded the area, casting a long shadow over the runway.

In the men’s cabin, it was his turn to shuck the clothes he’d been wearing and clean off the last forty-eight hours’ worth of sweat and dirt. He walked across the runway to the mess hall. The aroma of JoJo’s chicken and wild-rice soup had him salivating.

“Nice to see you alive and well.” Logan walked up and gave him a bro hug, slapping him on his back. Orion tried not to wince at the contact with his sore shoulder. “You had us worried.”

“Yeah, you can’t get rid of me that easily.” He grinned through the pain as he gently rolled his shoulder.

“What kind of mess did you get caught in? Tucker was saying something about a commune?” JoJo set a big bowl of soup in front of him, and the others joined them at the table.

Orion told the story between bites.

Jamie stood and grabbed a pen and paper. “Where was this homestead? The one with the drone attack.”

Orion pulled up a map on the phone she handed him and backtracked his route from Copper Mountain. “Here. It was in this area. The Refuge, the commune where we stayed, was a few miles west of it.”

Jamie wrote something down. She left the table without saying a word.

“What was that?” Orion asked.

Logan stood, ready to go after Jamie. “I think she’s going back to the big map over there.

” He pointed to the other side of the room.

“We saw one at the militia compound with numbers and codes. If I’m right, she’s comparing the location of that homestead to the map from the militia. I’ll go check on her.”

After everything they’d gone through, Orion couldn’t blame him. He felt the same about Tori.

“When Cadee and I were out there trying to get back to camp, we ran into a bunch of dead salmon in one of the creeks. I wonder if that has anything to do with this.” Vince took his dishes, as well as Cadee’s, to the kitchen.

“Lots of weird stuff is going on out here.” Grizz, a man built like the bear he was nicknamed after, took another bite of soup.

Jade stood and addressed the room. “Let’s not forget we’re here to fight fires.

People depend on us, so let’s not get distracted.

We’ve got another team of hotshots out there mopping up, but if something flares up, we need to go.

” She moved over to Orion. “Ready to get back in the game if we get called out? You mentioned some injuries.”

“I’m good.”

“You sure I don’t need to find a replacement? Not that we even have a plane yet, but if you need time off?—”

“No. I’ve had enough time off.” Sure, his shoulder was killing him at the moment, but after a good night’s sleep and some pain meds, he could work on exercising and strengthening it before he needed to jump again.

And he just happened to know a good trainer that could help.

* * *

Tori parked her old Honda Civic in front of the Rock gym.

“So why are we here again?” she asked Orion as they walked to the entrance. “Not that I mind. Now that Joann and Josiah are settling in at the base camp, I feel like I can get back to something resembling normal life.”

“They’re definitely in good hands. Who knew that those Trouble Boys were such baby freaks? Kane rocked Josiah to sleep in a matter of seconds.”

“And can you believe Hammer with his ‘Trouble’ tattoo saying ‘goochie goochie goo,’ trying to make an infant smile?” She adjusted her duffel bag.

“Oh, and I got word from Kitri. She was cleared from the hospital in Anchorage. Besides the weird eye-rolling tick and a lingering rash, she’s okay and anxious to get back to her homestead. ”

“Is she going back soon?” Orion asked as he held open the door of the gym for her.