Page 18 of Burning Escape (Chasing Fire: Alaska #3)

NINE

It took a week to get called out again. A week for Orion to repair his shoulder. A week of working with Tori at the gym. A week where he told himself not to fall in love with her.

Everyone was ready for a callout. Everyone except Orion.

His coworkers, all used to running on caffeine and adrenaline, were growing restless with training exercises and equipment inspections, while he was thankful for the downtime.

Because as hard as he was working on that shoulder, it wasn’t nearly where it should be.

But he wasn’t going to complain when a small fire sprouted up.

Without a plane, Orion and the other smokejumpers bused in with the hotshots and quickly had things under control.

He made sure he was on ground crew, digging into the soil to remove fuel for the fire rather than being on the chain saw line.

His right shoulder was strong and able to compensate for his sore left side while chipping away at the ground, but he didn’t want to risk trying to hold a chain saw and pulling down huge trunks and limbs.

The pain level hadn’t changed, but he was getting stronger, right? And it wasn’t any worse after working the fire line, so that was good. Maybe he was worried about nothing.

According to Deputy Mills, there were no leads on Tori’s stalker, and the militia was still out there, which kept him on high alert. After a day breaking a fire line, they bused back to base camp.

“Anyone wanna head into town and hit the Midnight Sun Saloon?” JoJo asked. “I could really go for some hot wings and live music.”

“I’m in!” Tori gave her a fist bump as she walked into the hangar to help unload gear.

If Tori was going, Orion should be there to watch her back. There was still no word on Razor. “I’ll come too.”

Skye Parker dropped her pack. “Not me. I’m going home. My husband has dinner waiting.”

“Aw, well, that’s adorable, but not all of us have FBI-agent husbands who can cook, so count me in.” Raine Josephs, one of the locals on the hotshot crew, hung her helmet on the hook in her cubby and shook out her short dark hair. “I’m not driving, but I call shotgun.”

Most of the crew decided to stay at camp or had other plans, so Orion squeezed in the back of Tori’s Civic with JoJo while Raine and Tori sat up front.

The forty-five-minute drive through the forest into Copper Mountain was easy.

Orion let the girls chat and kept an eye on their surroundings.

The workday was done, but the sun wouldn’t set for hours.

Hopefully, that would make it easier to keep Tori safe.

He’d already studied the one picture Tori could find of Razor—real name Randal Mason.

With average height and build, medium-brown hair, he could probably hide in a crowd with ease if not for the hardened look in his eyes and the tattoo of a tarantula crawling out of his shirt collar.

Walking into the Midnight Sun Saloon brought back memories of dancing with Tori. Same smell of buffalo sauce and smoked meat hung in the air. A different band played outside on the patio—someone doing Carrie Underwood covers by the sound of it. But Orion couldn’t afford to let down his guard.

The girls chose to eat on the patio, which was fine by him. The hostess led them through the crowded restaurant past the bar.

“Look.” Tori nodded toward the far side of the bar. “That group is here again. The camo guys.”

Great. The guy who’d harassed her on the dance floor the night Orion had arrived. And the group looked even bigger this time. All bulky men with thick beards. All wearing camouflage. All fisting tall beers and focused on the game playing on the big screen.

“Maybe they’ll stay put to watch the game.” But probably for the best he and the girls were eating outside and away from them.

Orion tried to cover Tori and keep her from their sight.

They settled in at a table on the edge of the decking.

Orion took the seat that gave him an unobstructed view of the patio and the doors leading back into the restaurant.

As busy as it was, it took a while for their orders to arrive, but the girls didn’t seem to mind.

Tori relaxed, laughing at Raine’s story about growing up in the backcountry.

The band started playing Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.”

“I love this song!” JoJo jumped up. “Come on, girls.” She pulled Tori and Raine onto the dance floor.

Tori came back though. “You coming, Orion?”

“I don’t know how to dance, remember?”

She laughed. “We both know that’s not true. If you recall, you had an excellent teacher.”

That twinkle in her smirk almost had him, but someone needed to stand guard. To protect Tori of course, but also his own heart. “Go ahead and have fun. It’s easier for me to keep an eye on everything from here. I’ll hold our spot.”

“Come on, Tori!” Raine called from the crowd.

Tori looked at Raine and then back at Orion. “You sure, Ry? I could stay with you if you want.”

“Go dance. That’s why we’re here. I’ll watch your back.”

Her grin shining down on him was reward enough as it lit her eyes. “Okay, it will just be a few songs. I promise.”

Orion kept his word and watched the crowd, but it was a little disconcerting how often his gaze wandered back to Tori. Hands up in the air, singing with abandon and swaying to the music, she was gorgeous. She stayed with JoJo and Raine, but the trio moved closer to the stage where the band played.

Not that he was surprised. Tori was music and action and energy. Of course she’d want to be closer to the source of it all.

A few songs turned to five, and by then, Orion felt bad hogging a table when a big group of people hovered around the entrance waiting for a seat.

He stood and told the server they could clear the spot.

None of the girls had purses, but he grabbed Tori’s jean jacket and Raine’s vest and stood at the edge of the dance floor.

“Ry, really you should come join us.” Tori came up to him, holding her long blonde hair off her neck and fanning her face.

“ After we take a run to the ladies’ room.” JoJo hooked arms with Tori and dragged her away, following Raine back into the restaurant.

“I’ll wait here,” Orion said. They probably didn’t hear him, but as a group, they should be safe.

But fifteen minutes later, he was starting to worry. He walked back into the restaurant, past the bar and down the hallway that ran along the side where the restrooms were.

A line of women waited outside the door, so maybe it was taking a while and he was nervous over nothing. But he’d wait here to make sure he didn’t miss them. He stood guard in the hall. Three more women exited the restroom, but no sign of his friends.

Finally, JoJo and Raine came out, smiled at him.

“You didn’t turn her down, did you?” JoJo asked.

He didn’t really care that he didn’t know what she was talking about, because panic started creeping down his spine. “Where’s Tori?”

Raine’s grin fell. “She’s supposed to be with you. Dancing.”

JoJo looked around, worry lines on her forehead. “Yeah, she said she felt bad leaving you alone out there, and she didn’t need to go, so she turned right around and didn’t even go in the restroom with us.”

Orion checked his watch. That had been over twenty minutes ago. “Split up. Raine, take the patio. JoJo, check the restaurant and bar area. I’m going outside. We’ll meet back at the entrance.”

Without waiting to see if they agreed or not, Orion sprinted through the crowd for the front door.

Shoving his way through the families and groups still waiting to be seated, he made it outside. More people loomed in the parking lot, but there was no sign of Tori.

* * *

Tori didn’t think much about the drink the server gave her on the way back to the patio. She said it was from “the guy at your table holding your jean jacket,” and Tori was parched from all the dancing.

She downed it quickly and set it on the bar. Maybe she should return the favor. Poor Orion would be waiting at the edge of the patio, holding their stuff, watching for threats, and keeping them safe while they danced.

Tori dug her debit card out of her jean pocket and pushed her way to the bar top. “Hey, Vic, can I get Coke and two Diets?” Raine and JoJo were probably thirsty too.

“I’m down a bartender, and it’s a busy night. Got six orders in front of ya, Tori.”

“I can wait.” The line to the bathroom went halfway down the hall, so it wouldn’t matter if it took a while.

“Tori! What are you doing here tonight? It’s after seven.” Evie, with her blonde hair flowing down her back in waves and her favorite cowgirl boots peeking out from her jeans, looked ready for the weekend. She skirted around the scruffy group of guys doing shots and hugged her.

Lucy followed behind her, curly red hair piled high and freckled grin catching appreciative glances. “Yeah, thought you were supposed to put out fires, not start them. You look hot, girl!” Her two friends hugged her.

“We had a smaller fire we worked today. Now I’m out celebrating with some of the crew.”

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. Whatever happened to that cutie from Montana back in May?” Evie sipped on a drink, something pink and fruity.

“Didn’t I tell you? He’s a smokejumper too.”

“No way!” Lucy laughed.

“Aw, it’s like it was meant to be or something.” Evie’s hand on her heart was such an Evie move. “So are you two together?”

“Uh, not really. I mean, he’s here, out on the patio waiting for me, but we’re just friends.”

Lucy was catching her up on all the drama from her job at the courthouse when the hostess interrupted and said Evie’s table was ready.

“Let us know next time you’re in town, so we can get together,” Evie called as they walked away. “Or maybe we’ll see you on the dance floor!”