Page 29 of Burning Escape (Chasing Fire: Alaska #3)
FIFTEEN
He’s the Good Shepherd.
Strapped in, Orion leaned to see out the other side’s windows, but with the smoke and ash blocking his view, it was useless. He hated not being able to see.
“He couldn’t have gotten that far,” he said into the microphone. Damian, that creep from the gym, must’ve taken Tori in the chaos of the militia showing up at the commune.
“We’re following the river. Won’t stop till we find her.” The pilot’s voice was confident.
The river made the most sense. Amos and Abraham had been the ones to realize one of their canoes was missing. And being the ones who could paddle fastest, since Orion’s shoulder was out of commission, they’d launched a canoe and taken off to look for her.
And here Orion sat on his backside, riding around. What would Grandpa Jack think of this failure of a fire season?
I’m sure your mother and your grandfather, if he were alive, would be proud of you, even if you weren’t a smokejumper. They’d be proud of you because of the kind of man you are, not because of the rescue work you do.
Tori’s words came back to him, choking him up a little.
And what was it his father had said to him?
The legacy that is most worth achieving is a life surrendered to God. It’s not all up to you.
But this was Tori’s life on the line. Shouldn’t he be doing more?
Oh, this trust thing was hard. To surrender and wait rather than relying on his own ability and achievements.
Okay, Lord, this is all up to You. All I can do is sit here, be along for this ride. I have to trust this rescue. This mission is in Your hands. Please protect her.
“Looks like the fire jumped the river up ahead,” the pilot said.
Orion squinted. Below, in the river, Amos and Abraham were in the canoe. And farther upstream, a column of smoke rose from the north side of the river.
“Weird. There’s nothing else on fire there. Just one cluster of birch trees.” A woman in a rescue jumpsuit sat next to another rescue worker across from Orion. “There’s a canoe upriver. Is that her?” She pointed out the window.
Orion searched the water ahead.
The canoe was farther than the one Abraham and Amos paddled. And it only had one occupant. With that build, it couldn’t be Tori.
“It’s not her. But I think that’s Damian. The one who kidnapped her.”
What had Damian done with her? Orion fisted his hands around the straps holding him in.
He studied the fire in the trees again. A bright red bandanna waved in the air. Blonde hair blew in the wind.
Orion’s heart stopped. Tori! “She’s in the trees! The ones on fire! Tell me there’s water in this tank.”
“No, but it only takes forty-five seconds to fill,” the pilot said.
The helicopter lowered until it hovered over the river, the rotor wash spraying the windows. It had to be the longest forty-five seconds in history, but soon the helicopter was back in the air.
Hold on, Tori.
The Firehawk rose and then released the water right on top of the trees. A cloud of steam hid everything for a moment.
Orion couldn’t breathe.
“Oscar, you got a basket ready?” the pilot asked the man sitting across from Orion.
“Got it.” He stood, harness already strapped, and within seconds, the woman helped guide the drop.
Strapped to the helicopter seat like he was, Orion could only watch. Oscar and the basket descended into the steam and smoke.
Please, Lord, let her be okay. Please.
Wind blew in from the open door. Still no sign of them.
Finally, Oscar’s voice came through the comms. “Ready to hoist.”
The winch moved, rolling up cable. The rescue worker stood in the doorway, a thick-belted harness around her waist anchoring her as she leaned out.
Coming out of the gray cloud was Tori in a basket, her face covered in ash and blood, but she was very much alive as she coughed. Oscar was right behind her. Together with the other rescue worker, he transferred Tori out of the basket. As soon as she was free, she was in Orion’s arms.
“I was so afraid I wasn’t ever going to see you…that I’d never be able to tell you—” She sobbed, wiping tears and soot from her face.
Even so, she had to be the most beautiful thing God had ever made.
“Tell me what?” Orion removed the helmet he’d been wearing and rested his forehead against hers.
“I love you,” her voice croaked.
He drank her in, grateful beyond words to be holding her. “I’ve loved you from the moment you taught me to dance and every day since then.”
She laughed. “Really?”
“You are the bravest, most amazing woman I’ve ever met. And if I have to, I’ll marry you all over again to prove it.” He kissed her, pouring all the passion and love he had for this incredible woman into the connection.
As they hovered in the sky somewhere between heaven and earth, Orion knew. She was the adventure he’d been looking for, and he never wanted it to end.
* * *
Tori stared out the window as the Firehawk landed in the middle of the Refuge.
The common area still thrived, green and grassy.
The garden was full of plants finally starting to take off.
But all the land surrounding the community was burnt and black, much of it still smoldering and smoking.
The rescue workers helped Tori and Orion out of the helicopter.
Logan, Hammer, and Skye welcomed them with hugs all around.
“How did you guys get here?” Orion asked them.
Logan nodded off to the side of the chapel. “On the ATVs over there. It pays to have a girlfriend with connections.”
“Jamie did that?” Tori studied the four-wheelers. They looked sparkling and new.
Logan threw an arm around Orion’s shoulder. “You guys risked your lives to help her. She wanted to return the favor.”
Gabby broke through the crowd. She hugged Tori tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks, kiddo. You were a big help fighting that fire.”
She practically glowed at the compliment. But then her attention snagged on Logan. “Is he married?” she whispered.
They all laughed.
Skye pulled them aside to where her husband stood. “Rio has been in contact with the Firehawk pilot and the sheriff.”
Rio had to speak loudly to be heard above the chopper rotors. “Is the guy who kidnapped you out there?” He sounded much more like the FBI agent he was than the casual guy who hung out with Skye at base camp.
Tori nodded. “Damian Murphy. He lit the tree I climbed on fire and left in a canoe.”
“Two of the men from the Refuge here were pursuing him.” Orion’s arm around her waist steadied her.
“Is Damian part of the militia?” Rio asked.
She nodded. “He at least knows what’s going on. He mentioned dead fish and the drone attack. I don’t think he’s involved at a leadership level, but he has info.”
“Good. I’m going to catch a ride with these guys and bring him in. We’ll need to have an official statement from you later.” Rio shook their hands and then jogged over to the helicopter pilot. Soon the bird was up in the air again.
Children ran out of the chapel to watch the spectacle, awe and wonder in their faces. The rest of the team introduced themselves to the kids. Hammer walked over to Joann and Josiah and asked to hold the baby.
Hannah came and grabbed Tori in a fierce hug. “The Lord bless and keep you, Victoria.”
Tears smarted her eyes. “He already has.” She grabbed Orion’s hand. “In more ways than one.”
“I know this lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but I hope you both know, you’re always welcome here if you ever need a refuge or a home.” Hannah’s wrinkled face beamed with affection and warmth.
Tori took it all in. Her teammates laughing with the children, the green forest life protected from the fire, and a man—a good man, kind and loving—at her side.
Above them all, the sunlight shone, catching the cross at the top of the chapel building and creating a shadow on the lawn where they stood.
She knew who she belonged to now. She didn’t need to fear the darkness. And she would never be alone again.
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
* * *
Gear up for the next Chasing Fire: Alaska romantic suspense thriller, Burning Secrets by Susan May Warren.
RESCUE. DANGER. DEVOTION.
THIS TIME, THEIR HEARTS ARE ON THE LINE.
Wrong place, wrong time…
Wildlife biologist JoJo Butcher isn’t just a smokejumper for the Midnight Sun crew—she’s also in Alaska to finish up her wolf research…until, oops, she finds herself face-to-face with a wolf with nowhere to go…
And then she’s rescued by a hero from the woods. Who exactly is he, and what secrets is he hiding?
He's living a double life...
Undercover FBI informant Michael Crew Sterling hates his life. Buried deep inside a domestic terrorist group, he’s in over his head, trying to discover their lethal plans. And then he saves the life of JoJo Butcher, and suddenly she is sunshine to his dark soul…
Until she accidentally walks into nightmare.
Now Crew must keep her alive by proving that she’s his girlfriend. And she has to play along, or they’ll both be killed. And when they discover what the group is really doing, Crew will have to make a choice that could cost him everything he’s sacrificed to save the woman he’s falling for.
Book four in the epic Chasing Fire: Alaska series is an edge-of-your seat tale of danger, loyalty, and the power of hope in the darkest night.
Pre-order from the Sunrise Shop to get your hands on it early, or later from your favorite retailer .
Keep reading for a sneak peek…
BURNING SECRETS | CHASING FIRE: ALASKA #4
CHAPTER 1
Normal people, on their day off, might go into town, grab a pizza, a chocolate shake, maybe hang out with the other smokejumpers.
But apparently, she wasn’t normal.
Although, JoJo might have thought to take her tracker ring with her so that when she was mauled and left for dead in the high Alaskan woods, someone might find her carcass and inform her poor mother.
After five years watching her daughter jump out of airplanes into the mouth of the dragon, her worst fears would come true on a bright, sunny day in a clump of wild blueberry bushes.