Page 26 of Burning Justice (Chasing Fire: Alaska #6)

The distant rumble of an engine broke through his thoughts. Enough Kane braced. He thought he heard someone shout, but didn’t hear more. The retardant plane had made it here after all.

Liquid hit the fire shelter, the sensation like a pile of rocks being dropped on him. The chemical that would protect them and dissolve the fire right where it burned. It would keep them safe from being overcome with destruction.

Kind of like what Jesus did with him, giving him a covering, protection from what would destroy everything and leave his life in ruins.

He waited, counting. Forcing himself to stay until he knew for sure it would be safe to get up. Then he moved slowly, inch by inch.

Hot air clouded with ash particles wafted at his face.

Kane coughed, displacing the fire shelter as he sat up. Unhooked it from his feet. Shoved it to one side.

The clearing was black. Thick clouds in the air obscured everything.

He tried to inhale and coughed again.

Someone sat up close by. Dark-blonde hair in a braid.

“Jade!” He scrambled to her, touching her cheek.

She pressed a hand to her front, breathing hard, in and out.

“You good?”

She nodded. “Check the others.” Her voice cracked, thick and rough.

Water. They needed water, and a way to call for rescue.

But first, he had to see who was alive and who was…

“Call out!” Kane got to his feet and looked around. “If you hear me, call out!”

A fire shelter whipped open to his left. Hammer.

“You good?” He held out his hand and dragged his buddy to his feet.

Vince emerged from the smoke, sweat rolling down his face, what looked like some singed clothing on his left side.

Hammer patted himself down. “Nearly lost the beard.” He touched the side of his face where the heat had burned away some of the hair on his chin.

“Come on.” Kane waved at the area around them. “Spread out.”

Vince, Hammer, and Kane walked slowly out in three directions. Kane watched for the telltale silver glint of…

There.

He tugged up the edge and found Orion. The younger guy blinked at him.

Kane said, “You good in there, buddy?” He didn’t want to call Orion’s father and let him know the worst had happened.

Charlie had only just found his son last year, and they had so much time still to spend with each other.

Charlie needed to see his son get married—to Tori, would be Kane’s guess.

Then Charlie was going to have grandchildren.

“I’m good.” Orion sat up. “Let’s never do that again.”

“I’ve got JoJo!” Hammer called out.

“I found Skye!”

“Keep talking!” That was Cadee. “I’m walking toward you.”

“Over here, babe.” Vince.

“We need to find Tori.” Kane’s words got Orion up and moving. Kane called out, “Is anyone hurt?”

They called out one by one. No one had any major injuries.

When they were done, Orion said, “Tori!”

No answer.

“Everyone spread out and find her,” Kane said. He prayed with each step. Looking on the ground for another fire shelter. Hoping she’d managed to get inside it. “Did you see her before we hunkered down?”

“She was nearby me.” Orion’s voice shook. “I didn’t go that far from her, did I?”

“Keep looking.” Kane prayed harder as his anxiety grew, knowing exactly how Orion felt, because if Maria had been out here, he’d be feeling the same thing.

Finally, he spotted a glint of silver foil in the haze of smoke. “There!”

They raced to her spot. Orion landed on his knees and pulled back the shelter. He sucked in a breath. Tori’s shirt had done its job, thickening and carbonizing to create a protective barrier between her skin and the fire. Not perfect, but better than being exposed to flame.

But her face hadn’t been so lucky. Skin on her cheek and beside her hair had peeled away, leaving a nasty-looking red patch.

“Tori.” Orion brushed her hair back from her shoulder. The guy sucked in a choppy breath. “Tori, wake up.”

Kane shifted her to her back, untangling her from the fire shelter, which he dragged away and tossed aside. He crouched on the other side of her and scanned her, then yelled, “Medic!”

Hammer would know what that meant. Kane didn’t need to say anything else.

He reached over and felt for a pulse. “She’s alive.”

Orion didn’t breathe.

“We need water.” Kane rummaged in his pockets and found a few things, like gauze and a multitool that was hot to the touch. He dropped it on the scorched ground.

Hammer came racing over. He tore open a gauze packet and pressed it to the side of Tori’s face. “Is she breathing?”

Kane tilted her chin and turned his head, listening for a puff of air from her nose. Come on. He felt a tiny puff of air on his cheek. “She’s breathing.” He sat up. “We need to get her out of here.”

Orion looked like he was about to pass out, seeing the woman he loved like this.

“Hold steady.” Kane squeezed the younger man’s shoulder. “Keep praying.”

Skye and Jade came over. Then JoJo and Cadee. Vince stood beside Cadee. Saxon said something low to Hammer that Kane didn’t catch. All of them looked like they’d been through a war.

It was a mercy that only Tori had been badly hurt. Thanks to that chemical drop, they had survived. Everyone was alive and would stay that way long enough to see another day.

To have a chance at a future with the people they loved.

“We need a chopper.” Orion turned to Jade. “Call for a pickup. We need to get her to the hospital. Now. ”

“The chopper can’t land in this smoke. It’ll choke the engines.”

“Then we hike out. Carry her with us.” Orion looked like he was about to bust out of his skin.

“We can carry her between us.” Kane had rigged a sledge a few times to drag an injured buddy out of the line of fire. They had enough people they could rig something up and each hold a corner. Get her out of here.

Jade nodded. “We’ll use a fire shelter.”

“Which way are we going to go?” Vince looked around. “How do we get out of here without walking a hundred miles in the wrong direction?”

Orion said, “We only have to get far enough to get picked up.”

Kane was all for hiking out, but in their condition and with equipment, it would take too long to pick their way down the mountainside.

Not the first time, and God would be with them every step.

“We can do it. If we’re careful. It’ll be slow going, but we aren’t going to get out of this by staying put. ”

Orion nodded.

Kane heard a crackle, down by Tori’s hip. Then broken speech. A radio. He dug it out and found it hot to the touch. “Ouch.” He got the button pressed down. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

The handset crackled, and he could hear someone speak, but only broken syllables.

In the distance, a train whistled.