Page 11

Eleven

This was the stupid third time she’d been shot at. Third time!

Cadee hunkered down in yet another stupid mass of salmonberry bushes. Again. Fine, she was scared. But it was far better to be angry than overwhelmed by fear.

It was just that the stupid DEA guys had somehow decided to arrest Vince. And there was that stupid real-estate money-laundering charge—which didn’t even make sense when he rented his house.

And that stupid Rio, who’d refused to go back him up.

No. She was the most stupid of all. She’d agreed to take a ride from Nick in that stupid Patagonia-red stupid Mercedes.

Cadee sighed.

Fact was, God had created her with a sense of adventure, and that sometimes meant leaping the roadside ditch and landing in stu—in thorny bushes.

She huffed as she gently rubbed at the scratches all over her arm.

God, I need to get back to the jump base.

But she hadn’t dared to move as Nick crashed around a bit, walked a ways up and down the road, looking for her.

Suddenly, Nick yelled out, “All right, Cadee. I’ll be back for you.”

He started his car, backed it out of the shallow ditch she’d driven it into.

She could hear the fading of the engine but stayed hidden until she was sure he was completely gone. She gently moved her arm away from the thorns, then slowly moved the salmonberry branches aside so she could see out to the road.

She couldn’t see the sedan.

Cadee took a deep breath and crawled carefully, but painfully, under the salmonberry bushes and away from the road. When she hit the other edge of the mass of bushes, she finally stood.

Better this than trusting Nick like Vince did. Look where that’d gotten him—under arrest.

Stop that. The men had been partners. No wonder he trusted Nick. The man had been seriously convincing. If he hadn’t tried to tell her they knew Tristan from their DEA days, she might’ve believed him.

She reached into her pocket for her phone to call Vince. Wrong pocket. She patted every single pocket. Oh yeah, it had been on her lap in Nick’s sedan. Cadee looked all around, under the bushes . Great. No phone. It must have fallen into the car when she’d jumped out. Of course.

She twisted around her tracker ring, wishing the ring had a feature to send the team an alert.

Show me what to do, Lord. I—I’m not sure what to do.

She couldn’t use the road, in case Nick was waiting somewhere to trap her. She looked left and right down the highway in front of her, turned and checked the dirt road to the base.

No Mercedes that she could see, but a woodpecker sat most of the way up a spruce tree, tapping at the trunk like it was a drum. There was a pretty strong wind blowing the sedges and grasses that filled the flat, empty land. But it didn’t matter.

She knew what to do.

She started jogging to base. She would run just inside the bushes and jump back into the salmonberries if necessary. Her lips pursed. Only if necessary. After all, she was already scratched up and bleeding.

Forty-five minutes later, Cadee arrived at the jump base.

She stopped with her hands on her hips and looked around, breathing hard. She saw lights on in the mess hall and sprinted across the runway, praying everyone was in there and not in the cabins. She raced in and the door slammed closed behind her.

Vince spun around. “Cadee, are you okay?”

She tried to speak, but all she could do was breathe hard from running so far.

He stepped into her space, pulled her into a hug. She sank into his arms, resting in his hold. Her breath hitched in her throat, but she refused to cry even though her eyes stung. “I’m okay.”

He didn’t let her go.

“I’m not lying.”

Vince chuckled and rubbed his hand up and down her back. “I’ll give you a second. Then you can tell me if you need to see the medic.” He grabbed her hands in his.

The rest of the team gathered around. When he finally let her go, Cadee ran her hands through her hair, working through the tangles. Leaves and twigs from when she’d been hiding under the bushes dropped to the ground.

“What happened?” Logan urged, and Skye dittoed him, her phone already out to call Rio.

Cadee’s throat constricted. She stepped back, overwhelmed by the force of their care for her. They were really worried. Her hands fidgeted in Vince’s.

“What is it?” Vince asked.

She tried to take another step back, but he didn’t let go of her hands. “I…I’m sorry.”

“Come on, Cadee,” he said. “Tell me why you’re all scratched up.”

She sniffed. “Nick shot at me.”

He dropped her hands. “What?”

“He said he would give me a ride to the DEA office to be there for you.”

Vince smiled. “Rio handled things, so I’m here.” Then he frowned as he looked at the scratches on her arms, her cheeks. “Tell me.”

“Nick kidnapped me. I jumped out of his sedan, and he shot at me.” Her eyes watered.

Skye headed for the door, pushing numbers into her phone as she strode out.

Cadee knew she owed Vince, the team, the whole story.

Hammer handed her a much-needed bottle of water, put his hand on her back, and guided them all to one of the tables. “Let me see your arms.”

She sat, and he held her wrist gently, easing her arm over to see underneath. He dropped her hand in her lap and stood. “I’ll be back.”

Vince tipped up his chin, his eyebrows furrowed. “Surely Nick saw a moose or a bear and wanted to keep them away from you.”

“I saw no evidence of animals in the area, Vince, and that bullet went right past me.”

Vince shifted in his seat. “Why would he do that?”

“He thought the DEA must be right about your money-laundering charges. I didn’t agree.”

“Are you sure?” asked Vince.

She nodded as she drained the water, wiped her mouth. “Yes. One hundred percent. He implied the new charges against you were because your dad was on the Northern Lights board. Dumb!” She looked down to the floor. “And because your mom committed embezzlement. Sorry.”

His lips twisted.

“Nick also implied you must have tried to kill Tristan, given the arson with cigarettes and matches.”

Vince looked out the window, his jaw worked. “He still has contacts in the DEA.”

Rio and Jared walked in with Skye. She took a seat, but the two law enforcement guys just stood. Vince was glad to see Rio, and even the trooper.

“How did he even know about the cigarettes and matches?” Rio asked.

She looked up into his face. “Honestly, no clue whatsoever. I told him about his buddy, Tristan. I thought he’d like to stop and see him at the hospital in Anchorage, but he just started talking about the cigarettes and matches.” She glanced over at Vince. “Nick said that was your brand of cigarettes.”

He chuckled, and Cadee suddenly realized he was still holding her hand. Rio grinned. “Thanks to a follow-up with the DEA, we now know that Vince carried a pack of that brand. Once. On an undercover job.”

Jade spoke up. “Not during his SJ job.”

Cadee didn’t need them to back him up on that. “He never smoked once while we dated.”

Jade glanced between them. “You guys were a thing?”

How could she even answer that? She bit her lip.

“Never mind, that actually kind of explains a lot.”

Rio leaned in, his fists on the table. “Anyway…”

Thanks for changing the topic, Rio.

He pinned her gaze with his. “Why’d you jump out of the car, Cadee?”

Oh. That new topic. She sucked in a shaky breath. “We were almost to the highway when he flipped his turn signal to head toward the village instead of to Wasilla and Anchorage. He’d already lied about you knowing Tristan.”

Vince nodded. “The DEA said the same to me.”

“I distracted him. We fought over the steering wheel, but I was able to steer the Mercedes into the ditch. I jumped out, and when he shot at me, I dove into the salmonberry bushes on the other side of the road. I hid until he finally decided to back his car out of the ditch and leave. I waited even longer, then jogged here. Kept the bushes between me and the road in case.”

Vince leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You did the right thing. Just wish you would’ve called us.”

“After the whole thing in Nick’s car, I couldn’t find my phone.”

He squeezed her hand. “We’ll help you look where you jumped out tomorrow.”

Hammer came back with a handful of medical supplies and sat by her. He put cream on her scratches and started unwrapping a stack of tiny bandages.

Vince stood. “Rio, are you going to look at Nick or what?”

“Absolutely. We still need to sort through the evidence the DEA has against you. But he will definitely be charged with attempting to murder Cadee.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, looked over at her. “You willing to testify?”

She snorted. “One hundred percent.”

“Okay, getting a call in to my partner.” Rio walked over to Skye and pecked his wife on the cheek, then strolled out of the room.

Vince sat down and grabbed Cadee’s hand again. The one Hammer had finished patching up. He looked at her injuries for a long moment.

Cadee said, “I’m okay.”

Vince just kissed her forehead again.

Jade leaned back in her seat and locked her hands behind her head. The movement caught Cadee’s gaze. Had her eyebrows just bobbed up and down? Jade mouthed the word together and grinned. “Things should be more peaceful now, I’m thinking.”

Cadee shook her head. Vince chuckled. She looked around the table, where each person present suddenly had to take a drink, look out the window, or peruse the bulletin board.

Maybe she should pull back the hand Vince was holding, since the rest of the team?—

“I’m done.” Hammer scooped up the trash and stood.

“Hey, Cadee, you know a good local attorney? I need one.”

She squeezed Vince’s hand. “We’ll find you someone.”

Jade slapped her thighs and stood. “All’s well that ends well and all that. Get some sleep tonight, everyone. We’re deploying to the Hurricane Turn fire at first light.” She slipped out.

Vince stood and tugged Cadee up from her seat. They left the mess hall and headed toward the women’s cabin.

He wrapped his arm around her as they walked. “You know, you scared me today.”

“I scared myself.” She laughed.

“Are you kidding? No way. You handled yourself more than capably. I’m so glad you’re not hurt.”

“Aw, thanks.” She squeezed his hand.

Then they stood at the bottom of the stairs in front of the cabin. Vince kicked at the gravel like some awkward teenage boy. Which he wasn’t. He turned in front of her, taking both of her hands in his. “I…well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She smiled. “See you tomorrow, Vince.”

Parachuting down to the wildfire along the Talkeetna–Hurricane Turn railroad, Vince enjoyed the peaceful quiet.

Yesterday, after the DEA warrant and Rio’s questioning, Vince had thought he was back with the team and that Cadee would be at the jump base. But no one had known where she was.

He’d been about to use the tracker ring app to find her when she’d come in the doors.

Bleeding and freaked out.

She was a tough woman—tougher than he’d even known. True, things between them weren’t fixed. Yet. But they were looking up. In front of the women’s cabin last night…He knew what he’d almost said, which he wasn’t ready for.

Yet.

The quiet of the parachute ride down was definitely about to end. The area was already covered in smoke, and he could hardly see their landing zone. The fire was widespread along the Hurricane Turn railroad, and they were being dropped near Hurricane Gulch Bridge that soared over Hurricane Creek.

Because of the people and families who really wanted to live alone and chose isolation, and for whom the flag-stop train was their main resource, they were going to make sure the fire didn’t cause damage to that bridge.

He’d ridden the train with Logan just for fun last month.

Maybe he and Cadee…

He focused on his steering lines as he came down in the open spot near the bridge, and Hurricane Creek rumbled gently three hundred feet below. He landed beside Cadee but concentrated on wrapping up his parachute as quickly as possible.

Thinking of the DEA and Nick, Vince was ready to dig into the fire line just to work out his frustration. His Pulaski felt good in his hands, his axe by his side. With the DEA and Nick at the top of his thoughts, he could put down this fire by himself.

He chuckled under his breath. Funny how he’d trusted his DEA teammates and that’d failed. But this Midnight Sun team, they were trustworthy. They had integrity, and they had his back.

His chest tightened as he remembered confronting Cadee after his father’s funeral. You don’t care about my father, I don’t care about you. We’re done. What kind of guy was he?

They had to talk later. After the DEA pile of manure was dealt with.

If she’d listen to him.

I owe her a real apology, Jesus, not just a “sorry I blamed you for Dad’s death.”

Wait, had he just actually prayed?

He didn’t pair up with anyone as they headed to the bridge. He silently fell in at the end of the line behind Jade.

They reached the spot near the bridge and gathered. Jade looked over at Cadee. “We need you as spotter—on the bridge, the anchorage section, not in the middle of it.”

“You got it, Chief,” Cadee called. She’d moved well all morning despite the abrasions on her arms. Hammer had bandaged them to keep everything clean while they worked, and then he’d gone out with the hotshots to work a fire closer to where a couple of hikers had said they thought they’d seen Orion and Tori.

Something else he could pray about. Later.

“Skye, you and Logan cut line from the anchor point of the bridge out. Vince, you and I will cut line from the end of the fire to the bridge.”

Skye gave her a silly military salute, while Logan called, “Yes, Chief.”

And they all took off to their assigned positions.

Jade jogged backward in front of Vince, shouting so the others could hear her, “Be careful, everyone. There is a ton of loose gravel.” She turned back around and slid just a bit before she caught her balance. She laughed. “See what I mean?”

Vince chuckled. “You’re about as stable as that plane we deployed in.”

“The loaner from Boise?” She rolled her eyes. “I hope they get us a new one soon. But I think they’re worried about us crashing it again. As if.”

They got to the edge of the fire. “How did this fire get to be a long line along the railroad like this?”

Jade shrugged, dug her Pulaski into the ground. “Who knows? At least we’re preventing it from getting to the bridge or spreading out into the woods behind us.”

He took a step to extend the fire line, and the rocks under his feet slipped. He did what he had to and avoided landing on the ground.

Jade laughed. “That’s a great two-step dance you’ve got there, Vince.” She would’ve been rolling on the ground laughing at him—if she weren’t busy with her McLeod.

He joined in. Because…yeah. That’d happened.

He focused back on his Pulaski, and he and Jade silently found a rhythm. They could hear Logan’s and Skye’s hand tools a few hundred feet away.

From the bridge, Cadee’s voice split the air. “The wind is shifting. Crown fire is starting.”

Vince and Jade stopped in unison, tipped their heads up to survey the fire situation.

“Above you, Skye!” Cadee screamed.

Skye and Logan scrambled out from under the tree, slapping at embers that wanted to land on them. Skye ended up on her face thanks to the rocks and gravel. Logan grabbed her under the armpit and hauled her up.

Jade pointed at them. “You know the crown fire rule…”

“Run like the devil’s chasing you,” Logan shouted.

They all scrambled back toward the safety line, their rendezvous spot if anything kicked off. Vince heard a crash behind him. A burning spruce limb had caught Logan behind it. Logan was smacking at a small fire on his upper arm. Jade and Skye came up behind him and used their shovels to put out the spruce limb while Vince used his Pulaski to clear the floor litter before the fire spread farther.

Then it was out, and they all raced to the safety line.

Skye and Logan started arguing over whether she needed to look at the spot where the fire had burned his arm.

Vince chuckled, took out yet another bottle of water from his fire pack. Stay hydrated, right?

He’d expected Cadee to get to the safety line too. She’d been a little farther than they were, but where was she? Still on her way, hopefully. He looked around, didn’t see her, and backed up as a group of moose ran past, fleeing the danger.

Over by the bridge, Cadee screamed.

Vince flinched, but he couldn’t run yet. A final moose came racing past with its awkward legs, trying to catch up with the rest of the small herd.

“Checking on Cadee,” he called.

“This is a crown fire, Vince. Let me get the plane to dump a slurry. She’s probably on her way to the safety zone, at any rate.” Jade fixed him with her gaze.

He stared back at her. This was Cadee they were talking about.

“Crown fires move fast. Especially up a hill. You know this.”

Vince looked down at his feet for a long moment, looked up the hill covered with towering spruce trees. The fire didn’t look good. Jade was right about the slurry. “Sorry, Chief.”

He jogged over to the bridge. Where was she?

“Cadee!” he called out.

Nothing. He heard nothing, just the sound of the water, the roar of the fire.

He pulled out his phone and looked at the tracker ring app, clicked on her name.

He turned around. It said she was on the bridge. But she wasn’t. The bridge was an iron lattice almost three hundred feet above Hurricane Creek and almost a thousand feet long. She couldn’t have just disappeared.

His blood turned to ice. He went up to the where the bridge met the land and looked down.

Cadee lay on a narrow ledge of rock.

Blood dripping from her face.