Page 5

Five

Cadee threw down her pack and sprinted alongside the river. She jumped over a fallen spruce as Vince bounced up and down in the river’s current.

He was about to come up to the waterfall.

The guy may have dumped her, and they certainly had their issues, but she wasn’t going to let him die.

Like she hadn’t let his father die, thank you.

Thank God. There he was, just up ahead. He’d caught hold of a rock sticking out of this side of the river. She sprinted up to the spot.

There—a brush shrub jutted most of the way down the cliff to the river. She lowered herself, inch by inch, and found good footholds. She pulled on the brush. It would hold her.

She hoped.

She let it take her weight. It did hold her. Thank God for the strong scrub brush.

Vince swept toward her. She reached down and held out her other hand. “Vince! Grab my hand!”

He reached up with his left hand, his other arm clinging to the rock.

She snagged his hand. It was slimy with fish oil, but she added her other hand. Braced her legs on the stone.

She pulled him close enough that he grabbed the cliff face. “Come on!”

He found a foothold. He let go of her and grabbed another handhold with his right. She backed away, ready to grab him if he needed help as he started climbing up the bank.

“You okay?”

He was gasping, his body flat against the wall of rocks. “Yes.” He looked up at her. “Thank you. Let’s get up this cliff.” He got up and headed toward the edge.

Cadee let out a breath and turned to climb up after him.

The brush shrub she was holding on to cracked and snapped off, the dry vegetation coming away in her hand. No! Cadee’s knee hit the ground, and she slid back toward the water. A scream wrenched itself from her lips.

Vince turned around. “Cadee!”

She grabbed for a handhold. Her fingers missed branches and rocks, scraping her hands.

She tumbled back and fell into the water.

Cold. Stinging. The river gulped her under, and she kicked hard, fighting for air. Surfaced.

Already, the current had yanked her a good five feet away. She beat at the water, tried for a regular swimming motion, fighting for the rocks. A dead salmon flowing down the current with her smacked her hand. The river’s surge trapped her, dragged her downstream.

She went under, then surged back up, gasping.

She spotted Vince scrambling after her, shouting her name.

Wait. If she remembered right, there was a spot ahead where the bank on the other side was broad and flat. Before the waterfall. At that point, the river should slow down enough she could swim over to the edge. “Vince!”

A roar ahead.

The waterfall. The current sped up. No, no—she turned, kicking hard for shore.

The river crested over her.

With a scissor kick, she propelled herself to the surface.

The waterfall turned deafening.

She wasn’t going to go down that waterfall and hit her head on a rock at the bottom. She still had fires to fight, life to live.

She kicked harder, her fingers dragging on a submerged rock.

The current sucked her down, and she was forced back underwater, but she kicked herself back up and gasped in another lifesaving breath of air.

But the river was winning.

Then, out of nowhere, a tree limb extended out in front of her. She grabbed it. Held on, even as her feet dragged under it, the river trying to unlatch her grip.

No.

A tug on the branch and she surfaced.

Vince! He stood at the bank, holding the end, reeling her in, so much intense concentration on his face that it galvanized her too.

She hoisted her torso onto the branch, which she tucked under her arm.

He kept reeling her in until she was close enough for him to lie on the bank and hold out his hand.

She let go of the branch, lunging to the handhold.

Cadee dangled by her left hand, smacking up against the rocky cliff. She bullied her right hand up and grabbed hold of stone. Feeling around with her feet, she located toeholds. For a moment, she just hung there. Just a moment.

“You can do this, Cadee!” Vince had both hands on hers now. “Climb!”

She worked herself up the cliff face. When Vince reached out for her and pulled her over the top, she flopped on her back, gasping, Vince lying down beside her.

Their puffs and pants were loud, about the only thing she could hear.

“You rock, Vince,” she said between breaths.

“Gee, thanks.”

Tears dripped down her face with the river water. Both of them could’ve died. She swiped the liquid away.

She tried not to laugh. But a giggle escaped.

And Vince started chuckling, an odd, rough sound that made her wonder when he’d last laughed.

“Oh, man,” he gasped, one hand on his chest over his wet T-shirt. “I feel like a landed salmon trying to suck in air.”

“Me too.” She shivered, soaking wet and dripping from the river. Just like him. Cadee sat up and pinched her nose. “I smell like fish. Dead fish.”

“And I’m slimy. Gross.” He stood and offered her a hand to help her up. Good thing, because her legs wobbled.

“Thanks.” She grabbed for his fingers, but their hands were so slimy she slid back to the ground. She shot him a silly glare and turned onto her side to push herself up.

And then she met his eyes, which had a spark in them—something of camaraderie, maybe even respect.

She knew that look. The kind he used to give her after one of their training sessions, when she’d impressed him. Or when they’d meet later at the Ember Hotline Saloon for a coke and a basket of fries and talk.

When they’d been friends, before they’d become more.

And now that her brain had gone there, she missed the warmth of his embrace in front of a movie. Oh, they’d been physically attracted to each other, for sure. Holding hands. Sharing a pizza at the Hotline or on base.

Even when she’d returned to Alaska and he’d been in Montana, they’d stayed close with long video chats. They had even included Cap every now and then. Those two guys had cracked her up.

But then his father had died, and Vince had broken things off.

Those long conversations had been the glue of their relationship. They’d started at Ember long before all the hand holding and dates. And they’d been deep. Or funny. Or both.

Shoot. She missed him. And frankly, he did deserve answers.

The truth.

Her throat clogged with the thought.

Okay, then. Maybe.

Vince blew out a breath, nodded, as if reading her mind. “We better walk back and get our fire packs.” He looked around. “We’ve ended up at least a mile down the river when we were headed upstream.”

“Right.”

They walked silently up the river, keeping a distance from the drop-off that had already tumbled them into the river once. The sun baked down on them, hopefully evaporating the smell and the slime of the fish.

Vince pointed to the side a couple feet ahead. “There are our packs. I’ll call Jade.” He pulled his phone out of the pack’s front pocket he’d stashed it in and punched away at it. “No signal.” He slid his phone into his pants pocket on his shin.

They pulled on the fire packs. Overhead, the fire had grown, blackening the air. “How much farther?” he asked.

“Maybe a mile. Upriver this time.”

He glanced at her, his mouth tugging up on one side. “Right.”

They took off through the woods along the riverbank, winding around birch trees and spruce, then cutting onto a path toward the village.

She pulled and yanked at her Nomex pants and her shirt. They chafed.

“You okay?” He’d clearly caught her weird movements.

She nodded, but no. Not really. The urge to tell him sat like a ball in her chest. Worse, she’d known, ever since the accident, that God wanted her to tell Vince how his dad had died.

Courage, Cadee.

“Vince…”

He looked back at her.

“No one has told you the full story of your dad’s death, right?”

“Of course not. Mainly you.” He worked his lips. “We were…we were getting serious. We were serious. You should have talked to me, told me what happened.”

Yes. Yes, she should have. Her eyes teared up. “He was like a father to me. I was barely dealing with it.”

He held aside a birch tree limb so it wouldn’t smack her in the face. “Logan told me to ask you when I was ready to hear the full story about Dad.”

“Are you?” she whispered.

“I am.”

He’s going to hate me even more, God. You have to help me!

She swallowed hard, glad she wouldn’t see his face as they walked. “We were out on the east spur of the fire when the wind decided to change. We moved to get out of there.” She blew out a breath. “Cap…there was a woman trying to save her dog—a Boston terrier. He saw her, began to run after her. Said that we should all move ahead. He’d be right behind us.”

Vince frowned. “Dad shouldn’t have done that.”

She turned her head and caught his gaze. “Rule three. Base all actions on current and expected behavior of the fire.”

“You don’t have to quote the rule book to me.”

“I’m just saying that your dad knew what he was doing. He followed the rules, Vince. We all did. We couldn’t know that the wind would gust, change.” She could feel the heat from that wind burning her skin now. She swiped a tear. “I mean…it…it raged. We saw it turn, saw it go after him—” She stopped, and a tear fell from her lid. “I tried to run in after him.”

He’d turned, and now his mouth opened.

“Raine grabbed me. Practically had to pin me down. She kept saying, ‘The fire’s too big, Cadee.’” She looked away. “Even now, I keep hearing those words in my head.”

He blinked. Hard.

“When Raine let go, I tried to run in again. This time, she got help from the others. They dragged me back, forced me to keep moving. I was a wreck—we all were.”

Vince picked up a fallen spruce branch, snapped it in half, and lobbed the pieces into the woods.

Her voice was hoarse with the memory. “We found a safe place and tried to get to him. Black smoke was everywhere—it blinded us. We lost sight of him. And all I could hope was that he’d deployed his fire shelter.”

Vince’s mouth tightened. “Did he?”

“Of course. But it didn’t…well, you know the rate of success on those.”

He looked away, his eyes glistening.

Her voice fell. “Your dad did everything he could to save that woman.” She took a step toward him. “We all did.”

He closed his eyes. “That was so stupid, to run in after her?—”

“No, it wasn’t. She was trapped. Scared. You know how people get. They panic and stop thinking.”

He nodded, opening his eyes. He kicked at the dead leaves and rocks. “Yeah.”

“Your dad died a hero, Vince. I should have told you.”

Vince nodded, gently grabbed her wrist. He turned in front of her. Face-to-face. Looking down at the forest litter at his feet, he took both of her hands in his.

Then he looked up. “There was nothing you could do.”

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. “There was nothing I could do.”

“I see now why everyone has been prompting me to ask you to tell me the story.” He let go of her hand. “I guess we both needed to hear that.”

Oh.

Yes.

She stilled, even as he turned and headed out ahead of her on the trail.

Vince probably needed some time to process what’d happened with his dad.

Probably?

Certainly.

She walked slowly behind him.

A few minutes later, he paused, let her catch up to him.

One corner of his mouth rose. “Thank you for trying to save my dad.”

“Of course. Like I said, your dad was—he was like a father to me.”

His jaw worked. “I’ve been so angry, I just never asked how it happened.” He moved closer, pulled her into the warmth of his arms. Then he looked into her eyes, bit his lower lip. Like he used to when they were going to kiss.

She tingled all over. She smoothed her ponytail behind her shoulder.

He leaned down.

Crack!

A gunshot! Cadee stiffened.

Crack!

“Run!” Vince grabbed her hand and didn’t let go as he took off through the woods.

Wow, these people were persistent.

He pulled her off the trail, toward the salmonberry bushes. They dove under the first bush and crawled deep into the massive stand, getting poked by thorns and scraped by the branches. Then he tucked her in tight. “Don’t move.”

And frankly, he didn’t mind having her to hold on to—just for a moment, her story thick in his mind, even as he listened for footsteps.

She’d tried—really tried—to save his dad. And he was a jerk for believing otherwise for so long.

It hadn’t been completely his fault. When the guys had told him to ask Cadee, and when she’d gone radio silent on him, he’d let a lie sit in his gut.

Grow.

“Do you hear them?” She lay in his arms now, her back to his front, gripping his backpack straps. She smelled like the river, but he’d forgotten how dangerously perfect she felt in his arms.

He didn’t dare move to brush off the bumblebee that landed on her shoulder, but thankfully, it was distracted by the berries.

At least the breeze was strong enough to rustle the leaves of the heavily covered bushes so the gunmen wouldn’t be able to tell where they were.

He hoped.

“Yes.” And now he could see their boots, stomping up and down the edge of the bushes. Looking for them.

Was this more militia? How?—

And then he got it. Landon.

So, not with Fish and Game.

“Don’t breathe,” he said into her ear.

They lay quietly, unmoving, until the ATV engines kicked to life in the distance.

Cadee pushed herself up off the ground.

“Stay down.” Vince tugged on her pack and she dropped beside him.

She looked exhausted. He certainly was.

Spruce cones dug into his thigh, but he kept his head low.

And then a dog raced through the brush, barking and snarling. Another joined in, so there were at least two.

So they weren’t done.

The snarls grew louder as the animals came nearer.

A man yelled, “Gunner! Cobra! Come look over here!”

The man whistled and the dogs ran off.

Cadee’s hand tightened around Vince’s. They lay still, hand in hand, a team.

Felt a little like them before his dad’s death.

Of course his dad had tried to save a woman in trouble. And of course the wildfire had done its own angry thing.

Maybe he’d even pray. Tell God how he felt about what’d happened to Dad.

Later.

Right now, he’d just stay hidden with Cadee.

He remembered a time during training when they’d both gotten in trouble for laughing—they’d been sent on a five-mile, uphill run with hundred-pound packs—when the training camp leader had shouted “giddyup” at the team as they climbed ladders.

That was when the conversations between them had really started. Coffee or running or weightlifting. Conversations that’d gotten deep, that’d made him fall in love with her. Then there’d been the movie they’d run out of, laughing way too loudly. The popcorn kid had just stared at them.

Cadee had once gotten all indignant when he’d beaten her at bowling. And then she’d made fun of him for really thinking she’d been mad at him. He thought about the times in his college years that Dad had stepped in, teaching him how to adult. And when they included him during their Montana-Alaska video chats with him, he’d seen his old man act like a father to Cadee. He loved that. The piece of his father that they shared.

Yeah. They’d been getting serious.

Until he’d broken it off. Because he’d believed a lie that he’d made up in his head.

A branch cracked.

Vince ducked his head back down.

Was this one of the gunmen who’d chased their plane, the ones Jade had said were most likely militia? The feet stomped close to them, and Vince held his breath. It could be the people who’d chased them yesterday or the guy they’d met at the river.

He waited a couple of seconds and then lifted his head, just barely. Enough to recognize him. Landon, the guy from the salmon die-off. He could practically guarantee the guy was militia too. He still had a gun.

The man walked the opposite direction, toward the dog guy.

Vince gently shifted so he could look at Cadee. Shh , he signaled.

Her lips were pinched tight. She didn’t need the signal. He squeezed her hand, and she gave him a small smile.

“Boss has been waiting long enough,” Landon grumbled. “They must have run on ahead. You guys go; I’ll stick around and find them. They’ll be dead by nightfall.”

In his arms, Cadee stiffened.

And he made a vow to himself, right then, to keep her alive.

Vince and Cadee lay silently for five minutes after Landon’s stomps had finally faded into the distance. They waited a few more minutes, and he heard a truck and an ATV fire up and the gunmen drive off.

Vince let out a breath. “I think we’re clear.”

Cadee coughed as they sat up, wiped the dirt away from her mouth. “What do these guys want?”

“No idea. But I’m not sticking around to ask. Let’s go.” They took off, running now. “How much farther?”

“Just beyond?—”

An ATV engine, too close.

He grabbed her pack and directed her behind a large boulder. Vince peeked around it. Same ATV. Landon. Again. Keeping his promise to continue looking for them.

Cadee scooted closer to him, shoulder to shoulder. They froze, stock still. He barely breathed. Met her eyes.

They were so blue. Terribly, perfectly blue.

And despite the crazy, dangerous moment, all he could think of was how she used to kiss him. How she might kiss him again.

The ATV took off slowly in the direction they were headed. Toward Ingriq.

But neither of them moved. Her shoulder sent a wave of warmth into his. She looked up at him, her mouth parting.

Wait—was she thinking the same thing? He touched her cheek.

She brushed off dead leaves stuck to his shirt.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said. “Look at where that man headed. My family ’s in Ingriq. My friends . He’s hunting for us now. We can’t let that creep get to the village before us.”

His eyebrows rose.

She shrugged like it was an easy task. “Turn the tables so he doesn’t hurt an innocent because of us. I know a shortcut. We can beat him there.”

Vince gave a long, slow nod. “Warn the village. Maybe even arm ourselves.”

“Let’s move.” She took off, running up the path.

He pulled out his phone and sent Jade a quick message.

Then he clicked to take another look at the message that had his stomach all clenched.

From Tucker.

Tucker: ETA? Just had DEA in my office.

Cadee led them through the woods full of moss and spruce roots to climb over.

A bright orange mushroom growing halfway up the trunk of a spruce tree caught his eye, and he nearly smashed into Cadee, who’d stopped suddenly.

She looked at her watch. “This is the path leading to the road I told you about. Landon will be here any minute,” she said under her breath.

The dirt path led to their left and to their right. He looked both ways. “How do you know he isn’t already past us, Cadee?”

She rolled her eyes. “Shortcut, dude.”

“Let’s go,” he said, but she put a hand on his arm.

“Wait. What if we try and take him out before he gets there? One of us goes across the path, down about twenty yards. Me.” She pointed left. Then she pointed right. “And you about five yards that way. And we flank him. Knock him out, grab his gun when he gets halfway between us on the path.”

“Wait—what?”

“We can do this.”

She was serious.

“No. No we . Good idea, but I will take him down.”

She spread her arms akimbo. “You don’t need to protect me.”

He rounded on her. “This isn’t like your self-defense class, Cadee. This guy has a gun. I’m trained for situations like this. I don’t want you shot.”

She nodded slowly, like he was figuring things out. “I don’t want you shot.”

He rubbed at his temple.

“I only have a self-defense class, but I can at least help, Vince.”

“How?”

“I’ll distract him. You jump him.”

He stared at her, seeing it, still not liking it.

But…

It could work. “Fine. But when I say get down, you get down.”

Her mouth tightened, but she nodded.

They fist-bumped, and Cadee jogged down a short distance to the left. Once she was hidden across the path, he turned and jogged about twenty yards down to a spot on his side. He dropped his pack to the ground and scrunched into the V formed by two close spruce. He squatted down where their roots kind of formed a nest and he could see clearly down the path. Hidden.

His eyes narrowed. He was going after Landon’s legs. Okay, God? Never mind. I’m doing this regardless what You say. Just keep Cadee safe.

Maybe he’d have a real talk with God later.

Until then, he would see if God showed up to help.

He heard the sound of boots on the path, headed this way.

Landon.

He shifted to see down the path toward Cadee and squatted back down. Vince watched as militia guy walked past him a couple feet.

And then Cadee.

She stood up, as if not seeing Landon, and bam!

Now!

Vince leaped out, launched to tackle the guy, and grabbed his legs.

Landon fell face down into the dirt, then turned and slammed his fist into Vince’s ear.

His ears rang. Loudly. Dazed him. Landon scrambled out of his grip. Kicked him in the chest and sent Vince windmilling back.

Cadee sprinted down the road. She kicked Landon’s fallen gun off the path and into the woods.

Landon jumped to his feet, facing her. Breathing hard. Cadee looked ready to fight him, of course, but Vince could use this. Landon was so focused on her?—

Vince jumped on Landon’s back. Landon spun, knocking Vince to the ground, and leaped toward Cadee. But Vince had fallen just right to grab Landon’s feet. Again. He grasped both boots and pulled back, not even caring if he got kicked again.

Landon toppled back to the ground. Cadee pounced on him and pulled back his arms.

Breathing hard, Vince sent a knee into the man’s shoulder. Nice to know his DEA training was useful. He grabbed a zip tie out of the pocket at the bottom of his pants and restrained Landon.

Cadee rolled off Landon’s back, also breathing hard. Vince pulled the man up.

Then Cadee stood, jogged into the woods, and a minute later came back bearing the man’s gun.

Vince’s jaw dropped. “Good job keeping track of where you kicked that thing.”

She handed him the gun and swiped at the dirt on her pants and shirt. When she was done, she jerked her head at Landon. “Guess who’s coming to the village with us.”

The guy’s lips became a straight line.

Vince shook his head. “You will not be shooting at us anymore, dude.”

Vince and Cadee fist-bumped. Then Vince grinned, pushed militia guy ahead of him and behind Cadee, who led them toward Ingriq.

So yeah, maybe God had shown up to help them. Vince might actually have to admit Cadee was right about that.