Page 13 of Redwood Blaze (Black Timber Peak Hotshots #1)

TWELVE

RUSTY

I open an eye just a crack. I don’t want the person who hit me to know that I’m waking up. My head pounds like a herd of moose are galloping through it. I don’t hear anything.

I cough on a deep inhale.

Shit. I’m in the fire.

The smoke is rising, so the ground is the safest place to be, but I can hear the crackle of trees close.

Too close.

I go to move and my stomach wrenches with how my world spins. If I can’t get to my feet and start walking…

I’m done.

I inhale slowly through my nose. It has more filters than my mouth. I get enough oxygen to just settle my system.

It’s time to try again.

I hear footsteps in the distance. My heart picks up pace. I swallow.

The time to try is now.

I roll to my knees, then back on my haunches, and then I’m upright, but quickly going back down. But I don’t fall.

“I’ve got you.” Her voice is muffled by her face mask but it’s still like hearing my favorite song, hearing a long-lost friend’s voice, and hearing what love feels like in words. “Callum, he stole your warbag, so you don’t have your oxygen. We’re going to have to share.”

She rips it off and I try to act like I don’t need it, but the truth is, ten… hell, five more minutes… and I would’ve been oxygen deprived. I inhale slowly and deeply, the oxygen settling into my lungs and clearing my head just for a moment.

I can’t help myself. “I love you, Millie.”

She rolls her eyes. “Not the time, Phoenix, but… I love you, too.” She holds me under my arm and we limp along. The fire crackles behind us.

“How did you find me?”

“Your beacon. Cole put a search out on it.”

I forgot about the beacon built into our jackets. Thankfully Cole hadn’t…

Wait.

“Do you know a Blake from Diamond Ridge?”

She sighs. “Yes, but the Blake you know, isn’t the actual Blake that I know.”

I shake my head at that sentence and grunt after when my brain revolts. “What… what’s that mean?”

“My ex, Gideon, is pretending to be Blake Weston from Diamond Ridge that I used to work with. I’m worried about the real Blake.

When I called his sister Blythe answered and said he was in the operating room for a subdural hematoma in his brain from being hit in the head at least half a dozen times, Callum. ”

“Shit, and I thought my once was fucking enough. Is he going to be okay?”

“They don’t know.”

Her body shakes and I shuffle to a stop, turning her and pulling her into my body. “Hey, baby, I don’t know what to say, but if your friend is anything like you, he’s a fighter. I know this so much more now than before and before I thought you were Mike Tyson level. Now you’re Mohammad Ali.”

“Ali couldn’t take Tyson,” she mumbles against my chest.

I chuckle. “You’re probably right.”

“Probably?” she looks up. “Tyson had the early round power and inside touch.”

“But Ali has speed and man he can take a punch over and over. Unlike me. Dang I went down like I have a glass jaw.”

“No one ever expects to be hit, Callum.”

“I’m not going to ask, I’m going to assume what he’s done to you in the past. And that makes me want to kill him, Millie.”

She shivers and that’s all I need to hear.

And then we hear screaming. Men screaming over the com and we can hear it through the forest.

“The team!” she yells and as much as I’m not sure I can, I take out after her toward the sound When we round the bend, we see them in a clearing and every tree around them is on fire.

Except one.

My fear of heights slams into me. The tree isn’t just tall, it’s a giant.

But there’s nothing that will stop me from doing what’s needed to save my guys.

I slap on my boot spurs and wrap a harness around the tree.

Millie starts at the bottom branches, taking off ones she can reach.

I shimmy slowly up the tree and slice off branches as I go.

They fall like icicles off of a warming building.

When I’ve hit about the halfway point, the guys scream it’s far enough, so I shimmy back down.

In unison, Millie and I saw down the tree to drop right in the middle of the ring so that they can walk out on it.

It takes time and the inferno ring is enclosing quickly.

The guys are huddled in a mass in the middle, backs to back, twelve bodies.

And I can only assume we know who started the fire to trap them in.

The tree starts to go. The flush of the oxygen outward will make the fire enflame, so we only get one chance before the ring will be fully engulfed.

“Get ready to run!” I call out and the guys line up.

The tree starts to fall.

No matter how many times it happens, I’m always amazed at watching a piece of nature tumbling to save other nature— flora and fauna. Every second seems longer than the last.

Then there’s the crack and it smacks the ground, a mini earthquake rocks our world and the guys start scrambling down the trunk as soon as it settles. Dust is still rising and the initial burst of air has pushes the flames out of the way but then it roars back.

“Retreat!” Millie and I call out at the same time, realizing that we’re the two senior team members now.

We regroup about a half mile away and check over the guys. Blake isn’t in the group and that’s semi-concerning.

What more can that jerk do?

“Do you think he’s back at HQ?” I ask Millie.

She shakes her head. “That’s not like him.”

She thinks for a moment. “He has to have a com on him, right?”

“Let’s find out.”

She pushes on her com. “Gideon. Calling Gideon.”

The guys look at each other, more confused than ever. It’s not a name they know, so I can imagine.

The com crackles to life. “Millie, I’m trapped. Please help. Two miles to the south. I got pushed away and then lost my bearing.”

Some might say we have a choice. Leave him or save him. But we don’t have a choice but to rescue him. That’s what we do. We hop into a truck about a mile down the road and set off toward his location.

We take two of the guys, bigger guys— Quinton and Sterling. This Gideon could be lying. He could be armed. It could be an ambush.

But when he calls back through the com and is frantic, his voice almost like a schoolgirl, we know it’s real.

And that’s when I see Millie’s brow start to furrow.

It’s hard to stop the worry. I grab her hand and lift it to my lips.

Sterling’s driving and his eyebrows rise when he sees us in the rearview mirror.

“I know, baby. It’s okay.”

“I don’t want to care. I don’t want to hope he’s okay. But I don’t want to see him… see him…”

“I know. He’ll get what’s coming to him, but he’s not going to get to be a human marshmallow.”

She leans into me. “Long ass vacation, Callum.”

I kiss the top of her head.

“Yes. Long ass vacation.”

In ten minutes, we’re near where he said he was but there’s no one to be found.

“You stay here, please.” I motion to the two guys to get out.

Millie nods, her body shaking. She’s hit a wall. “No, I’m coming with you. He’s my problem, I want to take care of it.”

“Then stay behind me,” I tell Millie, feeling the weight of my chainsaw resting against my shoulder. The engine purrs to life, a sound that mingles with the distant crackle of flames. I scan our surroundings— in the chaos of the fire and the slight worry for Gideon, something feels off.

“As long as you’re beside me, I’m okay,” she whispers back, her voice firm but tinged with fear.

We tread cautiously into the dense woods, searching for any sign of Gideon.

The tangled underbrush and shadows make visibility difficult, and the tension radiates from Millie in her shuffling feet and darting eyes.

The air grows heavy as we delve deeper, the faint smell of smoke still clinging despite the safer distance we try to keep.

Then, we hear a loud revving sound slicing through the forest, crashing and snapping branches like thunder. My stomach drops.

It’s a trap. I know it’s a trap.

“Gideon!” I shout, adrenaline surging. “Answer us!”

“I’m trapped!” he calls back, a wild panic in his voice. “Help! I can’t?—”

The chainsaw roars, cutting through the silence, and then?—

A man bursts out of the underbrush, wielding a chainsaw, face wild with madness. My instincts kick in.

“Get down!” I snarl, yanking Millie out of harm's way as I draw my knife, eyes locking onto the man’s crazed expression.

“I’ve got him!” Sterling yells, tackling the man and sending them both to the ground.

Quinton and I rush in, binding the man’s arms with our repelling ropes swiftly yet forcefully before he can react. Gideon thrashes beneath us, but we manage to restrain him. His eyes wide with a frenzied desperation make for a mad man.

“Millie, you came for me?” he asks.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she says and I chuckle, but after a dead glare, I shut up.

“Why were you trying to kill our men?” Quinton growls back, tightening the bindings as he pulls him to stand.

The man’s eyes dart around, wild and unfocused. “You don’t understand! This bitch?—”

My right fist connects with his jawline.

He’s dangerous. No matter what he says.

The guys at the other fire call in that they’ve contained the majority of the original blaze and some are heading back to HQ.

“We’re taking you in,” I state firmly and pull him up, holding his wrists behind him as we lead him back toward the truck.

Millie breathes a sigh of relief, but it’s short-lived.

“The fire here… it’s moving quickly. We have to go.” She looks frantic again, eyes darting back toward the flames breaking through the trees.

“Let's move,” I urge, glancing between Sterling and Quinton. Together, we hustle Gideon toward the truck, cautiously keeping an eye out for any other threats.

Upon entering the woods again, the chaotic sounds of our past and the lingering scent of charred earth remind us of what’s truly at stake. We must forge ahead, united, committed to saving each other from the flames threatening to consume us all.

After another excruciating fifteen minutes filled with tension, we arrive back at the Black Timber Peak Hotshots HQ brick-and-mortar structure cluttered with gear, the air thick with smoke and urgency.

Sheriff Dunning stands outside, attention focused on us as we unload the man from the back of the truck.

“Who’s this?” he queries, his gaze sharp.

Millie stands tall and shoves Gideon forward. “This is Gideon Batenhorst was trying to kill our team. He’s my ex and he’s breaking his parole to be here.”

“Well, then I guess I better get to work.”

I start to walk to the front door of HQ, but Millie doesn’t follow. I turn and watch as she stands in front of the man who tried to break her.

But he doesn’t know that my girl, she’s like a towering redwood, she stands strong and unyielding, her presence commanding respect and admiration.

With her roots deeply anchored in the values and traditions of her upbringing, she draws strength from her past while reaching toward the sky, embracing growth and the endless possibilities of the future.

Her trunk, sturdy and resilient, represents her unwavering determination and the ability to endure life’s storms, weathering challenges with grace and poise.

In her shade, others find comfort and solace, reflecting the nurturing spirit that defines her.

Just as the redwood provides a habitat for countless creatures, she fosters connections and nurtures those around her, creating a sense of community and belonging.

Her branches stretch outward, reaching for new horizons, embodying a spirit of exploration and openness that inspires others to thrive, to travel, to explore.

Even as the years pass, she’ll mature with elegance, her wisdom deepening like the intricate rings of her growth.

She stands as a testament to the beauty of resilience, a reminder that true strength lies not just in height but in the depth of character, the ability to adapt, and the commitment to remain rooted while aspiring to rise above.

Like a redwood, she is a majestic force of nature, influencing all who have the privilege to know her.

And she’s mine.

She asks Sheriff Dunning to step away for a moment. He doesn’t question it.

Then she grabs Gideon’s shoulders, shakes him just a little to get his attention, says something in his ear that I’m sure I don’t need to hear, and with one swift blow, she knees him in his groin, dropping him to the ground in a whimpering mess.

And at that moment, the weather that was expected to roll through, starts to pour tears of happiness from the sky.

Sheriff Dunning lifts him and murmurs, “I saw nothing,” as Gideon complains that he’s going to sue her and she’ll be the one in jail.

We both know that’s never happening.

She walks over to me. “Thank you.”

I push some dirt crusted hair from her eyes. “For what?”

“For not giving up on me when I’d given up on myself.”

“I knew you’d be worth the wait.”

My lips claim hers in a punishing kiss that holds all the pent-up feelings of the last two days. Her hands slide into my hair, pulling at the strands. My hands drop to her ass and pull her in closer.

“Hey, you two, get a room!” Quinton yells out as he unpacks the truck.

I drop my forehead to hers. “Oh, I plan to…”