Page 2 of Sequoia Flames (Black Timber Peak Hotshots #6)
TWO
LASSITER
Jogging up the mountain slope, I fight to even out my breathing. The pack on my back is heavy as fuck and I’m sweating like a mule in water. Even in just a thin, long-sleeved workout shirt and shorts.
Is that a thing?
I don’t really know anything about mud sweat. But it’s hotter than hell and I’m so damn sweaty that I feel like I’m going to slide right off this mountain trail if I lie down. Like a greased pig.
I should have gone for my damn run sooner than this but I’ve been putting in extra hours at the ranger station to help out since the regular ranger is off on maternity leave.
Barb is a sweetheart and she needs the break so I volunteered so she didn’t have to worry about finding her replacement.
Not that they could stop her but everyone was freaking out about it and I hated to see her put in a situation like that.
She should be enjoying her time with her brand-new baby girl.
Technically I no longer work for the ranger service since I decided to join the BTPH. That’s Black Timber Peak Hotshots for all you newbies.
So I should have gone for my morning run this morning instead of halfway through the day but I need this and I slept in since I was up for the last two days trying to make sure that none of the campers on our mountain managed to set it on fire.
For some reason, they just don’t understand that during fire season you have to be extra-careful about your campfires and such.
And your cigarette lighters and matches and whatever can start a fire.
It’s ridiculous! If you come out camping in the summer you should have a basic knowledge of fire safety in the outdoors for heaven’s sake!
But nope! I’m stuck dealing with idiots. And today I’m just too tired for it.
Wiping the sweat out of my eyes, I take a quick swig of my water as I slow down then I drop it back in my pack and run faster, hoping that I can actually make it through my whole five miles. I’ve only got two more miles to go but I’m puffing so hard I think I’m gonna pass out before I hit my mark.
Here’s my note for future runs… don’t do it in the heat of the damned day.
Thunderstruck blares out of my phone and I groan, stopping to walk in place while I pick up the call.
“What?” I huff into the phone, holding my side, the stitch in it making my wince, hard.
“What the hell are you doing up there? What exactly did I get you away from?” The smart-ass on the phone says.
“Rusty? What’s up?” I suck in shallow breaths and try to get my racing heart under control. Along with the river of sweat that’s running unchecked down my face. I swipe at it before it gets in my eyes and stings like a bitch.
“Where the hell are you? It’s almost time for dinner and we’re having a meeting about some lost hikers on the mountain. And the increased risk for a wildfire since we’re still not due for rain for another couple of days.”
“I’m on my run. You know I was on duty until early this morning. And then I slept in but I needed my run. I’ve been going stir-crazy up on the mountain while I was covering for Barb and Nick.”
“That’s right, but Nick came back from vacation yesterday, didn’t he?”
“Yeah. He took over the ranger cabin early this morning and I was finally free to go but I’ve spent all my last few days trying to keep on top of fire risk.”
“That’s great! But we need you back here. There’s a lot going on and with a storm or two coming in soon we’ve got to get everything as buckled down as we can so that we’re ready for anything.”
“I’m ready. I’ll be back within the hour. Is that alright?”
“Yeah. Just head back. The National Weather Service has issued storm warnings for day after tomorrow so we want to make sure we’e ready.
We could even end up with some flash flooding up here.
You know how it gets after spring run-offs and then the dry spells hit.
They’re saying we might get something like that. It’s bad.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll be right back. Thanks for letting me know. Make sure that that asshole Bastian doesn’t eat all the good pieces of meat again. Last time all I got was the tiniest piece of chicken I’ve ever seen. Pig!”
Rusty chuckles. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of food. Just get your ass back here as soon as possible so we can get this going.”
“Got it!” I hang up the phone and sigh when I hear crackling off to my right.
Campfires. Why don’t people ever watch their campsites better than this?
With an annoyed huff, I follow the darkened trail into the woods and growl under my breath.
This is not where you build a campfire when it’s hotter than hell! The risks of it getting out of control with no break line or anything like that are exponentially higher.
Stepping along the path, my eyes narrow and then widen. I can see a flicker of red and yellow through the trees and my heart trips out of control.
“Ohhh. Fuck,” I snarl under my breath. I don’t have my uniform or equipment. I don’t have any water beyond three water bottles and unless I’m crazy, I’m about to discover one of my worst possible nightmares brought to life.
Wildfire.