“Not yet, Grace.”
“But what is going to happen? If they can’t get off the mountain then what? They’re forced to stay there?”
His nod was way too elongated. “There’s no other choice.”
“That’s dangerous. Right? What can they do?”
“They have specialty equipment and blankets that are fire retardant.”
“Fire retardant. That’s not foolproof though. Right? If the fire burns too hot, their equipment might not work. Right?” I had to look from one to the other. “Right?” I was exasperated, my heart thudding.
“Yes.”
Just like the phone call I’d received at one-thirty in the morning weeks ago, I had a sense that everything I’d considered precious had been ripped away. But this time I refused to collapse. “No. No…”
CHAPTER 22
Viper
“We’re not getting out of here.” It was the first time Axe said anything negative.
“Yeah, we will. Keep moving.” I kept my voice even although the crush of adrenaline had become a toxic drug. With twilight moving closer to darkness, the thick smoke made seeing anything even two inches from our faces impossible. Even the beams from our flashlights were almost completely useless.
But we were both guided and inspired by the line of flames. Everything was covered in soot and ash, still falling like soft pellets of rain in a spring storm. Lightning still crisscrossed the sky, constantly threatening to provide a damn downpour that had yet to occur.
The humidity was endless, the stench clogging my lungs.
“The puppy is barely breathing. I gotta give him some oxygen. Looks like he was hurt.”
I understood the need to care for the little puppy. I did. Hell, I was the one who stood in the middle of the road trying to capture a starving dog myself, but this was different.
“Alright, little man. Come on. Breathe.”
Almost immediately, Axe began to cough.
I scanned the perimeter, my thoughts turning to Grace, hoping she wasn’t paying any attention to the news. Maybe I was making too much out of our relationship, but I cared for her. There was no sense in denying it. Less than a week and every random thought was brought back or centered on her.
Maybe that’s why I’d taken so much time and felt so much pride in helping repair her home. Well, fuck. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Maybe thinking of her was helping to keep me grounded.
Because in truth, I wasn’t entirely certain how the hell we were going to get out of this shit.
“There you go,” Axe choked out before sliding his mask back in place. With the puppy nestled under his jacket, he was placing more of himself in danger, but I wasn’t going to try to change his mind.
A single crackle from the radio and we both tensed. We’d tried on several occasions to reach the base or our team. It seemed communications had been cut off.
“This is Axe. We’re currently stuck three miles from the summit heading due west. Mayday. Mayday. Can anyone hear me?”
The only response was static.
After ten seconds, I pushed him physically. “Keep moving.”
We trudged on, doing our best to ignore that horrific hissing sounds occurring all around us.
“Tell me about Kenzie.” I chopped my way through some thick foliage, forced to take several deep breaths in the middle. The situation was becoming dire.
Even the wind appeared to be kicking up in intensity.
“Ah, man, she’s the best. Sweet but spunky. Intelligent as hell and so beautiful she makes my heart sing. Don’t you dare tell anybody about that.” He managed a laugh before coughing once again.
