Page 142 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

That couldn’t be good.

“I’ll call,” Dalton said. He called Chief. “You’re on speaker with the whole gang.”

“Good. I just got off the phone with the incident commander in Arizona. They’ve got a monster brewing down there. Started this afternoon and it’s already jumped two containment lines. They’re requesting mutual aid.”

The table went quiet.

“How bad?” Dalton asked.

“Bad enough that they’re calling in resources from four states. Wind’s picking up, humidity’s dropping, and they’ve got structures threatened. They need experienced pilots who can handle the rough stuff.”

I felt my stomach tighten. The idea of climbing back into an aircraft and flying into another inferno so soon after our close call made my hands shake slightly. I hid them under the table.

“When do they need us?” Laser asked, though her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm.

“Tomorrow morning if we’re sending anyone. I’m not going to lie to you; I don’t want to. They specifically asked for pilots who can handle extreme conditions. I’ve asked them to get back with me tomorrow. We’ve still got hot spots here. I don’t want to spread ourselves too thin.”

Pickle rubbed his forehead where his bandage had been. “How long would we be gone?”

“Could be anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks, depending on how it develops.”

I could practically hear everyone’s internal debate. We were all thinking the same thing. We’d just survived hell, and now they wanted us to voluntarily walk back into it.

“I’ll go,” Dalton said quietly.

I turned to look at him, not surprised but feeling a familiar mix of pride and terror. Of course he would. Even after everything we’d been through, even after nearly losing me, he couldn’t help himself. He was hardwired to run toward danger when people needed help.

“Dalton,” I started, but he shook his head.

“They need experienced pilots. I’ve got the most hours in extreme conditions.” He looked around the table. “You guys just went through the shit. Nobody expects you to jump right back into another fire.”

“What about you?” Laser asked. “You went through the same hell we did.”

“I’m fine,” he said, which was such a Dalton response I almost laughed.

“You’re not fine,” I said.

“Which is exactly why I should go,” he said. “I can’t let fear dictate my decisions.”

“I know that look,” I said softly.

“People need help.”

“I’m not pressuring anyone, but if I had to send someone, he’d be my first choice,” Chief said. “He’s got the experience and the steady hands.”

“Say the word and I’m there,” Dalton said.

“I’m not giving the word just yet,” Chief said. “I just wanted you on standby.”

That was code for don’t get hammered.

“Understood,” Dalton said. “Let me know.”