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Prologue
“Head for the river! Run!”
Austin Monroe could barely hear Sam's voice over the roar of the wildfire bearing down on them. He didn't need his buddy’s urging to keep him moving—the heat of the fire scorching his back was motivation enough. The wind had shifted, bringing the fire they'd been fighting straight toward them, breaking through the line. If not for Sam coming back to warn him, he would have been burned to a crisp.
They still might die.
Even as the realization sink deep, he caught sight of the river less than fifty yards ahead. Reaching the river before the fire caught up to them was their only chance of survival.
A slim chance, if the severe drought hadn't made the river too low.
The heavy Kevlar suit he wore wasn't enough to keep the force of the heat off him. He ignored the sweat rolling into his eyes beneath the helmet as he stayed focused on the river. He slipped, nearly fell, but Sam was right behind him, dragging him upright and pushing him forward. With a herculean effort, he made his way down the bank to the water, jumping in with a feeling of relief. He doused his whole body as best he could in water that was barely knee high.
It took him a minute to realize Sam hadn't joined him in the river. He glanced back to see his partner using a drip torch to light a backfire on the grassy area surrounding the riverbank to protect them from a lethal burn over.
He pulled himself back out of the water to join Sam. They didn't have much time as the wildfire bore down on them, moving with astronomical speed as it gobbled up the dry brush with a voracious hunger.
“Get into the river!” Sam shouted as he lit as many fires as he could with the drip torch. Austin had lost his equipment when the fire had changed direction, so he couldn't do much to help.
“No.” He wasn't leaving his partner, the guy who'd come back for him. He would not allow Sam to face this alone. When the drip torch was empty, Sam tossed it into the smoldering grass fire. Austin grabbed his arm. “Let's go. We need to get in the water.”
This time Sam didn't argue, but finally followed him back down the bank to the river. When Austin hit the water, he felt Sam fall heavily unto him from behind, pinning him down. It seemed as if his buddy had used up all his resources to keep going. Austin reached up and pulled Sam down into the water beside him.
The backfire didn't work as well as they'd hoped. Orange flames flickered dangerously close. Following Sam's lead, Austin took a big gulp of air before submerging his head in the river leaving only the very top of his helmet above the water. He sensed Sam did the same, although the smoke was so thick it was hard to see.
Over and over again, he quickly lifted his head, gasped for what little oxygen was left in the air and then ducked his head beneath the water again.
Finally the roar of the fire subsided, indicating it had burned down, the raging beast having moved on to better prey—thick brush lining the ridge to the west of them.
“Sam?” He levered himself to his hands and knees, reaching for his friend. Sam's smoke blackened face peered up at him and his heart squeezed in his chest. Hadn’t Sam continued dunking his head beneath the water? “Are you all right?”
Sam gave a tiny nod, but his breathing was harsh, labored. Austin reached for his radio, wondering just how much smoke had gotten into his buddy’s lungs. “Mayday, mayday. Firefighter with smoke inhalation is down in the Rock River, two miles east of the river's bend. Need medic STAT.”
“Roger that. Medevac chopper on the way.”
“Sam?” Panic clawed up his back as Sam began to cough, his body convulsing so hard he could barely take a breath. “Hang on, they're coming for us. Just hang on.”
“Lindsey.” Sam reached up and weakly grasped Austin's jacket. “Take care of her. Take care of Lindsey and Josh.”
Sam's plea for his wife and child stabbed his heart. His gut clenched with fear. “Don't worry about Lindsey and Josh. You're going to make it out of here to care for them yourself.”
“Too late,” Sam whispered between coughing fits. “Take care of them—promise me. They'll need... Promise me...” His voice faded as another coughing fit seized him.
“I promise.” Austin held his partner close, scanning the smoke darkened sky. Where in the world was that chopper?
Sam stopped coughing, closed his eyes and slumped bonelessly in Austin's arms. No. No! He stared down at his buddy's face, as the medivac chopper cleared the trees and headed for them, knowing with a sick certainty that Sam was right.
It was too late.
Chapter One
Smoke. Accompanied by the wail of sirens.
Lindsey Winters was used to sirens—they blared past her house often in this part of the city—but it was the acrid smell of smoke that forced her to climb out of her sofa bed located in the center of the living room.
A quick glance around showed nothing amiss. The living room and kitchen were essentially one room, and she hadn't left a candle burning. There wasn’t any other obvious source of smoke. One thing about having a small house was that there weren't too many places to look for a fire.
She hastily pulled on a robe and headed down the hall to the single bedroom toward the back of the cottage, where her nine-year-old son slept. “Josh?”
