The heat of the fire gusted across us with the wind. We were working rapidly to finish clearing the firebreak we’d created by the river. I’d pushed past the brink of exhaustion and kept at it, brutally cutting down small trees and brush. I knew the rest of the crew was as tired as I was. We’d been lucky for two days and nights with the fire moving in the opposite direction, but our luck had changed along with the wind. I hadn’t slept for over twenty-four hours at this point. Once the wind shifted late the evening before last, we’d been hard at work with breaks few and far between.

I was working so fast, I didn’t even notice I was about to collide with the edge of a bluff until I did. I paused and glanced up at the rocky face. We’d reached the end of the work we could do here and needed to fall back and hope for the best. I glanced back in the direction I’d been moving to see the flames flickering against the hazy sky in the distance. The sound of helicopter blades rumbled in the distance as one flew above, dropping fire retardant atop the flames.

As the remainder of the crew caught up with me, we checked in after I radioed the main base. “We’ll sit tight here until a helicopter can come out for pick up. Our break is holding where we started it miles away, so the plan is to rotate us out tonight if they can. We’ll spend the night at the main camp and fly home day after tomorrow,” I said, scanning the crew. Everyone’s faces were streaked with soot, dust and sweat.

Levi stood in the middle, one hand resting on his hip as he let his gear bag fall off his shoulders. “We clear to rest for a bit while we wait?” he asked.

“Not much else to do,” I replied. “Fire’s still moving, but the wind seems to be slowing down and it’s not jumping the river, so here’s hoping the break holds.” I paused and looked past the river at the fire flickering in the distance. I looked back at the crew. “We kicked ass on this section. Sounds like the Fairbanks crew has done a bang up job of containing the corner closest to Chena. If the breaks hold, we might be able to tamp this fire down enough.”

I got some weary grins, although I knew damn well they were just as tired as I was, and I was on my last legs. Within a few minutes, we were scattered about the ground by the river, munching on protein bars and guzzling water. There wasn’t much conversation. I leaned against a boulder by the river, Amelia immediately strolling into my thoughts. I hadn’t thought about her much because I’d been focused entirely on the work of dealing with the fire, but the niggling worry I’d had meandered right back into my mind. She’d never replied to my text. I didn’t have reception worth a damn out here, but I would once I got up in the air. I’d have to wait until then to find out if she ever had.

I must’ve dozed off because I woke abruptly at the deafening sound of a helicopter coming down to land. I sat up quickly to see the helicopter settling to the ground a short distance away. The pilot climbed out and waved. I wasn’t the only one who’d fallen asleep. I circled the group, nudging a few guys with my boot, until they were all on their feet and carrying their heavy gear to the helicopter. The problem with rest when we were deep in the backcountry was that once you were out, it was hard to get back up to speed simply for the sheer exhaustion of the work we’d been doing.

The pilot flashed a grin at the sight of us and clapped me on the shoulder. “You guys are overdue to be pulled out. Damn hard few days with the wind.”

I nodded wearily. “We’d keep going, but it looks like we can pull back for now. How’s it looking overall?”

“Still burning hot in some areas, but the containment is working. Cut it down by a few thousand acres,” the pilot replied.

The pilot moved swiftly, tossing gear into the hold at the bottom of the helicopter. Inside of a few minutes, he’d herded us into the helicopter and readied for takeoff.

Conversation was out once the motor was whirring and the blades whacking through the air. Once we were airborne, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes with a sigh. I might be in peak physical condition because the job demanded it, but that didn’t mean I didn’t get sore and weary after two days and nights of working almost straight through.

Roughly an hour later, I heard the pilot speaking into his radio and lifted my head to see the lake where the main camp was set up. I fumbled in my backpack and found my phone. Once it powered up, it took a minute before it picked up reception. Another few seconds and a text banner flashed with Amelia’s name on it. Relief rolled through me. I clicked on the text.

Why does Shannon know your schedule?

That text had been sent a few hours after my last text to her, so I could only guess she’d been stewing over something. But what? What the fuck? There had been nothing, more than nothing with Shannon beyond the bullshit she manufactured by trying to crawl into bed with me when she knew Amelia would be walking in. I swore and stared out the window, my gut churning. No matter what I did, I wouldn’t be able to get back to Amelia for another day or two at the earliest.

I glanced down at my phone screen to see another text had come from her a few hours after the first.

I’m trying not to freak out, but I can’t figure out any reason why Shannon would know anything about where you were. I can’t handle this if it turns out there was more to the story than you told me.

I swore and ran a hand roughly through my hair. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I had no idea what Shannon was up to, but I didn’t trust her. At all. She was a master manipulator. I hated that I was trapped on this helicopter and then at the mercy of the weather and the schedules of various pilots to get out of the main camp, back to Fairbanks, and then back to Anchorage where I could finally drive home.

I glanced around the helicopter to see all but Levi sound asleep. Levi was seated across from me, his eyes scanning the landscape. I gave myself a shake and looked out my window to see how the landscape looked. Flames flickered in various areas with wide swaths of burned trees and ground stretching as far as I could see. The river we’d been working beside wove like a ribbon through the blackened landscape. As we flew over, there were other helicopters visible in the distance.

I glanced back to my phone and beat back the anger and frustration knotting inside. On the heels of a breath, I tapped my screen to reply. We’d blown apart before because of sheer stubbornness and both of us too hurt to reach past it. I’d be damned if I’d lose Amelia again.

I don’t know what Shannon told you or what you heard. There is NOTHING going on with Shannon and there NEVER was. I have no f’in idea what she said to you, but I can guess she said something. Please, please don’t listen to her. I should be home by day after tomorrow. If you get worried, remember I love you.

I hit send and held my phone loosely in my hand. I wished I were home because trying to have a conversation over text made me feel so damn helpless. I had so many feelings and I couldn’t pour them through a text. I wanted to hold her and impart everything through my hands and body. I took a breath and leaned my head back, whipping it up the moment my phone vibrated in my hand.

Failure to send.

Oh hell. I breathed through the tightness in my chest. This text better fucking send. I opened it up and hit send again.

A few seconds passed.

Failure to send.