“Jesus F. Christ.”

Riker looked over at Landen Weaver and grimaced. Yeah, the plane ride was for shit, the turbulence the worst he’d ever experienced. “How much longer in this thin steel box?” He directed his question to their captain. The fact that Captain Scully Phillips was on the trip with them said a hell of a lot about the fire they were facing.

“Almost an hour,” Captain Phillips answered without looking at his watch.

Landen exhaled and glanced out the window. “How did this thing kick up again?”

“The authorities don’t know for certain,” Antonio Giovanni stated as he edged forward in his seat.

The head of the crew and one ferocious Italian seemed completely out of sorts. Riker knew the entire team was off kilter, the order dragging half of them away from a few days off. “But they suspect arson?”

“Or kids playing with matches,” Stoker Hansen added.

Riker noticed the jumper’s right leg was thumping against the metal floor. To say the father to be was anxious was an understatement. What little he’d learned about the fire was that they were the closest smokejumping team available and given the spring conditions, leaves on the trees, there was fresh fuel for the already devastating blaze. The Appalachian mountain area was considered park territory, the pristine landscaping and various resorts already busy.

“Not likely. The cold nights certainly aren’t a draw for kids. It’s even early for hikers,” Garcia Puevos said and gave Riker a look.

Everyone was questioning why they were involved. From the reports issued by their spotter before they’d left the hangar, there were dozens of firefighters on the scene. To have a fire get out of hand to the point of needing jumpers was disconcerting to say the least. He glanced at the unusually quiet rest of the team. They’d incorporated members from another more prominent group months before. The three had learned to fit in, even becoming friends to most of the guys. Not to him. He didn’t need any new friends, nor did he care what they had to offer.

Matt Washington struggled to climb out of his seat. The man known as ‘Moose’ had continued to vie for leadership, sparring against Antonio and even the captain more than once.

“Sit down. We don’t need any injuries before we get there,” Riker commanded.

“Shut the fuck up,” Moose hissed.

“Sit down,” Steel Frost’s voice was surly.

Moose glared down at the man and shook his head. “We have no reason to be here.”

“Gentlemen. That’s enough!” the captain snarled. “We’re doing this. We were asked by the Governor of West Virginia specifically to come in and help. Over ten thousand acres have burned, and I don’t have to tell you, that’s a hell of a lot for the area. We need to get in, do our job and make certain the firefighters can do theirs. Be ready to jump as soon as we get there. I suggest you make certain your gear is in order.”

Tyler walked toward the men, his voice booming over the noise. “I’ll be spotting. Just remember to take some time and look over the maps you all have. This is vital if we’re going to be successful.”

“Did you hear me?” the captain added.

The words hung in the air.

Sawyer Lincoln, the oldest and the senior jumper on board cleared his throat. “You heard the man. Get ready. We will do this. We are the Jackals!”

“Jackals,” Stoker repeated.

“I don’t hear any enthusiasm!” Sawyer barked.

“Jackals.” Moose smiled as he raised his eyebrows, his stare meant for Riker.

Riker ignored the moment of revelry and faced front, clenching his fists. The plane jerked, tossing them down a solid thousand feet.

“Shit!” Moose exclaimed as he was thrown against Garcia. “Glad when we get off this thing.”

“Sit down!” Antonio directed.

“I’m getting in position. Maps, gentlemen. Maps!” Tyler directed

Smiling, Riker resisted chuckling. Yeah, the three new members, including Zane Grey, the only man on vacation for this soiree, had proven their worth. There was no reason for him to remain caustic, even nasty, but he’d realized over the last few months that the emptiness was creeping into a desperate level. No matter.

“What’s up with you?” Landen asked as he leaned in. He fumbled to grab the handheld computer, pulling up the required map. When Riker didn’t answer right away, he raised a single eyebrow. “You’re not still pissed at the last gig, are you?”

“The last gig?” Riker asked, knowing exactly what he was referring to. The last major fire, late in February had created more tension between the men, the reason was something they’d all ignored.

“You know what I mean. Jesus. Let it go, man. This is a new season.”

“It’s only spring.”

Landen snorted. “You are such a hard case lately. I thought I was bad.”

“Come to think of it, you have been in a surly mood.”

“Just arguing with Shannon. Been a rough couple of months.” Landen eyed the screen. “There are only a few ways to try and cut this fire off, Antonio. Do you have it mapped out?”

“Best I can. We go in from the southern point and head west.” Antonio called to everyone.

Riker nodded as he rose to his feet, ready to grab his bag. He’d learned to keep a spare at the hangar for these reasons alone. He’d had no time to go back home and grab his things.

“Where were you last night? Even I tried to call.” Landen pushed by him, reaching up to the overhead bin. As the plane dipped again, this time bumping up, he groaned. “The wind shears are ridiculous.”

“I wasn’t available.”

“I thought you were going riding. Must have been a nice, long, hard ride,” Landen teased.

Riker huffed as he dragged the bag to the floor.

“Thirty minutes out. Get ready,” Captain Phillips called.

“I was busy. Okay?” Riker pulled out what he needed.

“Geez, dude. You need to lighten up. I hope the ride was nice. I’m not judging you. You’ve been out of sorts and way too quiet lately.”

He knew Landen was only trying to be a friend. “Sorry. You’re right. Just been a rough few weeks, but getting over it. Let’s get the gear ready.”

“Shit! Would you look at that fire,” Stoker huffed only minutes later. “That’s amazing.”

“Wow. The entire side of the mountain is on fire,” Garcia added.

Riker crouched over, staring out the window. He could see they would be dealing with at least two separate fires. They were going to have their hands full. “No other smokejumping team as back up?”

Antonio looked at the captain. “The Rattlesnakes might be called out if necessary.”

“Why do I have a shit bad feeling about this?” Garcia asked through clenched teeth.

Whoosh! Boom!

“Fuck!” Moose yelped as he rubbed his head. “Can this pilot fly a damn plane?”

“The wind is really bad. No wonder that fire is rolling. God. Damn. Would you look at that?” Sawyer’s voice was stilted.

Crink!

“I don’t like these noises,” Boone said, a nervous laugh pushing past his lips.

“Yeah. I don’t either.”

“Gentlemen. The fire is spreading west. We need to get out ahead of this,” Tyler quipped. “In position in seven minutes.”

“Seven minutes. I’m not sure the forest has seven minutes,” Steel said, the coldness in his voice catching everyone off guard.

Wham!

The plane dropped in altitude, careening down nose first.

“Goddamnit!” Captain Phillips yelled as he struggled to get out of his seat. “What in the bloody hell is going on?”

“Sir, we’re…” Tyler started as he placed his hand over the earphone.

From where Riker sat, he could see a look of terror in the man’s eyes. Inhaling, he took another glance out the window. At the rate they were losing altitude and the direction they were heading, they stood a chance of smacking into the mountain.

Whoosh! Bam!

“Fuck. Me,” Landen hissed, white knuckling the seat in front of him. “I don’t like this.”

“Gentlemen. We may have a mayday on our hands.” Tyler turned to face them, his face ashen.

“If the pilot doesn’t get the damn plane up in the air, we’re going to be a decoration in that fire,” Sawyer snarled.

“Come on, baby. You can do it.” Antonio’s voice boomed.

“Come on,” Boone added.

“Sit down!” the captain yelled.

“Brace for impact. I’m sorry, guys. We aren’t going to—”

Bam!

* * *

“I’m going away. That’s all the information you need to hear, Marvin.” Trinity paced back and forth as she looked up at the departure boards. The plane was on time. Leaving from the Las Vegas airport had been another brilliant idea of Ana’s. She’d even taken a rental car, leaving hers in the garage. No one was going to find her, not until she was ready. If she was ever going to be ready.

“You can’t just disappear, Trinity. The newspaper articles alone are scathing. Do you have any idea how many phone calls I’ve received this morning alone?” Marvin barked, his voice getting louder.

She held out the phone and resisted telling him off. “You can handle them. I don’t need to be there.”

“Just tell me where you’re going so I know how to get in touch with you if an emergency arises.”

“An emergency? You mean if another reporter makes a useless threat?” She remained on edge, angry and wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with a good book. “No, I’m not going to tell you where. I have some time and I’m going to enjoy myself. I deserve this, Marvin. You know I do.” The man should be jumping for joy that she was in the news.

He exhaled, the sound exaggerated. “I’m not trying to suggest that you don’t deserve time off, but now? Right now? We have so much going on and that reporter is getting a lot of attention for what he wrote about you.”

She could hear the angst as well as the anger in her agent’s voice. She laughed when she heard the statement. “As if I give a rat’s ass what that jerk printed. I’m not going to fall prey to his ridiculous comments. Neither should you.” Rubbing her eyes, she couldn’t wait to get on the plane, bound for a destination she’d never been to. A glass of wine, a good book and nothing but time.

“Trinity. Honey. You’re a star and you have to act like one at all times.”

“I won that award for you, didn’t I? I am willing to talk contracts later.” Much later.

“That’s not good enough.”

“Well, it damn well better be!” Cringing, she moved closer to the wall as almost everyone around her heard her nasty exclamation.

Marvin snorted. “Just answer me this. Is what Jack Spartan is saying true? If it is, we need some serious damage control, which takes planning, which means you need to be here. Not gallivanting off on some tropical island.”

“No! The motherfucker is a lying sack of shit!”

“Shh!” A woman smacked her index finger over her mouth, her expression admonishing.

“He’s just trying to garner attention,” she whispered.

“Well, he’s doing just fine. At some point, we’re going to need a statement from you. There is no other way around this.” Marvin half laughed.

“Marvin. Handle it! I pay you a hell of a lot of money to handle my business. A hell of a lot. This is the least you could do for me. Get it? I’ll call you in a few days.” She could tell the plane was boarding. Grabbing her carry on, she headed for the gate.

“There are the contract negotiations as well.”

“No. Damn it! The contract can wait. I will talk to you later.” Ending the call, she hissed and tossed her phone into her purse. My God, she couldn’t even get away from the vultures for a few days. She thought about calling Ana, but her cousin knew how to handle herself. Maybe she should have given the girl some instructions on what not to do. She had a terrible feeling Ana was going to dig into Jack’s life, thereby creating another nightmare. Well, how the hell could the situation get any worse?

Heading closer to the departure area, she pushed aside her anger. This was going to be a damn good trip, one way or the other.

As she waited in line, she was cognizant that at least three people were staring at her. She hadn’t bothered to throw on a disguise. Lowering her head, she yanked out her phone, fiddling with it as she scooted the luggage with her foot.

“Is that who I think it is?”

The man’s voice was gruff, the whisper loud enough several people started to look around.

“Did you hear what they said about her? Disgraceful!”

Trinity yanked the collar of her jacket up over her ears and refused to make eye contact with anyone.

“Next.” The attendant scanned her ticket and smiled. “Have a good flight, Ms. Hargrove. I hope you enjoy your stay in Missoula.”

“Thank you. I hope so too.” Missoula, Montana of all places. She had no idea what to expect when she arrived. She’d been given an address and a set of keys to a cabin. She could only pray to God that the place wasn’t in some campground. Absolute alone time was needed, no, required for her very sanity.

Maybe for her soul.

The moment she eased into her seat, she felt better. When they were in the air, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. The jerk wasn’t going to get to her any longer.

“Would you like a beverage?”

Trinity smiled at the flight attendant. She’d allowed herself to fly first class, one perk before heading to cowboy town. “A gin and tonic with two limes.”

“Absolutely, and may I say, I love all your movies.”

“Thank you.” As she noticed the closest passenger doing his best to figure out what movie she’d been in, she slunk further into the seat. You bet she was going to have to come up with some kind of disguise.

The drink firmly planted in her hand, she sat enjoying the view, the beautiful sun and white puffy clouds. Her thoughts drifted to her past, time spent with what she’d considered to be the best friends of her life. She’d lost touch with everyone since making it big in Hollywood. She laughed and took another sip. Some big-time actress. In her eyes, she was nothing but as fake as the rest of the actors, all portraying something they weren’t.

She eased her phone from her purse and shook her head. Marvin had sent her four texts, all begging her to return. The man wasn’t going to stop until he owned her. The word made her shiver. She’d wanted a relationship for so long that she’d allowed Chance to slither into too many facets of her life.

She could just envision his face the day he came swaggering back to her house, no doubt with flowers in his hand, trying to win her back. Ana would kick him in the balls. Too bad she wasn’t going to be there to see the festivities.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash on her phone. An incoming email. Swallowing hard, her hand began to shake. If the freak had gotten her personal email, she was going to hunt him down. Very tentatively, she eased her glass down into the holder and held her finger over the screen. She couldn’t be terrified all the time. Besides, what Jack thought he knew was all wrong. But coming clean wasn’t necessarily any better.

Hissing, she shored up her courage and flicked her finger across the screen, pulling up her email. She smiled seeing that the majority were garbage, except for the one from Ana. The bobble headed figure at the beginning made her laugh. The pictures were merely aspects of Montana, mountains and rivers, the city from above and what looked like a ranch complete with horses.

I found someone to stock up, but you’ll need to go to the store.

Find yourself a cowboy…

Yeah, as if she was looking to find a man. There wasn’t a man alive she would ever be able to trust. Not again. Not after… Sliding her phone back into her purse, she finished her drink. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes, exhaustion settling in. There hadn’t been two consecutive days that she hadn’t been on call, filming a movie or negotiating contracts in the last year and a half. No wonder she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

She glanced into his face, his horrified eyes. There was no way to help him, not any longer. She closed the door behind him and walked toward the couch, sitting on the edge and wringing her hands. “I don’t know how to help you.”

“I think you do.” Inching closer, he eased onto the couch beside her, yet keeping his distance. “You’re the only one who can help me. I don’t know what to do.”

“You should have thought about that before.” She heard the edge in her voice and closed her eyes. How had everything gotten so off track? How had she allowed this to happen? There was no recourse, no way she could right the wrong.

Exhaling, he remained quiet for a solid minute. “I know I’ve put you in a difficult position. That wasn’t my intention.”

“But you did. You’ve placed both of us in a dark place and I’m not entirely certain we can crawl out of it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He reached over, taking her hand.

She yanked it away. “Don’t touch me. Don’t you ever touch me again!” She didn’t have to look at his face to know she’d hurt him, but at this point, there had to be some distance between them.

“Carrie, I care about you more than you know.”

“And I care about you, but that doesn’t change anything. What happened is wrong, very wrong. What you did was… horrifying.”

“But I did it for you…”

Jerking awake, she slapped her hand over her mouth, unsure whether she’d issued a cry out loud or not. She glanced at the passenger across the aisle. He was dozing, his eyelids closed. Thank God. Beads of sweat remained above her lip and she wiped them, rubbing her hand back and forth. The nightmare was never the same, but the last few words always ended the dream. He did it for her. The guilt and worry had burrowed its way into her heart and soul, leaving ripples of desperation for the first few months. Now, the ache was dull, but a constant reminder. There was no way to run from the past. Jack would eventually figure out everything and when he did, she’d be ruined.

A single tear slipped past her lashes and she allowed the salty bead to trickle down the side of her face. Maybe she should simply come clean then move on with her life in obscurity. Yeah, as if that would erase the damage done, the wretched moments and the anger and hurt.

Nothing ever would. Nothing.

* * *

“Jesus Christ, the wind is strong as fuck!” Stoker yelled over the roar of the fire.

Riker took a step back, lifting his mask and rubbing away the soot and grime. After glancing up at the tree line, he yanked the cord on the chainsaw, moving his arms in swinging motions. They were just damn lucky the plane had been able to land. Hell, they were lucky to be alive. At least the pilot was damn good.

Landen moved by his side, cutting in the opposite direction. He wielded the saw like no other jumper, using his powerful muscles to maneuver his way through the dense underbrush.

“Hold on!” Antonio called through the microphone.

Riker just made out the call and eased back, touching Landen on the shoulder.

“Timber!” Boone called out.

Both men looked up as they heard a cracking sound and backed away. The crown fire had taken out a significant portion of trees and this one came crashing down, embers flew, raining down on the barren land.

“Come around to the right. We’re making headway.” Antonio’s voice cut through the whir of the powerful motors.

Landen shook his head and trudged over the underbrush.

He could see Stoker and Garcia digging trenches just ahead, the rough work exacerbated given the parched earth. The area was usually lush and green, but the massive water shortage given the lack of rain had taken a significant toll on the landscaping. Everything was dry as a bone.

Swirls of smoke billowed into the air, making breathing difficult. The late afternoon sky created shadows throughout the forest, but the orange glow of the almost uncontrollable blaze lit up the horizon.

“We need to create a burnout,” Sawyer suggested, his voice garbled by a decreasing connection.

“He’s right,” Moose called. “If we can burn the timber to the right just past the control line, we should be able to deny the main fire any additional fuel.”

“The wind is changing direction. We have to be careful,” Frost added.

“Grab the fuses,” Antonio commanded. “We need to use the railroad flares for maximum thrust.”

Riker shook his head. He’d been in enough of these kinds of fires to know the wind could alter everything in a split second. He continued cutting, the dulling blade now having difficulty cutting through the dense wood.

“Every man in position!” Boone called out.

He followed Landen toward the others, finally switching to his ax. Using the power of his upper body strength to slice through the briars and smaller trees, but he knew he was falling behind.

Whoosh! Hiss!

Two flares were tossed into the sky, rocketing over his head. Riker glanced at the angle. No doubt Boone had tossed, his accuracy almost dead on the money. He continued cutting, creating a pathway, working his way in the direction of the rest of the team. Methodical in every cut, he could hear the jumpers moving off to the right.

“Riker. Call in. Where in the hell are you?” Antonio’s voice boomed through the microphone.

“On my way,” Riker answered.

Wham!

The thunderous noise was off to his left, creating rumbles in the earth.

Bam!

The second seemed closer. Too close for comfort.

Turning, he managed to see what appeared to be a flash fire rolling past the control line. “Fuck. We have an issue. The line has been breached. I repeat, the line has been breached.”

“Stay where you are. We’re on the way.”

He heard the concern in Antonio’s voice, knew the correct protocol. Then he heard something else.

“I found… a… sur… vor.” Moose’s call was cut off.

“Repeat,” Sawyer was the first on the call.

Riker hesitated, listening for any signs or sounds coming from within the forest.

“Survivor and…” Squaaa!

The hiss on the other end of the line was followed by a series of squawking blips then dead silence. “Is anyone there?” Riker called out. The same hissing followed. “Fuckin’ fantastic.” For some reason, their communication lines were gone. He thought about where he’d last seen Moose and took long strides in that direction. He could hear the crackling sounds of the fire coming from behind him. The team might have one chance to extinguish the flanking flame before it spread uncontrollably.

Taking long strides, he moved over the fallen limbs and other debris. If the jumper had really found a survivor, there was little time to try and get the victim to safety.

Wham!

Huffing, he ducked as another limb pummeled to the ground, spearing the earth just to his right.

“Goddamnit! Anyone there?” Riker realized any additional communications at this point was useless. Shitty fucking equipment. The smoke was acrid, thickening to the point he had difficulty seeing more than a few feet in front of him. Still, he pressed on, moving deeper into the trees. The wind whipped, forcing a shower of embers cascading from all sides. The only saving grace was the fact the sparks had yet to start any additional fires that he could see.

Riker swung the ax, taking out anything in front of him as he trudged over and around, sweat beading into his eyes.

“Stay there!”

He heard Moose’s voice, the call directed to someone else. “Washington!” Standing still, he sucked in shallow breaths as he listened for an answer. Any answer.

“Over here!”

When the call finally came, he shifted his position, moving faster. His gut told him Moose was running out of time. “Shout out!”

“Here.”

Riker was closer. Almost there. The air around him was sweltering, the crackling and popping sounds echoing. When he could see a flash of color, he raced in the direction.

Moose was hunkered down, leaning over a fallen limb, the oversized log massive in size.

“What do you have?” Riker closed the distance, panting as he surveyed the situation. “Fuck!” The small boy was obviously unconscious, his tiny hands clenched into fists. By the boy’s side was a dog, his fur matted and covered in soot, his eyes wide with fear.

“His leg is stuck. I can’t get him out,” Moose huffed as he placed his hand on the dead wood.

The dog whimpered then let out a mournful howl.

“Damn it.”

Whoosh! Slam!

As the earth rumbled again, he could see a line of fire, an intense blaze coming their way. “We have to get him out of here. Let’s do this.” Riker jumped over the log, crouching down and digging at the dirt. The boy’s foot and lower ankle were crushed into the dirt.

“I tried digging him out. Damn shit is like rock,” Moose wiped his mouth.

“We need to get leverage. Where’s your ax?”

Bam!

Another limb fell, hitting the earth with a hard thump.

“I have it. We don’t have much time.” Moose yanked the ax handle in front of him.

Pitching the chainsaw, Riker looked up and down the log. “Put the head right there and don’t do anything until I tell you.”

“Got it.”

Woof! Woof! Woof!

The dog began to bark, jumping backward and forward, his mouth frothing from saliva.

“It’s okay, boy. Hold on.” There was a snowball’s chance in hell at getting the kid out of here in time. The heat was suffocating, indicating the fire was engulfing everything in its path. He shoved the ax under the base of the tree, praying to God the steel was strong enough. “On the count of three, up and over.”

Moose nodded and both men crouched down, preparing to use leg muscle.

Woof! Woof!

“One. Two. Three!” Grunting, he leaned into the ax handle, pushing. After a few seconds, he could hear the creaking sound as the log rolled just a few inches. “Come on, baby. Come on.”

Both men strained, groaning as they continued to push, their feet now planted wide apart in the ground.

“Aaahhh!” Moose hissed. “Move, damn it.”

Woof!

Wham! Whoosh!

Another group of embers flashed down over them, this time several sparking flames. “Move. Move. Move!” Riker struggled, using every ounce of energy.

Crack!

The second Moose’s handle snapped at the metal tip, all the weight was put on Riker.

“Fuck!” Moose screeched. “We can’t do this.”

“We… will,” Riker continued pushing, his strength waning. “Dig. Dig!”

Moose dropped to the ground, snagging the metal portion of the ax. He began to dig around the little boy’s leg, huffing as he struggled to free him.

His entire body was shaking, and he could hear cracking sounds coming from below. If he lost the grip or if the ax snapped, the boy could be crushed. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his breathing. He could do this. He would save the little boy.

“Almost. Hold on!”

The sound of Moose’s voice seemed to echo, mixing with the hissing noises coming from the encroaching fire. Hold on. Please God, let me hold on. As the seconds seemed to slow down, all sound muffled, he opened his eyes and in those few precious seconds, he could see his little girl, his baby, Grace and her dancing eyes.

“Clear!” Moose yelled as he took two giant strides backwards.

Riker continued to keep his grip around the ax, his body now shaking violently.

“Riker! All clear. Let go!”

Grace. Baby! As he let go and eased backwards, tears slipped from his eyes.

“You did it. Fuckin’ Jesus Christ. I don’t know how, but you did.”

Woof! Woof!

Leaning over, he panted as he tried to collect his breath. Reaching out his arm, he managed to give a slight smile as the dog nuzzled against his hand.

“We need to get the hell out of here.”

Riker looked over his shoulder before struggling to stand upright. The fire was only feet away.

“Come on, Riker. We have to fuckin’ get the hell out. Run.” Cradling the boy in his arms, Moose took off running.

Riker turned all the way around, studying the fire, looking the beast in the eye. He took a step forward, reaching out as visions of Rose and Grace flashed in front of him.

“Run!”

The call was haggard, the sound muffled.

Woof!

As the dog jumped up on Riker’s legs, the vision disappeared. Blinking several times, he shook off the intensity and homed in on the sound of Moose’s call.

“Now!”

He took off running, the dog closely at his heels, the fire spreading to trees beside them. As he jumped over a log and twisted, he could see the line of fire racing down a tree.

Wham!