Chapter 14

Nova and Vince tugged on the boat, so Charlie let go. They dragged it through the shallow water onto the beach. Charlie glanced around, getting a quick head count. “Everyone good?”

Some replied. Others looked over. Shell-shocked was an accurate assessment of their faces.

Every bit of brush and every tree he could see had been burned black.

The air seemed to crackle with energy, like he could touch a tree and it would fall to pieces. Destroyed.

They’d come so close to the end.

Thank You, Lord . They were safe.

Jayne spoke to each one of the teens individually. Making sure they were all right physically so they could work through the emotional and mental aspects now—and probably for the rest of their lives. Some of these kids would never let this day go. It would shape the adults they became.

“Dude, that was crazy.” Samuel strode past, his brother Joshua in tow. Pablo glanced at Charlie.

The kid hesitated a second, then came over to Charlie with his hand out.

Charlie clasped it. “You guys good?”

All three boys nodded. Pablo said, “We’re good.” Cleared his throat and sniffed. Like all of them hadn’t cried at least a little.

“It was pretty unbelievable for a while there, but it’s over now,” Charlie said. “First chance you get, call home. Tell them you’re all right.”

They wandered off.

“I’m all right.” Alexis appeared by his side, burrowing in again. “Just in case you were curious.”

“Always.”

“You need a doctor to look at you.”

Charlie figured there was zero chance he’d get out of that. Probably no point in arguing with her, or Orion. Or Jayne. Or anyone else. He didn’t even bother cataloguing how he felt. He just needed a good spot to lie down and close his eyes.

They were alive.

Jayne gave Tiger a hug and headed toward the group starting toward the camp trail. Alexis held Charlie’s hand as they walked.

“You’re really going to do this?” Alexis glanced over, walking his pace, and not in a way that let him know she was purposely slow just because of him. “You’re going to fight this illness and do everything you can to live as long as possible.”

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul .

He swallowed against the lump in his throat and nodded. “I will if you will.”

Charlie still wasn’t sure he’d ever be okay with one of them giving him a kidney. If he could do this without needing a transplant, that would be the best course. He might have to endure more that way, but it would be worth it, knowing he wasn’t impeding their futures for his.

Alexis rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dad.”

He grinned, warm not just because of the lingering heat but also because he hadn’t had many chances to feel that way. Or to prove that he could be the man he wanted to be.

Now he just needed to get Jayne to agree to let him try, and not just with his kids.

But with her.

Booth, Finn, and Vince had crowded around something on the shore. Charlie and Alexis got close enough, and he saw it was a burned body. Earl?

No one would cry over the death of an evil man. But a life had still been lost—and someone, somewhere, had cared about him.

Charlie steered Alexis away from the scene, but as they passed, he said to Booth, “Where did Crispin go?”

Booth glanced at Nova, then looked over. “We don’t need to worry about Crispin.”

Okay, then.

Jayne joined them. Alexis said, “Do you ever get used to seeing dead bodies like that?”

Charlie squeezed her with his arm and wrapped the other around Jayne so they could walk together down the scorched path to the camp. He prayed no one taking shelter there had been killed. “Not really. I don’t think you ever get used to it. But you learn how to celebrate the time you have.”

Time God had given them.

“I won’t shed a tear,” Jayne said. “He nearly killed us all. Land mines, and hurting Crispin? Setting fires and holding a gun to my head? Who cares what he wanted. He won’t get it now.”

Charlie shuddered. “We very nearly didn’t make it.”

The camp came into view.

Even the ground looked scorched. Paint had peeled off siding. A couple of windows were broken, and debris from what looked like one of the sheds was littered in pieces down the main street.

Teenage girls raced out of the main house, followed by smokejumpers carrying Tucker down the porch steps.

Alexis broke off to meet them, and there were a lot of relieved hugs.

Charlie turned Jayne to face him, their bodies flush against each other.

“Charlie Benning.” She shook her head. “So forward. What will our parents think?”

He felt a smile pull up the edge of his mouth. Before he could reply to her, the sound of a helicopter crested the hill.

Two helicopters.

He kept Jayne close with one arm and used the other to shield his eyes.

The first chopper to land was the local medical emergency transport. The other was pure black, and the men who hopped out were dressed in tactical gear.

Aria broke off from her friends. “Dad!” She raced to the men.

The blond spotted Charlie and lifted two fingers. Charlie returned the gesture. Aria slammed into the man with Asian heritage. The others gathered around her.

Jayne said, “Friends of yours?”

Charlie looked at Jayne.

“I feel like I’m missing something,” she said. “I know who Aria’s family is, but should I know those guys aside from what I’ve read?”

“They might have come here to check on Aria and make sure she’s okay, but they will also help get the rest of us out of here. They’re good people.” Helping the innocent was what the men of Chevalier Protection Specialists did.

“She’s fortunate to have them in her life, then.”

Charlie nodded. “Yes, she is.”

The other smokejumpers helped Tucker to the medical chopper, and Bridget walked with them. Everyone had come through. Not unscathed, but not far from it.

“Looks like we’re leaving.”

Charlie said, “There’s just one thing I need to do before we go.”

She gave him a knowing look. “And what’s that?”

He turned and dipped her. Pressed his lips to hers and tried to find some of that magic they’d had between them before. It crackled at the edges in a way that had nothing to do with the air pressure or the fire.

Then the spark hit him full force, a wave of heat. The storm of everything they’d once had, layered with a whole lot of maturity. Life lived in the interim years.

Everything they’d been through and learned.

She clung to his neck, and they rediscovered what would always be between them.

All the while, several people cheered. Clapped. Someone whooped. Charlie tuned it all out. Then he stood up, bringing her with him. Loving the flush on her cheeks. “What do you say? Want to ride in a chopper with me?”

She grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

* * *

Thank you for reading Firestorm ! Gear up for the next Chasing Fire: Montana romantic suspense thriller, Fireline by Kate Angelo. Keep reading for a sneak peek!

SECRETS. BETRAYAL. SACRIFICE.

THIS TIME, THEY'RE NOT JUST

FIGHTING FIRE.

She was born to be a smokejumper…

As the niece of a legendary smokejumper, Nova Burns is tough as nails. When their crew chief Tucker Newman breaks his leg, Nova longs for the opportunity to helm the team, ready to take risks and prove herself. But there's one risk she refuses to take?—falling in love.

He’s living a lie…

Undercover Homeland agent Booth Wilder is seeking redemption. Scarred by a past explosion that took the life of his partner, Booth is hunting a rogue CIA faction known as the Brotherhood. Now, he's determined to uncover their secrets and find a hidden nuclear weapon that could turn the world to ash.

Only problem…summer sparks have ignited between Booth and Nova. Nova is torn between her future as the smokejumping chief, her growing attraction to Booth, and the belief that he’s hiding something from her. Of course he is…Booth is hiding his true goal—unrooting the Brotherhood and returning to his life as a Homeland Security agent, a life that he’s not sure he really wants.

Then the wildfire threatens the home of the Jude County Firefighting team, and Nova doesn’t care what secrets he might be hiding—she needs everyone to save the town. But when the Brotherhood discovers Booth and his goals, the fight becomes personal. Now, Booth must choose between accomplishing his mission and saving the woman he’s come to love.

It’s a dangerous game of loyalty, betrayal, and pulse-pounding action in the fifth installment of the Chasing Fire: Montana series.