38. Phoenix

CHAPTER 38

Phoenix

T he award ceremony hadn't even begun yet and I was already bored out of my mind. Tony had been exaggerating a bit when he said it was just some small thing that didn't matter. Considering the venue that had been booked and the two hundred or so guests that were being seated, it seemed like a much bigger deal than he was letting on. It wasn't until I picked up one of the place holders that I realized it wasn't just some old biddy book club like Tony had said. It was an event to honor the most influential authors in all of Oregon. And I was the guest of honor.

"So… I guess they want you to give a speech," Tony said as he came back to the table, taking a seat next to me. "Something about inspiring the authors here to achieve your level of success or whatever."

I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. "And… you didn't think to tell me this sooner ?" I hissed. "I don't have a fucking speech prepared! "

"Just say whatever," he replied, waving his hand dismissively. "They'll eat it up. Nobody here is judging what you say. They just wanna feel like you're talking to them directly. That you're telling them it's possible to do what you did."

"You mean get an obstinate agent and get really fucking lucky?"

"Yeah, that," he nodded. "Just make it flowery."

I reached up, rubbing my eyes furiously. "I really hate you sometimes…"

"Hey. I got you to Oregon. I got your fucking motorcycle here too. The least you can do is give a speech and then you can ride off to your boyfriend and make amends."

"If he'll even see me," I sighed.

"He'll see you. I'll make sure of it."

"I'm not sure he'll enjoy being hounded by you like you did to the publisher."

"Well, then I guess he better not fight me then." Tony gave me a look I'd seen a thousand times before. "I always get what I want."

Seeing that look in his eye, I believed him. He'd never let me down before and I doubted he would this time either. Tony, albeit annoying and stubborn, was fiercely dependable.

"So how long is this thing supposed to be?"

"I don't know, maybe an–"

My phone blared from the table, startling us both. The thing had been on silent for years with only two numbers allowed to ring through. And both of them belonged to my parents. They never called unless something was up. So, naturally, I answered straight away .

"Hey mom," I said. "I'm about to start an author thing, can I call you back?"

"Phoenix!" a frantic voice replied on the other line. "I'm so glad you picked up!"

My heart began to pound immediately. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Tony leaned close immediately, putting his ear to the other side of my phone so he could listen. I made no attempt to pull away.

"We're fine. Ted and I evacuated from Creekside. The wildfires came over the mountain this morning and they were heading straight for town."

"Where are you headed?"

"Up to Eugene."

"That's where I am right now. I can have Tony get you a hotel or something."

"Don't worry about that," she replied, still frantic. "I'm worried about Charlie."

"What's wrong? Is he okay?"

"I don't know. Ted and I went to his house when we evacuated. I know he's not fond of cars, but we couldn't leave him behind. But when we got there… everything was locked up and there was no spare key anywhere. It was dark inside and it didn't look like anyone was home. We figured he left with his friend Patrick or something. I know he's there quite often, and I saw his truck driving down our street during the evacuation." She stopped, taking a breath at last. "But the more I think about it, the more I have this nagging feeling in my stomach that he's still there… in that house."

All the blood in my veins turned ice cold in an instant .

"The wildfires have come close before," I said, my voice shaky as I desperately tried to find a way to make this whole situation less horrifying. "Sometimes right to the edge of town. It did that when I was a kid. Maybe it'll do it again."

"No," she replied. "Creekside is going to burn. It's too hot and too windy. Even as we left, we could see some houses at the top of the mountain starting to catch." She paused, clearly terrified and saddened by what she was about to say. "Come morning, Creekside will be gone."

I could hardly breathe.

"Let me call you back."

Before she could reply, I hung up the call. With shaking fingers, I flipped open my contacts list and scrolled down to Charlie. When we'd exchanged information a few months ago, we'd used a built-in app that came with phone tracking. All of my friends had it in college. That way we could make sure each other made it home safe from the bars or dates or nights out on the town. And as long as Charlie had his phone on, I could pinpoint where he was. As I clicked the track button, I prayed the location was anywhere but Creekside.

But it wasn't. The little red pointer on the map zoomed in on Creekside, pinging right on top of his house.

Charlie was still at home.

"Maybe he left his phone at home by accident," Tony said, looking over my shoulder. "With an evacuation like that things get forgotten."

"I can't take that chance," I replied. All at once the shakiness left my body and was replaced by stout resolution. "I'm going to go get him. "

"Creekside is far away," Tony balked. "And there's fire everywhere! I would be better for you to just call in a rescue team!"

" You call them," I replied, pushing myself up from the table. "And call my mom back. Tell her I'll get Charlie and get him out of there. I've got bluetooth in my helmet, so call me and keep me updated on the fire."

I was already heading for the door as Tony jogged to catch up behind me. "You can't be serious! You're going to drive straight into a wildfire?"

"I've done it before," I said, recalling the day Charlie and I had ridden our bikes right up to the edge of that raging inferno. "It doesn't scare me."

"Phie, please! Don't do–"

I rounded on him, grabbing him by the collar. "This is Charlie we're talking about!" I cried. "The man I love more than anything else in the world! If he dies… I'll never forgive myself! Now do what I ask! Please!"

Tony extricated himself from my grasp. To my surprise, he didn't look upset at my outburst. In fact, he seemed more understanding than ever.

"Go," he said, giving me a push. "I can't talk you out of it anyway. I'll cover for you. And I'll call you as soon as I can with fire updates."

"Thank you Tony–"

"Go!"

I didn't need to be told twice. Running through the building, I grabbed my helmet from the coat check without explanation and sprinted out the door. In a flash I was on my bike and tearing through Eugene at speeds that would frighten a racecar driver. But I had to get to Creekside .

I had to save Charlie.

"The fire has spread into town according to the helicopters patrolling the area," Tony said through the speaker in my ear thirty minutes later as I headed up the last mountain before Creekside would come into view. "A rescue team is on the way heading for the south end of town. If it's safe to go in, they will. But it's not looking good."

"I'm almost there," I said, practically shouting over the screaming of the engine beneath me. "I can see the smoke."

"The entire area is decimated north of town. You'll probably lose cell service as you get close. All the local towers are getting scorched."

"Then I'll call you back when I'm out," I said. "I promise."

Before Tony could reply, I reached up and hit the button on my phone that was mounted in front of me, ending the call. The last thing I wanted were a bunch of warnings or any more information about the fire. I was already scared enough. Besides, I couldn't focus on getting to Charlie with someone yacking in my ear. I had to believe I had a chance.

As I came over the top of the mountain, the air rushed out of my lungs. The devastation that lay before me was more than I could have ever imagined. The entire north end of Creekside was engulfed in flames. Several homes and businesses I'd ridden my bike past a thousand times as a kid were nothing but a pile of embers. The fire stretched around town like wings of flame threatening to envelop everything in its path. I was happy to see that Charlie's house was still standing. But the fire was getting close.

Without a second thought, I gunned it down the road, heading into the southern part of town. I took note of the flames creeping toward the edges of the road, but I kept on going. This was my only chance to get inside before the flames cut off the road completely. Once I had Charlie, I could worry about getting out. Right now, all I could focus on was one step at a time.

I raced into town, easily doing sixty miles per hour or more down streets that rarely saw a vehicle doing more than thirty. It felt wrong, but I didn't care. Charlie was all that mattered. Besides, Creekside was a ghost town, and the smoke was getting thicker by the second. I didn't have time to waste.

When I reached Charlie's house at last, I saw that all the shades had been drawn and the windows shut, just like mom had said. But she hadn't mentioned that the sprinklers were running. It felt like an odd detail to leave out. However, seeing them made my heart soar and my chest tighten all at the same time. Part of me had been hoping that Charlie got out somehow, that he'd hitched a ride with Patrick or anyone else. But seeing those sprinklers spraying down the yard and the house I knew he had to be there. And he'd already come to terms with the fact that he wasn't getting out.

I dropped the kickstand before my bike was fully stopped, hopping off it as fast as I could. Tossing my helmet to the side, I rushed to the front door and started pounding on it.

"Charlie!" I yelled, the thick smoke making me cough and sputter. "Charlie! Open up!"

There was no answer. But I wasn't about to leave without making sure. If the house was empty, I'd race out of town. However, that wasn't an option until I checked it with my own eyes.

Taking a step back, I picked up a brick from the perfectly manicured landscaping that would be ash in the next ten minutes and hurled it through the window at the top of the door.