“What is it?” Big Al demanded the moment my door shut. I put a finger to my lips and moved to the bedroom. Big Al’s brows descended sharply, and I suddenly realised what he must be thinking.
“Oh no, no!” I gasped, and Big Al’s brows relaxed. I beckoned him in, still motioning for him to be quiet, and removed the small air filter in the room. Unhappily, I dragged out a carrier bag and opened it. Big Al took one look and whistled.
“Shit, girl!”
“Big Al, I don’t have a bank account, and I can’t leave this here to be burned,” I whispered.
“Do you have the safe codes?”
“Yes, Magic trusted me with them.”
“Bunny, I’m going to fetch Axel. We’ll count this together, and then we’ll need you to shove this in the safe. Should the fire head in this direction, we’ve plenty of time to grab your bag. We’ll talk about banking this for you when Pyro returns, okay?” I nodded as Big Al laid a large hand on my shoulder. “Know shit’s been bad, girl; things will get better. Trust us, and we won’t fail you.”
“Big Al, I just showed you my entire savings, well, what I could pull from my account and saved from working here. I have more, but Tanner will find me if I withdraw it from the bank. Big Al, I can’t lose this without risking my life.”
“Bunny, take a breath. Shit’s going to be fine. Tell me how much you think is here, and then Axel and I will confirm it before shoving it in the safe. Okay?” I nodded and told him the amount. Thirty-five thousand in all. Big Al acknowledged, and I sent Axel up to join him. The other women gazed at me curiously, but they moved the conversation on when I didn’t elaborate. Half an hour later, my stash was locked up, and we were back in the kitchen making pack-ups again. Teams were returning, tired and with no news.
A police car brought the parents up six hours into the search, and I felt for the poor mother and the resigned expression on the father’s face. Logan’s brother was there, keeping his distance from his mom and dad, and it was clear that Eli was blaming himself. As he should be, but blame wouldn’t find Logan alive. Sectors were being marked off on the map, and the teams returning ate another lunch and headed back out.
I was sitting on the bench when someone radioed in. The wind had shifted again, and the fire had picked up and was coming in a straight line for the bar. Somewhere out there, Dakota and Hellfire were digging firebreaks and trying to save the bar and everything on this side of the blaze. We watched as two helicopters flew above us and dumped their load on the flames before flying away to reload.
“This is bad, isn’t it?” I asked Axel, who was sitting next to me eating.
“Yeah, if it comes much closer, the search and rescue teams will be recalled, and we’ll pray fuckin’ hard for Logan. But we can’t risk the parties with the fire heading towards them. That little fuckwit will pay a high price for this,” Axel boomed softly, nodding at Eli.
“Eli probably deserves it, but he’s still a kid,” I replied.
“Eli knew he shouldn’t have left the blaze unattended. Now his brother is out there with a wildfire rushing towards him. If we don’t find Logan soon, the chief will have to call search parties in.”
“Oh Axel, such a tragedy,” I said, and he wrapped an arm around me.
“Hope ain’t done yet. We can pray the wind changes again and blows back to where it came from. That way, the fire is heading towards the dead ground and will choke itself out. We can wish that Logan went in a different direction, and he’s holed up somewhere and not stumbling blindly. There’s always faith, little darlin’. Just gotta keep hold of that,” Axel said wisely.
Hours ticked past, and the firefighters kept at it, cutting trees, digging firebreaks and attempting to wrestle control. We sat quietly listening to updates as finally Chief Howser called all search and rescue back. Howser told them to leave and head to a lower command base being set up. The fire was too close for comfort, and wide-eyed, I watched as the women were bundled up into trucks and Big Al headed for me.
“Let’s get your money, and we’ll run it to the bank,” Big Al said.
“Dakota is still out there,” I whispered.
“Hellfire is safely heading in, Bunny. It’s not the moment to lose it. Do as I say, woman, fetch your cash and let’s go.” Magic came up behind us and nodded.
“Bunny, it’s time to leave. The fire is coming up that hill, and if it breeches, it will be on us in minutes. We’ve got to hope the precautions they have taken are enough, but Big Al is right. We aren’t risking lives, so move your butt,” Magic grunted. I felt his worry in his words.
“We’ll rebuild if we have to,” I said, patting Magic’s arm, and he glanced at me in surprise before a soft smile crept across his face.
“Yeah, girl, we’ll rebuild if we have to. Now, I want you to take the bar’s takings in the safe and bank them. Can you do that?” Magic asked, and Big Al nodded in approval. I knew what Magic was doing, giving me a task to concentrate on, so I didn’t worry about Dakota. Clio stared out of Axel’s truck window, pale with Silvie alongside her. I couldn’t see Thalia, who must have been on the other side, but Phoe was climbing in Big Al’s vehicle, and I wondered when she’d got there.
“Come on, Bunny,” Phoe called softly, and I scurried over to the truck. Phoe hauled me up inside and wrapped an arm around me.
“They’re going to be okay; the MCs are trained for this. And usually attend at least one small fire a year. This one’s a teeny bit bigger, but Hellfire is trained. They’ll already be moving towards the base they would have been told to head for. So don’t worry, Pyro will be fine,” Phoe said, smiling. Oh, famous last words!
???
Chance
“This fucker’s not going to turn,” Celt announced, his face filthy, and Chance glanced up and nodded.
“Not that I can see, brother.” They were resting for five minutes after digging firebreaks for several hours. Chance had taken one team and Bear the other, and they’d met in the middle.