“Thank God Hawke sent me to check.”
Deputy Marcs reached for her hand mic. “Eight sixty-five to Scarlet Command.”
She released the mic. “How many kids are up there?”
“Forty-three kids and maybe fifteen to twenty adults.”
“Hell.” She clicked her mic again. “The phone lines at Camp Mato Sapa are down. They didnotget the evacuation order. Break.”
She paused for a moment and then went on. “There are forty-three children and perhaps twenty adults still at the camp. They have no idea there’s a fire coming their way. I’m heading there now.”
Gabe slammed his vehicle into reverse, used the shoulder to make a U-turn, and hit the gas, tires spitting gravel as he sped back toward the camp and everything he loved, Deputy Marcs following closely behind him.
Julian watched the GPS,giving Hunter directions, as they sped with overheads flashing toward the address Deputy Marcs had given them. “Take the first left.”
“Look at all that smoke. The fire must be close.”
“Unless the house is actually engulfed, I’m going in.” Julian couldn’t stomach the thought of pets burning in a fire.
Hunter shook his head. “I’m not sure we’re going to be able to reach the house.”
The smoke thickened, until it was like fog, obscuring their view, giving Hunter no choice but to slow down.
“Damn it.”
They reached the top of a ridge—and the smoke cleared to reveal firefighters at work.
“A backburn.”
Crews moved along the length of the road to their right lighting fires, letting the wind blow the flames onto charred earth. Their heads turned as Julian and Hunter passed, but they didn’t try to stop them.
“Gee-zus.” Hunter whistled. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”
Julian’s gaze shifted to the view in front of him. “Son of a …”
Across the valley, a wall of flames churned its way toward a cluster of remote mountain homes. Built ten miles west of Scarlet’s western town limits, they were clearly expensive custom homes. And they were doomed.
Hunter pushed on the gas, sent the vehicle speeding downhill toward the fire. “This is going to be close.”
“Left here.”
“I see it.” Hunter slowed, made the turn.
Already embers rained down on the tall pines around them, four houses set back from the dirt road, all doomed to burn.
Julian pointed toward the tall Mediterranean-style house at the end of the road, the one farthest from them. “It’s that one.”
“Of course, it is.” Hunter sped toward it, pulling to a stop in the driveway just as a large ponderosa pine in the front yard ignited. “Let’s move!”
But Julian was already on his way. He took the front steps two by two, smoke stinging his eyes and making him cough. He jerked open the screen door.
Hunter coughed, too. “Use your Aikido master key.”
Julian stepped back, turned to the side, did his best to focus. Then he spun and kicked the door, breaking the lock and forcing it open.
Hunter was the first inside. “You grab the dog. I’ll find the cat.”
The poor dog stood in the hallway, whimpering, its body trembling.