“Got it.” As the firemen rushed off, I rolled my eyes.
So much for fucking teamwork.
Another thirty minutes passed, but we could all feel the headway being made.
Only when it appeared we’d controlled any ongoing brush fires did the Wingman give the okay to step away.
I yanked off the helmet before walking away from the charred remains. After taking a deep breath of stagnant air, I grabbed a bottle of water from my pack, not bothering to rip off my gloves before gulping half the contents. When I was finished, I poured the rest over my head and thumped to the ground on my ass. The entire ridge was a sauna, steam already rising from the volume of water used.
Dante grinned as he tugged a bottle of water into his hands. “What’s wrong, rookie? A little hot for you?”
Now I had the incentive to rip off my gloves, giving him the middle finger once I did. “Rookie, my ass. Ha. Ha. Just a little sick of bureaucracy.” I could see two of the firefighters from where I was sitting.
“Oh, listen to him. Already an elitist.” Rock hobbled toward us, wincing when he dropped to the ground. He’d been with the team for years. Long before I’d joined the smokejumpers after my days of being a rodeo star had ceased to exist. For me they’d been lean days of making ends meet, working out, and taking tests.
“Nah, I just know how the game works.” Money was tight for everyone, more recruits needed.
“What do you think?” Dante asked. “Arson?”
Rock shrugged, wiping his face before answering. “Has all the earmarks. Second one this summer.”
“That’s why the firefighters need to keep their ass in gear.” Yeah, I was surly, even crankier than normal today.
I yanked at the jacket before wiping my face. The city council was always arguing with the Forestry Service on wildfire planning, even pushing a former smokejumper who’d had a seat out of office. The push and pull had already cost lives. The harsh sentiment wasn’t solely my opinion.
He glanced at me, shaking his head. “You can’t do that shit, kid. We count on each other. Every department is stretched thin. But you gotta maintain the rules.”
“What would you have preferred? That I let you die?”
He wasn’t allowed the opportunity to answer before Will appeared, yanking me off the ground. Dante and Denver scrambled to their feet, helping Marcus to his, all three men backing away. They knew exactly how my brother was. As the second in charge of the groups of teams, he had the say about who joined the hotshots. I’d had to fight my way to gain the position. No nepotism allowed.
Hell, I’d already bypassed the norm of working as a wildland firefighter, instead training with the local fire department. Doing so had allowed me to continue participating on the rodeo circuit until I couldn’t do so any longer. That hadn’t won me any points with the crew.
However, I’d done the work, pushing myself with every test, every physical qualification. I was in the best fucking shape of my life and knew what the hell I was doing. What continued to piss me off was that some on the team had fought my inclusion, others snubbing me for months. Even now, after almost being on the team for three years, the old guard still called me a damn rookie. A standing joke for many.
“What the fuck were you doing? What the actual fuck?” I’d never seen Will this hot. Not since he’d caught me with a stogie in my hand in our family’s barn when I was maybe fourteen. I’d nearly gotten the shit kicked out of me before my parents had found out.
I jerked away from him, trying my best to harness my own anger. “Rock needed help. He was pinned.”
“Then you ensure I know what the fuck is going on. You can’t go off on your own. What the hell would I have done if you’d been caught by a wall of flames? Huh? What?” He shoved my shoulder, backing away and pacing the ground. When he spokeagain, his voice softened. “You can’t do that shit. Think of the family. This shit is hard enough on Mom and Dad.”
Yeah, they weren’t thrilled that their three sons had all selected a dangerous profession.
Our other brother Jameson, ‘Steel’ as everyone called him, was also a hotshot. While on another team, he was heading toward being a commander, as rigid with the rules as Will. I was the damn reckless one, which was why I was on my brother’s team. Will was going to whip me into shape. I’d overheard our captain telling my brother that he needed to keep an eye out on me. That I could get someone on the team killed.
“Goddamn it, Will. Marcus is alive,” I yelled, hissing as soon as I did.
He got in my face, his red. I was huffing and puffing. This was all about brotherly testosterone. Neither of us wanted to back down, but with others watching, I reminded myself I was the subordinate and finally took a step away.
“Yeah, well, almost at the expense of others. Did you know Dante was surrounded by a wall of fire while you were off playing hero? Did you?”
I glanced in Dante’s direction, taking several deep breaths. Why hadn’t he said anything? “No.”
“Yeah, well, that’s because of your hotdog tendencies. Don’t do it again or you are off this team. Got it?” Now he was poking his finger against my chest.
The pain was biting. I backed away, giving him a military salute, anger continuing to swell.
Storming away, he cursed under his breath.
