After turning away from the others, I closed my eyes, theirs remaining on me. I’d always wanted to be the hero. It was in my nature. Yeah, maybe joining the team hadn’t been the best idea. I grabbed my things, putting everything back into my pack, preparing for the hike back to the base.
A commotion caught my attention once again. When I turned around, I could see two of the firefighters talking with Will. I inched closer, curious as to what they were talking about.
“Yeah, we’re pretty sure it’s out, but it couldn’t hurt to take a look over the ridge line.” The firefighter was pointing to an area that couldn’t be accessed by foot.
That meant a helicopter would need to access the area. I started shaking my head before Will said a word. If the wind changed like I suspected it was going to do, gusts could slam him into the trees or the mountains.
Will took a step away, turning around and staring at the location where the firefighter was pointing. “Yeah, why don’t I take the bird up? The last thing we need is for the damn thing to start again.”
The firefighters were supposed to stay on the ground so they could eliminate any hot spots. What the hell were they doing?
After a few additional words, Will took long strides down the path toward where the helicopter was positioned. He’d been the spotter for the day given the specifics of the fire.
“Will, don’t do this. I’m telling you that the wind is about to change.” I followed along behind him as he headed down the slope toward the awaiting bird.
“You’re basing this on what, a hunch? Or did you suddenly become a weather forecaster, Stephen? Seriously.” He huffed and refused to stop moving.
The man was infuriating as hell. Finally, I grabbed his arm, shocked when he bristled. “Jesus Christ, Will. What the hell are you doing?”
“My job.”
While I adored my brother, we’d always been at odds, his habit of acting fatherly when we had a dad driving me nuts. “Just look at the damn weather forecast before you go up? Okay?”
He rubbed his forehead and I could hear him cursing under his breath all over again. “Fine. Go finish with the cleanup. I’m taking a quick look and nothing more. Okay?” He headed away from me and I refused to back down.
We continued walking in silence for almost ten minutes until the helicopter came into view. He’d been labeled the Wingman years before, getting his pilot’s license at sixteen. I’d always wondered why he hadn’t entered the Air Force given his love of flying. The smokejumpers were lucky to have him.
“I don’t think you should do this.”
With a groan, he moved to the bird, jumping inside. “So you’ve told me and duly noted. I’ll be back in five minutes. Ten tops. I know what I’m doing. Get the fuck back up there and get the area locked down.” When I didn’t answer right away, the fury controlling my actions, he pointed back to where I’d come from. “I am your damn superior. I’ll need to report you for insubordination.”
“Fine. You do that.”
I shook my head as I glared at the sky. There was a storm brewing in the distance, the barometric pressure already changing. “Just stay away from the tree line.”
He grabbed his helmet. “That’s where I need to go. Stop pestering me.” His anger had returned. “We will talk about your insubordination again. Now go do your job.”
As he flipped several switches, the propellers engaging, I backed away, but the pit in my stomach remained.
Less than three minutes later, he took off without incident, his control of the heavy bird masterful. Learning to fly had never been on my radar. I preferred staying on terra firma. I watched until the white and blue bird disappeared before taking a deep breath.
As I scanned the sky, light breeze tickled my skin. Maybe I was wrong about the shift in the wind. Maybe.
After waiting for a few seconds, I began the trek back up the mountain, making good time.
A burst of wind caught my attention, my nerves driven to the edge. I glared at the sky, noticing the canopy of trees in the opposite direction of the fire was swaying.
The wind had shifted just like I’d warned.
No. No.
A single rumble of thunder and I took off running while pressing the button on the communications system. “Will. Get back here. The wind is changing. There’s a storm.”
“I’m… at… but… and…”
“Will, you’re breaking up.”
What in the hell? I continued jogging up the trail. “Will. Turn the fuck around.”
