Page 84 of Reluctant Chemistry

Luka climbed into the cab and clicked his seatbelt into place. “I will.”

Vanessa went to close the driver’s door, then stopped. “And don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Just treat her with care and remember—everyone makes mistakes.”

He hesitated at his mother’s advice. Who was she referring to? The woman waiting to be rescued, or someone else?

* * *

Luka pulled up outside the Search and Rescue office next to the fire station right on five thirty. Although a city, Clifton Falls SAR still relied on a large contingent of volunteers, and that Luka was on the permanent payroll never ceased to amaze him. He was fortunate enough to be doing a job he loved, and that was a plus in today’s world.

The office was all lit up when he stepped inside. Ray looked over from his desk. “Good morning.”

“Yeah, I’m not feeling the ‘good’ vibe yet.” Luka glanced at the National Park map on the wall. “I was half asleep when we talked. You might have to go over it again.”

Ray picked up a long pointer. “Looks like she slipped in this area here from what Nick said. He managed to get her to the hut, but I imagine by now she’ll be cold and struggling with the pain.”

“Nick?”

“The boyfriend. Reckons he knows the area pretty well.”

Unconvinced, Luka glanced around. If the guy knew the area, he should also have known not to tackle it in the kind of conditions they’d had over the weekend. “Where is he?”

“We sent him to the ED so they could check him out. The guy’s a mess. He wanted to go back up with you, so we thought we’d get him out of the way for a bit. Collins should be here any minute.”

“Where’s Russo? Isn’t he on duty too?”

“Yeah, but I thought you could assist. Use those gentle hands of yours. I’ll stay behind.”

Luka chuckled. Ray, who’d been his boss for the best part of four years, was always joking about his hands. “Sure.”

Matteo Russo strolled in from the break room, a mug of coffee halfway to his lips. “Hey, mate. Ready to go on a scavenger hunt?”

“Yeah, count me in.” Luka checked the computer screen on the front desk. “What’s the cloud doing? Do you think we’ll get a lift soon?”

“It’s not looking good.” Ray glanced at his watch. “But you guys better suit up just in case. If we get a window, we should take it.”

Paramedic Melissa Collins breezed into the office in her usual whirlwind fashion, suited up and ready to go. She looked from Luka to Russo and back again. “Right, come on. Are you guys ready or what? The cloud’s about to lift. I can feel it in my bones.”

Melissa—a part-time triage nurse in her forties who ran marathons in her spare time, had four kids, and held a black belt in Taekwondo—was a force to be reckoned with. Always level-headed and focused in a crisis, Luka respected her work ethic immensely.

“I just have to change,” Luka said.

“Yes, well, hurry up. Why is it the handsome ones who always drag their feet?”

“Hey,” Ray said with a grin. “Be nice. He’s officially still on leave.”

“Yeah, and I have a movie date with my five-year-old this afternoon. I’ve been dreaming of hot buttered popcorn all week.”

Chuckling, Luka happened to glance out the window as a car sped into the parking lot. When he noticed who sat behind the wheel, he took a second look.Frank Dobson?

Mitch and Frank were out of the vehicle and through the door before Luka could react.

“Is there any word?” Frank barked as he charged up to the front desk.

Luka frowned at Mitch as the information circling his brain slowly sank in. “What are you guys doing here?”

“It’s CeCe,” Mitch said. “Nick left some garbled message on my phone about her having an accident up by Ferguson Hut.”

As his stomach lurched, Luka looked at Ray, who was already checking his notes. “Sydney Dobson,” Ray said. “Are you guys family?”

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