Page 8 of Special Agent Anastacia

“I – I couldn’t te-ll you.” She broke down crying so hard, Ana had to pet her, shushing her like one would a baby. “Oh my God, Ana, he-he shot himself in the head after saving me. He took his own life.” Hanna swiped at her dripping flood with the back of her hand, leaving a mess of snot and tears on her damp cheeks. “So young. Not - not much older than me. I have his identity card.”

“You do? What was his name?”

“I don’t know. Some neighbors found me unconscious and cared for me. Once I woke up, I went to his body to pray for his soul. That’s when I snuck it away, hiding it with my stuff, andnever looked at it. One day, I wanted to tell his parents that he was a brave and - and good man.”

“Hanna, that couldn’t have been easy. I’m proud of you. He should be remembered and blessed for being human and putting those sentiments above his nationality.” Ana found some tissues in her pocket and handed them over to the teen now slumped in her seat. Exhausted from the emotional storm, she whimpered, “I miss my home so much, my Mamo and Tato. Why does the world have to be so cruel?”

Ana shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve asked that very same question often in my job and never found an answer that works.”

Chapter Six

Nash drove around the area of the Big Bear lake that was still relatively unscathed. Breathing a sigh of relief, he took the mountain roads he’d traveled on as a kid, enjoying his first day off in weeks.

Fighting forest fires might be a backbreaking job, but he was good at it. Ever since he’d become aware of the increased dangers from Global warming in the state of California, he’d put his expertise to work, doing what he’d taken training to do… managing men and dealing with fires.

He’d experienced all aspects of this career, starting on a handcrew, moving into fighting forest fires as a hotshot firefighter, even maintaining and driving the engines. After his first summer of experience, he’d earned the choice to explore helitack, smokejumping, or dispatch positions. And after more than a few years, he’d become proficient in most of those roles.

But his favorite place was in front of the fire and so he’d chosen to stay in that position. Therefore, as a superintendent ofa Hotshot crew, he had twenty-three men under his supervision, good men, tough as they come.

They’d spent the last two months fighting numerous outbreaks, working sometimes fourteen to sixteen hours a day and that’s during the good times. Often, they’d have to stay on duty twenty-four hours plus with no rest for weeks. Finally, his boss gave him the nudge with a – this is an order and not up for discussion. “Nash, get lost for at least a week. You and your boys. We’ll need you in good shape for the next big breakout we all know is coming. The weather reports are saying we’ll be hit with another heat wave and lightning storms added in.”

“Jesus. It never ends.”

“Nope, it as hell doesn’t.”

“In fact, it’s getting worse. That fire tornado blew my mind last week. Never seen anything like it. Who knows what’s coming next?”

“You can say that again. Like I said… get lost and come back rested.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t know why you’re grounding us now but—” Seeing his boss’s thunderous expression and finger pointing to the exit, Nash gave up. “Fine. We’re gone.”

Today, the third day of his vacation, he’d finally caught up on his sleep and the world began to seem normal again. Aimlessly driving around the lake, he sang along with the tune on his phone, left his arm outside the open window, and steered down the empty road. Coming around a curve, he spotted a parked Highlander, pulled off the road crookedly… as if there’d been a problem.

Slowing down, he saw two women in the front looking upset. Unable to ignore their distress, thinking they might have had car trouble, he stuck his cold beer into the holder, parked his truck, and headed over to see if he could be of assistance.

Before he could tap on the window, the driver flung the door open and confronted him, her body language speaking plainly that she wouldn’t be happy if he had any naughty ideas.

The tall woman met him eye-to-eye, haughtiness obvious in her expression. And since he was almost six feet and three inches tall, that didn’t happen very often. Before he could control himself, he grinned in a relaxed way, the few beers he’d imbibed making his tongue loose. “Whoa. You’re a big girl now, ain’tcha?”

When he saw her eyes flashing, obviously not enjoying his teasing comment, he decided he’d pushed too far.Not too smart, buddy.

“What do you want?” Her tone alone could shrivel a happy disposition.

Hopefully looking chastised, his grin sliding into a respectful and less teasing look, he admitted, “It seemed like you might be having trouble.” He pointed at the way her car was parked crookedly. “Just making sure you’re alright.”

“No need to worry. We’re fine” She opened her door without taking her eyes from him. “Ahh… thanks.”

He held the door from closing and peered around her at the frizzy-haired teenager in the passenger seat. Leaning in, he asked, “Everything okay, honey?”

The girl’s blue-eyed expression underwent changes from embarrassment – to relaxing slightly – into almost friendly. “Yes, sir. My cousin is a police woman so she’s taking very good care of us. She has a gun.”

Nash’s face broke up, he couldn’t help it. “She does, eh? Well, I’ll be careful not to get her too riled up. Wouldn’t want her to shoot me.”

The driver stepped in between and brought his attention back to her. “How many beers have you had?”

Nash continued to grin, his way of dealing with any uncomfortable situation. “Enough to forget my manners, ma’am. Ya’ll have a good day now, you and your daughter.”

A young voice laughingly called from the far seat. “She’s my cousin, not my mother. We just look alike.”

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