Page 218 of Smoke and Fire
Bastian stopped, nostrils flared.
The words sent a chill through me. Another gust of wind shuddered by, sending gravel onto my cheeks. Like a ghost, Mark hurried away from the trailer before they could tell him to leave the third horse alone.
Bastian swallowed. His gaze hadn't left mine. "On it," Bastian called to James.
We stood a foot apart now. The back of his hand touched my cheek.
"Get somewhere safe right now, Dahlia," he muttered, his voice hard. "The fire is coming and you willnotbe part of it, you hear me?"
I nodded.
“Get your stuff out of your RV. You can stay at my Dad’s place for as long as you need to.”
"Thank you. I'll be waiting for you," I said. "Text me as soon as you're safe. Don't do anything stupid. I don't need you, you big oaf, but I want you. There's a difference, and I'm not sure you've ever heard it before."
Surprise flickered in his eyes. He hesitated, then nodded once. "Thank you."
"Bastian!"
"I'm coming."
He grabbed my arm and towed me toward the truck. The door groaned when he shoved me inside. "Go now. Don't wait for Mark. Drive slower than usual, but don't take your time. This fire can take off in minutes."
I nodded, cranked the truck on. Mark materialized out of the smoke, coughing. The final horse hurried behind him.
"Go!" Mark waved me on, a bandana around his neck that he'd clearly had over his mouth and nose. “Take it easy. I'll meet you at the highway."
I nodded. Driving with the RV made me a pro at towing precious cargo. The back of my throat burned when I turned back to Bastian. He grabbed my jaw, pressed his lips to mine in a soul-lifting kiss, then pulled away.
"Be safe."
He faded back, disappearing into the smoke.
MY PHONE RESOUNDEDwith an annoyingbleep bleep bleepthe moment I pulled into Pineville. A quick glance confirmed my nightmare.
Mandatory Evacuations for the North Pineville area.
A load of other text populated below that, dictating the urgency of escaping this mountain oasis.
Cars streamed out of town, heading toward the other exits, as I followed Mark to open land near the reservoir bed. Alone, our two trucks ambled out of the canyon and back toward Pineville.
My gaze darted up the mountain. The RV hid under a foamy, smoky blanket now. I turned my mind away from it, hopeful it would be spared. Smoke had thickened in Pineville as well. It skimmed over the surface of the reservoir, hovering just off the ground with a miasmic effect.
We crossed the highway south of the reservoir, then drove slowly down a dirt road until Mark stopped at a gate with a fence. Other horses littered the inside of a wide, fenced pasture. New bales of hay had been tossed inside. Horses with their faces covered lounged in the field. Others pranced, letting out irritated whinnies.
Bastian’s truck slowed, then stopped. I shoved it into park, grateful that the drive was over with. Towing an RV had made it a simple task to get the horses down, but living cargo was very different from a touring home. Hardest of all had been putting space between me and Bastian.
Meanwhile, my lips still burned. My heart thrummed with the heady memory of Bastian. How safe would he be? Would he survive such an inferno?
He better.
Mark hopped out of his truck and hurried back. He grinned, the immediate stress of getting the horses out of the fire almost gone now.
"You're a lifesaver, Dahlia. I'll get her unloaded. Once we're done, just pull the truck around and we’ll ditch the trailer here. We're safe now."
I nodded and obeyed his directions to pull off on a grassy side area. While he managed to safely back the horse out of the trailer, I worked on the hitch. By the time we had both horses unloaded and trailers pulled off to the side, I felt a modicum of relief. The horses were safe. Sione was safe. I was safe.
My belongings?
