Page 73 of Falling for the Firefighter
"Top team at the summit."Parker's voice reports."Setting anchors for exterior belay."
Long minutes pass while I track their progress. Parker's team rigging solid anchors while Mac, Rodriguez, Martinez, andNguyen prepare for the most dangerous climb of their lives—up the exterior face with fire licking at the rock below them.
"Two belay lines secured and deployed down the exterior face."Parker reports."Beginning dual evacuation."
Two by two, the larger firefighters are hauled up the outside of the chimney formation—Rodriguez and Martinez on the first pull, their bodies silhouetted against the flames below. Then Nguyen paired with gear, leaving Mac alone on the superheated canyon floor.
"Alpha Leader, you're last up?"
"Affirmative. Exterior face fully engaged now. Heat extreme."
I track his ascent in my mind—sixty feet of vertical climbing up the exterior rock face, hauled by belay lines while superheated air and flames surround him like the breath of a dragon.
"Alpha Leader, halfway point."
Static.
"Alpha Leader, status?"
More static, then his voice, labored:"Exterior surface too hot. Can't maintain grip much longer."
My heart stops. The granite is absorbing heat from the fire below, turning the chimney into a vertical oven.
"Can you continue?"
"Have to."His breathing is labored, desperate."No choice."
Long seconds pass. I imagine him pressed against burning stone, fingertips seeking purchase on rock hot enough to sear flesh, sixty feet of vertical hell between him and safety.
Finally:"Alpha Leader clear. All personnel accounted for and clear of immediate danger. We're at the lake—forty feet below us, crystal clear water. Beginning rappel operations now."
The relief nearly buckles my knees. I grip the edge of the table, breathing for what feels like the first time in an hour.
Scout seems to sense the shift in my emotional state before I fully process Mac's words. Her tail gives a tentative wag—the first sign of optimism she's shown all evening. She moves to my side as my knees threaten to give out, her solid body providing support as relief crashes through me.
When I reach down to pat her head with trembling fingers, she leans into the touch, sharing both my fear and my relief. Her brown eyes hold the same exhausted gratitude I feel—our pack leader is coming home.
"Roger that, Alpha Leader. Once you're across the lake, you'll be clear of the thermal column and in the green zone for evacuation. Status on injuries?"
"Minor burns and smoke inhalation. Nothing that won't heal."A pause, then his voice drops lower, intimate despite the open channel."Outstanding work, Base Command. You just saved twelve lives with that route."
"Just bringing you home, Sir."
"On our way to you now."
As the radio goes quiet, I become aware of the silence around me. Every person in the command center is staring at me with expressions ranging from amazement to respect.
Sheriff Donovan breaks the silence first. "That was extraordinary."
I sink into a chair, the adrenaline finally catching up with me. My hands tremble as I roll up the map that just saved the man I love and eleven of his teammates.
But even as relief floods through me, this isn't over. Mac's team may be past this threat, but the main blaze still burns. Angel's Peak still faces destruction.
And somewhere in those flames, an arsonist watches his engineered disaster unfold, probably congratulating himself on a plan that's working exactly as intended.
The radio crackles one more time. Mac's voice, quiet but carrying clearly:"Josephine."
I grab the radio instantly. "Yes?"
