Page 109 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

38

JANNA

Chaos. It was not a drill. It was the real thing.

I felt like I swallowed a live wire. The fire that we all thought was handled practically exploded. The airfield has been transformed into home base for the fire operations. A bus arrived about twenty minutes ago carrying hotshots ready to get to work.

Everyone was on high alert. Everyone was walking a little faster than normal and voices were louder. It was contagious. The mood was serious. I didn’t understand everything that was happening but it wasn’t hard to figure out this wasn’t just an average fire.

The roar of engines filled the air. I watched one of the tankers taxi down the runway with one of the marshallers using bright orange sticks to guide the pilot.

Smoke filled the sky in a dark smear over the horizon. Somewhere out there, the gorge was burning. I knew a single spark could legitimately start a forest fire, but the speed with which it happened shocked me.

I spotted Chief and rushed over to talk to him. He was in the main hangar that was now empty. It was strange to see it empty. There was a group in front of him. I hated feeling useless. And right now, I felt completely useless. Everyone knew what to do but I was still feeling lost.

Chief was speaking into the headset he was wearing, barking orders into the radio like a man possessed. People were asking him questions and I swore he had to be holding six different conversations. He looked ten feet tall in that moment. I couldn’t help but admire the hell out of him. He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

“Where do you need me?” I asked, my voice loud over the buzz of conversation and engines.

Chief barely glanced at me. “Laser’s already up in the spotter plane. She’s reporting that road access into and out of town is shot. Fire jumped the main artery and the side roads are too dangerous. We’re sending choppers in to evacuate anyone left. We got two tankers in the air. Herc will be headed up as soon as he gets here.”

There was a moment of fear. I shoved the thought down before it could take root. I was not thinking about Dalton right now. He sure as hell wasn’t thinking about me. He was an experienced pilot. He flew these missions all the time. He would be just fine.

There would be plenty of time to fight about our feelings tomorrow.

Chief pointed toward the hangar across the tarmac. “Pickle’s warming up Chopper Two. You’re with him. Get into town and help with evac—prioritize the hospital and the assisted living center. If anyone’s stuck, you get them out.”

“Yes, sir.”

No time to think, no time to feel. Just move.

I hated helicopters. They were so much less predictable than planes. I would have preferred to be up with Laser, but that was not my call. I was hired to help and that’s what I was going to do.

I jogged across the tarmac. Pickle had a checklist and was quickly going through it.

“I’m with you,” I said. “What do you need me to do?”

“Suit up,” Pickle said. “All of it.”

I nodded and went into the hangar to put on a flight suit. It was way too big, but that worked out for the best. I didn’t want to waste time taking off my boots.

I stuffed a pair of gloves in my pocket and reached for a helmet.

I was pulling on the helmet when another pilot jogged over. I searched my mental database and remembered his name—Rodriguez. He was one of the regular chopper guys I’d seen around but never really talked to.

“You been briefed?” he asked. I could hear the urgency in his tone.

“Just the basics. Hospital and assisted living center first.”

He nodded grimly. “Fire moved faster than anyone expected. Wind shifted around three this morning and turned what should have been a controlled burn into a fucking monster. Half the town is already evacuated, but there’s still folks who didn’t get out in time. Last I heard there was something like a hundred structures threatened.”

I adjusted the helmet strap, my hands surprisingly steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me. “How bad is it?”

“Bad enough that we’re pulling people off rooftops.” He grabbed his own gear from a nearby locker. “Roads are blocked by fallen trees and power lines. Some areas are completely cut off. It’s a nightmare scenario.”

My stomach dropped as I thought about all the people I’d met in town over the past few weeks. “What about the outlying areas? Martha’s farm?”

Rodriguez paused. The expression on his face had my heart skipping a beat. “I don’t know about specific properties, but anything on the north side of town?” He shook his head. “It’s not looking good. The fire’s moving that direction fast.”