The Rockwell Legacy Box Set

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Later that night, Nicole woke from a restless sleep because a light was flashing outside her window. At first she thought it was lightning, because the rain was still pouring down in relentless sheets. But it came from below, not above. Someone was loading gear into a four-wheeler, running in and out of the old fire station outpost.

She pulled on jeans, added a sweater over her pajama top and a hooded rain slicker, then ran downstairs. No one else was awake, the lounge dark except for the flicker of the last ashes of last night’s fire in the hearth. She ran outside, her face instantly feeling the sting of raindrops.

Kai was in the midst of heaving a duffel bag onto the back of the four-wheeler. He wore a yellow firefighters’ rain jacket with white reflective stripes. For a wild moment, she wondered if she’d already managed to drive him away from Rocky Peak.

“What’s going on?” she called to him over the drumming of the rain.

He looked toward her, his headlamp nearly blinding her before he adjusted it upwards. “Birdwatcher got lost. Didn’t come back with the others. They’ve been searching on their own, but finally called it in. The fire department radioed me.”

“I’ll go with you,” she said instantly.

“No need, the fire department’s standing by. If I haven’t located him by daybreak, they’ll send a search chopper out.”

“But what if he’s injured?”

“I’m a paramedic.”

Of course he was. Saving lives was second nature to him, according to his google history. But she was a certified nurse aide, damnit. And she wanted to chase the bad taste of that presentation out of her mouth.

“It’s always good to have backup,” she pointed out. “Especially if you’re searching. You can focus on the driving and I’ll be the lookout.” Before he could argue any more, she slid onto the passenger seat. When he scowled at her, she gave his attitude right back to him. “If you want to waste time trying to evict me, good luck. Otherwise, let’s go.”

He shrugged finally and fastened a bungee cord around the supplies he’d loaded. “Anyone ever tell you you’re stubborn as f**k?”

“About as often as you’ve been told you’re a jerk.”

That got a laugh out of him. “Fine, have it your way.” He swung onto the rig. “Hang tight. This is going to be a helluva ride.”

That applied to time spent with Kai in general, in her opinion.

She hung onto the safety bar while they zoomed onto the westernmost trail.

“He was last seen near Skyfall Ravine,” Kai yelled over the tumult of engine noise and rain. “Spotted a Rocky Mountain bluebird, apparently. Way out of its range, according to the group.”

He flashed a grin at her. He looked energized and fired up. She realized that he was in his element now. Riding to someone’s rescue, braving rain and cold and ravines and whatever else might come. It sent a sharp thrill through her.

She focused on scanning the forests for signs of anything out of the ordinary, but saw nothing all the way to the ravine.

“Where are the other birders?”

“They’re searching on the near side of Skyfall, where they last saw him.” He gestured into the dark depths of the forested slopes. “I have a theory that he came this way because there’s a creek bed that runs through here. He could have easily gotten turned around and gone the wrong direction. We can only go so far on the four-wheeler, so I hope your boots are in good shape.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

He parked the vehicle as close to the top of the ravine as possible. The rain had turned it into something more like a mudslide.

“You stay here,” Kai said as he set the emergency brake. His manner changed into something intense and focused. He handed her a handheld radio. “Keep this in your pocket. Be ready for anything. If I need your help I’ll call.”

She nodded and cinched her rain slicker tighter.

He slung a gear bag over his shoulders and scrambled down a narrow trail that zig-zagged down the slope. It was covered with scrubby bushes, and he lost his footing a few times, nearly sliding down the slope, which was a virtual mud bath. She held her breath until he made it to the bottom, then veered upstream. Soon she lost sight of his dark figure.

The handheld in her pocket crackled. “You okay up there?”

She drew it out and clicked the button. “All good. How’s that mud treating you?”

“I’m thinking we could bring the ladies down here and charge a couple thousand for a dip in this stuff. I feel ten years younger already.”

She laughed. “I knew you’d come onboard sooner or later.”

“It’s because you’re so irresistible.” Holy crap, was he flirting with her over the handheld radio? In a rescue situation? “Signing off now,” he said, abruptly more serious. “Stay alert. You hear or see anything out of the ordinary, call me immediately.”

“Stay safe,” she told him.

“Safe is overrated.” He clicked off and suddenly she was all alone in the dark wilderness. The rain poured down, dripping through the dense forest, rattling onto the four-wheeler. And she realized—right here, right now, she felt more alive than she had during most of her life. And a lot of that had to do with the maddening man out there charging into the wilderness.

About half an hour later, another vehicle roared up behind her; it held a small crew from the fire department. One of the firefighters jumped out and ran through the rain to talk to her.

“Where’s Kai?”

She pointed in the direction he’d disappeared in. “He said he’d call if he needed help.”

“The storm’s getting worse. They’re warning about microbursts. He needs to come back,” the firefighter shouted over the din of the rain. He took the handheld radio from her. “Come in, Rockwell. Kai Rockwell, come in.”

No answer. He handed the radio back to her.

“You should get back to the lodge, ma’am. It’s about to get worse out here.”

“But what about Kai?”

“Kai can take care of himself.” He turned to go, but she clutched at his sleeve.

“You aren’t going after him?”

“No, we have more folks out there to warn. Possible evacuations in the flood zones. I’ll give you a ride back if you want to leave the four-wheeler for him. That’s the best I can do.”

“But what about the missing bird-watcher? Aren’t you supposed to be helping him?”

“Yeah, we are. That’s why we sent Kai.” With a stern look, he tugged his jacket out of her grasp. “That birder couldn’t be in better hands. Kai’s got this. Now come on, you need to come with us. That thin little slicker isn’t going to do a thing for you.

He was right about that part; she was already soaked through to the skin. But there was no way she was leaving with Kai still out there. She shook her head. “I’m a nurse, one or both of them might need me. I’m not going anywhere.”

He started to argue when a shout came from the direction of the ravine. “A little help here!”

Kai.

The firefighters ran toward him as he crested the ravine. Someone shone a light on him. The white glare illuminated the bizarre sight of Kai crawling on hands and knees up the muddy slope. Clinging to his back, piggyback style, was an elderly black man in a fishing cap.

Nicole scrambled off the four-wheeler and joined the group. The firefighters, one on each side, grabbed Kai by the upper arms and dragged him up the last few feet. One of them unfastened the harness that attached the victim to Kai’s back. He extracted the poor confused man as Kai, still on his knees, gasped out the details of the situation.

“Fell out of a tree and broke his left leg, probably the tibia. Lost his cell phone. Skin is clammy, pulse is thready. Disoriented, possibly hypothermic.”

One of the firefighters wrapped a reflective space blanket around the shivering man.

“You carried him?”

“Yeah, about a quarter mile, not too far. The hardest part was keeping him from letting go. He kept spotting imaginary birds. I had to strap him on.”

“Saw a three-headed yellow-eyed warbler, right there in the next tree,” the man said through chattering teeth.

“Three-headed, huh?” One of the firefighters took charge of the victim and whisked him into their rig. The other—the same one who’d told her to leave—offered a hand to Kai and helped him stand. Kai staggered as his feet touched the ground. Nicole came to his side and wrapped her arm around him to give him more support.

“This one refused to leave without you,” said the fireman with a smile. “Not even when I warned her about microbursts.”

“Yeah?” Kai glanced down at her. She noticed deep lines of fatigue etching his face, and the pale tone of his soaked skin. How much strength had it required to carry another person a quarter mile, then straight up a muddy cliff? “I’m not surprised,” he said softly, then turned back to the fireman. “What’s this about microbursts?”

“Storm’s worsening. We’ve already taken too long here. Can you two make it back on your own?”

Kai gave him a thumb’s up. “You’ll take the vic to the ER?”

“On it.” They clasped each other’s forearms, then the fireman jogged back to join the others. Their rig executed a tight three-point turn, then they disappeared back down the trail.

As soon as they were gone, Nicole helped Kai to the four-wheeler. “I’ll drive,” she said firmly. “You rest.”

He didn’t argue, which she greatly appreciated. It was probably a sign of his exhaustion. She helped him load the harness and ropes, everything sopping wet and even heavier than before. They didn’t speak. The rain was getting louder by the second and a fierce wind howled through spruce trees, making their tops whip wildly back and forth.

“There’s a hunter’s cabin out here,” he shouted over the din. “That’s the closest shelter. Take that path to the right.” He gestured at a very overgrown trail she hadn’t even noticed.

“You need warm clothes and a bed,” she yelled back.

“Just until the danger passes.”

She nodded and hopped in the driver’s seat. Once they were underway, she realized why Kai was allowing her to drive. As they wended their way through the thick brush, he used his exhausted body to hold back the worst of the branches from her face. He’d given her the easier task—typical Kai.

As she drove, the rain slashed their bodies and faces, and the wind buffeted the little vehicle. The engine kept making whining noises that made her worry it was about to stall. None of the city driving she’d done in her life had prepared her for this. She had to wrestle with the wheel just to keep the rig on the trail.

The drive seemed endless, more rain, more gusts of howling wind. She’d never been so glad to see a tiny dark structure in the middle of nowhere in her life. Kai directed her to drive right up to it and park as close to the entrance as possible. Then the two of them dashed inside just as a mammoth thunderclap sounded overhead.