Greenwater, Washington, October 8
It was late in the day by the time Kenzie could join the others in the park. With multiple fires burning around the northeast corner of the park, they had established a wildland fire resource station in nearby Greenwater, Washington. The locals called it fire camp, and it was less than ten miles from where Kenzie and Derek had originally met Chief York examining DEA Agent Martinez’s burning SUV.
During the drive from Seattle, the sky had become increasingly smoke filled. Evidence of the fires burning around her, and exactly what her investigation didn’t need right now. She was finally making some headway on Nico. She glanced at her phone. It had been radio silence from Riley for two days now. Maybe the captain’s computer genius had finally hit a wall.
Kenzie sighed and strode into the small building, looking for her people. She let out a jaw cracking yawn and spotted Derek, Sydney, and Lucas, who looked as tired as her. Everyone was busting their ass to find Tori. The trio gathered around a small table with steaming cups in front of them. She didn’t have to cross the room to know they were drinking tea, hot chocolate, and coffee, respectively. Bodie lay with his head on Sydney’s boot.
Owen York sat at a table near the door, surrounded by maps as he commanded the wildland fire resources across the area. “Agent Harper. Good to see you.”
“Chief,” Kenzie said. “What’s the latest update on the fires?”
“It’s not good.” He’d aged a dozen years since she first met him five days ago. “After the dry thunderstorms earlier this week, we now have multiple fires burning in the national park and the surrounding forests. Fryingpan Fire is burning west of Summerland. The Border Fire is now big enough to be named, on the northern border of the park. And outside the park, Lightning Creek Fire is burning almost due east of us here.”
Kenzie chewed her lip. York had just described a network of fires essentially burning a semicircle around their search grid. “What’s the outlook?”
“It’s dry, but manageable. For now.” York grimaced and rubbed his chest.
“Then why do you look so worried?”
“Because we haven’t had conditions this dry up here in decades. The old timers can’t remember a time it was this dry. The whole place is a powder keg.”
“And all it’ll take is a single spark,” Kenzie murmured.
“Exactly. Like a dumbass camper who thinks a fire ban doesn’t apply to them,” York said. “At least NPS has closed backcountry campsites.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to get ready for my update here in a few minutes. I’ll see you later.”
Kenzie contemplated her team across the room and tried to predict how each would respond to the growing danger from the fires. Lucas was fearless, probably a bad trait the entire Harper clan carried. Sydney saw adventure in everything and was young enough to not know her limits yet. Derek was the easiest to predict. Ranger Rick, Mr. Safety First, would not be happy with this development.
Kenzie hurried across the room. “Hey, you guys look like you’ve had a rough day.”
Sydney smiled tiredly. “We just got back. Another portion of the search grid checked off.”
“No luck?”
Lucas shook his head. “No sign of Tori. Bodie never even got a hit. The smoke is aggravating his scenting ability, too.”
“Yeah, Chief York just gave me the update. He’s concerned the fire conditions could become unmanageable given how dry it is.”
Derek’s jaw tightened. “Maybe you should stay in Seattle tomorrow, Syd.”
Sydney rolled her eyes. “I’ve been in Seattle for the last two days, that’s why I came up here today, to get out of the city for a bit.”
“Sydney can use her best judgment to decide if she’s needed in the lab or in the park.” Kenzie’s tone brooked no argument and Derek pressed his lips together.
She quickly caught them up on the case developments.
Lucas raised a brow. “A CI? Where did he come from?”
Kenzie waved a hand. “Not important. What matters is that all signs point toward a major drug release in Seattle in the coming days. Tori’s been embedded with this organization for months. She’s our best bet to stop that delivery.”
Derek pointed toward the back of the room, where York and a half dozen officials were huddled over maps. “You just said this place is a time bomb waiting to go off. I’ve seen too many people ignore fires in Glacier. Winds are unpredictable in mountainous terrain. It’s hugely risky to send people out there right now.”
Her frustration at his overly cautious approach burned in her gut. “We don’t have time to wait. This delivery is coming soon and we need to stop it. Do you want more kids to die?”
Derek jerked back like she’d slapped him, and she immediately regretted her words. She held up a hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that like it sounded. We just don’t have time for a ten point safety check here.”
Derek’s eyes bugged. “You can’t send people into an area where a fire might jump to if the wind changes. It’s irresponsible.”
“We’re racing the clock. And Irons is watching my every move.”
“Classic Kenzie. You need to prove you can solve this case, so who cares about other’s lives?” Derek snapped.
Kenzie stared at him, his words slicing straight to the bone. The last time he’d yelled at her like that was when she’d nearly drowned back in Glacier after a seriously rookie move on her part. She’d deserved the scolding then, but now it sent her blood boiling.
“Maybe we should take this conversation outside,” she said in a dangerously controlled voice.
Derek stepped closer, his green eyes narrowed. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to join this team. You put the case over safety. But you dragged me into it.”
“Derek, man, chill,” Lucas said in a dangerously low voice. He tried to step between her and Derek, but Kenzie shook her head at him, silently telegraphing that she would handle this.
Kenzie pinned Derek with her gaze, but before she could say anything, Derek turned on his heel.
“I can’t do this.” He strode toward the door.
“Derek, wait.” Sydney reached for her brother as he swept past, but he shook her arm off roughly.
Kenzie blinked in shock. What the hell just happened?
She charged after Derek. Outside, the smell of pine mixed with the acrid tang of smoke.
“What is going on with you, Reese?” she demanded when she caught up with him, nearly hidden in a grove of trees nearby.
“Nothing. Can’t you just accept something for once, Kenzie, and move on?” Derek turned away from her.
Kenzie stopped dead in her tracks. “I’m sorry. Have you met me? Of course I can’t accept this! Because it makes no sense. You have all these amazing skills that make you perfect for this team—for my team—and yet you refuse to join.”
Derek’s answering silence was deafening.
A deep, spiraling sensation began in her stomach, like a whirlpool pulling her under. He doesn’t trust me to lead this team, to keep his sister safe. He doesn’t—
“Oh. You don’t want to work with me.” Her voice was small.
Derek whipped his head toward her. His lips went bloodless as they tightened like he was trying to hold something back.
The chill in the air was a sharp contrast to the heat of their argument, and she shivered. She’d considered a dozen reasons why the safety conscious and amiable Derek wouldn’t join her team. But not this one.
“Be straight with me. Am I the reason you won’t join the team?” She cursed herself for the vulnerability in her tone and stood up straighter to face him.
“Of course you’re the reason,” Derek whispered.
“Why?” Fingers crept up around her heart and squeezed, because she knew what his answer would be. They were too different. He didn’t think she could do this—she was a disappointment to him, just like she was to her father.
“You don’t understand.” Derek closed his eyes, indecision etched on his face. For the first time, she noticed fine lines framing Derek’s eyes. Were those new since they started working together?
Maybe he would be better off without her.
She took a small step back, starting the separation process before he did. Better to maintain some semblance of control.
She slid another step back, the gravel grating beneath her boots.
Derek’s eyes flew open, and time slowed. The sounds of the surrounding forest drifted away as his gaze locked on hers. Her heart beat faster, wondering what they could have been.
I’ll miss you, Ranger Reese.
She slowly took another step away from him.
He took in her new position, and alarm flashed across his face. He covered the distance between them in a single stride and gripped her tightly. Derek hesitated for a fraction of a second before pressing his warm lips to hers. Electricity ran from her mouth to her toes, burning so hot she feared she’d spark and cause the very forest fire York feared.
Kenzie’s mind swirled with memories of arguments and frustrations with Derek, even as her body leaned into his. Then she remembered the touch of his hand on her cheek after she saved Sydney. And the feeling of his big, comforting body pressed against her after nearly dying of hypothermia. Her mind stuttered at the unexpected emotions surfaced by his kiss. Was this what she wanted?
Hell, yes.
Kenzie wrapped her arms around Derek’s neck and pulled him closer. His hands roamed, igniting sparks where they touched. He smelled like the woods and possibilities. The tenseness of their argument faded away, replaced with that same sense of wonder he’d helped her find in a sunrise months ago. Time held static as they explored one another. Her thoughts focused only on the taste of his lips, the roughness of his hand on her back, and the warmth that pooled in her belly.
When she finally pulled back, struggling for breath, she met his forest green gaze. “I’m not sure that answers my question. Am I the reason you won’t join the team?”
Derek took her hand and led her a few feet away to a picnic table. They sat, but he didn’t release her hand.
“Kenz, you are the most frustrating person I’ve ever met. But I’ve wanted to kiss you since I pulled you shivering out of that creek back in Glacier.”
Nervous laughter bubbled out of her chest. “I thought you wanted to kill me that day.”
He tilted his head in consideration. “That actually sums it up pretty well. You do such reckless things sometimes. It drives me insane. But I see your passion for justice, that you want to make an impact by helping people in our parks.”
“So you’re conflicted about…us?” She gripped his hand. They were a good team. Look what they had done together in Montana.
Can we be teammates and something more, though?
“That’s not what I’m saying. You don’t want me on this team. You’ll be better off with someone else. Someone who can be trusted with this responsibility.”
She shook her head. “You’re the most responsible person I know. There are dozens of boxes of supplies in the back of your ranger vehicle, you are prepared for literally any circumstance.”
“Except floods.”
An icy finger drew down her spine at the memory of the flooded river in Glacier that had tried to claim both her and Sydney’s lives.
“Is there an inflatable raft in your vehicle now?” she asked.
Derek looked away.
“Ha!” she said triumphantly. “I knew it. You’re making my case for me.” She ran her thumb over his hand. “Where is all this worry and indecision coming from?”
And in that moment, she knew. Shit. Some friend she was.
“This is about Aiden?”
Derek’s chin dipped down. “I failed him. He died on my watch. I can’t risk that happening again.”
“Your son died in an accident. It wasn’t your fault.”
“We both know that’s not true.”
“What would Aiden say if he saw you today? If he saw you running from this chance to help others?”
“That’s the point. He can’t see me. Because my son is dead. I had one responsibility that day: keep my son alive on that river, and I failed.”
Kenzie closed her eyes and tried to quiet her thoughts. It was no easy task when she wanted to shake Derek until he came to his senses. Her heart ached to see how much guilt Derek still carried over Aiden’s death. How could she help him?
She opened her eyes and held his green gaze. “When you took Aiden on that rafting trip, did you check the weather before?”
“Yes, why?”
“Did you check your life jackets and raft and equipment were in perfect condition?”
“Yes,” he mumbled.
“Did you intentionally risk Aiden’s life that day?”
“Of course not!” Derek sat up straight, his eyes blazing.
“Did you almost die yourself trying to save him?”
“You know I did.” Derek dropped his gaze.
Kenzie lifted his chin gently. “You did everything right, and Aiden still died. Because accidents happen and this is a shitty world sometimes. But we can save lives if we do this together.”
“I can’t be trusted with the lives of others like this. I’m sorry.” The finality of his words cut through the fuzzy warmth swirling inside her.
“You’re giving up before we even have a chance!” She wasn’t sure if she meant their team or their relationship, but it didn’t matter. They were intertwined, and they both knew it. Kenzie pulled her hand away from his and tugged at her collar. There must be more smoke in the air. It was getting harder to breathe.
Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out from habit. She skimmed the message, then read it more slowly, trying to absorb the words. What the hell does that mean?
She lifted her gaze to Derek and pocketed the phone. She couldn’t deal with him right now. Everything felt too raw, too many soft emotions close to the surface. What she needed to do was focus on work. Work never let her down. “I have to go.”
“Go? Go where?” Derek’s brows dipped in confusion.
“I need to show SSA Irons I can lead an effective team.” She stood. “I’ll see you later.”
Frustration etched Derek’s face. “Wait, can we talk about this?”
She tried a smile. It felt forced, but she pushed through it. “No, you’re right. We would only complicate things. It’s better this way.”
Derek stood. “I’ll go with you.”
“No, it’s fine. You stay here. I’ve got a case to solve.”
“Kenzie, don’t—” Derek reached for her, but she jumped out of his grasp.
Kenzie spun toward the parking lot, her head held high as she strode toward her vehicle. Her eyes burned, but she refused to let Derek see the tears that threatened. Inside the jeep, she read the message again. It was from Riley, following up on Kenzie’s request. “Burner paid for by one of Nico’s shell corps last pinged here.” The message included GPS coordinates. Kenzie clicked on them to bring up a map.
Unfamiliar with that area of the park, she googled it and went to the images tab to get a sense of the topography. The third image took her breath away. Kenzie flipped to an image on her phone and compared the two. Her mind raced to push the puzzle pieces together.
Excitement shoved the fight with Derek out of her mind as she started the car. A message from Sydney came onto the car’s navigation display. “Are you okay?”
She hesitated. Her team might have valuable insights on this new lead. Maybe she should go talk it out with them. But she couldn’t bear the awkwardness of being with Derek right now—not after so much had been said—and so much left unsaid. Plus, Chief York was in there. His warning ran through her head. This whole place is a powder keg. He would never approve of where she was headed.
Kenzie put the car into gear. She would check out the lead on her own. Better to ask forgiveness than permission.
She punched the gas, leaving gravel flying in her wake. She was racing the sun. Not that there was much of that these days with the smoke filled skies.
Derek’s absence was a tangible void in the car, but she refused to let it steer her off course. Deep in the park lay the answers to solving the case before Icarus X flooded the streets of Seattle and claimed more victims.