Page 35 of Fighting for Tawny

“We need a team name,” Yolanda declared. “How about Tawny’s Titans?”

It echoed around the table, much to Tawny’s embarrassment. “Let’s just stick to Titans. We’re all equal here.”

Everyone agreed and lifted their glasses of soda. “To the Titans!”

After lunch, Tawny and Yolanda volunteered to clean up the kitchen and bake brownies for dessert. Moira secluded herself in her office to work and make phone calls. After they completed their chores, Tawny and Yolanda wandered outside and joined a basketball game with Precious, Terrin, Dee, and Joy.

An hour later, Tawny caught the basketball and stopped the game. She sniffed the air. “I smell smoke?—”

The words were barely out of her mouth when Moira ran out of the main bunkhouse. “Titans! Gear up! We’re on!”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Tawny hustled the others out of the bunkhouse. Her natural ability to lead in an emergency urged her to assert control.

As they raced toward a transport truck, the smell of smoke grew stronger. Plumes rose in the sky. Chino Hills State Park burned.

Moira climbed into the driver’s seat, Whitcomb rode shotgun, and the Titans huddled in the back. Joy perched on the bench across from Tawny. Her hands trembled, and her eyes were wide with terror. Tawny reached over and covered Joy’s hands with her own.

“Don’t be afraid. Just do what Captain Finnigan orders you to do. Remember, we’re assisting the fire department. Hear those sirens? They’re already on their way.”

Joy nodded and squeezed Tawny’s hands.

They arrived at the state park within ten minutes. Visitors fled by car or on foot. Moira drove farther into the park, where other first responders directed campers and hikers to safety. They veered off the main trail and ventured into where the fire raged. Sparks flew, and smoke billowed. The heat penetrated the truck, and their jumpsuits stuck to their damp skin. Moira said something into her radio as a fire engine pulled behind them. She twisted in her seat to face the team.

“Listen, we’re clearing out brush and using the hoses. Stay aware of what’s happening around you, and don’t wander off alone.”

“Yes, Captain!” The response echoed through the truck.

Everyone hopped out and grabbed their tools. The firefighters from Chino Valley Fire Department Station 66 shouted at each other as they unleashed their water hoses and ran toward the flames gobbling trees, brush, and vacant campsites. Moira ordered her crew to hack at the brush to keep the fire from spreading.

Tree limbs burned and crashed to the ground around them. Tawny pushed Yolanda and Terrin out of danger when she heard a telltale cracking above them and realized a huge limb on the verge of falling on top of them. A portion of it struck Tawny and knocked her off her feet. Yolanda and Terrin smothered the flames and grabbed her arms to lift her.

“Are you hurt?” Yolanda yelled.

“No!”

They went back to work and made good headway until the wind shifted. Burning pieces of debris caused spot fires to erupt, and the fire roared with renewed energy and intensity. Moira shouted orders and sent the Titans to put out the spot fires. Tawny, Yolanda, and Terrin coordinated as a small team and rushed into the danger zone near the fiery beast.

Adrenaline pumped through Tawny’s veins as she used a shovel to douse the growing flames of the spot fires. She kept a close eye on Yolanda and Terrin fighting fires close to her. More sprouted, and they moved farther away from the rest of the team, though they could still see and hear the others.

As Tawny turned toward a campsite with a tent pitched in the middle, an unusual sound caught her attention. A whine, a cry of fear and desperation, came from the tent.

“Oh, my God!”

She sprang forward. Out of nowhere, a firefighter materialized from the smoke and flames and tackled her. Tawny landed with a hard thud on her back, and the shovel flew out of her hands. At first, she assumed the firefighter was protecting her until a blow to her face sent pain spiraling through her. The attacker knocked off her helmet and punched her in the head, and she almost lost consciousness as her vision wavered. Though dazed, Tawny’s training kicked in, and she blocked the next blow with her forearm. The fake firefighter quickly drew a blade and sliced a wicked path through the outer layer of her turnout gear.

Tawny grabbed his wrist when he tried to use the blade again. With a sharp twist, she disarmed him. He tried to choke her, but she anticipated it and threw him off her, executing a defensive move that Justice had taught her. Weighing more from her gear, it was harder to leap to her feet, but she managed to gain her balance and kicked her assailant in the face multiple times. Bones crunched, and he let out a low growl. Tawny grabbed the knife off the ground and slashed his arms while he was disoriented. Blood flowed from the deep cuts she inflicted.

Another feeble cry came from the tent, but she didn’t intend to run from this fight or spook her attacker by yelling for help. She stood ready to kill him if necessary. His arms hung limply at his sides. He eyed the knife in her right hand. Then, without a word, he jumped up and fled into the thickening smoke as the fire advanced closer to the tent. Tawny dropped the knife, found her shovel, and rushed inside the canopy.

A child, no more than five or six, crouched in one corner, crying. Tawny set down her shovel and knelt in front of the boy. “Don’t be afraid. My name is Tawny, and I’m a firefighter. What’s your name?”

“Jimmy.”

“Jimmy, where are your parents?”

He shrugged.

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