Page 47 of Carmine

Klutz looked uncomfortable.

“What did I miss?” I asked, concerned.

“Three hikers are missing, and they’d been in the area of the eruption. Search and rescue are out looking for them now,” Klutz replied.

My gut told me all I needed to know. “Carmine’s one of them that’s headed up into the Hills, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” Klutz admitted.

Slowly, I nodded. Okay. To enable Carmine to do his job, I needed to gather as much information as possible about the eruption. Then Carmine would come home safely.

“Molly, Carmine is trained to do this. He won’t risk himself or his team.”

“I understand. Go and shower, Klutz, I’m fine. Honestly,” I said with a forced smile.

Klutz reached out and squeezed my shoulder before lumbering away. I turned my mind to the data. Carmine needed me.

Carmine

The level of destruction was shocking. Even though we were keeping a wide berth of the lava flow, we saw the damage done to the plantation and animal life. Sadly, we’d put bullets in the heads of several badly burned animals to ease their suffering.

The heat was intense, and I was sweating buckets in my gear. We’d donned breathing apparatus a while ago when the air became thick with sulphur and lord knows what else. I can’t believe three fuckin’ idiots had headed up here to watch the ‘fireworks’, as they put it. Their friends had reported them missing this morning after dithering all night on whether to call someone or not.

That decision to delay may have cost the hikers their lives. While I believed they needed to learn a harsh lesson, I didn’t wish anyone dead.

“Break!” Gunner shouted and held his hand up. “Everyone, take a good drink to replace your fluids,” he ordered.

I didn’t disagree. We all carried enough bottles of water to last so we could take a few healthy mouthfuls.

“Ten minutes of rest,” Gunner called.

I sank back and dreamed of an ice-cold shower, which would be heaven. Idly, I wondered what Molly was up to.

She was out for the count when I woke this morning, and I hated leaving her. Nothing was better than curling up against my girl. Instead, I was out here chasing idiots who were convinced they knew more than those in charge.

“Gear up,” Gunner called.

Damn, that had been a fast ten minutes.

“Can you believe we’re out here, this close to a fuckin’ volcano, because of three assholes?” Savage asked, and I snorted.

“If it were me, I’d have left them,” I replied.

“Me too. But seriously, did none of them have a brain cell?”

“Clearly not. You can hear them whine now… ‘It’s a once in a life-time adventure, dude’. And off they trotted,” I said.

“Grace and the kids are at the command centre, and I’m missing time with my woman because of these fuckin’ dicks. I might have been getting me some loving instead of this shit,” Savage bitched.

Amused, I sent Savage an incredulous look. “Did I need to know that?”

“Bro, you’re missing out too,” Savage pointed out.

Damn if he wasn’t right. Savage laughed as I scowled.

“You finished complaining? At least you’ve got a woman,” Bobby Lucas said, slapping me around the head.

“Thought you were dating that woman. What’s her name, Donna, Dolores, Dana?” Savage replied.

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