Page 37 of Burning Secrets

“I need to bring back something for Viper. He thinks I’m going to get information on where you’re jumping next. Might be good if I knew wherenotto send him.”

“Hard to say since we don’t know where a fire might start. But we do have some priority management areas where, if there is a fire, we’ll definitely drop in.”

She held the door open for him.

Inside, the building was spare, a few wooden walls to divide the spaces, humming with the voices of dispatchers and otherpersonnel. She walked upstairs to Tucker Newman’s office and knocked on the half-open door.

Inside, Tucker—tall, brown hair, dressed in green pants and a white shirt—turned. “JoJo?”

“Hey, Chief. I just wanted to let Jade know I’m back.”

“She’s on her day off, but I’ll let her know.” His gaze trekked past her to Crew.

Jo turned. “This is Crew. He lives out in the backcountry. He picked me up and brought me back.”

Tucker reached out for Crew’s hand. “Thanks for bringing in one of our jumpers.”

Crew shook it, but his gaze was on a giant map on the wall with tacks marking recent fires. He stepped into the office. “Are these active fires?”

“Yes. The green are limited management fires, the orange are fires we’re watching. The red, of course, are active, but we’ve gotten control of those.”

“So the green are areas of fire but no personnel deployed?”

“Land management wants to let ecology take its course. Not every fire needs to be stopped. It’ll burn itself out eventually. We need to manage the ones that could cost homes and lives.”

Crew nodded, glanced at JoJo, gave her a tight smile.

She smiled back, her throat thick. Apparently, he’d gotten what he needed.

“Thanks.”

Right then, something in Crew’s face changed. His breathing quickened.

“Oh my gosh, it’syou.”

JoJo turned. Jamie Winters had walked up behind her. She stared at Crew. “You were at the compound.”

He looked at JoJo. Back to Jamie. “Um…” He cut his voice low. “Yeah. Uh…can we talk in the hall?”

Jamie’s eyes widened, and Crew all but pushed her into the hallway and into a nearby room.

JoJo followed, heard him ask, “Are you okay?”

What?

Jamie nodded. “Yeah. What are you doing here?”

“Long story.”

“Have you seen Tristan?”

Tristan? Oh, right—Jamie’s brother.

Crew looked a little stricken. “Is he missing?”

Jamie nodded. “He was almost murdered. Went AWOL from the hospital.”

He hung a hand behind his neck. Shook his head. “Wow. No, I haven’t.”

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