Page 58 of Wild Fated

I swung the backpack over my shoulder and rushed out of the apartment, not bothering to lock the door behind me. I jumped into the car and tore down the street to his place.

I parked and ran up the front steps, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I pounded on the door, barely giving it a second before I knocked again.

Liam answered, his hair tousled and eyes bleary. "Mia? What the hell?—"

"There's a fire," I said, cutting him off. "Up north. Where Rowan and Evelyn are. I just saw it on the news. Tori says there isn’t anything they can do about it because the northern packs are supposed to handle it, but we both know they won’t?—"

Liam held up a hand. "Whoa, whoa. Start over?"

I took a shuddering breath. "There's a fire. In the mountains. I think my sister is up there."

Liam blinked, then rubbed a hand over his face. "Seriously?”

I nodded, my heart still pounding in my chest. "I need to find her. I need to make sure she's okay."

Liam didn't hesitate. "Give me a minute." He disappeared into the house, and I heard him rummaging around. A minute later, he reappeared with a backpack slung over his shoulder. "Okay, let's go."

We got in the car, and I sped down Main, my hands tight on the wheel, my thoughts racing as fast as the tires on the pavement. When we passed through town, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was like a scene out of a movie. Firemen in reflective gear, hoses and tools being organized, fire trucks and volunteers packing their vehicles with supplies. The smell of smoke hung in the air, making my eyes water.

I slammed on the brakes and screeched to the curb.

“Mia!” Liam complained, but I jumped out of the car and ran up to one of the firemen.

"What’s going on?" I asked.

He glanced at me, then continued strapping a hose to the side of a truck. "We've got a hot spot crew heading north. Volunteers are going with them to help with containment."

I nodded, trying to process the information. "That fire in the mountains? The one on the news?"

"Yeah," he said gruffly. "It's bad. No stations out there to respond, so we're all hands on deck."

I swallowed hard. "Thank you." I turned and jogged back to the car, my mind already working out what needed to happen next.

Liam eyed me as I climbed in behind the wheel. "What'd he say?"

"They're organizing a crew to head north. Looks like they're already packing up." I put the car in drive, then pulled up the street a little ways and parked.

Liam frowned. "So, what do you want to do? Follow them, or?—"

I shook my head and reached into the back seat. "If we want to get close, we're going to have to go with them." I knew my sister. She wasn’t living somewhere with easy access from the main roads, and my guess was that everything up there was going to be blocked off.

Liam's eyes widened. "What? Mia, we can't just?—"

I grabbed my jacket and backpack, then stepped out of the car. "We have to get up there, Liam. My sister?—"

"You don't even know if?—"

"Stop," I snapped, my frustration boiling over. "We can’t wait and hope the northern packs do something. We both know they won’t. They have no reason to.”

Liam exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the cold air. "Okay. But we're not firemen. We don't have the training. We don't have the right gear."

I pulled the straps of my backpack tighter. "It’s just a ride, Liam."

He stared at me for a long moment, then sighed. "Alright." He turned and started toward the fire station, his shoulders tense. "But if we die, I'm blaming you."