I Hear Voices by Gail Koger Page B

Thunder God’s going to be a problem.”
    “Granny?”
    “I’m here, bella.”
    I wiggled as a bunch of oven hot rocks dug into my backside. “Flip me over I’m done.”
    Derek scowled and pulled me across his lap.
    “The Thunder God?”
    My grandmother had over-extended herself and I could barely hear her as a gentle arctic breeze blew over us. “Tell your man that he has two hours to get his people off the mountain.”
    “Granny says we have two hours.” I swiped at the blood running into my right eye. “Everyone get out okay?”
    “Yeah, my pilot’s pretty banged up and Sam’s got a busted arm but we were damned lucky.”
    Sam must be the Marine. “Where’s my backpack?”
    “It’s still in the helicopter.”
    “What!” I shot up and cracked my head against Derek’s chin. “Ouch! Goddamnit that hurts!”
    “Tell me about it,” Derek grumbled, rubbing his jaw.
    I clutched my throbbing skull. Geezus, it felt like it was going to split in half. “Gotta get the stone,” I moaned, struggling to get my feet under me.
    The Tomb Raider clamped me against his sweaty chest. “You’re not getting anywhere near that helicopter. It could blow any second now.”
    “Listen to your man, bella.”
    “But the treasure,” I wailed.
    “You’re a smart girl, I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Derek responded a bit too calmly.
    What had Granny been telling him?
    With a thunderous cracking boom the Black Hawk blew.
    Sloan shielded me with his big body as pieces of burning debris rained down on us.
    A thick column of black smoke rose high into the sky and dozens of brush fires erupted.
    “I think we’d better call the Forest Service before we’re all a bit crispy fried.”
    “They’re on their way.” Derek effortlessly picked me up. Okay, I was more than impressed.
    Bet he could bench press five hundred pounds, too.
    Not like I weighed anywhere close to that but wow!
    He carried me over to a rocky overhang where Hank and his partner worked frantically on the injured pilot.
    A little banged up? Blood soaked her platinum blonde hair and she made this awful rasping sound as she fought for breath. Derek sat me next to the Marine who cradled his broken arm. “Stay put.”
    “Yes’um boss.”
    Derek fixed an intimidating stare on me. “I mean it.”
    One look at the heat waves quivered across the burning terrain like restless spirits and I sighed.
    “Not going anywhere, boss.”
    A convoy of helicopters appeared on the horizon.
    I pointed. “The cavalry’s coming.”
    “About fucking time.” Sloan jogged off to meet them.
    My gaze fastened on the poor pilot as she moaned and thrashed around. I turned to Sam, “Where’s Ed?”
    “He’s trying to clear a fire break,” the Marine answered, his face taut with pain.
    A thrumming roar filled the air.
    I looked up as a low flying Forest Service aerial tanker dropped its load. When the cascading waterfall stopped, the fires were out and Derek was sprawled face down on the ground.
    A giggle escaped me as Sloan pushed himself upright. He was coated head to toe in thick, gooey, red mud.
    Two Med-Evac choppers landed and teams of paramedics ran towards us with their rescue baskets.
    A black Maricopa County Sheriff’s helicopter landed directly behind them. Wiping the mud off his face, Sloan went to meet the Deputies.
    In the distance, thunder rumbled and growled.
    Sam and I exchanged worried looks.
    Hank took one glance at the building storm clouds and told the Med-Evac paramedics, “They’re all stable and we need to boogie now.”
    The next thing I knew my head was wrapped in gaze, I was strapped in a basket and being carried to a waiting helicopter. “Really, I can walk.”
    His arm in a sling, Sam patted my shoulder.
    “No, you can’t.”
    “But you get to walk.”
    “I don’t have a head injury.”
    “It’s just a really bad headache.”
    “Headaches don’t bleed.”
    He had a point. In the helicopter we went.
    As we lifted off, I