“Thank you,” I said, deciding in the moment that I hated that euphemism.
She gave me two cards and winked, and I glanced down at the envelope to check the room number. I glanced over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of Tyler standing in the conference room, his arms crossed.
I carried my camera bag to the elevator, pressing the button for the second floor. Our room was at the end of the hall, a corner room, and I looked down to see the lot lights illuminating the news and hotshot vehicles crowded around Tyler’s truck.
I sat on the bed and tapped the remote. It didn’t take me long to find a news channel covering the fire. News of the missing Alpines was already scrolling across the bottom of the screen in yellow letters.
I called Jojo to let her know I was south covering the fire. Just as I plugged my phone into the charger, it chimed.
Going to get Taylor. Love you.
Be safe. I’ve got plans for you. Love you, too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The sun was getting low in the sky when the main lobby doors slid open and Trex walked through. He didn’t seem surprised to see me, but he was surprised to see the ring on my finger. “Congratulations,” he said.
“Have you heard anything about the Alpine crew?” I asked.
“The rescue crew was helo’d in. That fire’s a beast.”
I stood behind the sofa, watching the large flat screen next to Darby’s desk. Stavros brought me a glass filled with something clear and fizzy.
“Sprite,” he said. “Just Sprite. Are you hungry?”
“No, thank you.”
Stavros returned to the bar, and I returned my attention to the television. CNN was reporting that the smoke plume could be seen from the space station, and then they interviewed the US Forest Service Chief, Tom Tidwell.
“This is bad,” I said, folding my arms across my middle.
“My people say they have eyes on the rescue crew,” Trex said, checking his phone for the dozenth time.
After another meeting was held in the conference room, officials filed out and converged around the television. My stomach growled, but I didn’t move. Darby had clocked out at three, but she stayed with me, knowing I was worried and alone.
“Turn that up!” someone called from across the room.
Darby scrambled for the remote and pressed the volume several times. A female reporter was standing in front of tall grass and burning trees holding a microphone. My heart ached, knowing Tyler couldn’t be far.
I turned around in my seat, looking to the TAC team. They were talking quickly in hushed voices, and I turned around, watching the television with my fingers over my mouth.
“The last reported communication with the Estes Park crew was at six o’clock this evening, right about the time the two main fires converged. They’ve reportedly deployed their fire shelters.”
My eyes filled with tears, and everything began to move in slow motion. I stood, scanning the faces of the men around me, looking for someone who might know where my boys were.
Darby handed me a tissue, and I wiped my cheeks quickly, refusing to think the worst.
“They’re okay,” one of the firefighters said, patting my arm.
I turned to the television, praying that any second the words scrolling across the bottom of the screen would change.
“Ellie!”
I turned to see Falyn running into the lobby from the parking lot, looking as panicked as I felt. I ran to her and threw my arms around her shoulders, sniffling.
“I just heard,” she said. “Any news?”
I shook my head, wiping my nose with the tissue Darby had given me. “Nothing. We arrived just after seven. Tyler drove like a maniac. He’s out there with the crews, looking for them.”
She hugged me. “I know they’re okay.”
“Because they have to be,” I said, holding her at arm’s length with a forced smile. “I heard … about the baby. First Maddox grandbaby. Jim’s ecstatic.” Falyn’s face fell, and my heart sank. “Oh God. Oh, no. Did you … are you not pregnant anymore?”
She stared at me, seeming equally confused and horrified.
“You’re right,” I said. “This isn’t the time. Let’s go sit. Trex is getting updates every half hour from his people.”
“His people?” Falyn asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. He just said his people.”
Falyn sat with me on the sofa in front of the television, surrounded by firefighters and hotshots. As the night wore on, the crowd thinned, but Falyn, Darby, and I remained, waiting for any word other than Trex’s updates that really weren’t updates at all. The only thing we knew is that no bodies had been found.
Falyn held my hand and squeezed, her body sinking further into the sofa. Darby brought us coffee and a plate of donuts, but no one touched the food.
Trex came over, sitting in the chair adjacent to the sofa.
“Any word?” I asked.
Trex shook his head, discouraged.