Flash of Fire Read Online Free

toward the four on the landing.
    â€œOh.” Gordon was getting a clue. After three years, he was fine against a fire and one of Mickey’s best buddies, but he wasn’t the sharpest on reading situations on the ground. Gordon began double-checking his gear.
    Mickey had already done that twice, so he resisted the urge to do so again. Instead, he looked around and finally spotted the new pilot again—back between a couple of smokejumpers, he could just see her face. She was watching the group on the landing intently. Sharp, she hadn’t missed a thing.
    As more and more noticed the leader’s looks, everyone began pulling out energy bars they’d rat-holed away in their personal gear bags. Chances of having one of Betsy’s generous sit-down breakfasts at the picnic tables this morning were fast approaching zero.
    The newbie caught onto that quick enough. She too began stoking up for a flight.
    When Mickey had left for a short vacation, the record stood at thirty-nine applicants, twelve test flights, and no hires. Mickey had been gone for four days and returned late last night to hear there was a new hire and she was already certified to be on the line. Bang! Just like that.
    Even more strange, the new pilot was rumored to be the new flight lead. Everyone had expected Jeannie in Firehawk Two to pick up that role for the summer. At least Mickey sure had. He knew that he was a contender for the slot also, but Jeannie had a master’s degree in fire management and Mickey just had an associate’s degree in heli-aviation even if he had eight years of flying for MHA to Jeannie’s four.
    But there was no way to replace Emily. First, she was the best pilot. Second, also the best flight commander. Third, even though she was untouchable, she was an immense pleasure to look at. Even six months gone, she was a knockout. No question that Mark was one unreasonably lucky man because, damn, who knew pregnant could ever look good to a guy.
    Mickey had never thought about getting serious with a girl, not really, until he’d first seen Mark and Emily together when they took over the outfit three seasons back. Joke was Emily Beale was still showing her mama bear spine of steel; Mark was the one who was so mushy around her it made you wonder if he was the one dosed with massive waves of pregnancy hormones rather than his wife.
    Of course, thinking about getting serious with a girl versus actually doing it…well, that was something he’d do as soon as he found the right girl. Maybe.
    He’d only been at his sister’s wedding for four days but totally missed the new pilot’s eval and training process. It had happened so fast. That had to be some amazing pilot to take the lead slot. He was sorry he’d missed the action; watching the candidates roll through camp had been amusing. Some of the candidates, especially the high-hour pilots, invariably male, would get really torqued when a beautiful, pregnant woman showed them the road home.
    Of course Emily had never told them she was an Army Captain with the Night Stalkers Special Operations helicopter regiment. Or had she been Major? Emily and Mark rarely talked about their military backgrounds. It didn’t matter. They were the two best pilots Mickey had ever flown with.
    For more serious possibilities, Mickey had his eye on the lovely yet shy Vanessa, who flew one of MHA’s little MD500s. But it never hurt a guy to look around.
    A shift in the jostling smokies and Mickey got his first good look at the newcomer.
    Her short plume of white-blond hair that shagged its way to her collar shone in the low-angle morning sunlight. She stood bone straight, which either meant ballerina or maybe workout instructor. She didn’t look like any ballerina he’d ever seen on one of those TV shows Sis loved— Nutcracker every damn Christmas like religion. She might be long and lean, but she was no waiflike frail flower either. The pilot had