Paradise Peak (New Americana 5)

“It finally came!” Relieved laughter burst from her lips, but it turned into a choked sob as Travis rounded a curve, and the truck reached the bottom of the mountain and the outskirts of town.

Cabins, buildings, cars, and trees were on fire in every direction. Power lines littered the streets in snakelike patterns, sparking new fires, and a transformer blew overhead.

Flinching, Hannah twisted in her seat and looked out the back window of the truck. Night had fallen, and orange flames blazed long, glowing trails across the mountain, zigzagging down the rugged landscape. The entire mountain looked as though it was on fire.

“It’s burning,” she said, her voice catching on a sob. “Everything’s burning.”

“Don’t look back.” Travis’s deep voice, hoarse, sounded by her side. “We can’t look back right now.”

A salty tear rolled into the corner of Hannah’s mouth. She licked it away, faced forward, and watched as Travis joined a line of cars evacuating the mountain. Blue patrol lights flashed ahead and a police officer waved his arms, directing traffic to a side road that bypassed town.

“Ben.” Her throat tightened so much she could hardly speak.

Ben was gone, and Liz would be lost without him.

“What about Red? And Margaret? And Liz and—” She peered up at Travis, her heart pounding so loudly it echoed in her ears. “Do you think they made it out?”

Travis’s jaw clenched and he glanced at her, determination flooding his dark eyes. “We’ll find all of them. I promise you, once things settle, we’ll find them. Right now, we need to get off the road and find a place to stay for the night.”

The puppy stirred, raising her head from Hannah’s lap, and licked softly at her hand.

“It’s okay, Blondie,” Hannah whispered, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. “We’re going to find Zeke. We’re going to find all of them, alive and well.”

She said the words but had no idea if they were true.

Travis drove on, following the line of cars in a detour to Crystal Rock, a neighboring town ten miles down the road. Hannah watched Paradise Peak in the side mirror, the blazing mountain growing smaller and smaller with each mile they traveled until another mountain and a heavier downpour of rain hid it from sight. Only the massive black clouds of smoke drifting up to the sky were visible when they reached Crystal Rock.

Headlights flashed by in a continuous stream of traffic, and though several parking lots were full of cars and people milling about, the tall signs standing by each business were dark and all the streetlights were out.

“Looks like the power’s down here, too,” Travis said, his voice husky. He peered past her, his face lined with exhaustion, and gestured with their clasped hands toward a large building by the road. “Is that a hotel?”

Hannah looked out the passenger window, squinting against the curtain of heavy rain and darkness. “Yeah—Black Bear Lodge. But it’s usually full of tourists and it’s jammed with cars and people already. There won’t be any rooms left by the time we make it inside.” She tipped her chin toward the road. “Keep straight and take a left at the next traffic light. There’s a small motel on the outskirts of town, kinda tucked away. We’ll have a better chance at a room there.”

Nodding, he kept driving. When they arrived at the next traffic light, he took a left as she’d directed, and ten minutes later, he pulled into the small, one-story motel’s parking lot. The tall, unlit sign above the building was barely readable through the heavy fall of rain: ONE STOP M OTEL. Over a dozen cars were parked in front of room entrances, and a single, dim light sh

one in the wide window of the office where several people stood, talking and gesturing wildly.

Travis parked in the last empty parking space in front of a room on the end and cut the engine. Rain pounded on the hood of the truck and poured in thick streams from the thin gutters on the motel’s roof.

“I’ll go to the office and see if this room’s available,” Travis said. When she moved to open her door, he added, “There’s no need for us both to go in. Wait here, okay?”

Hannah grew still, noting his carefully composed expression and the concern in his dark eyes. “You’re going to check for information about Red and Margaret while you’re in there, aren’t you?”

He looked away for a moment, watching the rain bounce off the windshield, then met her eyes and nodded slowly.

She swallowed hard, and his handsome face blurred. “And you don’t want to ask about them in front of me because you’re worried something has happened to them.”

“Hey.” He leaned forward, cupping her cheek with one palm and squeezing their clasped hands together on his knee. “I don’t know that, and neither do you.” He smiled, but his expression was strained. “For all we know, they’re tucked safe in one of those plush beds back at that big-ass hotel.” His lips lifted. “Red’s grumpy because he’s trying to sleep and Margaret’s still gabbing in his ear.”

Laughter burst from her lips, despite the hot tears rolling down her face. “She’ll wake up mad because the power’s out and she can’t apply her eyeliner properly.”

Travis smiled. “And Red’ll fuss because he’ll wake up with a crick in his neck and Margaret will still be gabbing.” He eased closer, studying her grin, and drifted his thumb over her lower lip. “That’s better.”

His touch, gentle and warm, soothed her on the inside.

Her eyelids drifted shut and she released a heavy breath. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”

Gently, he lifted her hand from his knee, and she felt his lips press against the back of her palm. “You’re welcome.”