TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1), Kallypso Masters [classic novels TXT] 📗

and Tony thought he caught a glimpse of pain in Rafe’s eyes, but it was masked so quickly, he couldn’t be sure.

“Get in the truck,” Rafe ordered Tony.

“I rode down with Ryder.”

At the same time, Ryder said, “Thanks, Rafe. I’d like to get Megan home.”

Tony couldn’t very well refuse to ride with his brother in that case, so he nodded.

Rafe softened his tone. “Come on, Brother.” Tony stowed his gear and got into the passenger seat. While waiting for Rafe to get behind the wheel, he watched Ryder help Luke and Megan load their gear into Ryder’s truck box and settle the dogs into the extended cab.

Tony tried not to think about the husband and friends of the victims who were about to hear the most devastating news of their lives. He intended to avoid radio and TV news as much as possible for the next week or so.

Not that he’d ever forget those innocent faces pleading with him to save them.

“Why don’t you come over tonight for a beer and pizza?” Rafe asked. “We can talk.”

“Thanks, but I think I’d rather hit the sack early. I’m on duty in the morning.”

Rafe was silent a moment, glancing at Tony long and hard, then nodded as he started the engine. “Call me any time of the day or night. For anything.”

Tony nodded.

Not that he would. Tony had done a lot of growing up in the last two days. He didn’t need his brother coddling him through this.

Chapter Seven

Carm’s group of New York City climbers set out from base camp early Tuesday morning. They’d hiked more than two thousand feet in elevation to Capitol Lake yesterday afternoon to allow for maximum climb time up the peak today. It would take them eight hours to reach Knife Edge nearly three thousand feet above them, traverse it, and hike back to camp. The dramatic and dangerous section known for its razor-sharp rocks was what every climber dreamed about on this fourteener.

This was the hardest standard route for a fourteener Carm had experienced bar none; some said it was the hardest one in the state. But Marc had started taking her onto this peak when she was thirteen, teaching her to respect the mountain and to safely negotiate its standard trail.

Two in Nick’s group of six had experienced altitude problems yesterday. She’d made them drink lots of water and take frequent breaks. They both wanted to attempt the climb today, but if need be, she’d have them sit out the final summit climb just before K2 and Knife Edge and pick them up again on the return trip.

Carm hoped all those making the attempt today had come as prepared as her group. Novices were crazy to attempt Capitol Peak, but every year someone watched a couple of YouTube videos, and suddenly became experts.

Her biggest concern today was a morning mist hanging over the mountain, so they’d delayed starting the hike by two hours. While they’d have liked to enjoy sunrise from the peaks, she wanted to wait for the sun to burn off any remaining moisture on the wet rocks. Safety remained first and foremost in her mind.

“I forget how beautiful it is up here,” Nick said when they took a rest break at a panoramic spot. The CEO brought a team every year from his East Coast corporation to Aspen for a wilderness and leadership bonding retreat. They’d spent Sunday evening and yesterday morning at the resort in seminars and training for their three nights on the mountain.

“Big cities have their charms, too,” Carm said, while checking on current weather conditions for the summit, “but I wouldn’t survive long if I couldn’t see my mountains.” They did feel like hers too. She knew most of the peaks in this part of Colorado like the back of her hand.

“Absolutely gorgeous,” said Shawana, one of two women in this year’s group. A high-level manager in Nick’s Fortune 500 company, Shawana had been a lot of fun to hang out with at the resort and around the campfire last night. “Nick, how many of the people you’ve brought out here have opted to stay in Colorado, rather than go back to New York?”

He laughed. “I pay you guys too well for you to let this scenery lure you away, regardless of how beautiful it is.”

“Ah, so that’s why you gave all of us bonuses before the trip—to keep us from jumping ship out here,” Shawana quipped.

Nick laughed, but Shawana probably wasn’t far off the mark.

After about fifteen minutes, Nick left with Joyce who was more advanced than the others. Carm cautioned them not to start across Knife Edge until she caught up, but let Shawana and the others rest a little longer.

“I don’t know how Nick finds so many go-getters who also take time to appreciate time out of the office,” Carm noted.

Shawana smiled. “Oh, he provides us with a number of incentives like this to help us keep balance in our lives so we don’t burn out.”

“Interesting. I was just talking to my brother about how we both need to find more balance in our lives. In fact, right before we left the resort, I booked a weeklong getaway to the Caribbean.”

“And leave all this beauty?” she asked, her arm sweeping the view.

Carm laughed. “It’s just for a little more than a week. I could never leave Aspen forever, but a change of scenery will help me appreciate it even more.”

“True dat.” After a few moments, Shawana sobered. “My family lost everything in Katrina.”

“I’m so sorry,” Carm said.

“Thanks. We were relocated to northern New Jersey and then got hit by Hurricane Sandy last year. Honestly, I’m ready to move inland.”

“As far as disasters go, we mostly get wildfires here in the summer and fall and lots of snow the other seven—some years nine—months. Flooding’s a problem too, especially in the spring with the rains and snowmelt.”

“Well, then I’d find myself a house on a mountain where it would take a flood of biblical proportions