Karma wipes away another tear and gives Cricket a nod. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Two hours into the surgery, Asa finally talks Jackie into going to the cafeteria for something to eat before the woman tips over from exhaustion. Whitney is asleep on my shoulder when I get a call from my sister.

“I know you’re busy right now, but we have a problem. A big problem.”

“The media?”

“No. Worse. There’s a wildfire. It’s moving fast, even with the rain we had a few days ago. Everything’s so dry from the entire summer that it’s going up like kindling.”

Fuck.

Fire is one word you never want to hear when you live in the forest on a mountain, and not only because we’re in the timber business. They’re not a rare occurrence, given the drought conditions that have plagued the area for years, and the higher frequency is just one more reason I’ve pushed to diversify the company even more.

“Where is it heading? Do they know how many acres?”

“It’s coming down the mountain, and they’re already calling for evacuations of homes and businesses in the impacted area. We’re right in its path, Lincoln.”

Fuck. “The hotel?”

“Your house, the estate, the hotel. They’re all next on the list for evacuation if it gets any worse.”

Whitney wakes up as I shift, and her bleary eyes focus on me as my voice roughens.

“We can rebuild, just get everyone out as soon as they make the call. Even before, if you feel like it’s the right move.” Another thought occurs to me. “What about Commodore’s cabin?”

“Commodore’s at the estate. I told him about the warning—”

“But what about Magnus Gable? Is he out of his house? Did they get him somewhere safe?”

My sister goes quiet, and Whitney’s gaze locks on my face.

“What’s going on?” she asks, but my sister replies.

“I don’t know . . . no one said anything about him.”

“We have to get him out. Now. If we’re next on the list to evacuate, he already should have.”

“The road up the mountain is closed. They’ve locked it down. No one can get up there.”

“Then it’s lucky I have a chopper out front. I’ll call you when I land at the estate and get Commodore somewhere safe. If you need any help with the hotel—”

All the color drains from Whitney’s face as she realizes what we’re talking about.

“We’ve got it covered,” McKinley says. “This is what we train for.”

“Stay safe, Mac.”

“You too, big brother.”

The fact that McKinley doesn’t tell me not to call her that, like she always does, drives home just how serious this threat is.

As soon as I hang up the phone, Whitney’s questions come rapid-fire.

“What the hell is going on? There’s a fire? Magnus might be stuck up the mountain?”

“Oh my God,” Cricket says from across the room, as the image on the TV changes to show nothing but flames. The headline at the bottom reads: