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fire than the others combined. He’s the best fire pilot I’ve got. You’ve met Carly and Steve?”
    She had, barely, and offered a cautious nod. She was pretty sure Carly was the one who’d gone up to meet with the other leaders on the radio tower platform, but maybe not.
    Emily slowed down her pace midfield with a curse and a hand on her belly. “This one kicks even worse than Tessa did. Carly flies left seat on Firehawk One. She is the top specialist there is on fire behavior. Her recommendations are gold; doesn’t mean you have to follow them, but you’ll want a good reason not to. Steve flies a spotting drone, typically from the backseat of my bird.”
    â€œWhy do you people have a drone?”
    Queen Bitch Beale’s smile was chilly, enough to make Robin’s blood freeze in her veins despite the warm spring morning.
    â€œ We have a couple drones and they are very useful.” She backed up her words with a look that left no doubt Robin had damned well better take ownership of the team right fucking now.
    â€œGot it!” Don’t need to beat me with a stick. Soldiers know the importance of teamwork. And even though she was six months out, Robin knew she had a lot of soldier still in her “ We have a drone.”
    â€œScanEagle with infrared heat imaging for fires,” Beale continued without acknowledgment. “Steve has a few other tricks up his sleeve as well. He’ll mostly feed to Carly and she to you, but be ready for it.”
    They reached the Firehawk that had been Beale’s but would now be hers for a season. It was in the middle of the line of aircraft parked along the far side of the narrow grass runway. Place of first choice. Yet another sign among the hundred Robin had seen that said, pregnant or not, QBB ruled. Robin liked that in a woman.
    â€œI can see you discounting Mickey’s smaller helicopter. Don’t. He has more hours in it aloft against fire than you have in your entire National Guard service.”
    Robin nodded. Partly because that was interesting information about Mickey and partly because the Queen’s attitude was one hundred percent that of a commanding officer, which made Robin’s nod a self-preservation instinct. Of course, if Robin had run into a few more officers like this one, she might still be in the Guard.
    â€œYou’ll be carrying the launch trailer for Steve’s drone to Alaska with your Firehawk.”
    Her Firehawk. Just that simply Queen Beale was handing over the reins. It felt…weird.
    â€œHe’ll make sure you have the information you need. Information’s going to come at you fast and hard over a fire.”
    â€œI’m used to that.” Robin patted the nose of Firehawk One. Hers?
    â€œNot like this. Trust me.” And Emily Beale smiled for perhaps the first time.
    It was a powerful, engaging smile that made Robin feel as if she’d just crossed over some line. Unworthy to trusted? Outsider to insider? Most likely heathen outcast to razor-thin tolerance until her initial screwup, then outta there!
    â€œIn the Guard, when you were on a fire,” Beale continued, “you heard from one source, Incident Commander—Air, which is Mark for us. But you’re seated in the Number One bird for Mount Hood Aviation now. I almost gave it to Jeannie and pushed you into the Number Two slot, but your commanders convinced me to keep you front and center.”
    â€œMy…” She trailed off. Of course MHA had called her former commanders. What was surprising was that they’d given her good reviews.
    â€œThey said you were an exceptional pilot and a royal pain in the ass.”
    â€œI expected the second part of that.” Robin did her best to hide her shock at the first part, because while she’d done her best to prove it, they had sure acted like they didn’t notice.
    Then the Queen Bitch Emily Beale held out a hand that was warm from