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  She’d been setting aside $20 a week since she got married, thinking it would be for an amazing tenth-anniversary trip or a huge unexpected expense. Six years in, and she had $6,240 saved up.

  Grimly, she withdrew the cash, bundled by rubber bands, and shoved it into her purse. Good thing she used a mommy purse now, instead of the cute little bags she carried before Timothy was born.

  Duke came into the room and pressed his head against her leg. She ran her fingers over his soft, uncropped ears as she considered her next move. Zach was noisily moving stuff around in the office, but Tim was suspiciously silent. She should check on him.

  She poked her head into his bedroom. He’d taken out his LEGO® toys – all four boxes – and dumped them on the floor. He sat on the carpet, surrounded by hundreds of tiny pieces, and pawed through them looking for a particular one.

  She cringed. What a mess! But he was happy and content, and staying out of the way for now. Without a word, she turned away. She’d worry about that disaster later.

  In the living room, she found Zach taking photos of everything.

  “What are you doing that for?”

  He paused and glanced at her. “Insurance. You’re supposed to be able to document your losses in an insurance claim, and this could help if we lose the house.”

  “Oh.” She turned and headed for their tiny office. He thought they might lose the house. Like it might burn down. Or get looted.

  Gritting her teeth, she stared around the room. They’d need their laptop computers, obviously. The important files, and – her gaze swept the bookshelves – she loved her books! But which ones were irreplaceable?

  They should all be replaceable. Except her Bible. That was a gift from her parents on her 16th birthday, and her dad had written a poem in it to her.

  The Bible was already out in the motorhome.

  Her phone buzzed with a new text. Checking it, she saw two. Must have missed one that came in earlier.

  This one was from her editor.

  “You’re on vacation! Have a good time, and don’t worry about news stuff.”

  She replied immediately. “We had to leave because of the fires! This is going to be big, trust me!”

  The other text was another Nixle alert. She skimmed it, then ran to find Zach.

  “This is for real! They’re closing the tunnel. The Golden Gate Bridge is closing, and the whole ten miles from San Francisco to Sausalito!”

  Zach stopped taking pictures of their furniture, and stared at her. “That’s only six miles from here!”

  “Yeah. We should go soon.” Suddenly feeling dizzy, she steadied herself against the arm of the sofa. “I’m going to make some sandwiches for the road. You about ready?”

  “Almost. I’ll grab my guitar and the safe deposit keys.” He paused, then added, “We should take all the keys to everything – house, cars, storage unit, whatever.”

  “I’m going to box up our files and the baby album. And our wedding album. Other than that, I’m gonna grab some more clothes, and I’ll be done.” She started down the hall. “Would you take Duke outside to do his business, too?”

  She heard an affirmative noise from behind her as she rushed to finish her final preparations.

  Suddenly, this all felt real. Surreal and real, at the same time.

  Ten minutes later, they were ready to leave the house. Katie pushed a final box into the back of the pickup and looked longingly at her Subaru. They’d have to leave it behind. Hopefully it’d still be okay – and hopefully the house would still be okay – when they returned.

  “I want to stop at the bank,” Zach said, closing the tailgate.

  “I’ve got lots of cash.”

  “No, I was thinking of the stuff in the safe deposit box.”

  “Seriously? You think the bank’s gonna burn down?” Katie glanced at him to see if he was for real.

  “Hey, Paradise didn’t think their town was going to go up in flames.”

  “That’s grim.” She wiped her brow. “You driving the RV or the pickup?”

  “Your choice. You’d probably be happier in the truck.”

  “Yes, I would. Good luck finding a place to park the Winnebago at the bank, though.”

  He held out the safe deposit keys. “You’re right. Do you mind?”

  “Fine.” She took the keys from his hand. “If you take Timothy with you. His car seat is already set up in the RV.”

  “Deal.” He started toward the door, then stopped. “I’ll bring Duke with me, too. What about the electricity and water?”

  “What about them?”

  “Should I throw the circuit breaker to the house? Turn off the water? Or maybe turn on the sprinklers?”

  “You really want to run the sprinklers constantly for a whole week while we’re gone? That’ll cost about a thousand bucks and flood the lawn. And maybe the neighbor’s, too.”

  Zach raked his fingers through his short blond hair. “Too bad we didn’t buy timers for our sprinklers!”

  “I think we should turn off the natural gas. Don’t turn off the electric, though, or all the food will spoil in the fridge and freezer before we get back.”

  “Right.” He took her hand. “If you’re ready to go, why don’t you run to the bank now? I’ll get Duke and Tim and turn off the gas. We can meet you in the mall parking lot and then head out together.”

  She looked into his eyes to steady her nerves.

  “Prayers?” He asked.

  She nodded and closed her eyes. She was going to need all the strength and help she could get today.

  Minutes later, she was on the road, headed to the bank. Traffic was getting heavy – much worse than normal for a Saturday.

  But this wasn’t a normal Saturday. The Golden Gate Bridge was closed.

  Traffic that had gone south must be getting turned back in Sausalito, and now those frustrated drivers were making their way north again. Plus, it was lunch time, so some of them were looking for restaurants. Also, travelers that’d been delayed were probably coming off the highway to find restrooms in Mill Valley.

  Just as she pulled into the bank parking lot, she heard a collision at the intersection she’d just driven through. She got out and locked the truck, looking back toward the street corner.

  An old man got out of a black Camaro and approached the driver’s window of a grey Cadillac. Looked like a fender bender. A big dent in someone’s day, but probably no serious injuries.

  Katie hurried into the bank, noting the office hours on the door as she walked in. She’d just made it. They locked up at noon on Saturdays.

  After a short wait, she was ushered into the vault room that contained the deposit boxes. The bank attendant inserted her key into the box and turned it, and Katie did the same with her key.

  “Please let me know when you’re finished,” the lady said, leaving Katie alone in the vault.

  In the silent room, she removed the box and set it on the table. It contained paperwork – house insurance, mortgage and title documents, and so on. She moved it all into file folders and slid them into her tote bag.

  As she left the building, she had to wait for an employee to unlock the door to let her out. A middle-aged woman with bright red hair tried to enter the building at the same time.

  “I’m sorry, we’re closed,” the bank teller told her.

  “But you’re all still here, and it’ll just take a minute.” Her words were colored by a pleading tone.

  “I’m sorry. It’s against bank policy.” She pointed toward the ATM on the exterior wall. “Perhaps you can do your business at the ATM. Or our drive-up window is open until 1 p.m. today.”

  Katie slid past them as they continued the debate.

  “No, I have to come inside. Please. It’ll take half a minute, I promise,” the red-haired woman begged. “I just have to grab something from my safe deposit box.”

  “You’ll have to come back on Monday….” The teller’s words drifted away in the wind as Katie rushed toward th
e pickup, holding her tote bag tightly against her ribs.

  She jumped into the truck and started the engine. The fender-bender vehicles were still in the intersection. She’d have to go around the block to avoid them.

  As she pulled into the street, she saw the red-haired woman returning to her car, talking on her cell phone. Her head was low, shoulders drooped.

  What had she wanted so badly from her safe deposit box?

  Did she have the same idea as Katie and Zach, to grab everything and go?

  Would the bank still be standing there on Monday?

  Surely it would. A catastrophe the magnitude it would take to wipe out Mill Valley was unthinkable. But not impossible.

  Zach was waiting in the parking lot at the mall when she pulled in. He jumped out and hurried toward her, carrying something small and black.

  She rolled down her window.

  “Here’s your walkie-talkie.” He handed it to her.

  “Can’t we just use our phones?”

  “That old RV doesn’t have the technology. And I don’t want to get pulled over for not using a hands-free device.”

  “Walkie-talkies aren’t exactly hands-free, either!”

  Instead of answering, he changed the subject. “Did you notice how crazy the traffic is?”

  “There was a wreck right outside the bank,” Katie said. “And I was one of the last people they let in. They closed at noon.”

  “Answered prayer, right there!” He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “You want to lead or follow?”

  “I’ll follow. That way, I don’t have to worry about you keeping up!” She grinned and rolled up the window as he jogged back to the RV.

  Glancing at the clock display on the dash, she realized she’d just missed the top of the hour news. Maybe she could catch the local newscast, though. She pushed the button to turn on the radio.

  Zach pulled out onto the street, and she followed right behind him, turning up the volume.

  “…appears to be the work of organized arsonists. All of the reported blazes, over nine hundred so far, are located within fifty miles of the Pacific Coast.”

  Katie gasped. Nine hundred? Had she heard nine hundred?

  “Firefighters are flooding into the coastal areas from the central part of the state, and numerous fires have already been contained. Officials are saying they expect to have all the blazes under control by this evening, and are urging residents to remain calm.”

  Calm? Katie followed the Winnebago through a stop light as it turned yellow. Nine hundred fires, and they expect us to remain calm?

  Somebody was torching the state. On purpose this time!

  The newscast ended and the programming returned to football.

  Yeah, that’s great! The state is burning up, but we need to be distracted by grown men throwing a ball around a field. Right.

  She grimaced and slammed on the brakes as Zach stopped suddenly on the onramp to Hwy 101.

  ***

  Vice President Alana Mills squared her shoulders and walked out on the south lawn a half step behind President Basilia Hernandez. Their luggage had already been loaded onto Marine One, but the change in travel plans had caused a delay as Secret Service scurried to accommodate the president’s requests. Finally, though, they were boarding, and Alana thrilled with excitement about a weekend in New York with the most powerful woman in the world. Invited as her special guest!

  She grinned. Vermont would always be there next week.

  Marines ushered them aboard the helicopter, and the president took her seat – the only forward-facing one – and glanced toward Alana, who was taking a place on the couch across the aisle.

  “No, sit across from me,” the president urged, gesturing toward the comfortable rear-facing seat directly in front of her.

  The second-best seat in the aircraft. Alana was happy to take it.

  As she moved across the aisle, her feet cushioned by the powder blue carpet, she felt like she was floating. This was shaping up to be the perfect weekend!

  She’d been planning to enjoy some down time on her own, but time with the president was so much better. Especially when it wasn’t all about work.

  Plus, Alana had only been in office for a little over a month now, and this was her first trip in Marine One. She relaxed her spine into the amazingly comfortable seat, and buckled up for takeoff. She could totally get used to this!

  “So, do you have anything official on your agenda this weekend, or is it all just fun?” She probably should have asked this before she’d agreed to come along, but it wouldn’t have made any difference. She would have been happy to accompany the president on a morgue tour.

  “I have a fundraiser dinner tonight, before we go to the show.” Basilia’s black eyes studied her. “Didn’t you know?”

  “Sorry. So much going on these days, it’s hard to keep track.” She attempted a warm smile.

  “Sure.” The president’s gaze turned out the window. After a long pause, she spoke again. “Do you think the ambassador is right?”

  “Of course not!” Alana responded automatically. “Why do you ask?”

  A sigh slipped from Basilia’s red-stained lips, then her eyes turned to Alana and she smiled.

  “I’m glad you agreed to come. We haven’t spent enough time together lately.”

  It was true. Alana spent her time running all over the country, while Basilia spent most of her days in D.C. Plus, Alana despised much of the figure-head work she was expected to do – making appearances at funerals, giving stump speeches for every up-and-coming progressive congressional candidate with half a hope of winning their election next year, and raising money for every liberal cause – but she did it for Basilia.

  And maybe for herself.

  Seven years from now, when Basilia finished her second term in office, Alana would only be 45 years old – a great age to run for the top office, and with perfect credentials for it, since she’d already done a term in Congress before Basilia tapped her to be vice president. And with Basilia’s endorsement, she’d be a shoo-in.

  The Democrats followed her lead, and the Republicans couldn’t win a national election these days if they ran Superman for president.

  Nothing stood in her way. Nothing.

  Chapter 4

  Nadir left the meeting with a troubled expression on his face, but a buoyant feeling in his heart. Most of the fires were growing. Only a handful had been put out so far.

  This couldn’t be going better if – if – well, things just couldn’t be going any better!

  As government officials filed out the door, he took the stairs two at a time to the second floor. He felt like jumping and pumping his fists in the air, but instead he slowed his steps, stepped into the library, and quietly closed the door behind him.

  Then he pounded the air with his fists.

  Yes! Yes! Yes!

  Praise be to Allah.

  He turned on some quiet music, and walked over to the window. Looking down, he saw the Forest Service representative huddle on the sidewalk with the director of CAL-FIRE.

  Let them huddle. Let them squawk. Let them struggle and fight!

  One thousand torches were raised, and their fires were blazing across the hot, dry state.

  Nothing would stop him now!

  He slid the secure phone from his pocket and called Kamal. Two rings, and his trusted friend’s voice answered.

  Nadir smiled as he spoke. “I have an update.”

  “Is it good?”

  “It is very good.” He loosened his tie. “A meeting was held with all the agencies represented. They are worried. Very worried, and alarmed.”

  “As they should be.” Kamal sounded relieved. “Our efforts are not in vain.”

  “Not at all, my brother. Things are going exactly as we hoped.” Nadir paused for effect. “Not only are all the local fire departments responding with all their staff, but now they’ve called in reinforcements from communities outside the fire areas.”

&nb
sp; “Excellent!”

  “Indeed.” Nadir flexed his fist. “When the next blow strikes, they won’t know what hit them!”

  ***

  The traffic was unreal. It looked like everyone had heard the same news Katie just had, but maybe they’d heard it an hour ago, and now they were racing to get out of dodge. No one was going anywhere fast.

  A line of vehicles snaked its way up the onramp. Traveling maybe five miles per hour.

  She picked up the walkie talkie and spoke to Zach.

  “Did you catch the news?”

  “No, I was trying to keep from getting hit by that Lamborghini. Did you see that? He totally cut me off!”

  “He was probably listening to the news. There’s nine hundred fires, Zach.”

  Silence, followed by static, came through the speaker.

  “Zach?”

  “Sorry, I lost you for a minute. Thought you said nine hundred fires,” he said, laughing. “What did you actually say?”

  “That IS what I said.” Katie watched a red corvette approach perilously close to her bumper. As if that would clear the traffic ahead of him. “Zach? Did you hear me?”

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat into the mic. “I just… who would do that?”

  “A pyromaniac?” She watched for an opening to merge into the highway traffic and took it. Zach was several vehicles ahead of her now. “Nine hundred pyros?”

  “Seriously. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “The news said the fires are all within fifty miles of the coast. So we definitely want to head east.”

  “That was the plan anyway. It’s just going to take a lot longer than I thought.”

  “At twenty miles an hour, yeah.”

  “Let’s save our batteries,” Zach said. “Check back in thirty minutes?”

  “Roger that. Out.” Katie clicked off her walkie talkie.