Former military pilot Blaine Darby carries a load of guilt and pain from the harm he may have caused in wartime. Now he seeks to earn some good karma by fighting wild land fires while holding on to his great love of flying. But reporters like young Daz Contreras scare him -- one of the few things that do -- because he shuns the public eye.<br><br>Freelance investigative journalist Daz Contreras is convinced terrorists are behind at least some of the wild land fires plaguing New Mexico. All he needs is enough proof to break the story. As he pursues leads, he begins to shadow pilot Blaine Darby and, in the process, develops a gigantic case of hero worship.<br><br>When Daz is allowed to ride with Blaine one time, he hopes the adventure will help him to uncover the proof he seeks. Yet when a near tragedy unexpectedly develops and Blaine puts his life on the line to save a trapped hotshot firefighting crew, Daz realizes he’s an eyewitness to what may be a bigger story than the one he planned. But will the reclusive Blaine actually allow Daz to report the news as he sees fit, even as they grow closer?

Red Tails in the Sunset

Damn, I’m getting soft headed to go along with this. What the fuck is wrong with me? Is old hard-ass Darby going pussy?


Blaine found himself hoping the crew was not laughing behind his back. If he caught one smirk or snicker, he’d kick some serious ass. He led the way up into the cockpit and got the other man settled in the second seat. If the plane was commercial, he’d have a copilot. That was a luxury the firefighters could not afford. Once you rotated and pulled up the landing gear, you were on your own. In reality, he preferred that. He’d flown solo most of the time in combat and concluded it was far the best way. Just him and the plane and the sky. Well, today he’d have to adapt to company. He’d gotten himself into this. Thank the powers it would just be one day.


Chapter 7