Page 142 of Rangers Mountain Rescue

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60

Aspen

Ihear the helicopter before I see it.

The sound cuts through the Texas night—loud, relentless, impossible to ignore.

My heart starts pounding immediately.

He’s here.

The Tavern is already moving.

Lights on.

Doors open.

Men stepping outside.

Trigger takes position without a word.

Blaze and Ace are there before the skids even touch the ground.

I don’t remember deciding to move.

One second I’m standing inside.

The next—

I’m running.

He’s here.

Alive.

For a second—

everything else disappears.

The fear.

The weight.

The exhaustion.

All of it.

I move before I can think.

But halfway there—

I stop.

Because Dylan.

I glance back.

And he’s already running.

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