No Safe Haven

by Kimberley Woodhouse

  He chuckled again. "Just stay together. You wouldn't want me to have to come get you."

  "Oh, you are so bad." Andie retrieved her glove. "Better watch it, she might do something to you in your sleep."

  Jenna enjoyed the banter, even if it was about bathroom usage. She and Andie geared up and crawled out.

  When they returned, Cole helped them brush off all the snow, and they prepared to go to sleep.

  All the remaining water bottles and food were tucked into their sleeping bags to prevent freezing, and Cole waited to turn off the lamp until she nodded at him.

  In the dark, she could hear the wind's howl, Andie's shuffling in her bag—that one always was a wiggle worm—and Cole's deep breaths as he settled in.

  "Will you pray for us, Cole?" Her daughter's voice seemed more childlike in the chilly darkness.

  "Why don't you handle it for me this time?" His husky voice sounded strangely uneasy.

  "Okay." Andie wiggled again in her sleeping bag. "God, it's us again. You know what's going on. You know how scary all this is. And You know where we are and how long the storm will last. Thank You for the food we have, and for a safe place out of the blizzard. Thanks for sending Cole. Show him how to help us. And keep him from driving Mom nuts—"

  Jenna couldn't help it, she laughed.

  Cole grunted.

  "I'm not finished." Andie directed at them.

  "By all means, continue," Cole grumped out.

  She shuffled and her sweet voice changed directions again. "And God, help us all to sleep and not be scared. In Jesus' name, Amen."

  Quiet hovered over them for several moments.

  "Good night, Mom. 'Night, Cole."

  "Sleep well, Squirt."

  "Good night." Jenna pulled the sleeping bag closer to her chin and rolled to her side. She needed sleep. Tomorrow, they could tackle everything else.

  Tomorrow they'd get out of this.

  She hoped.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  LEAPER

  April 7

  Fairbank Memorial Hospital

  Fairbanks, Alaska

  9:34 p.m.

  "They're dead."

  Leaper's best operative, Shadow, stood at-ease, his hands clasped behind his back, and looked toward their boss. "Blew up the plane. Avalanche covered the site, and now there's a storm on the mountains."

  The black suit stretched taut across Viper's shoulders. The man was massive. News of the deaths didn't even make him flinch. "Are we positive?"

  "Leaper said they were taken care of. I'm sure the explosion and avalanche took care of any bodies. They'll be buried for years."

  Leaper nodded as he watched the exchange. "As long as there is no evidence of the crash. It's in a national park."

  Viper glanced at him and then walked to the window. "Leaper is correct. So we'll send out one more search team. After the storm. Make sure there's no evidence, and no chance they survived." He pulled out a small black box and rubbed it between his fingers. "Now there's the rest of the mission. I gave them plenty of time to cooperate and hand it over. It's a shame it had to end this way but we're behind on deadline, and North Korea will not wait forever. I want Gray's research, files, programs, prototypes—everything."

  "Yes, sir."

  "I want to know what else Gray was working on. And why things fell apart. Maddox had something to do with it. But he's been eliminated." He leveled those dark eyes on him for a heartbeat and then turned back to Shadow. "Make sure no one else was involved."

  "Yes, sir." Shadow stood straighter.

  Viper looked back at him. "You've been awfully quiet, Leaper. Is there a problem?"

  "No, sir."

  "Good. I'll give you two weeks. No one should even know they're dead for quite a while. I want you to find AMI."

  "Yes, sir."

  Shadow glanced at him and nodded as Viper left the room. The air around him crushed his lungs. What had he done?

  * * *

  ANDIE

  April 8

  Sultana, Denali National Park

  2:02 a.m.

  Flop!

  Ouch.

  The impact of my stomach hitting the ground forced a groan from my lips. Even though the sleeping bag offered slight cushioning, the ice floor was still extremely uncomfortable.

  I rolled onto my side. Why couldn't I just lie there and make myself fall asleep like everybody else?

  Another sigh escaped. Well, counting sheep isn't going to work.

  I rolled onto my other side, hip bone bruising at the thunk of landing. You've got to be kidding. Hadn't I hurt myself enough?

  Daddy always called me a wiggle worm, but I wiggled for good reasons. Besides, Daddy had snored, so why couldn't I move a little?

  Okay, more than a little.

  I rolled onto my back, remembering all the times we camped out in the living room with the Princess tent and Barbie sleeping bags.

  I really missed him.

  Cole snored in his tunnel across from me.

  I wrinkled my nose. Why was he so loud?

  Daddy snored loud too.

  Why do I keep comparing Cole with Daddy?

  I frowned. How many times had I exaggerated the likeness? Why couldn't I love Cole for who he was?

  Because he's not Daddy . . .

  My frown deepened.

  He's not supposed to be like Daddy.

  I glanced at Cole's sleeping form, then rolled back onto my stomach.

  What about the guys chasing us? What was happening that they wanted us dead?

  I looked over at Mom. Sleeping peacefully. Would she get hurt?

  Not with Cole around. I smiled. Whether they want to admit it or not, they like each other.

  Again my gaze drifted to Snoring Beauty. Could I let him replace my dad? Could I allow him to take his place? I shook my head. Cole was there to protect us. End of story.

  But then again, I couldn't imagine life without him. What would I do if he got hurt? Or worse . . . died?

  I let out a shaky breath.

  Okay, God. Let's talk . . .

  * * *

  JENNA

  April 8

  Sultana, Denali National Park

  2:13 a.m.

  A wiggling, warm body next to hers forced her eyes open.

  "Hi, Mom," Andie whispered.

  "Hey, sweetheart. What brings you over here in the middle of the night?"

  "I missed you, and I can't sleep very well when I'm not in my waterbed." Andie licked her lips. "That's not all of it. I guess I just wanted to talk."

  Jenna reached her arms out of the sleeping bag to pull her baby close. She kissed the top of Andie's head. "I love that. What do you want to talk about?"

  "Well, things are a little crazy. It's scary." She sighed dramatically. "But I'm glad Cole's here."

  "Me too, kiddo." Jenna stole a glance at Cole's sleeping form. "I wasn't sure about him at first, I mean, we hardly know him. But he has helped us a lot."

  "Mom?" Andie fiddled with the zipper on Jenna's sleeping bag. "Why are people trying to kill us?"

  Wow. That was a loaded question. "I'm not sure, honey. But I'm afraid it has something to do with your dad. Maybe all his years in the military. You know he worked on some amazing things."

  "I thought this kinda stuff only happened in the movies."

  Jenna chuckled. "I wish that were true. But how about we concentrate on happier things, okay?"

  "Are you avoiding the issue, Mom?"

  "Yes. Most definitely."

  Andie smiled up at her. "I figured as much. You're a mom and you have to protect me."

  Jenna touched noses with her daughter. "Yes, I do. And as scary and w
eird and crazy as all this is, we need sleep. So that tomorrow, we can face another day."

  "I know." Andie gripped her tighter.

  "Andie? Look at me."

  Those beautiful blue eyes met hers. Eyes so much like her father's.

  "I love you. And I will do everything in my power to make sure we get out of this. I know it's scary, but we've got to think positive. And we've got to have faith."

  "Okey dokey. I will. Love you, Mom." Andie yawned. "I think I'll go back to my sleeping bag."

  "Good idea. Let's get some sleep. And I love you more . . ."

  "No, you don't."

  "Yes, I do."

  "I love you more . . ."

  "No, I love you more . . ." Jenna drifted off, content that the love of her twelve-year-old was enough to get her through another day.

  * * *

  COLE

  April 8

  Sultana, Denali National Park

  7:38 a.m.

  Cole rolled over and found himself face to face with a snow wall. Plopping back onto his back, he groaned. He wanted his ComforPedic bed. The crash had done a number on his back and every muscle in his body was tied in knots. The cold just tightened him up more.

  Turning over to his stomach, he stretched and began the crawl to escape his sleeping quarters. He glanced over at Jenna. She lay on her side, her ski mask in one hand, cheek cradled in the other. The chill in the air chapped her cheeks and lips. Dark hair escaped the hood of the cocoon-shaped sleeping bag, and cascaded onto the white snow beneath her. She was beautiful.

  That's enough, Maddox.

  Forcing himself to look away, he stretched his arms behind him. He should check on the weather. Yeah, check the weather.

  He glanced over to Andie's sleeping bag. It lay limp and flat. He checked Jenna's tunnel again.

  No Andie.

  His gaze flew back to his tunnel. And then to Andie's again.

  She wasn't there.

  Alarm seized his gut.

  He crammed his feet into his boots and grabbed his coat. Packs and gear went flying as he worked his way out the entrance. Punching through fresh snow, he enlarged the hole so his large frame could fit.

  Just a few more feet.

  A blast of snow greeted him as he escaped their shelter. The blizzard had intensified during the night and was worse than anything he'd ever seen. The wind knocked him off his feet. He hadn't taken time to cover his head, face, or eyes, so he used his arm as a shield. He had to find Andie.

  A shrill scream ripped through the air.

  Andie!

  He grabbed the rope and followed the line, stumbling every few steps through the deep and blowing snow. Each time he stood up, the wind knocked him back down.

  Cold. So cold. Air so bitter it froze his insides with each inhale. He lost feeling in his cheeks, nose, lips, but forced himself to keep going. Crawling, clinging to the rope.

  In a matter of minutes that passed like hours, the other stake greeted him. The end of the rope.

  But no Andie.

  Cole tried to stand again, squinting into the wind, eyelashes frozen. There was no way she could survive in this. He had to find her. And soon. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled into the hurricane-force winds, "Andie!"

  Nothing.

  "Andie!"

  Something grabbed his boot.

  He bent down, searching with his hands. He found an arm, a shoulder, and then her head. Tightening his grip, he lifted her up and pulled her into a hug.

  They stood there for several seconds, just holding on to one another. Andie shivered and trembled, her fear apparent in the tight grip around his waist. The wind ripped at his face, forcing his eyes to water. As if Mother Nature herself was throwing everything at him to break down his barriers.

  So much for not getting attached.

  Taking hold of the rope once again, Cole dragged Andie back to their shelter. He shoved her in ahead of him, and they crawled to safety, scarcely able to breathe.

  "What happened?" Jenna leveled an accusatory glare at him.

  "Why don't we ask Andie?"

  Andie shivered again, a single tear leaving an icy trail as it dripped onto her coat.

  "Well?" Cole fixed his gaze on her face. "Why were you out there all alone?"

  "I woke up." She sniffled. "And I had to go, really bad."

  "Didn't I tell you to only go out in pairs?"

  Jenna shot him a glare. Mother scooted closer to daughter. "Why didn't you wake me up, honey?"

  "You were so tired, Mom, I just wanted to let you sleep." She glanced up at Cole, those blue eyes seeking forgiveness. "I held onto the rope, I promise. But then the wind knocked me over and I fell down, and couldn't find the rope."

  "I bet that was scary." Jenna soothed her child.

  Oh, great. A Hallmark moment. Please.

  "Yeah. But then I heard Cole calling my name and I knew everything would be okay."

  Another prickly piece of his heart melted. Along with his anger.

  Jenna stroked Andie's hair. "Well, you should've seen him tear out of here when he couldn't find you. He threw my pack into my head!"

  Cole flicked his gaze to Jenna. "Did I hurt you?"

  "I'm fine, Cole. But it was nice to see how protective you are of my daughter." Her dark eyes searched his, and then she broke the connection and looked back at Andie. "Now, both of you seemed to wander off without anything covering your faces and you look like you have a bad case of sunburn. Let's take care of that and get something to eat, okay?"

  Andie clung to her mom.

  "Squirt, you all right?"

  "I'm fine. I just scared myself when I fell." She nodded as if trying to convince herself.

  But there was more to it. And he intended to find out what it was.

  ———

  April 8

  Sultana, Denali National Park

  10:43 a.m.

  Cole pulled cards out of his pack. Years in special ops and long missions of waiting taught him to pack light, but pack prepared. He was thankful he'd found his duffel before they headed away from the plane—at least he'd grabbed a couple of crucial items. It didn't take long for the walls of the snow cave to close in on its occupants. Jenna seemed lethargic after breakfast, and Andie fidgeted.

  "Okay, you two. How about a game?"

  Andie sighed dramatically. "That would be awesome, Cole, I'm soooooo bored."

  He laughed. Only a preteen like Andie could make a one syllable word into six. "Jenna, you want to join us?"

  Her knees were pulled up to her chest, head leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. "Hmmm?" She cleared her throat. "Actually, I think I'm going to take a nap. I must not have slept so good last night." She turned to Andie. "You gonna be okay?"

  "Sure, Mom. It's not like we can go anywhere."

  "Okay. Save a game for me later."

  He watched her crawl into her sleeping bag and close her eyes. In five seconds, her breathing signified she was out.

  "She always fall asleep so fast?"

  "Only when she's really tired." Andie shrugged her shoulders. "So what game have you got?"

  "Ever heard of Phase 10?"

  "Nope."

  "Good. 'Cause it's fun and it takes a long time to play."

  Andie's giggles filled the cave as he shuffled and dealt the cards.

  It took a little while for her to get into the game, but by their third round, she was cutthroat. Talk about competitive spirit. This kid could give some grown men a run for their money.

  After several snacks, five times all the way through Phase 10—and covering every topic from her husky named Dasha to her favorite fingernail polish—Cole's back was killing him from sitting so long, but
he noticed Jenna stirring. "Hey, sleepyhead, how you doin' over there?"

  Jenna crinkled her brow and scrunched up her nose. She probably had no idea how cute that was.

  "Watch out. She can be pretty grumpy when she first wakes up." Andie gave him a conspiratorial grin.

  He placed a hand in front of his mouth, pretending to be secretive, and whispered loudly, "And her hair's a mess, too."

  Gloves, socks, and her ski mask became airborne and flew at them. Cole pretended to crouch behind Andie. "Take cover, we're under fire!"

  Andie's laughter filled the tight space as she attempted to shield him with her tiny body. She offered as much protection as if he stood behind a flagpole.

  "Hey, she must like me. She didn't throw her boots."

  Jenna scooted closer and laughed along. "That's because I didn't want them to be damaged by your hard head." She pulled out her water bottle. "Anybody else thirsty? Hungry? I think I slept too long, I've got a headache."

  Cole wanted the atmosphere to stay light. "Sleeping Beauty has spoken. Why don't we eat, play a couple more rounds, and then hit the hay for the night. Sound like a plan?"

  "Yes!" Andie pumped her fist up and down. "Mom, you should see me clobber this guy at cards."

  "I can't wait, sweetie."

  "Neither can I, Squirt." Cole loved the softness in Jenna's expression. He'd definitely like to see that more often. "Neither can I."

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ANDIE

  April 8

  Sultana, Denali National Park

  9:07 p.m.

  I snuggled in my nook trying to fall asleep. The events of that morning played through my mind, swirling around, bonking into one another as if they all wanted to haunt me at the same time.

  The snow, the cold.

  A potty break, a patch of ice.