Shawn moved to sit in front. She held up a hand. “No offense, but if you faint while driving, things might get even worse.”
He offered a weak smile but didn’t argue. “You know we have to take them with us. If a rescue team reaches us, they can’t go searching a couple more acres in a whiteout for them.”
“And we can’t leave them to freeze.” She sighed because she could easily justify leaving them, but Shawn was right. It took a few tries, but she managed to get the vehicle started and drove back to the trailer. Using the hitch, she attached it to the back. After what seemed like hours but was likely only minutes, she sat back in the driver’s seat.
She revved the engine, but realistically she couldn’t see farther than a few feet ahead.
Shawn wrapped his right arm around her waist for stability. He leaned forward until his scratchy face brushed against her cheek. “Into the prevailing wind. Take it slow. There might be a drilling well that’s uncovered, for all we know.”
She almost cried at the thought. With the steering wheel pointed directly into the painful wind, she put on the goggles she’d found tied to the console and drove straight into the blizzard. With each bump and hill, she strained to see farther into the blowing snow. They passed a drilling rig and then minutes later another. Her heart rate sped up. Were they just driving in circles until they froze to death?
She sent up a silent cry to the Lord. And then she caught the smallest glimpse of red, which gave her pause. She pressed forward. Yes, definitely red pipe. With lines of snow draped on top of the red, seeping through the grates above, it was the most beautiful fake candy cane she’d ever seen. When she’d made the decision to leave her car, she’d felt safe exploring because she knew the red pipe would lead her back to it. The car, even though it now resided in a mine with a dead man inside, had been parked very close to the control building. She pushed the throttle harder.
Every minute she strained her vision, her arms and her back against the blizzard, she felt the temptation to rest, even just for a second. The moment the building came into sight she almost cried. “We’re here, Shawn.”
Pressure increased on her back. “Shawn? Are you okay?”
He didn’t answer.
FIFTEEN
She would not make it to a safe haven, only to lose him. Jackie maneuvered to get off the ATV, doing her best to keep him from falling into the snow. Instead he fell over on his stomach onto the seat. It took her ten minutes, but she found the industrial-sized generator and cranked it. Lights flickered on within the windows.
Emitting something between a growl and a cry, Shawn lifted his head.
She ran to him and tugged on his right arm until he was able to stand. “I wasn’t going to leave you there in the snow,” she said. “But if we don’t get that bleeding to stop, I fear the next time you pass out, you won’t wake back up again. Let’s get inside.”
“The snow is warmer than the air,” he said with a groan. “That’s messed up.”
“So messed up.” She laughed and this time he actually leaned on her for support as they shuffled for the door. The snow, mercifully, wasn’t as thick on the paths that had once been shoveled a couple of days ago. “You have keys, right?”
He shook his head. “No.” He gestured with his head to a rock peeking out of the snow. “They can take a door out of my pay. I might be asking for hazard pay after this week.”
A sense of humor was a good sign. She propped him up beside a window, grabbed the rock and, with a heave, threw it at the window closest to the latch.
It bounced off.
If she weren’t at the end of her rope, it might’ve been funny. Shawn leaned over and picked it up with his right hand. He stepped in front of the door, and with seemingly the effort of a tap, the rock snapped through the glass and fell through the other side.
Jackie rushed forward, reached her hand in the hole and opened the door from the inside. She looked over her shoulder at Shawn with a smile. “Even when injured, you can’t leave me to save the day alone.”
“The biggest mistake I ever made was leaving you, Jackie. I’d like to think I’ve learned from it.”
Did he know his words rocked her to the core? He’d basically paraphrased the words she’d longed to hear a decade ago. The objections that’d once come so quickly to mind faded in the background after the kiss they’d shared in the cave. Dizziness washed over her. She hadn’t realized she’d held her breath. She blinked rapidly, smiling. They could discuss everything later, after he was healed. Then it would be easier to think logically, to do the wise thing, and say goodbye. “That’s...that’s nice to hear.”
She helped him inside and closed the door. “Let me find the thermostat, and I’ll get the place warm.”
He pointed to the far corner. “Phone first.”
His breathing pattern started to resemble a shallow pant. Her concern grew. They reached the spot next to the enclosed fire extinguisher, where the phone, with a sign above it reading Emergency Use, had been installed on the wall. He grabbed the phone, leaned against the wall and slid down until he was seated on the ground.
Confident he’d be able to make the call without her, she rushed to find the thermostat and turned on the heat. At least the commercial generator had been installed with the weather in mind, underneath the awning on the northeastern corner of the building, the most protected from the blowing snow.
Shawn argued with the man over the phone. “There has to be some way. A four-wheel drive—” He blew out his breath. “Helicopter? You have my coordinates.” He closed his eyes. Pale, and progressively more ashen, his skin color started to frighten her.
She gently took the phone from him. “Your ranger has been shot,” she said into the phone. “He needs medical attention immediately. There are also two looters in the trailer outside and another two that got away. If I have to go outside to check on the men in the trailer, that’s going to put my life back in danger.”
“I understand, ma’am, but it’s simply not safe for any of our law enforcement in these conditions. All the roads are closed. There’s not enough visibility for our snowmobiles. Even the medevac can’t fly. If ice develops on the blades, everyone’s at risk. Where was Ranger Burkett shot?”
“Near the heart.” Her voice shook, despite her attempts to steady it.
The man on the other end of the line hesitated. “Have you stopped the bleeding?”
“I’m not sure.” She bent over and unzipped his coat. His eyes were still closed, his breathing uneven. Blood had soaked through the entire front of his shirt. She recoiled. “No,” she whispered. Anything but, and every time he stepped up to help get them to safety in the last two hours, he’d put himself at risk.
“Do whatever you can to stop the bleeding, ma’am. Step on the wound if you have to.”
“You have to be kidding me.” She looked around the room, desperate for something to trigger an idea, an out-of-the-box solution. “What’s the radar say? How long do we have to hold on until you can make it here?”
“I’m afraid I can’t say.”
She heard the negativity in the man’s voice. Shawn didn’t have much of a chance. The blizzard could hang on for days. Besides Shawn’s safety, she couldn’t leave those men out in below-freezing temperatures for much longer without endangering them. “Please hurry,” she said and hung up the phone.
“It’s okay,” Shawn said.
“No, it’s not.” She took off the makeshift scarf from around her neck and folded it in squares. “Like you said, you’re not going to leave me now.”
She pulled down the hem of his collar and cringed. Congealed blood was everywhere, but still it ran from a gaping wound. She placed the folded square over it and kept her hand on it, trying to ignore the way the blood from his shirt stuck to the top of her hand. “I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt.”
She pressed down
and he hollered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I have to stop the bleeding. I have to at least slow it down. You’ve already lost so much.”
He gritted his teeth. “It’s okay. Man, that hurts.” He exhaled and inhaled slowly.
How long could they hold on without medical attention? “Should we talk about something else to get your mind off...?” She didn’t want to finish the question.
He nodded and cleared his throat. “Back there, bragging about your dad to criminals. Does that mean you’re coming around to the ways of the wild?”
She laughed. “I see. Turn the attention to all my issues. Short answer is no. Long answer is I think you were sort of right.”
“Wow. I like the sound of that.”
“Not all the way right,” she teased. “The ways I’m like my father I question the most, worried that I’m not good enough to be allowed those traits instead of just embracing that I have them in common.”
He smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“So the next step,” she said, “will be accepting the strengths while also being humble enough to learn my limits and being okay with that. Like...” She bit her lip. “Not assuming I know everything about Tasers or breaking down doors. Shawn, I’m so sorry. Pete was right about one thing. I basically shot you.” Her eyes filled with hot tears that blurred her vision. “I could’ve killed you,” she whispered.
“But you didn’t.”
“I know,” she said. Though her mind answered not yet, at least. She pushed away the horrible thought.
“I can’t believe I trusted Pete.” His eyelids drooped.
“I’m sure it’s going to take a long time to forgive him.” His shoulders sank lower. She needed him to stay awake, to stay with her. She searched for more to say. “I mean, you can choose to forgive him in a flash, but the hurt and the temptation to hold on to the anger—both those things take a long time to get over. Well, you already know. You’ve had plenty to forgive in life, and it’s understandable that—”
“Knowing and doing are two different things,” he said, his eyes still closed. “But you were right.”
“I was?”
He opened his eyes and sighed. “I didn’t realize I was living—well, barely living—the same way I grew up. I’ve been in self-protection mode so long that once I had the freedom to live differently, I guess I didn’t realize I was choosing the same solitary life as an adult that I hated as a kid.” He licked his dry lips, his skin paler than before. “Like you said, if I’m a believer, then I should start acting like His love is more than enough for me, right?”
His blood started to seep through the folded scarf despite the pressure on the wound. Her own heart raced and her eyes burned. Did he know he was about to pass away and was trying to prepare her? She pressed harder on his wound and he flinched. Please stop the bleeding, Lord!
“Shawn Burkett, if you’re telling me this so I can have peace after you die, then...well...you better save your breath until you’re better because I’m not ready to give up. And you better not give up, either. Help will come sooner or later. We just need to stick it out.”
He smiled. “I’m trying to tell you I finally agree that love is worth the risk.”
Their eyes connected. What was he trying to say? Loving in general was worth the risk? Risk...
She felt her eyes widen. “Shawn, I have to make another call.” She placed his hand on top of the wound. “I know it’s uncomfortable, but you have to press hard while I let go. There’s only one man I know who would think it’s worth the risk to fly into a storm of this magnitude.”
His mouth dropped open and his eyes twinkled with sudden awareness. “What would Wolfe Dutton do?”
She grabbed the phone and dialed. “That’s what I hope to find out. Pick up, pick up. Please...”
* * *
Even though the pain radiated mostly from his chest and shoulder, every expansion of his ribs seemed to aggravate the tendons attached to that arm. The minutes had ticked by slowly. Please help us. Hurry.
Jackie hadn’t been willing to move from putting pressure on his wound, especially after talking to her dad. But much longer, and they would have to let the criminals out of the trailer and bring them inside for more adequate shelter, though he hated the risk to Jackie that might bring.
The sound of a rapid-fire jackhammer accompanied by a loud, growing hum vibrated the walls. Two men ran inside, carrying a stretcher. Jackie frowned. “Felix? Cameron?”
They nodded and set down their first-aid kits. Shawn barely registered their movements as they packed his wound with gauze. Wolfe stepped in the door. Jackie ran to him. “Dad! Thank you so much for coming. I’ve never been so happy to be rescued.”
“I have to admit I was surprised to get your call.” He pulled her into a hug. “But I’d do anything to rescue you, honey. You never have to question that.”
Dressed in gear that looked like black canvas, and in his early fifties, Wolfe still looked like every bit of the hero that Shawn longed to be.
A cameraman came into view behind him.
“Oh, Dad, you didn’t...”
Wolfe shrugged. “That’s the only way the chopper’s liability insurance is covered in a scenario like this. The production company technically owns it.” Wolfe turned and looked at the camera. “Let’s edit that bit out in post.” He grinned. “We’ve measured the winds at forty miles an hour and the temperature at negative ten. This storm shows no sign of stopping. This winter rescue proves to be our toughest yet.”
The cameraman nodded his approval at Wolfe’s sound bite and ran back outside. Wolfe glanced at Shawn, and maybe Shawn imagined it, but there still seemed to be a coolness there despite Eddie’s assurances that Wolfe knew Shawn wasn’t responsible for his son’s accident. The men moved Shawn to the stretcher. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“We can’t go yet,” Jackie said. “Two men are in the trailer. The looters.”
Wolfe nodded. “We brought two rangers with us. They’re gathering and arresting them now. We’ve got to go. The longer we’re here, the greater the risk of ice on the rotors.”
Wolfe escorted Jackie outside. The medics picked up Shawn on the stretcher and jogged out the door. The intro for the camera wasn’t an exaggeration. Shawn stiffened as the wind rushed past him. The medics stayed low, running to the helicopter, the blades still moving, albeit slower. Jackie and Wolfe were opening the back door to the helicopter, where a space without seats was ready to load the stretcher.
Movement past Jackie and Wolfe caught his eye. The two rangers Wolfe mentioned were walking with the gunman and Pete. Not surprisingly, both men had apparently helped each other out of their rope bindings. Except, Pete seemed to be talking a mile a minute, his arms flailing too much to be in handcuffs like the other man. Had he convinced them he was an innocent hostage, the way he’d fooled Shawn? Dread heated his bones. “Jackie,” he yelled. “Do they know about Pete?”
Her eyes widened as she and Wolfe spun around to see the rangers. Pete reached for the ranger’s holster and, knowing how it worked, set free the man’s gun. Pete lifted the gun and pointed it straight at Jackie.
Shawn grabbed his gun, still in his holster, twisted on his side on the stretcher as it was being lifted high to fit in the helicopter, then pressed the trigger. The bullet soared in between Wolfe and Jackie and reached its mark. Pete’s shoulder wrenched backward, and he dropped to the ground beside the ranger.
The medics pulled back and set Shawn on the ground rather abruptly, as startled as he was. Jackie held a hand over her heart and dropped to the ground in front of him. “Are you okay?”
Wolfe looked back and forth between Jackie and Pete. “That...that man. He would’ve killed you if Shawn hadn’t—” He turned to Shawn. “Thank you.”
Before he could reply, the ranger on the left—one Shawn barely recognized from an introduction
when he was first hired—approached.
“The archaeologist, Pete Wooledge, is the one that hired the looters,” Jackie said before the ranger could ask questions. “He wanted us dead.”
The ranger straightened. “I’ll need statements at the hospital.”
“Of course,” Shawn muttered. “Can’t wait for the paperwork, too.” And with that, he finally allowed the darkness that’d threatened to overtake him for hours to sweep him away.
* * *
Jackie choked down her tears as her dad wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get in the chopper, honey. He’s in good hands. I only hire the best medics for my crew, you know that.”
“It’s touch and go, sir,” Felix said.
She choked a sob until she realized the camera was pointed at Felix’s face. She looked to her dad. “Stunt or not?” she hollered over the ramping-up winds.
He helped her into the chopper. “In his state, I don’t think so. Let’s go.”
She sat up front with her dad and put her headset on to be able to communicate with him, though she had full knowledge that both headsets were linked wirelessly as microphones to the camera, as well. “I can’t fly above the storm now that we’ve gone this low,” he said. “The air gets progressively colder as we ascend and, combined with the humidity, that means ice will develop on the rotors, guaranteeing we crash.”
“So what’s the plan?” She hated how high-pitched her voice had got. Had she convinced her dad to come to their rescue only to die in a fiery crash?
“The roads are closed, so we use that to our advantage and stay low until we’re through the worst.” The wind howled again, carrying a sheet of snow that blew against the windshield. “Let’s pray my tech works. We’ll be flying blind for a little bit with this whiteout.”
He moved the cyclic stick in one hand and the collective rotor in the other, and the helicopter lifted. Jackie remained quiet for a moment, knowing her father needed to concentrate. She couldn’t see his feet but knew the pedals were also controlling the tail rotor. She never had figured out what all the dials on the control panel meant, even though he’d explained many times. He rolled them slightly to the left, and the taxi lights, meant only for ground use to land, showed him the way to the highway.
Wilderness Sabotage Page 16
