by Dale Mayer
“We do.” His voice was firm. “No arguments please.”
She shrugged. “What about the others?”
“We’re all traveling down together. So we’ve paired up everyone.”
She groaned. “And, of course, I’m paired up with you.”
“Of course you are.” He tossed her a toothy grin. “Be happy.”
She shrugged and stepped off toward town below. She was usually the leader when it came to these treks, although the team took turns as the leader was a more physically demanding spot. But she didn’t think Anders was ever not the leader.
He stepped in front of her, breaking the trail, and she would let him. The blizzard had dropped another good six inches of fresh snow. It wouldn’t be a long hike today, but she wanted to have her wits about her, and that meant keeping her energy up.
They moved steadily for the next couple hours. At one point, she got a little closer to him and asked, “No concern about shooters this time?”
“No sign of them throughout the night. The danger is likely to be when we get closer to town, when they think we’ve dropped our guard a bit.”
“Thanks for that,” she said in disgust. “Here I was thinking that the closer we got to town, the safer we were.”
He shrugged. “I’ll never sugarcoat the truth.”
She thought about that. He hadn’t done it yet. He was always blunt, to the point of being almost abrasive. But then he’d wanted something, and he wanted it now. He hadn’t been a great loser about it, but he had finally accepted her decision and had walked away.
“Why did you walk away?” she asked, then gasped. She hadn’t meant that question to slide out. She turned to look behind her. The others were a good ten feet back. She hoped they hadn’t heard.
He turned, looked at her, tugged the rope ever-so-slightly as she tried to catch up, and then he said, “Because I knew there was no hope for me. And I cut my losses.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He glanced at her in surprise, then shook his head. “For what? You weren’t ready.”
She fell silent again because, of course, he was right. She hadn’t been ready. But he had pointed out something back then that she hadn’t even been aware of, and that was a little disturbing too.
He pivoted and said, “How long did it take?”
“Not long,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Yet it was too long. First, I had to sort out my own feelings, and I had to figure out if it was wrong of me to be engaged, and, by that point, I figured you were just a figment of my imagination.”
He snorted at that.
“I needed time to settle. I needed time to work through my emotions, to realize just what I felt, what I didn’t feel. By the time I made the decision that I wasn’t being fair to him, I also decided I should probably give him a second chance.”
At that, Anders shook his head in disgust.
“Until he blew that.”
He shot her a look, raising an eyebrow.
“After our rather heated discussion about his infidelity, he admitted he hadn’t been faithful at all, having had affairs with nine other women.” Her voice was cool with a touch of hardness in it. But it was all she could do to hold back the resentment. “Apparently I didn’t see what you saw.”
He was silent for a moment, and then he said cautiously, “Sometimes I wonder if it isn’t easier for a man to see another male cheater. The same as you would probably look at women and say, You guys shouldn’t trust that one, but that one’s nice and good.”
She thought about it. “I think it’s possible we each understand our own sex better, and, of course, it can be difficult to see flaws in somebody you love.”
“Oh, you think you loved him?” He had a more cheerful tone.
She glared at him. “How could you tell? I thought about that a lot afterward. How did you know?”
“Which, that he was cheating? Well, from his body language. He was telling every woman around he was open and available, and they were accepting the offers from the way they responded to him. But, in your case, how did I know you didn’t love him? Because you responded to me,” he said quietly. “When you’re truly and deeply in love with someone, that doesn’t happen.”
“So you’ve been so truly in love with someone that you felt that before?”
“No, but I’ve been around a lot of people who have incredible relationships, and I know not one of them would cheat. And, when you see that fidelity, you realize just how superficial your own relationships have been, and you want what they have.”
“But you’ve never had it?”
“No, but I thought on that weekend maybe I’d be lucky enough to find it. Only you were already engaged.”
“And how did you know I was what you wanted?”
She glanced behind her again, but Anders picked up the pace ever-so-slightly, separating the gap between them and the others. “It was instant,” he said. “I took one look at you, and I knew.”
“But I didn’t feel the same way,” she said gently.
“That’s because you had blinders up. Look at how you felt about your fiancé. As far as you were concerned, he was the man for you. And how do you feel about it now?”
She glared at his back as he stormed ahead as if having this discussion out in the open gave new life to his legs—where it was backfiring for her, and she was sliding slower and slower.
Finally he turned around and asked, “Are you okay? Can you keep going, or do you need a break?”
Her back stiffened, and she snapped, “I’m fine.”
“If you’re fine physically, then you’re probably taking a hit emotionally.” He stopped for a second and looked behind her to see how the others were doing. “But then that’s normal. Relationships disappear sometimes.” And he spun and headed off in front of her again.
She groaned. “I don’t get how you can be so cut-and-dried, so black-and-white about it all.”
“I’m not. It was a shock for me too to feel that hit me all in one moment. But it was really an ugly surprise to find out you were engaged. I knew I had to walk away. If you had gone with me that weekend, I wouldn’t have been impressed with you either. It wouldn’t have been good for us. Of all the things I am in life, I’m very honorable, and it would have been disturbing if you had accepted my invitation. I wanted you. I also wanted you to see the truth about your relationship. I wanted you to break up with him and to leave with me. But I also knew it was too early for you. What you felt for me was also too much of a shock for you, and you weren’t able to handle that yet. The only answer for me then was to walk away.”
“Yeah, but you know what I don’t understand?” she asked with feeling. “Considering how you felt or supposedly felt?”
He turned and looked at her.
She shrugged. “I can only assume how you felt. There’s nothing definitive about it. But, if that’s how you felt, and you walked away, why did you stay walked away?”
He froze for a long moment; then he chuckled. “You mean, why didn’t I come back and check on you? Why didn’t I call you, hound you, and see if you had left him yet?” He had her now. He smiled and said gently, “Because I’d already stated my intentions. You were the one who had to walk forward and to decide what you wanted.”
“And, after I did break up with him, if I’d walked forward, then what? It’s not like I had any way to contact you.”
He smiled. “You did, whether you knew it or not.”
“How was I supposed to contact you?”
“Did you call the hotel where we both were staying? Did you look into my name at all? Did you check anything? You are a researcher by nature and by career.”
She frowned. “No,” she said slowly. “I didn’t.”
“That’s because you weren’t ready.”
“I don’t know if it’s because I wasn’t ready or because I was willing to let it all slide to the side.”
“And why would you do that?”
“Because I felt like I couldn’t tr
ust myself.” She spoke softly. “If I couldn’t trust myself after making the decision to marry that asshole, how could I trust my own feelings about you?”
He snatched her close and whispered, “So you do admit you care.”
She pounded on his shoulder, ineffectually, as she didn’t put too much heat into it and glared up at him. “Maybe.”
*
It was interesting to hear her go over that long-ago weekend from her perspective. He’d seen her and had fallen like a ton of bricks. And he wasn’t kidding when he said he’d been absolutely devastated to find out she was engaged. How could something like that hit him so hard, and yet, she’d been completely oblivious? It was a cruel joke of fate, and it was also cruel timing for him. He had planned to go back.
He considered her childhood. It must have been hard for a daughter to grow up, finding her father less than the idol she had hoped for. At one point, every child learned the reality of who their parents really were. And that was often a very uncomfortable awakening. He could understand her being upset. Her parents’ divorce had probably also been ugly.
“Just remember,” he said, “your father’s the one who sent us here to collect you.”
“I’m not going to forget.” Her tone was sharp. “The question really is, what has he done that put me in danger?”
Anders couldn’t answer that. He didn’t have the details. The job had been assigned to him, and he was doing it the best he could. But there was no way to know what was going on behind this request. People often only told you what they wanted you to know. In this case, Anders hadn’t even spoken to her father. Levi had.
Anders came to a stop at the top of a ridge and studied the area. The sun still shone, warming the air, the sky bright blue, giving a much brighter cheerfulness to their surroundings. He studied the trees, his gaze sharp. Something moved, stilling the air and the local wildlife.
A birdcall came from behind him. He turned, flattened her to the ground and lay with her.
“What the hell was that?” she whispered.
“I’m not sure,” he said. Then a hawk’s cry sounded overhead. He sat back up again. “It’s okay. Harrison’s on his way back.”
“What? He came back for us?”
Anders studied the tree line and saw Harrison waving at him through the trees.
He marched toward them.
Anders told Angelica, “The shooter’s job isn’t done. He took down Nate, but he’s come back for you.”
She sat up and stared at Anders. “You guys take this very seriously, don’t you?”
He shot her a look. “Absolutely.”
“Got to be a hero all the time, huh?”
“I’m no hero,” he said, his voice low, determined. “Unless you’re looking for one. Then I’ll be your hero anytime.”
She snorted at that. “Does that line work for you very often?”
“Well, not so far apparently.” He gave her a grin, helping her to her feet, brushing the snow off her back, checking to make sure the others were all okay.
By then Harrison was only about twenty yards off. They waited, Anders’s gaze never leaving the tree line, studying to ensure nobody else was around. They were certainly within sniper range. Although Anders hadn’t discussed any of the details with Reyes and Dezi, Anders knew the two men his team had found in the trees wouldn’t talk easily. But then, being snipers, what did anybody expect? Anders would get Andersfurther details from the guys later.
Harrison finally reached them, his smile big and wide. “Hey, good to see you guys.”
“Good to see you.” Angel stepped forward eagerly. “How’s Nate?”
“In the hospital and stable,” he said with a smile. “He’ll be just fine.”
“Oh, thank God,” Hannah said as the group clustered around Harrison. “We didn’t expect to see you come back.”
“Of course I’d come back,” he said. “This is a perfect day for climbing.” He turned to look around. “This really is a piece of God’s country.”
“Any unfriendlies?” Dezi asked.
Harrison shot him a look and nodded. “One for sure.”
Silence ensued.
“Is he still alive?” Steve asked in a dry tone. “And I’m totally okay if the answer is no.”
Harrison chuckled. “This one’s still alive. I left him tied up down below. Of course, if we leave him out too long, he won’t remain healthy too much longer in the cold. So, if we’re heading back, I suggest we go this route. It’s a little easier going down.” And he headed off.
The others wanted to ask questions. Anders could see it on their faces, but Harrison didn’t give them any time to dawdle.
With Harrison now in front, Anders moved to walk just behind Angel, the others pulling up the rear.
She glanced at him. “So it’s safe now?”
“Hell no,” he said. “It’s likely worse now. We only took one out. They never come alone.”
She snapped her lips shut and quickly caught up behind Harrison. As she moved faster, it meant everybody else had to as well. He tugged the line gently on her. She turned to look back at him. He nodded at the others, and she realized her pace was too much.
“You can’t go too fast for the others’ sake.”
Her face fell, and she nodded. “Maybe you should tell Harrison that.”
“He’s on point,” Anders said. “He’ll hit the tree line and be a scout.”
“Oh, I thought I was supposed to keep up.”
It wasn’t long before they hit the tree line. Once there, Anders assessed the next leg and realized it was much more exposed as they went down the hillside. He called up to Harrison, “How’s the ice?”
“Slippery,” Harrison said as he held up his ice pick. “I needed this a few times.”
Anders nodded. “Okay. Good to know.” He reached for his pack and unhooked his ice pick. It allowed him additional support as he climbed downhill.
Harrison said, “Go ahead. I’ll pull up the rear.”
Anders nodded and kept going.
The others groaned. “Can’t we have a ten-minute break?”
He stopped and looked at them. “This next leg of the journey is the worst. After this, you’ll be in town. Just another few hours. I suggest we get through this piece and rest at the bottom.” He motioned at their ice picks. “Just enough melting ice is underneath the top layer of snow and is pretty hard and slippery. I’ll use picks at the front.”
And he marched off. He used his spike as he moved, keeping Angel close by. Twice her feet went out from under her. He stopped and helped her back up.
Resentfully she glared at him. “How come you never slip?”
“You’re wearing proper grippers,” he said, “but I’ve got military-application grippers. They’re deeper. They are longer. They are nasty.” He lifted his boot so she could see two-inch spikes underneath.
“I didn’t even see you put those on,” she protested. She examined the leather strap that came over the top. “Those are nice.”
He nodded. “Stay close.”
“Can I use your pack for support?”
“Absolutely.”
And that was the way they went down, with her hanging onto his pack for stability, him using his spike as they slowly descended. At no point did he feel like they had to rappel down, which was a good thing. This was a much easier slope to descend than they had seen on the way up. The helicopter had shown a lot of trails, but most of them required ropes. Anders still had his ropes, as did the other men, if they were needed. But, if they could walk the trails, it would be much easier and safer.
Slowly, trying not to move too fast for her, they carefully wended their way down the hillside. When they were about two-thirds of the way down, Anders stopped and motioned upward. She twisted to look back to see the other group a good fifty feet behind them, all four of them staying together as they slowly followed them down the mountain.
At the top of a hill, Harrison stood watch. But he wasn’t watchi
ng them; he was watching the rest of the world.
Anders turned around and said, “Come on. Let’s get to the bottom in the tree line. Town is around the corner. We’re almost there.”
Chapter 6
When they hit town, she was so shaky and tired that she wasn’t sure she would ever go back up on a glacier again. It wasn’t that it was more physically exerting than any other hike she’d done, but her nerves had been stretched taut, knowing there had been—what was the term he’d used? Unfriendlies? Unfriendlies out there waiting for them.
It had certainly been tough to not be aware somebody could have been watching them. And it also had been uncomfortable walking behind him, hanging on to his pack, so she’d always been slightly off to the side in the deeper snow. But they’d made it, and so had the others.
She smiled at Anders. “We have a hotel room booked.”
“You won’t be staying there,” he said quietly. “You’ll be in the cabin with us.”
She stared at him in shock. “That’s very high-handed of you.”
“It is, but we could have whisked you away tonight to England.”
“I’d be all for that,” Steve said. “Where the hell did you take Nate, by the way?”
“I believe he’s in Geneva,” Harrison said. “He chose between two different hospitals and had a special request for that one. But I’m not sure of its name.”
“As long as I have his number,” Steve said, “we can contact him as soon as we get to the cabin.”
“No reason we can’t call him now.” Angelica pulled out her phone and hit Nate’s number. It was a happy moment when he answered. “Nate, this is Angelica. How are you?”
“I’ve been better,” he said. “I’m not on top of a mountain, bleeding to death, so I’ll take it and say, Thank you very much for the rescue.”
“Hey, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have been in that spot anyway,” she said. “I’m so sorry for all this mess.”
“Not to worry,” he said. “So you’re in town now?”
“Yes, safe and sound.”
“Perfect. I was worried about you. Afraid someone else would get shot.”
“Apparently the rescue team took out a couple unfriendlies, but I don’t think we’re out of danger yet.”
