Before Spider could protest further, Jarrad, already in the safety harness and hitched to the winch cable, was lowering himself down toward the helpless driver. He hoped he could get to her in time, but seeing how unstable the car now was, he wasn’t so sure.
Finally, Jarrad was able to stop his descent level with the driver’s door of the rocking BMW and he carefully timed a grab at the door handle, opening it fully before reaching inside and wrapping his thick arms around Elle.
“Release the seat belt,” he shouted with urgency, pointing animatedly at the buckle.
Elle hesitated, afraid to let go of the belt long enough to actually release the buckle.
“Now!” Jarrad’s voice boomed over the thunderous sound of the helicopter above as the car began to slip further over the edge.
Everything happened at once and it happened fast. To Elle, it was like it was all happening in slow motion. To Jarrad, it was all happening way too fast and he thought he was going to lose her.
As the seat belt unbuckled, the twisted metal that had been acting as Elle’s personal lifeline, finally gave out and the car slid, unrestrained down the mountainside.
At the same time, Jarrad swung himself clear of the car with Elle securely in his arms and together, they both watched the car plunge into the darkness. What was left of her shoes soon followed as her legs flailed in the air seeking purchase.
Holding her securely in his impossibly strong arms as he reversed the winch, Jarrad took a moment to properly look at the girl whose life he had just saved. His heart skipped a beat and he felt a stirring within that he never expected to feel again. He let out a throaty growl that he hoped she wouldn’t hear over the cacophonous roar of the helicopter.
He was wrong.
“What was that?” Elle screamed nervously. She couldn’t hear anything over the noise of the hovering helicopter, but she felt the vibration, sure enough, through Jarrad’s chest.
“Nothing,” Jarrad was quick to reply, “It’s just the winch cable. It does that sometimes.”
And it had better not do it again, he thought.
“Are you hurt?” he asked in an attempt to distract her.
She shook her head before looking up at the distant chopper, then down into the darkness which, moments ago, had swallowed her car. And her shoes.
“Stop kicking! I’ve got you, now. I won’t let you go.”
As wrong as he knew it was to feel this way, he knew he meant it. He never wanted to let her go.
Once inside the relative comfort of the helicopter cabin, Jarrad directed Elle to her seat as he tapped Spider on the shoulder, gave him a big thumbs up and an even bigger shit eating I-told-you-so grin. Spider simply shook his head. He wasn’t taking the bait. Jarrad knew how dangerous that stunt was and how close he came to losing the girl, his own life and maybe even Spider’s. There was nothing Spider could say that Jarrad didn’t already know. That’s how Jarrad rolled. He was all about the mission. He’d always been that way, right from the time he enlisted.
Fetching an emergency thermal blanket from a nearby storage locker, Jarrad wrapped it around Elle’s shivering shoulders. For the first time, he looked into her frightened yet stunning brown eyes. Something wasn’t quite right. This was usually the part when they thanked him profusely and the fear dissipated.
Yet, she was as frightened as when she was still stuck inside the car and she hadn’t thanked him once.
He saw nothing but fear in her widening eyes and his heart went out to her. But there was something else about her that he could sense. When he was deployed in Afghanistan he could always sense when trouble was looming. He had that same feeling now but that didn’t make any sense. The pretty young woman looked harmless and afraid. Hardly a threat to a combat hardened and highly trained soldier.
Chapter 7
Elle should have felt grateful to be alive, but without a car, handbag, shoes, cell phone or even a change of clothes, her safety felt temporary. As did her ability to stay alive. It was only a matter of time before the cartel, or whoever they paid to come after her, found her. That trooper finding her like that had seemed like a blessing. Now it felt more like a curse.
She felt vulnerable and she hated feeling that way. Her frantic dash for freedom, safety and anonymity had come to a crashing halt in the middle of nowhere. She might not have actually been at the ass end of the earth, but she was pretty sure she could see it from where she was, right about now.
To distract herself from the stomach churning motion of the wind buffeted helicopter and her ever increasing feelings of hopelessness, Elle took a moment to get a good look at her rescuer as he struggled, somewhat comically, to fit the safety harness over his impossibly broad shoulders.
He was, without doubt, the largest man she had ever seen.
Wow! They sure do grow them big up here in the mountains.
And easy on the eye, too, she couldn’t help but notice, despite her many worries. Or perhaps because of them. Eventually, he gave up the struggle and threw the undersized harness aside before looking up at Elle. Her cheeks flushed at the realization that he’d caught her checking him out. A sly smile threatened the corners of his mouth as he pretended not to notice.
Standing to move toward her, the helicopter lurched in response, throwing the huge specimen of a man back into his cramped seat.
Spider turned and waved at Jarrad to stay seated. Clearly, he was heavy enough to upset the state-of-the-art helicopters stability.
Pointing to a headset hanging next to Elle’s seat, Jarrad gestured for her to put it on. Elle pulled it from the hook securing it to the bulkhead and examined it for traces of earwax before screwing up her cute, upturned nose at the thought of placing communal headphones over her ears.
Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any worse. Eew!
“What’s your name?” Jarrad asked as she got the headphones adjusted.
“Elle,” she screamed over the drone of the rotors.
Jarrad winced as her voice threatened to pop an eardrum.
“You don’t have to shout. I can hear you just fine if you talk normally. These things are designed that way, you know.”
Elle shrugged her shoulders apologetically.
“I’m Jarrad. Up front at the controls is Spider.” Spider raised his hand by way of greeting, without turning around.
“Spider?” she quizzed.
“Webb. Jim Webb, at your service Ma’m,” Spider replied smoothly transitioning to his native Texas drawl, which was usually a bit of a hit with the ladies.
“Thank you both for saving me,” she met Jarrad’s gaze as she spoke, “I know that sounds pretty lame after what you did, but I don’t know what else to say.”
“That’s alright, darlin’. Any time.” The flirtatious smile was evident in Spider’s voice, even though neither Jarrad or Elle could see his face.
It took Jarrad by surprise when he felt a stab of jealousy at Spider’s flirtatious tone.
But Elle didn’t notice. She was too busy sizing up her rescuer. Even though he was wearing a through his jacket she could see that he was in great shape for his age, at which she could hardly guess what that might be. Only a dusting of grey at his temples hinted at his age. But his physique took her breath away and she almost felt safe in his presence. Almost.
Having always date the ‘pretty boys with the sexy smiles’ through college she’d never really paid attention to anyone older than her. But now…
Elle looked again at Jarrad, squashed awkwardly in his seat and started to giggle. Perhaps it was just a post trauma coping mechanism. She didn’t really care why; it just felt good to laugh for the first time in quite a while.
“Did I miss something?” Jarrad asked, confused by her sudden outburst.
“No. I just wondered if the Highway Patrol radioed in that there was a young woman and a car hanging off the mountain, so that’s why they sent the biggest guy they could find to rescue her,” she squeaked in between fits of laughter.
&n
bsp; Spider turned in his seat to wink at Jarrad. “They don’t call this place Big Bear Mountain for nothing—”
Jarrad shot him a stern glance to cut him off.
Then he softened as he looked back at Elle who appeared to be enjoying her own little joke. He loved how her face lit up when she laughed.
He shook that thought from his mind. She was a city girl, not a mountain woman…
Chapter 8
Jarrad was confused, though, by Elle’s comment after her fits of laughter had finally died down. But for a guy like Jarrad, being confused was pretty much a normal state of affairs where women were concerned. No wonder he hadn’t found a himself someone to settle down with.
Clueless didn’t even begin to describe Jarrad when it came to finding a soul mate.
She’s so young. She’s gorgeous. And that smile…
Elle’s eyes met his. She’d caught him staring and musing at her.
Despite her ordeal, the girl still looked not only stunning but also quite classy. She wasn’t a local girl, that’s for sure. Fresh out of the big city was Jarrad’s guess. Manicured nails, her golden hair near perfect with only a few errant stands having broken free of her pony tail during the rescue, just enough make up to highlight her high cheekbones and plump, kissable lips and a body to die for. She was out of his league. That much he knew for sure. He wasn’t going to let his crazy notions make a fool out of him. Not again.
But as he gazed at her his heart knew, even if his head hadn’t yet caught up. In his heart, he knew.
“What were you doing up on the mountain, anyway?” Jarrad asked.
“I was thinking of going hiking,” she replied, regretting her stupid reply even before it had left her mouth.
Jarrad quirked an eyebrow. “In that?” he asked, looking from her bare feet to the short skirt which poked out from beneath the survival blanket.
“I said I was thinking about it,” she snapped.
“Yeah, we rescue a lot of people up here every year who were thinking about hiking or climbing or camping. A lot of them are way better prepared than you, too.” Jarrad knew she was hiding something and that she was afraid, but he didn’t press further.
“We need to take you down the mountain to the local hospital to get you checked out. We can have the State Troopers meet us there so they can take a statement. Unless you’d rather go to the station?”
“No!” she snapped more sharply than she intended. “I mean…I’m fine. Really. I don’t need to go to the hospital. And the car was insured, so I’ll just make a report to the insurance company. There’s no need for the police. Nobody got hurt.”
“Sorry, but we have to follow protocol. You need to be checked out medically in case something happens later and you try to sue High Mountain Rescue. And the police are gonna want a report to explain why the State has to send a repair crew to replace a big chunk of railing on its mountain.”
Having served many years with the U.S. Army Rangers, which included a few tours in Afghanistan, Jarrad had seen a lot things, many of which he’d sooner forget. The look on the girls face looked just like some of the expressions of sheer terror he’d seen in the field under the most horrendous battle conditions. She looked terrified and all he wanted was to hold her in his arms, protect her and tell her everything would be fine. The sense of alarm and dread he sensed emanating from her was beginning to make him feel very uneasy and somewhat restless. Jarrad’s instincts honed from years of experience in the field rarely let him down.
The problem was, Jarrad didn’t know what in the hell was really going on and Elle didn’t really look like she wanted to talk about it.
Contrary to everything his training had taught him and against every protocol he should follow as a Rescue Ranger, Jarrad reluctantly gave in to his instincts and rested a firm, commanding hand on Spider’s shoulder and gave him a change of mission.
Chapter 9
“Are you crazy?” Spider protested. “You know we can’t do that.”
“I need you to do this for me. Don’t ask me why. I don’t even know why myself. I just know something is off here and I really need you to buy me some time to find out what’s going on before we do something we might live to regret,” Jarrad explained. “You know I’ve got a good sense for trouble and right now, my gut is telling me that she,” he gestured toward Elle, “is in trouble. Very serious trouble.”
Spider didn’t respond. He was still processing what Jarrad was suggesting.
“Remember Al Qaim? You didn’t listen to me then…”
Neither of them had spoken about Al Qaim in a long time. A look of guilt washed over Spider’s face. He realized how serious Jarrad was and how dangerous the situation could potentially be. He’d seen that look on Jarrad’s face before.
The powerful Sikorsky helicopter banked sharply and changed course.
“What’s going on?” Elle asked alarmed at the sudden change in the helicopters attitude as she struggled to remain seated against the G-force of the turn. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe so you can tell me what’s really going on and why I shouldn’t just take you straight to the nearest Federal Marshall’s office.”
For the first time, Elle looked directly into Jarrad’s probing blue eyes.
“If you do that, I’m as good as dead. You may as well have left me up on that Mountain to die. It would have been a lot quicker and way more pleasant than anything they have planned for me, that’s for sure.”
“Who’s they?” Jarrad asked.
“The Cartel.”
“Oh shit!”
Now Jarrad was the one looking terrified.
Chapter 10
The worried look on Jarrad’s face didn’t do much to instill confidence in Elle’s already frail state of mind. She’d blown her one shot at freedom and safety. She had no money, her belongings, including her overnight bag, purse and credit cards were lost for good. All she going for her was a rescue ranger, albeit a handsome and well-built one, with a look on his face that made her fear for the worst.
“Like I said, I would have been better off taking my chances in the car.” She slumped in her seat, resigned to her fate.
Jarrad didn’t know how to deal with her. He’d always been a fighter and had no idea what giving up was like. He couldn’t fathom her attitude, but that was nothing unusual. Jarrad never really knew much where women were concerned.
Almost reluctantly, Jarrad stood and began to lift his shirt and the clingy tee he wore underneath. “I want to show you something,” he said to Elle.
Wow! For this guy sure is cut.
Elle had a hard time keeping her eyes in their sockets and her jaw from falling to the floor as Jarrad’s shirt peeled up, revealing the most perfect six-pack she’d ever seen. And that included a few firefighter calendars, too. Six perfectly sculptured squares had been carved into the slab of granite where his abs should have been. Elle wanted to touch them to see if they were real.
With my tongue!
Below them, a fine dusting of hair forming a line from his navel down to his…
“I hope this doesn’t freak you out,” he cautioned, interrupting her drooling.
As he lifted the shirt higher, he revealed a thick, ropey scar about six inches long, just below his rib cage. Elle tried not to react, but she wasn’t expecting it and her expression gave her away.
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” he said. “I don’t go to the beach much, these days.”
Elle didn’t laugh.
Jarrad smiled. “That was kind of a joke…do you know how far away we are from anything that looks remotely like a beach?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything. I just wasn’t expecting—”
“A huge ugly scar where a three foot long piece of rebar speared me like a spit roast?” he offered.
He started to pull his shirt back down. Elle hoped he’d stop. The scar didn’t bother her. She didn’t even know why she flinched. She felt awful.
“Why did you sh
ow me?”
“Spider and I were on a mission—”
“You got that on a rescue mission?” Elle interrupted.
Spider turned in his seat and threw a look of caution at Jarrad.
“We served together. In the army. That’s as much as I’m allowed to say. Anyway, as I was saying, we ran into some…trouble. As you saw, it didn’t go well for me, but it went a lot worse for the other guys. I was the only one who survived. They left me for dead, pinned under a pile of post detonation ruble with a steel rod through me. Who wouldn’t? Right?”
Elle screwed up her face at the horrific image he’d just implanted in her mind. She could have gone her whole life without picturing something so grotesque.
“I was trapped. Three miles inside enemy territory. No radio. No weapon. Nothing.”
“I don’t see what that—”
“My point,” Jarrad cut her off, “is that even when others give you up for dead and everything looks hopeless, there’s always a chance. Even one that’s slim to none. But only if you don’t give up, and that’s what you’re close to doing. Trust me. Let us help you.”
“No, it’s too dangerous. This is my problem and I won’t have someone else’s blood on my hands. I need to do this alone,” she pleaded.
“That’s not an option. We’re on our way to a safe place. My place. Nobody will find you there. That’s a promise.”
“How did you manage to make it back, anyway?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I had some help.” Jarrad glanced at Spider and smiled. It was a smile Elle was fast getting used to.
Chapter 11
The look on her face as they approached the helipad on Jarrad’s property was priceless. Jarrad got a bit of a kick from watching her eyes widen as she realized that she was looking at his stunning, private mountain hideaway complete with snow-capped mountain views and surrounded by pristine forest, as far as the eye could see, filled with trees that looked positively ancient. Near the edge of a large clearing stood an enormous two story log cabin, although that description hardly did Jarrad’s home justice. It was twice the size of the average suburban home even without the substantial, adjoining double garage.
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