“A while.”
A similar response he’d given Angela earlier, she noted. Fine, he was angry, she got it, but they all were. None of them had asked to be here. “Jake–”
“The most important thing is to hope there won’t be any more avalanches,” Justin interrupted.
“More avalanches?” Rita clutched a sleeping Luke tighter to her. “What do you mean?”
Everyone looked at each other in horror.
“Yes, what do you mean?” Neil demanded.
. “Ignore him,” Jake snapped, but avoided everyone’s eyes that had turned toward him. “He was rambling.”
“The hell I was.” Justin’s face flushed with anger. “I’m going to tell them what they need to know so they can be prepared.”
Disdain filled Jake’s eyes. “Prepare them? With what? We’ve lost everything. All we have are the clothes on our backs. What you’ll do with your misery forecast is send them into panic.”
“There’s...there’ll be more than one avalanche?” Angela asked in a small voice.
“They’re known to come in twos or threes,” Justin answered bluntly. “Each one is usually stronger than the last–”
Nina could only stare at him. Could things get any worse?
“That’s unlikely to happen this time,” Jake said in a clipped tone.
“How do you know?” Parker demanded.
Jake didn’t answer.
“How much longer do we have to walk, Jake?” Emily asked tautly. Tearstains streaked her face and pain and fatigue clouded her eyes.
Jake glanced at his watch. “Forty-five minutes give or take,” he said reluctantly, and expelled a breath as a groan of protest rose up from the rest of the group. ”We have no choice. We’re further from the avalanche area than we were before, but...”
“What’s the time?” Nina asked, though she couldn’t have said why that was important.
Jake consulted his watch. “Just gone four o’clock London time, which means it must be about five o’clock out here.”
“And we’re definitely not in England anymore?” Parker asked.
Jake didn’t bother to dignify that with a reply, which just made Parker appear more agitated.
The baby awoke with a gurgle, and Rita pressed a kiss to his forehead before turning bruised eyes to Neil. “My back hurts.”
Neil rubbed the base of her back gently. “I know, baby. I’m sorry. When we find shelter, I’ll give you a longer back rub.”
“What the hell are you doing, Justin?” Jake suddenly hissed as the other man tapped on Hugh’s cheek. “You want him awake and causing more trouble?”
“He’s heavy,” Justin snapped. “I’d prefer not to break my back carrying him while trekking through snow.” But even as he tapped his brother’s cheek, Hugh, only half awake, batted Justin’s hand away.
Steel glistened in Jake’s gray eyes. “Then you should’ve ditched him like I suggested. We’ll have to get going again soon. We need to find shelter for tonight. We can’t sleep out here.”
Nina drew a fortifying breath, mentally preparing her body to shift. Her quads burned with every step she took as they resumed their trek through the snow, and her blood felt as if it had frozen in her veins. Images of the hot bath and warm double bed flittered cruelly through her mind. Parker’s elegant chalet would remain unoccupied while they froze and starved out in the middle of nowhere.
“It’s not just shelter we need.”
Emily’s tense words had them all turning to her. “We haven’t got any food," she clarified. “The food we had got burned with the rest of the jet.”
Jake acknowledged Emily’s words with a grim nod. “I know, but shelter’s the first priority.”
“Luke needs to be fed,” Rita declared, pulling Luke’s sucking mouth away from her chest. “I’ll need to do it now before we carry on.”
“What? What are you doing?” Justin cried in panic when she placed Luke in Neil’s arms and began unbuttoning her top.
“I’m going to breast feed my son,” she replied with impatience. “What does it look like?”
Chapter 7
––––––––
When, by tacit agreement, they decided they had gone far enough, they scanned the area. Everyone’s chests heaved with exertion, tempers had long since frayed, and no one could muster an encouraging smile.
The area they found themselves in now looked the same as what she’d seen all afternoon: miles of flat snow-covered land with tall dark mountains in the backdrop. The only difference now was they’d lost light; the sky a darker blue; the clouds bunched together as if seeking warmth from one another and the unnerving silence of isolation. She estimated that they’d walked for the forty-five minutes Jake had predicted, and since Rita had finished feeding Luke and they had set off, Nina could no longer feel her toes.
Jake shot a look at Neil. “What do you think? I don’t think we’ll get better than this.”
Neil rolled his shoulders tentatively, his face a mask of pain and weariness. “You’re better informed about these things than any of us. You’ve traveled here before.”
But Jake shook his head. “I’ve flown over the area. That’s not the same thing.”
Lethargic and drawn, Parker sank awkwardly to his knees, the sling that Emily had set his left arm on resting against his chest while his gloved right hand rested on the snow beneath him. “We’re nowhere near my chalet, are we?”
“No.” Jake’s reply was flat.
Parker’s eyes were hollow. “I suppose we can be grateful we all made it out safely.”
Nina shot a glance at Jake and saw his eyes flash fire at the older man. Emily closed her eyes. “Not quite, Drayton.” Jake’s voice was colder than the current temperature around them.
“Jake–” Neil began.
“What do you mean?” Parker frowned.
“What do you think I mean?” Jake’s arm slashed at the air with anger, then he winced at the pain the abrupt movement caused. “Take your head out of your backside for a minute and look around. Not everyone made it out. Someone’s missing.”
If Parker found Jake’s words insulting, he didn’t show it, his gaze moving around the group. “I don’t...” he began, and then sucked in a shocked breath. “The copilot?” he asked in disbelief, looking back at Jake. “He’s not here.”
“Ben Denny,” Jake bit out. “He had a name.”
“He’s gone.” Emily’s voice hitched. For a moment, she and Jake just looked at each other, each with similar expressions of grief and disbelief. “I couldn’t undo his seatbelt.” Confusion flooded Emily’s expression. “Why couldn’t I undo it? Why wouldn’t it come undone?”
Jake just shook his head, eyes tormented. “Em...”
“He died because of that.” She covered her face with hands that trembled. “Too much smoke. He inhaled too much smoke. If I’d managed to undo his seatbelt he would’ve had a chance like the rest of us. I–"
“No.” Jake’s curt denial stopped Emily. “That brat Drayton is responsible for that. He knocked Ben unconscious. Ben didn’t have a chance to get his seatbelt off because he was out of it.” Jake gave her a gentle shake as if to ensure the truth got through to her. “I was still struggling with Hugh when the jet crashed. And when the jet landed everything was dark and all over the place. I couldn’t see anything, couldn’t’ hear anything. Everything was covered in smoke and soot, nothing looked or sounded familiar. Everything was in disarray.” His voice broke at the memory of it, and he had to take a moment to gather himself before continuing. Emily stared at him, her mouth trembling as he went on. “I knew there were three of us in that cockpit: me, Ben and....Drayton.
“It was too dark to see which of the two I was closest to, so when I got my seatbelt undone I just started dragging out the body closest to me.” He closed his eyes and shuddered. “It was Drayton I’d pulled out, Drayton whom I’d helped save. Not Ben.” He opened his eyes and looked directly at Emily. “Then you were there, asking
me about Ben, about how he was still in there. And I realized what had happened. That Ben was still in there. I’m sorry, Em.” He lowered his head to Emily’s shoulder in disbelief, and she rested her chin on top of his head.
Silence had fallen over the group. Heart in her throat, Nina stared at him and Emily. Finally she knew what had happened in that cockpit.
“But in the cockpit I couldn’t get his seatbelt off,” Emily whispered, her hand on the back of Jake’s head, offering comfort even as she seemed unable to get any for herself. “It was dark and the smoke had gotten worse. You and Neil were trying to rescue Nina too.” Emily’s gaze shifted to Nina. “The crash turned your seat upside down. Do you remember any of that?”
All eyes turned to Nina.
Stunned, she could only shake her head no, and was glad she couldn’t remember it. She’d been turned upside down?
Parker looked over at Hugh who was yet to wake fully. Wetting his lips, Parker looked back at Jake and Emily. “I’m sorry,” Parker whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Jake’s head jerked from Emily’s shoulder, his eyes stone cold. “It’s your son who should be apologizing.” Disgusted, he shot another bitter glance at Hugh.
“Yes –he...he ambushed the cockpit. I...” Parker trailed off, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I don’t know what got into him. I understand how you must feel.”
“You understand nothing.” Jake’s words whipped out like a lash. “Ben didn’t get a chance to survive the crash because he was knocked unconscious by your son. He came at Ben from behind like the coward he is. Ben wasn’t able to defend himself. When the jet crashed, it was too dark for me to even see what I was doing, whom I was helping. But it was only your son whom I could save and not the man I call a friend. I have to live with that for the rest of my life, and so does Em.”
Nina could only listen helplessly with the others, all of them shocked into grim silence.
Parker looked ill. “I wish there was something I could do. Where...where is Ben now?” He eyed their surroundings warily.
“Where do you think?” Jake hissed; the words as jagged as the mountain peaks around them. “We had to leave him behind in the jet. I couldn’t get him out of his chair. His seatbelt wouldn’t loosen.”
When Parker squeezed his eyes shut, Jake turned away, disgusted all over again.
Nina pressed her fist to her mouth, Angela clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and began to pray quietly. Rita shifted closer to Angela and prayed with her. Neil’s expression was grim as he watched them but he said nothing, even when they had finished praying. Emily remained as still as stone and glassy eyed, and Justin kept looking around anxiously.
Jake stalked a few feet away from them then, as if the sight of them made him sick.
Taking a deep breath, Nina looked at Neil. “We need a place to sleep tonight.”
“We’ll have to build a snow cave,” Justin announced, and then bristled when everyone stared at him in surprise. “What?” he asked testily.
Jake retraced his steps back to them, his eyes on Justin. “I was just thinking the same thing. I assume you also know how to build one, Drayton?”
Justin gave a brief nod. “It’ll take a few hours, but if we all pitch in, it’ll make it easier. We need a small slope or a bank of snow.” When Jake arched a brow but said nothing, Justin continued. “We need to build one with enough sleeping platforms for everyone.”
Parker’s eyes had widened in surprise at his son. “You’ve never mentioned knowing anything about this, Justin.”
“So? I’m not completely useless.”
“I never meant–”
“Forget it.”
“A snow cave?” Rita wondered out loud. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“Will it work?” Angela asked as she pulled out her inhaler and took two puffs.
“It might,” Jake answered. “It is the most logical step. It’ll keep everyone warm and sheltered.” Squatting down, he yanked at the stiff zipper of his rucksack. “It’s either that or frostbite and hypothermia, which I know none of us wants.” He patted the snow beside him, thick and unyielding under his gloved hand. “We’ll need depth for it, several feet at least.”
Neil left Rita and Luke with Emily while he and Angela began to make room for the cave. Ahead of them, Jake moved further out to a bank of snow to scout the area and Justin reluctantly followed him.
Disliking standing around doing nothing, Nina moved toward Jake and Justin. “What can I do to help?”
Jake shook his head without looking up at her. “Conserve your energy, you were on that jet for longer than the rest of us and inhaled a lot of smoke. Plus, there’s no food.”
She would love to rest, but like feeling useless. “I know all that.”
He looked up then, his mouth tight with annoyance. “Then rest.”
She remained where she stood. “None of us are here because we want to be, but if building this cave takes a few hours, like Justin said, then we’ll all need to help.” She glanced over at Neil and Angela. The strain on their faces made it clear they were in pain too, but they were doing what needed to be done. And so would she.
Jake considered her unyielding expression. “Are you telling me you’re not in pain?”
Of course she was in pain. She ached, but she managed a stiff shrug. “Who isn’t? But that doesn’t change anything. We need to survive. To do that we all need to pull our weight.”
With a shrug Jake turned to Justin. “We have to be mindful for rocks. You know that?”
Justin’s mouth tightened. “I know that.”
“Why check for rocks?” Nina asked in confusion.
“We can’t build a snow cave on rocks,” Justin explained. “The slope needs to be clear and even underneath for us to build the cave.”
She frowned. “I’ve heard that probes are best to check for that.”
He arched an impatient brow. “You see any fancy probes anywhere?”
She stared at his retreating back as he walked away. With that sobering reminder of their predicament, she began testing the ground with her gloved hands, digging out chunks to search for any offended rocks. Grateful to have her mind focused on something beside her aching body, she worked slowly and steadily with the others.
“How’s it going?” Jake called out to her a short while later.
“No rocks here!” she shouted back.
He crunched his way through the snow towards her. “Ready to rest now?” She detected a smile in his voice but his expression remained bland.
Yes, she wanted to rest. “Yeah, thanks.” She looked over to where Angela was already lying down beside Rita and the baby.
Neil came up to her. “Go and join Ange for a rest, Neen. You’ve both been troopers.”
––––––––
“She’s waking up again.” Those were the first thing Nina heard when she awoke a while later. She’d fallen asleep soon after stretching out beside Ange, and she blinked up at the indigo sky above her. She sat up with effort. “What time is it?”
Angela sighed. “Don’t know. Don’t want to know. I’d say you’ve only been sleeping for about two hours, though.”
Nina’s gaze moved to Parker who leaned over Hugh, and she realized it was him who she had heard upon awakening. He was talking about Hugh.
Glancing across at Emily, Parker gestured towards the rucksack Jake carried. “Is there nothing else in there that we can give him?”
Nina gaped at him. He had to be joking.
Emily’s eyes looked like empty sockets in her lifeless face. “I don’t know, Parker.”
Justin staggered over to them, collapsing with a loud groan on the edge of the large mat.
Hugh’s eyes were open and blinking rapidly up at his father.
Parker leaned over him, gently tapping at Hugh’s cheeks. “Hugh, can you hear me?”
Justin eyed Emily as he slowly sat up. “You’re angry that my brother survived when your pilot friend didn’t, right?�
�� His voice was soft his expression remorseful.
But Emily only shook her head. “Ben wasn’t just a pilot, friend, or a colleague, “ she stated flatly. “He was my husband, and the only family I had.”
Nina sucked in a breath, Angela groaned, Justin looked away, and Parker squeezed his eyes shut.
“Emily, I’m so sorry,” Nina whispered. Reaching for Emily’s hand, she squeezed it gently.
Emily swallowed, making an obvious effort to continue as Rita put her arm across her shoulders. “I’ll never see him again.” Her voice fractured. ”I have to try and accept that.”
Justin stared down at the ground.
“Emily–” Parker began in a whisper.
But she only shook her head, hunching her shoulders forward, her gaze still on Justin. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not concerned about your brother.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I–”
“Justin,” Neil called out impatiently. He stood beside Jake, both of them eyeing Justin. “You can’t take a break yet; we haven’t finished.”
With a groan, Justin rose and staggered back to join them.
––––––––
“We’re ready to build the cave,” Jake told Justin when Justin joined him and Neil.
Justin squinted down into the dark hole in front of them. “You’re sure it’s several meters deep?”
Jake didn’t bother replying. “We need shovels,” he said instead. “You have any?” His gaze was challenging on the younger man.
Justin’s gaze jerked up, his eyes confused. “Shovels?”
“To dig out blocks for the individual rooms,” Jake enunciated each word as if speaking to a dim-witted child. “I thought you said you knew how to build a snow cave?”
Justin bristled. “I do.”
“Right, so you know that using shovels will make this part of the cave a heck of a lot easier than using our hands.”
“Of course I know that,” Justin snapped. “But where the hell am I going to magically come up with shovels?” He flung his arms out to indicate the lack of belongings on his person. “Inside my ski boots?”
Spiral and Torn Books 1 and 2 of The Salzburg Saga Trilogy Page 6
