Jake’s smile was as warm as the snow under their boots. “Not quite the Boy Scout after all, huh?”
Justin moved to stand nose to nose with him. “Listen, you arrogant bas–”
“Stop it.” Moving between them, Neil placed a hand on Justin’s shoulders, shoving him back a step. “We don’t have time for a boxing match.”
Jake bared his teeth in a feral snarl. “We can make time.” He stepped forward.
Neil elbowed him back. “I’m serious.”
Justin’s nostrils flared. “If a fight is what he wants I’ll give him one.”
“We need somewhere to sleep tonight, remember?” Neil reminded them with barely strained patience. “Let’s put our leftover energy into that.”
“You’re right,” Jake muttered. He could pummel the twerp another time. They had several rooms to make, and no shovel, which would have made this job easier.
“I’ll start building the front rooms,” Justin muttered, and stalked to the other side of the deep hole.
“You guys need help?” Angela called. She and Nina started towards them.
“You can start building the corridors,” Jake said when they reached him and Neil. “I’ll show you how. The corridor will make it possible for us all to move around the cave. I’ll help, along with building the sleeping platforms. You okay to do the roof, Neil?”
“Sure, but you’ll need to show me how; I’ve never done it before.”
Under different circumstances, this could have been almost cathartic, Nina decided as she and Angela began scooping up large armfuls of snow. As it was, with bodily aches and pains and not as much as a sniff of any potential food, it was tough and muscle numbing work. Nina worked on autopilot, hardly taking note of what she did, simply doing as Jake instructed. She couldn’t help grunting as she lifted each armful of snow. Beside her, Angela panted as she worked, her eyes semi-closed against the cold damp wind battering them.
“Think Hazel will get anxious when you don’t call tonight?” Angela suddenly asked.
Nina paused with an armful of snow and met Angela’s gaze. “I don’t know.” She tossed the snow aside and watched it land beside her feet. She let out a slow breath. “But then what?” She took a deep breath. “What about your Derek?” She searched Angela’s tense face. “Will Derek suspect anything out of the ordinary when you don’t call him?”
Angela bit down on her lower lip as she punched out a ledge of snow. “Unlikely. I’ve taken a trusted private jet with my biggest client. Des will no doubt think I’m just too busy working and have forgotten to call.”
Nina grimaced at the truth of that.
“Plus,” Angela continued, “Des has a big presentation coming up in New York in a week.” Her voice hitched, became a fierce whisper, and Nina reached out to squeeze her arm in comfort. “I’ve got to get back in time to look after Jessica.”
Thinking of Angela’s five-year-old daughter made Nina’s heart ache.
“Des can’t look after her and go to New York, too.” Angela began to weep softly then.
“Ssh, it’s okay.” Miserable, Nina drew Angela into a loose embrace, mindful of both their bruises. “It’s okay; we’ll be out of here by then.” She willed herself to believe it, even as her conscious mind told her that there were no guarantees. “We’ll get a signal and be able to call everyone,” she insisted, wanting to comfort them both.
“There’s no phone signal here, Neen.” Angela’s voice was muffled against Nina’s cheek.
“Is she all right?” Neil called out. Dumping the truckload of snow he carried, he moved toward them with Jake following him. Neil placed a comforting hand on Angela’s shoulder.
“She’s worried about Jessie,” Nina told Neil.
He nodded grimly. “Jessie is her young daughter,” he explained to Jake.
Jake winced.
Several feet away, Justin sent Angela a quick look before continuing to dig without comment.
Jake slid a glance back to where Hugh was now sitting up, leaning heavily on Parker.
With a deep sigh, Angela pulled away from Nina, wiped her eyes, and visibly pulled herself together. “You’re right, Neen. We’ll get out of here. We’ll get through this.”
Nina smiled as the fight came back into her friend. “Definitely.”
Angela gave a wobbly smile. “When have we ever been wrong about anything?”
“Hardly ever,” Nina agreed, “that’s why we win all our cases. Let’s get back to work.”
––––––––
An interesting trio, Jake mused as he worked at digging out a straight line for the corridor. These lawyers weren’t a bunch of pampered soft-handed wimps. He couldn’t have abided that. He liked them, despite his best efforts not to. He liked the positivity they exuded despite the situation they found themselves in. Most of all, he appreciated their willingness to muck in without whining. As for the Drayton twerps...Jake’s mouth tightened with anger. While Justin might be willing to bend his back a bit, he was still an insensitive foul-mouthed brat. And Hugh...no, he wouldn’t go there.
He thought of the clients that regularly flew with Jets by Gwynne and remembered with particular disdain, the group of six executives he’d flown to Krvavec in Slovenia just last month. He’d had to make an emergency stopover for two days due to an ash cloud. There had been tantrums and hysteria - the male executives more vocal and petulant than the female ones. He almost laughed contemplating how they would have fared in this situation.
Building a snow cave was an arduous job, but he was glad to see them making steady progress. Emily had barely moved since they’d stopped. She hadn’t slept like Angela and Nina; she remained cross-legged and bleak eyed, and he hadn’t had it in him to ask her to help with building the cave. In a mere matter of hours, she’d lost the only family she’d had due to one man’s selfishness. It sickened him to think of it. He wasn’t a violent person but could happily strangle Hugh Drayton and smile while doing it.
As they added layers of snow to the structure of the cave, it hardened immediately, cementing its foundation with collaborative flexibility. He had to admit he’d been surprised that Justin knew how to build one of these. For himself, it came with being at Jets by Gwynne. Gwynne made sure the entire team trained in survival skills. Emily knew how to build one; he had seen her do so with a team of others quickly and efficiently on more than one occasion in training.
“Coming along, isn’t it?” Neil commented on a labored breath.
Jake moved to stand beside Neil, Nina, and Angela to get a better view of the entire cave. So far, so good. Similar to an igloo in shape but bigger, rounder, and more intricately designed, their snow cave was indeed coming along nicely.
How long had they been at it? he wondered, and checked his watch—almost two hours and the time had flown by. They had the corridor finished, and had clearly defined the rooms and sleeping platforms. All the cave needed was more layering and solidifying of the roof. It always amazed him how much could be done with snow.
“It actually looks like a cave,” Angela breathed in amazement. “I didn’t know what to expect when you started talking about it, Justin, but this just might work.”
Justin pressed a gloved hand against the roof of the cave. “You’ve kept it curved so there won’t be any dripping,” he said to Jake and Neil. “That’s good.”
Neil ran his hand along the top. “It’s a foot above the sleeping platforms like Jake said it needed to be.”
Angela frowned. “But won’t that entrance tunnel let cold air come in?”
“I’m going to put a snow block over it to avoid that,” Jake answered. “We’ll need to carve out a hole for ventilation, too.”
“With what?” Justin scoffed. “We could’ve used my ski poles but they’re gone, just like all our other stuff that cost a fortune.”
“Why the hell are you whining to me?” Jake’s eyes blazed with anger. “You think I care about what you’ve lost? I don’t. It was your maniac of a brother
who landed us in this mess. Complain to him.”
“I’m just making a point,” Justin bit out, his angry lips barely moving. “But I find it interesting that you managed to salvage your own stuff but none of ours–”
“Maybe there’s a way around the ski poles?” Neil cut in quickly when Jake looked ready to tear into the younger man.
“We’ll have to find another way,” Jake conceded.
“Okay.” Neil let out a sigh. “Let’s do what we can.”
Chapter 8
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Much later, Rita peered into the cave, her eyes a mixture of fascination and trepidation. The sky had turned an inky black now, stars shimmering silver against it, and all of them except Hugh stood analyzing their proposed dwelling. “We’re really going to be sleeping...on snow?” Rita shot a disbelieving glance at Neil.
He sighed. “It’s our best and only option, baby.”
“It’ll be comfortable and warm for...” Jake kept his gaze focused on the cave. “For as long as necessary.”
The cave was very impressive, Nina thought. No denying that, and at any other time, she would have been proud of her contribution to building it. But this wasn’t any other time, and as a result, pride was the last emotion she felt as she stood with the others.
“What’s the local time here now?” Parker asked no one in particular. “Anyone know?”
“Eight twenty-three,” Jake answered after consulting his watch.
“We should try for a signal again,” Nina began. “I need–”
“We all have needs,” Jake broke in, his tone impatient. “But at the moment the phone signal isn’t strong here.” He scratched his chin. “Tomorrow we’ll walk further out and see if the signal improves so we can make a distress call. And put up markers.”
“Markers?”
“S.O.S. signs for help,” Justin explained.
“Oh, of course,” she muttered, feeling silly for not knowing.
“But we’ll do all that tomorrow,” Jake stated. “I’m dead on my feet.”
Justin speared him with a resentful glance. “Who nominated you to be in charge?”
“Justin–” Parker warned.
Justin’s eyes chilled, but he didn’t press. “I’m going in. I’ll take Hugh.”
Parker’s eyes shifted to Emily. ”I’m so sorry, Emily.” He laid a hand on her arm gently before lifting his eyes to Jake’s stony ones. “Justin said there are three sleeping platforms at the back for us?”
“Yes.” Jake nodded once, eyes flat. “Help yourself to that room. It was made out for you three.”
“Thank you.” As Parker left, Emily moved to press her face against Jake’s chest. Immediately, his arm went across her shoulder. “I can’t be near him,” she moaned, her words muffled as they hit his chest. “How can I be near the person who killed Ben?”
Jake hugged her close. “Just stay close to me.”
Watching Emily’s misery made Nina want to cry. “How long were she and Ben married?” she asked Jake softly.
His eyes were bleak. “Four months.”
Newlyweds, Nina realized, and her heart ached for the other woman. They’d only just begun to enjoy their married life.
“Let’s go in,” Jake said.
It necessitated crawling through the low entrance tunnel. Nina did everything she could not to moan as her stiff bones complained when she crawled in behind Emily, but she couldn’t hold back the gasps of pain. It was warm inside the cave, toasty warm, and she felt her lips curving in desperate relief to finally escape the frigid cold.
“Oh, God. Warmth,” Angela moaned from behind her.
It was semi-dark inside, but the snow interior added the light to move around without ramming into the walls. Once inside, Nina straightened to her full height and looked around. It was much easier to see the dimensions of the cave from the inside. A thick wall of snow separated each room; the corridor was long and tunnel-like, at least two meters wide. Spreading her arms out, each of her hands touched the end wall. “We did a good job.”
“You two are sharing a room,” Jake told her and Angela. “Emily and I have the room beside yours.”
With a nod of thanks, Angela headed straight into one of the rooms, and Emily, the other.
Nina turned to Jake as he started to follow Emily. “Got a minute?”
He looked reluctant but stopped, leaning against the cave wall for support. “Go on.”
“Thanks.” Too exhausted to remain standing, Nina collapsed onto the floor of the cave and looked up to meet Jake’s impatient eyes. “I’ll try to make this quick,” she promised. “How long can we survive out here?” She sighed inwardly when his expression closed. Great, he was going to play things close to his chest. Who would that help? “I need you to be direct with me, Jake.”
“I don’t have all the answers,” he said carefully. “No one does.”
She searched his face. “But you’re obviously experienced in the outdoors. You knew how to build a snow cave–”
“Even that twerp Justin knew how to do that. It doesn’t mean anything.”
She dismissed that with a quick wave of her gloved hand. “Justin always surprises people with what he knows.”
Jake seemed to consider that. “Then why did Parker seem surprised that Justin knew about snow caves?”
Uncomfortable, she shrugged her shoulders. It wasn’t her place to discuss the difficulties Parker had experienced with his offspring. Hoping not to be obvious, she steered the conversation back to the one she had first started. “Right now we don’t have any food, medication supplies are limited...”
He continued to look down at her, eyeing her cautiously. “You told Angela that we’re going to survive this; that we need to all stay positive.”
“I know what I said and I’m trying.” She huffed out a breath. “But I need to know what I’m up against. What we’re all up against.”
“It’s been said people can survive several weeks without food,” he hedged.
She struggled with resentment. “The avalanche–”
“Has made things ten times worse,” he cut in. “Right now we all need to stay calm and think logically. No hysteria. We’ve succeeded with that so far, and I want to keep it that way. In my experience, people survive when they’re clear-headed and can focus on someone they care about, someone who’s waiting for them to return.”
“I have that. I have family back home. All of us do.”
“Good for you. Focus on them.”
“What about water?” she demanded. “What can we do for that? I saw the bottle you have, but I’ll be surprised if that lasts the night.”
“We’re surrounded by snow, Nina. It melts. Water. Bingo.”
She gasped in disbelief, too appalled by his suggestion to be offended by his sarcasm. “Melted snow for water?”
He looked annoyed. “It’s not ideal, but we have to make do with what we’ve got. Freshly melted snow is relatively safe to drink. We’re lucky to be alive.”
She knew that, and felt ashamed of her outburst. “You’re right.” Her stomach suddenly growled with hunger. They both pretended not to hear it.
He pursed his lips, his expression now holding worry, and he lowered his voice when he spoke. “You and Angela are much stronger than Emily is right now. She’s in a place I can’t reach and I don’t want to leave her alone. She feels alone already with Ben gone. That’s why I’m sharing a room with her. She shouldn’t be alone right now. Can you and Angela please help me look after her for as long as we’re out here? The more support she has, the better.”
“Of course. You don’t need to ask.”
The hard line of his mouth softened a little. “Thanks. Ben was everything to her.”
She nodded. “I can’t believe this has happened,” she whispered. “We came for business, not to end up stranded and drinking melted snow.”
“Business with Parker Drayton?”
Something in the way he asked made her pause.
“Yes,” she said slowly. “He’s our biggest client. He took a chance on working with us when we were just starting out. His referrals have put our firm on the map.”
“Sounds like Santa Claus.”
She frowned at his derisive tone. “You have something against Parker?”
“Not at all.”
And pigs might fly, she thought. “It’s unfair to make Parker responsible for the situation we’re in. Hugh’s a grown man; he made the decision to go into that cockpit.” Just remembering it caused her stomach to clench.
Jake lifted a cynical brow. “Drayton is Hugh’s father. A good father makes a strong son.”
Maybe, maybe not, Nina thought, but they had bigger issues to face right now than Parker’s parenting skills. “We have to suppress any animosity we might feel. It’s the only way we’ll get through this.” She was talking to herself as much as to him.
“Tell Emily that,” he retorted. “She had to watch her husband choke to death while trapped to his chair.”
Nina closed her eyes briefly as the horror washed over her once more. “I know. It’s awful. I feel sick just thinking about it. What comes next?”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t try to guess,” he advised without inflection. “But I’d hope, and I’d pray.” Leaning down, he helped her to her feet then headed for his own room.
Chapter 9
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Lost in thought after their conversation, Nina forgot her bearings and ended up in Rita and Neil’s room. Rita lay curled in a ball with Luke pressed against her stomach. A second sleeping platform had been built opposite, and Nina guessed Neil would be using that one.
The baby was asleep, but Rita lay awake. Nina sat beside her and rested her hand on Rita’s tense shoulder. “How’re you doing?”
“I can’t believe this has happened,” Rita whispered.
“None of us can because we’re not supposed to be in this situation.”
“I pressured Neil into bringing us along.” Rita stared blankly at a point in the distance over Nina’s shoulder. “Now look at what’s happened.”
Spiral and Torn Books 1 and 2 of The Salzburg Saga Trilogy Page 7
