Witness on the Run

by Susan Cliff

  There was no movement but snow flurries. No sound besides the wind.

  “I have to get down there,” Cam said.

  She gaped at him, incredulous. “How? There’s nothing to tie a rope to.”

  He studied the area, his jaw clenched. There were no safety rails or natural features to use as an anchor. His truck was too far away, and there were too many hazards. The snow wasn’t stable. Another vehicle could come around the corner any moment. Dropping the rope, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted down at the wreckage.

  “Hey! Can you hear me? You have to get out! I’ll throw you a rope!”

  Tala was aware that help might not arrive anytime soon. They were in the middle of nowhere. If the driver was alive, he could very well die before emergency services responded. While she watched, breathless, fingers poked out through the broken window.

  “He’s alive,” Cam and Tala exclaimed at the same time.

  The fingers wiggled once, and stilled. They waited for more movement. Cam shouted encouragement until his voice went hoarse. It became clear that there would be no self-rescue. The man couldn’t dig himself out of the snow-packed cab. He was going to suffocate.

  “I’ll go,” Tala said, picking up the rope. “I can’t hold your weight, but you can hold mine.”

  “No,” Cam said, his eyes wild. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “It’s the only way.”

  He raked a hand through his hair, cursing. “You shouldn’t even be out here. I told you to stay in the goddamned truck!”

  “He’ll die if we do nothing.”

  After a few seconds of watching her fumble with the rope, he took control and secured one end around her waist. He tied the other end to his own waist. Taking up the slack, he held it in a tight grip. “Whatever you do, don’t get the rope caught on the wreckage. If it starts to fall, we’ll all go down with it. You have to stay clear.”

  “I understand,” she said. “You’ve got me?”

  “I’ve got you. Go slow.”

  She had to brace her boots on the snowy rock face, which made a slippery surface, and lean back into the abyss. Cam gave her a few tips, but mostly he just shut up. His face was taut with worry, his mouth a hard line. Then she couldn’t see him anymore. He lowered her with sure hands, steady as a rock. Seconds ticked by and her blood rushed in her ears.

  She thought about her father, and how he’d died fighting. She knew he’d been awake after the crash. He’d swum to the surface and tried to punch through the ice. His knuckles had been broken from the effort. He’d needed help, but no one was there.

  She couldn’t save her father, but she could save this trucker. She could keep fighting.

  When she reached the wreck, she fell to her knees on the hood and started scooping out snow with her bare hands. There was a limp arm to guide her. She freed him to the shoulder. His fingers twitched and tears rushed into her eyes. Redoubling her efforts, she tunneled a path toward his head. A weathered face appeared, with a gray mustache and unhealthy pallor. His eyes opened, bloodshot and confused.

  “What happened?”

  She sobbed with relief. “He’s alive,” she cried up at Cam. “He’s alive!”

  The man tried to move, groaning. Tala kept digging. She wept into the snow. After several more minutes, his upper body was exposed and he could breathe easier. He looked more alert, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

  “Help me,” she panted, tugging on his arms.

  He strained forward. Together, they freed him from the snow-packed cab. The truck made an ominous creaking sound.

  “Uh-oh,” the man said.

  Another rope got tossed down to them a moment later. She glanced up the cliff, disoriented. Her arms were tired from digging, her face and hands numb. There was a second figure next to Cam. Nahani, her mind whispered. The Woodsman.

  “What’s your name, girl?” the trucker asked.

  “Tala.”

  “I’m Phil.”

  “Anything broken?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  She helped Phil loop the rope around his waist. He tied the knot himself. It looked secure. Collapsing on the snow-covered hood, she gave Cam a weak thumbs-up. She started shivering uncontrollably, and she didn’t have the energy to climb.

  Luckily, she didn’t have to do anything. The other men lifted her to the top. Then she was in Cam’s arms, warm and safe. He wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her forehead.

  She didn’t want to let go—ever.

  But she had to, because their work wasn’t done. The figure beside Cam wasn’t the woodsman. It was another trucker named Robert. A third man arrived on the scene and offered his assistance. They brought up Phil slowly. He was heavier than Tala, and possibly injured, but leaving him down there wasn’t an option.

  Phil made it to the top safely. He seemed alert. He had a bump on his head, and some tenderness in his ribs. Tala gave him her blanket. After a short rest, he was able to stand up. He embraced Tala and professed his gratitude.

  “You’re the prettiest trucker I’ve ever seen,” he said, and everyone laughed.

  “I’m not a trucker,” she said. “I’m a waitress.”

  Everyone laughed again, for no particular reason. They were all giddy from the close call and successful rescue. Cam had been right about truck drivers. They weren’t antisocial. When someone needed help, they banded together.

  “Are you sure you’re not my guardian angel?” Phil asked.

  “I’m just me.”

  Phil squeezed her shoulder. “I have a daughter your age,” he said, his voice thick. “She wouldn’t have a dad right now if it weren’t for you. That was a very brave thing you did. I don’t know why you did it.”

  “I told her not to,” Cam said, and they all laughed some more.

  Tala flushed at the attention, but she felt good about her actions. Phil wasn’t exaggerating. He probably would have died if she hadn’t dug him out of the snow. “I couldn’t have done it without Cam.”

  Cam nodded an acknowledgment. His quick thinking in grabbing the rope, and his strength in holding her weight, had been essential to the rescue. “It was a group effort,” he said, including the others.

  Phil thanked everyone with handshakes and claps on the back. The rest of the men grabbed shovels and started clearing the road. They worked with brisk efficiency, part construction crew, part rescue team. Taking a break to help save a guy was no problem, but now they were all business. They had loads to deliver and deadlines to meet.

  Tala stood on the sidelines with Phil. She watched Cam shovel until the formal “first responders” appeared. There were two EMTs in a modified ambulance, and a policeman in an SUV. She froze at the sight of the officer’s navy blue winter uniform. Her panicked mind supplied the wrong face, morphing him into one of the killers. Then she saw Duane. She blinked to dispel the image, but she couldn’t shake the bad feeling. She started shivering again, from a mixture of fear and stress.

  There was no escaping an interaction with the authorities. If she tried to avoid them, it would look suspicious.

  The EMTs escorted Phil to the ambulance to take care of him. They returned her blanket, which she held with numb hands. The policeman didn’t stop to talk to her, which was a relief. She had no idea what to say to him. She’d told Phil her real name. Cam wouldn’t lie for her. She was stuck.

  While she stood there, trembling, Cam stepped forward to give a statement to the officer. She didn’t want to tell a story that might contradict his, so she listened intently. Cam gave the details of the accident without embellishment. Just the facts.

  The officer seemed surprised by her part in the rescue. He glanced over the cliff’s edge. “She went down there to dig him out?”

  Cam nodded.

  “Whose idea was that?”
<
br />   “Hers.”

  “So you lowered her toward the wreck?”

  “Yes.”

  “How were you planning to get her out?”

  “I thought I could pull her up. Then she and I could pull him up.”

  “That would have been extremely difficult.”

  Cam didn’t argue. Tala hadn’t thought that far ahead. They were lucky the two other men had arrived to help.

  The officer brandished a pen and notepad. “What’s your name, hero?”

  “Cameron Hughes.”

  “And you, miss?”

  “Tala Walker,” she mumbled, her lips numb.

  “Tara?”

  “Tala. T-A-L-A.” If he returned to his vehicle and entered her name in his computer, he’d get a notification of her outstanding warrants. But maybe he wouldn’t bother. As far as he knew, she hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “You’re traveling together?” the officer asked Cam.

  “Yes. That’s my rig.”

  “I need to sit down,” Tala said. “I feel lightheaded.”

  The officer shrugged, closing his notebook. “Go ahead.”

  Cam thanked him and grasped Tala’s arm to lead her away. She stumbled forward on unsteady legs. She half expected the policeman to shout at them to stop, but he didn’t. She glanced over her shoulder. He wasn’t even watching them.

  She made it as far as the passenger side of the truck. Then her knees buckled and everything went dark.

  Chapter 14

  Cam caught Tala before she fell.

  He swept her into his arms as her eyelids fluttered closed. She made a moaning sound, resting her head against his shoulder. He lifted her into the cab and deposited her into the passenger seat with a grunt of exertion. It was warm inside, because he’d left the engine running and the heat on. He adjusted the blanket over her body to keep her cozy. By the time he got behind the wheel, she was awake again.

  He handed her a bottle of water. She drank half of it and gave it back.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You fainted.”

  “I know.”

  “You also saved a man’s life.”

  “I remember. Can we go now?”

  The road was clear, but Cam wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He took off his parka and used the restroom while they were stopped. She set aside her blanket and did the same, without help. He grabbed some snacks from the mini-fridge. He had fruit juice and whole wheat crackers. She accepted both.

  He didn’t think she needed medical attention. Her color looked better. He turned the heat all the way up. Then he put on his seat belt and pulled forward. The other truckers waved goodbye as they left the scene. Cam waved back.

  “I guess the secret’s out,” Tala said.

  “Which secret?”

  “You’re riding with an unapproved passenger.”

  “They don’t know you’re not approved.”

  “This story will get around.”

  He agreed that it would, and he didn’t really care. If he was going to get fired for having a sexy, mysterious companion who rescued strangers, so be it. There were worse ways to go. “What you did was amazing.”

  “Stop,” she said, nibbling on a cracker. “You’re embarrassing me.”

  “I’m sorry I told you not to do it.”

  “It’s okay. I wouldn’t have wanted to watch you go down there, either.”

  He kept his eyes on the road, but his thoughts lingered on her. Her face, her actions, her uncommon bravery. “You were fearless.”

  “I wasn’t fearless. I just fainted.”

  “That doesn’t change anything.”

  “If you’d fainted, would you feel like a tough guy?”

  He laughed at the question, shaking his head. He hadn’t felt very tough while she was digging in the snow. He’d been sick with terror and worry. If the wreckage had slipped, they might have all gone with it. He’d held the rope in a death grip, determined to hang on, no matter what. Letting go wasn’t an option.

  It still wasn’t.

  He came to the startling realization that he couldn’t walk away from her. He’d been willing to risk his life for her. He wanted more than one night with her. A lot more.

  The idea of getting seriously involved with anyone rattled him. He glanced in her direction, frowning. Her actions had been incredibly heroic. She was beautiful and exciting. He enjoyed talking to her, and he wasn’t much of a talker. They were having a good time together, despite the circumstances. They’d just executed a daring rescue. Maybe he was high on adrenaline and temporarily enamored.

  Yes. That explained it.

  Relief washed over him, rinsing away the aftereffects of panic. Danger always heightened the senses. They’d bonded in the hotel room the first night. He felt a strong connection to her, and he still wanted her in his bed, but this infatuation would pass. Eventually.

  “I told that cop my real name.”

  He flinched at her sudden words. “What?”

  “I told him my name. Do you think he’ll search me in the system?”

  “Cops don’t have time to run everyone without cause. They do it for a clear violation or suspicion of a crime.”

  “You said my picture was on TV.”

  He grunted an acknowledgment. Her photo had probably been distributed to every law enforcement agency in Alaska, not just the local news outlets. “If he recognized you, he would have said so.”

  She went quiet, huddled beneath the blanket.

  Cam didn’t tell her that her real name would appear in the police report. As soon as that information was entered in the database, it would trigger an alert about her outstanding warrants. Which might not attract much notice, all by itself. Many districts were understaffed and unable to hunt down every offender. If her name came up as a person of interest in a murder investigation, that was different. Locating her would become a high priority.

  Cam felt guilty about the role he’d played in her evasion. Although he hadn’t lied to the police officer, he’d kept her secrets and helped her slip away. He’d been reluctant to betray her confidence before he’d heard her side of the story. When they stopped at the hotel in Prudhoe Bay, they’d have a frank discussion. He’d ask her about the dead man in Willow. He didn’t think she’d want to warm his bed afterwards. Which was probably for the best, considering his overwrought feelings. Sleeping with her wouldn’t help him disconnect.

  He noted that she was still shivering. “Are your clothes wet?”

  “Just my jeans.”

  “Take them off. You can wear my sweatpants.”

  She went to the berth to get changed. He focused on the road, not watching her undress. She returned after a few minutes. He didn’t ask her to stay in the back. It was warmer up front, and he could keep an eye on her condition.

  Daylight faded quickly. North of Coldfoot, in the dead of winter, they got three or four hours of sun at the most. It messed with everyone’s circadian rhythms. Sometimes Cam felt like a vampire, only half-alive. Before he met Tala, he’d embraced the dark. Now he found himself wanting more light.

  He rounded Nightmare Corner without incident and navigated the remaining obstacles. There were drifts and cliffs and narrow passages. Nothing he couldn’t handle. While he drove, he thought about how lucky they’d been to witness that accident. If the other truck hadn’t been coming toward them, Cam might not have seen the obstruction. It could have just as easily been him crashing into the snow mound and flying off the road.

  And Phil would be dead right now, if not for Tala. Cam couldn’t have climbed down to the wreckage on his own. Help hadn’t arrived for ten minutes or more. Tala’s quick thinking had saved the man’s life.

  There was some chatter on the radio about the accident, but not much. The s
tory would circulate tomorrow. Once the truckers in Coldfoot Camp heard the tale, they’d spread it all over Alaska. Embellishments would be added. By the time Cam returned to Fairbanks, they’d be saying he’d sledded down an avalanche and picked up a guardian angel. The speculation about Tala would run rampant. He groaned, imagining the gossip. They’d assume she was his girlfriend, or his paid companion. Someone might realize she was the missing waitress from Walt’s Diner. The trucking company would question him about the incident. If they frowned on his behavior, Cam wouldn’t get any more ice-road contracts.

  Which was a shame, because working on the Dalton had kept him alive for the past three years. The extreme danger had triggered his survival instincts. He’d needed a challenge as much as he’d needed solitude. But maybe he didn’t need either as much as he used to.

  The hours ticked by and the temperature dropped. As he approached Deadfoot, he braced himself for a confrontation with the site supervisor, or even the police. His eyes felt grainy, his neck tight with tension. He pulled into the yard and parked, letting the engine idle. There were several other rigs in the area. Tala had fallen asleep in the passenger seat with her backpack clutched to her chest.

  He picked up the radio to check in. “Hughes,” he said, and recited the order number. Tala jerked awake with a start. Her backpack tumbled to the ground between them.

  “You’re clear to continue to Prudhoe Bay.”

  Cam replied an affirmative and ended the transmission. So far, so good. He hadn’t been called into the office. No one had even mentioned the accident. Maybe they were too busy to deal with him right now. Truck yards were notoriously chaotic. Shrugging, he removed his seat belt and reached for his parka.

  “What are you doing?” Tala asked. Her voice was husky from sleep.

  “Taking off the chains. I’ll be right back.”

  He climbed out, wincing at the cold bite of wind. He put on his gloves and removed the sets of chains. By the time he was finished, his face was numb. He hurried back to the cab to get warm. Tala handed him a cup of instant soup, which she’d heated in the microwave. He accepted it with gratitude.