As they neared the bank, Nora smiled at the beautiful rushing water bordered by snow-covered trees. Yes, she could see herself doing this week after week, month after month, year after year … with Sam.
Sam walked her to the water’s edge. Whitewater coursed over rocks, slashing its way through the valley. There had to be salmon. She smiled. Everything Sam had done, he’d done for her.
How had she ever doubted Sam?
The loud CLICK of a hammer being locked into place stopped her cold.
Sam squeezed her hand as they both turned to the sound.
A man stood, rifle aimed. Tall, bearded, straggly dirty-blond hair, and face marred from sores, he grinned. “Thanks, Sam. Couldn’t have found her without you.”
Chapter 18
~ Nora ~
Sam hadn’t released her hand. Instead, he pulled her behind him with his right hand, then gripped her other hand with his left. When she tried to twist free, he gripped her tighter, his hand creating a manacle around her wrist.
Nora tugged, grinding her teeth. Oh my God. How could I have been so wrong? Again?
The man snorted. “Imagine me tracking down one of the Midnight Sons. I wasn’t good enough to work for ya, and yet, here we are, working together again.”
“Lower the gun, Abe,” Sam said, his tone relaxed, collected, as if he were just shooting the breeze.
Abe … Nora tried to recall the brothers’ names as she struggled to release Sam’s ironclad grip. Was Abe one of Sam’s brothers? No, each one had been good-looking. Healthy. Strong. This man, while obviously younger than Sam, looked rough. Long lines etched his cheeks where he’d lost too much weight, too quickly.
“Actually, Sam, I’ll ask you to carefully toss your rifle next to me,” the man said.
Sam chuckled. “Not on your life.”
“Not my life we’re discussing, Sam. You so much as touch that trigger, and I’ll blow off your head and then that pretty lady’s head. You did your job. You found her, but I’d rather not share any of the ransom. So … let her go, and you can take your chances in the river. She’s not leaving Alaska alive, as you know.”
“How could you?” Nora snarled behind Sam. “You said you loved me.”
“Love you?” Abe grunted. “Sam’s job was to find you. My job’s to make sure you stay lost.”
“I’m not working with this guy, Nora,” Sam spoke calmly.
Nora clawed at Sam’s fingers. Still, his hand remained latched around her wrist. Why did he have to have such big hands? He’d been toying with her before; she couldn’t overpower him. Her only chance had been to stay a step ahead of him, and she’d failed. As strong as she was, she was no match for a physically fit man Sam’s size.
Sam wrenched his arm tighter against his back, pulling her closer. “Nora, would you please stop trying to tear open my arm?”
Nora screamed at the top of her lungs. “I hate you, Sam! All of you stupid men. I hate you.”
Abe laughed. “Scream all you want, girlie. There ain’t a soul around for miles.”
Nora glared over Sam’s shoulder. She might not be able to overpower Sam, but she could take out that scroungy piece of flesh with one kick. “Why don’t you put down that gun and fight me like a man, you twit!”
The man flashed another smile. His teeth, what was left of them, were brown and cracked. A meth head, she realized. “Because I ain’t concerned with nothing but how much that pretty little dead head is worth.”
With no other means of escape, Nora bent over and bit Sam’s hand.
“Nora!” Sam belted out, still refusing to release her. “I’m trying to protect you, can’t you see that?”
“No. I can’t see that. You led this rat to me.”
“I didn’t know, Nora. God, would you just stop fighting me for a moment, and trust me for once. I’m trying to help you.”
“Will you lovebirds stop bickering?” Abe demanded. “Sam, drop the woman’s hand and your rifle, and back yourself into the water. This is your last chance. I’m giving you one chance to live. After you’re out of my sight, the pretty lady can join you. We both know she don’t stand a chance in that whitewater, especially after I knock her out.”
Nora realized if she could break free, she could take her own chance in the water. Although the raging river was certain to be freezing and rock-laden, it was her only chance. She moved up toward Sam’s back instead of fighting him, prepared to whisper.
“Last chance, Sam. It’s either the woman or both of you. You have ten seconds.”
Nora caressed Sam’s hand, letting him know she believed him, even though she didn’t. He obviously knew this Abe guy. But it looked like Abe didn’t want to share the bounty.
Sam gripped her harder, then pushed her to the ground at the same time he shouted, “Fass!”
Nora righted herself, staring wide-eyed at a blur of gray that flashed in front of her, knocking Abe and Sam both into the water.
“Arwen!” Nora raced next to the shepherd who’d collapsed at the water’s edge. “Oh, what a good girl. You heard me. I was hoping if I screamed you’d hear me.”
Nora whipped her gaze to the water. “Sam!” He had been trying to save her. First, he’d used his body as a shield. Then when he saw Arwen, he’d pushed Nora to safety as he ordered his dog to attack.
She gave Arwen the hand signal she’d seen Sam use several times along with the command, “Stay. I’ll save our man, girl.”
Nora snatched up Sam’s pack, hoping something would be inside that would help. Both rifles had gone in the water. Not that she’d dare shoot at a moving target.
As the two men drifted downstream, Nora charged along the river to keep up.
Both men were entangled. Instead of swimming to the side, they fought each other, alternating hits as they slammed off rocks. Thankfully, Sam’s thick coat kept him from sinking.
Nora skirted the river, looking for anything. A limb. She snatched it up, racing to get past Sam. It was impossible to get ahead of them.
Finally, the two slammed against a rock. The man grabbed Sam’s hair, trying to force his head against the rock.
“Sam!” Nora raced past them, crawling out onto an outcropping. She held the limb over the water. “Sam, kick off and grab this.”
Sam smashed his head against Abe’s, knocking him backward, but then they were both swept up again. The limb was too short.
Nora dug blindly in the pack, her focus on the two men. Sam was always prepared. She needed rope.
She curled her hands around scratchy material and knew at once she’d found his lifeline.
She pulled out the rope, wrapping it around her elbow and hand, creating a throw line. “You have one shot, Nora. You can’t miss.” She dropped the pack and ran to catch up. She needed to weight it. Her hands worked the rope around a short but heavy branch. Since she couldn’t loop the line around the branch with a cow-hitch, she settled for one length of the line, tying a ground-line hitch. It wasn’t her first choice in knots, but it would work — hopefully. Sam just needed to move away from Abe for a second.
Nora crashed through the ice and snow that lined the river, nearly slipping as she tried to get ahead of them. “Sam, one more time!”
She wasn’t sure if he could hear her over the rushing water, or as he exchanged blow for blow with Abe. She cringed. Sam was right; he wasn’t a fighter. Neither of them was any good at landing solid punches. She probably would have stood a better chance than Sam in the water.
Sam held Abe by the collar, his hand drawn back, but then held. They were both heading for a rock, but Abe would hit first, ending the fight.
Instead of smacking the man against the rock, Sam jerked him to the right.
“No!” Nora screamed as Sam slipped farther away. With one last shot, she clambered into the sloshing ice water and tossed the rope just as Sam dropped over a waterfall.
~ Sam ~
Sam jerked Abe to the side before his drug-fried melon smashed into a rock. No matter what A
be was, Sam wasn’t a killer.
Abe lifted his scrawny arm, landing another solid punch to Sam’s jaw. Emaciated as Abe was, he had power behind his punch. Or maybe as Sam had told Nora, he’d never taken a punch. Maybe he should have let Abe’s head crash into the rock, but he’d known the idiot since he was a kid. Hell, Abe had hung out with Erik and Vince.
“You idiot,” Sam screamed, spurting water. “We’re gonna go over the falls.”
Still, Abe held firmly to Sam’s coat. Sam thought the man had finally come to his senses and was afraid of drowning, but the dirtbag tried to push Sam’s head below the water. If Abe would have released his coat, Sam might have been able to swim to the side before they went over the falls. But clearly, all Abe saw was a meth payday.
Nora screamed, giving Sam a moment to catch his bearings. She tossed the lifeline, but it was too far. Within seconds, the water pushed it back to the bank.
Next, all Sam saw was sky and then churning water as he and Abe washed over the falls.
Sam resisted the urge to scream. Instead, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then clasped his hands behind his head, pressing his elbows as close together as he could to protect his face and head.
When he opened his eyes, white foam filled his vision. His body twisted and twined. He couldn’t tell which way was up as the turbulent water spun him like a washing machine. He released a small stream of air, trying to differentiate his bubbles from the churning water.
No use. He stopped fighting the inundation … concentrated on floating. His coat was like a life preserver. He just needed to let the water take him. Seconds felt like minutes as he waited for any buoyancy to reveal which way was up. A spot of bright white appeared above him. He kicked as hard as he could, aiming his body at an angle to get away from the down surge of the falls. His lungs burned. His chest felt tight. But he could see blue.
He broke the surface and gasped. Before he could catch his bearings, the current swept him into a rock, stealing what little breath he’d managed to suck in. Reflexively, he started to grab the rock, but stopped himself. The last thing he needed was to get pinned behind a rock. He attempted to lift his feet in front of him, but exhaustion threatened to overtake him. He was going to drown. Water. He’d always hated water. Daire was like a porpoise. He could swim through anything. Daire … He would have loved the chance to introduce Nora to his son. Daire would have approved …
Sam closed his eyes against the increased spray of water. Another fall was coming up … He wouldn’t make it through it. Fight, he commanded himself. Get to the side. His mind wanted to, but his limbs were useless.
THWACK-THWACK.
THWACK-THWACK.
THWACK-THWACK.
Sam tried to hold his head above the water to avoid the spray. Wait! That’s not the sound of a waterfall. He focused on what he hoped he heard. A helicopter.
He had hoped that if he came to the clearing, to the river, he’d stand a chance that a rescue chopper would happen by. All he could pray was that the pilot would see him or Nora.
He was so tired, though. He tried to hold his head up against the wind and water, but he was losing the fight. And the sounds of the chopper were fading.
“Sam! Sam!” A man’s voice. A familiar voice.
Sam gasped another breath of air. Was he hallucinating? How would Daire have gotten here?
Sam’s body slammed into something hard.
“I gotcha, Sam! Hang on.”
Sam heard a CLICK, then felt his body being dragged through the water with ease. In seconds, his feet touched bottom.
Water splashed next to Sam, then a shadow crossed his face. “You okay, Sam? Please tell me I don’t have to give you mouth-to-mouth.”
Sam blinked as he stared up at his boy — son. “Daire … how … did … you …” Sam’s teeth knocked together so violently he couldn’t get more than a syllable out at a time. Above Daire’s head, the chopper circled.
“We’ll talk later.” Daire wrapped a Mylar blanket around Sam’s shoulders, then reached his arm skyward, giving Alex a thumbs-up.
“Nor … a,” Sam rattled through his teeth.
Daire squinted. “What?”
“Find … Nor … a. Make … sure … she’s … okay. An’ … Ar … wen.”
Daire offered Sam his hand, pulling him up. Sam got to a crouch, then sank back on his heels.
“You okay, man?”
“Jus …” He gasped in a breath. “Cold.” Sam patted himself down. No gushing wounds. “An’ beat. Gim … me … radio,” he pushed out quickly in one breath.
Daire reached into his dry bag and pulled out his radio, handing it to him.
Sam tugged the blanket tighter. “Alex, Nor … a’s … above the falls. And … Arwen. Find them.”
The radio clicked. “On it, Sam. I see them.”
Sam listened as the chopper moved upriver. Alex was out of sight, but Sam could hear the blades, even over the whitewater.
The radio clicked again. “Vince is pulling up the woman and Arwen. We’ll be back for you and Daire in a couple minutes.”
Just hearing they were okay warmed Sam. Part of his shaking was adrenaline, he was certain. He exhaled a breath of relief, then stared at his newest teammate. Yes, his son was going to be one hell of an asset to SAR Team Alaska. “Great job, Daire. You didn’t even have to jump in the water this time.”
“That’s because you were practically drowned. I don’t think you would have been able to fight me even if you wanted to.”
Sam touched his busted lip with his tongue, tasting blood. “Probably not.” Sam searched the riverbank and the water beyond for any signs of Abe. “By any chance, did you see Abe?”
Daire searched the raging river. “Abe? Abe Landrum?”
“Yeah. Son of a bitch tried to drown me.”
Daire narrowed his eyes. “That tweaker? Thought he was done rescuing. What’s he doin’ out here?”
Sam exhaled, dropping his head to his knees. “Long story, but he definitely wasn’t trying to rescue me.” He reached out and touched his son’s leg. “Thanks again, Daire. Sorry I’ve been so hard on you. You’re going to be one hell of a Midnight Son.”
“Damn straight!”
Chapter 19
~ Sam ~
As soon as Vince reeled up the basket and pulled Sam in, Nora charged him. Sam flinched, not sure if she was going to claw or bite him again.
“Oh, Sam! I’m so sorry.” She pulled him close. “Oh, my God. Your lips are blue.”
As great as her warmth felt, her earlier actions irritated him. “I’m fine.” He took the seat closest to Arwen’s prone body. “Hey, girl.” Arwen raised her brows and attempted to stand. Sam lightly pressed her head. “It’s okay, girl. You did great. Let’s get you home.” Sam whipped his gaze to Vince as he pulled in Daire. “How’s Strider?”
Vince nodded. “Sick as a dog for two days, but he’s fine now. What the hell, man? Nora said Abe poisoned Arwen and tried to kill you both. She referring to Abe Landrum? I know the man has gone off the deep end, but murder? Hell, we partied together for years. I never thought for a moment. Hell, who knows anyone?”
Sam nodded then peered up at Nora, who’d taken the seat beside him.
Daire climbed out of the basket, then he and Vince worked together to pull the collapsed kayak inside and strap down the basket.
“All set!” Vince called to Alex, then took his place as copilot.
Nora remained silent, as did his brothers. He could see she was upset, but he wasn’t sure whether to ease her mind or not.
Not! he thought. How could she have thought that he was part of Sergio’s twisted scheme? After everything they’d shared, discussed … trusted with each other. Hell, she could blow everything for him right now by telling Daire he was his son.
Reluctantly, Sam glanced up. Her head was lowered.
He stared at his hands. One was covered in scratches and a bite mark. The other was bloody from pummeling Abe. As much as his hands
throbbed, he couldn’t stop himself; he rested his hand on her arm.
She covered his hand, then rested her head against his arm. “I’m so sorry, Sam. For everything.”
He lifted his free hand to her cheek. “I guess I understand.” That was all he could force himself to say. Once they landed, and he took her home, they’d get to the bottom of her trust issues — together.
Sam felt eyes on him and looked up to see Daire smiling. When their eyes connected, Daire offered him a nod. Sam looked at Nora, noticing her eyes were closed.
Daire was obviously happy that Sam had been in the woods with a woman. Little did he know how much trouble he’d been through because of her.
He lived in a state nicknamed Seward’s Folly because of the opposition to purchasing Alaska from Russia. Until the discovery of gold nearly thirty years later, that is. Nora was definitely Sam’s Folly. Who knew what would happen once they landed, though? He could strike gold and live happily ever after, or she could take off. He glanced back at Daire, shaking his head.
Daire mouthed, “What happened?”
Sam shrugged and mouthed, “Later.”
Another head nod.
“Hey …” Sam said above the wind and blades, hoping to change the subject, and he was curious. “How did you find me so fast? I figured the moment the storm cleared you’d be searching the peak. I’d hoped when I came to the river that I might see one of the SAR teams or a heli-tour, but I wasn’t expecting a rescue team.”
Alex turned back, eyeing Sam. “You’re not the only brother who can track, you know.”
Sam laughed. “No, really … how did you find me?”
Daire’s mouth lifted as he reached forward and patted Alex’s shoulder. “When Vince didn’t get any more check-ins, we started to get nervous. Then the storm was rolling in. We were going to come before the storm, but then Alex checked Arwen’s chip. Sure enough, we realized you’d holed up at the cabin. No sense in endangering lives when we knew you were warm and toasty. I’m glad we didn’t, since now I see you had company. So, we headed out this morning, assuming if you wanted to be rescued, you’d show your face at the river.”
Sam's Folly (Midnight Sons Book 1) Page 18
