Chilled (A Bone Secrets Novel) (6 page)

He mentally cursed at his shaking hands. Alex turned slightly, moving his hands from Thomas’s view. He used more water than was necessary and handed the bottle back. Thomas silently tucked it in his pack and moved out after the others. Alex followed.

Alex figured that was as much of an apology as he’d get. Considering the source, it wasn’t a bad one.

Brynn heard the river before anyone else. No one else had had his ears pricked for the last two hours, waiting for the sounds of white water. Her boots moved one in front of the other. Step after step. It’d been quiet and tense since Alex slid down the embankment. She didn’t like the tension among the men, but she’d learned that getting them to talk it out wasn’t a solution. These men did things their own way. They glared, mashed their lips together, and shot dirty looks without using a word. Eventually it’d be over. She glanced at the wide shoulders trudging in front of her. Even from the back, Alex looked annoyed.

Thomas had been out of line, unfairly testing Alex like that.

She’d wanted to tell him so, but she knew it’d do no good. He’d simply tune her out. She, Ryan, Thomas, and Jim had done at least a dozen missions together in the past three years. They worked well together. No major personality clashes. Everyone respected each other’s expertise. Jim was leader, Ryan was navigation, she was medical, and Thomas was… well, everything else. He knew stuff from mountain climbing to extreme survival skills. He could have had his own TV show on the Discovery channel if not for his glaring lack of personality.

Ryan turned and looked past Alex to meet Brynn’s eyes, his gaze dead serious. He’d heard the water. She gave him a half smile, her heart in her throat. She wouldn’t reveal the terror pounding through her chest.

They’d been descending for thirty minutes. The trail was slick and covered with broken boughs from the last windstorm. At least there was a trail. Once they crossed the river, they’d leave the trail and head north, breaking their own path.

She just had to get across the river.

Then she’d be fine until the next water crossing.

The snow paused and Brynn pushed off her hood, feeling the icy breeze nip at her neck. The sky was still dark gray. She tipped back her head, inhaled the fresh air, and watched the wind push the layers of multicolored clouds across the bleak sky. They ranged from pure white to slate gray to a deep, dark gray that was heavy with snow. She estimated ten minutes before the next cloud ruptured. For the moment, there were no towering firs blocking the sky, and the forest released its hold on the group for a few seconds.

Kiana shot out of the brush to her right and fell in beside Brynn, matching her quick doggy pace to Brynn’s steps. She whined softly and brushed her muzzle against Brynn’s leg. Surprised, Brynn glanced down and met sympathetic, devoted blue eyes.

Did the dog know?

Throat tightening, she ran a hand over Kiana’s furry ears, tugging at them lightly.

“Good dog,” she whispered.

“Water ahead,” Jim spoke behind her, his voice flat.

She tossed him a nod and smile over her shoulder, rubbing at Kiana’s back.

They entered another large copse of trees, darkening their surroundings, making the time seem later than four o’clock. The sound of fast water grew louder, closer.

They trudged out of the trees into the light and stopped on a ridge, looking down at the river.

Ryan gawked. “Holy crap. I’ve never seen it so high.”

Jim shot him a black look. “It’s not so bad.”

Brynn stared at the rush of muddy-colored water. Jim could play it down all he wanted, but the river was at least six feet higher than it should be. The fallen tree that had been converted into a footbridge was a measly six inches above the swirling, loud water. Green fir branches and thick sticks floated by, some catching on the tree bridge before dislodging and swirling downstream. She eyed the far bank. Half-moon craters bit into the bank where the fast water had washed out the support and giant chunks of land had slid into the river. It looked like a massive monster had taken bites right out of the dirt.

In a way, it had.

“Look at that!” Alex pointed downstream.

Brynn watched three fir trees, still upright, slide down the steep bank and into the stream. The water sucked them away in a whirl of green and brown, leaving a new bite-shaped crater, water dripping down its steep banks.

“What if that’d fallen in upriver from the bridge?” Alex exclaimed. “It’d create a dam. Probably loosen the bridge with the pressure from all the debris it’d trap.”

“Let’s cross. Now.” Thomas spoke as he started down the bank to where the tree bridge bared a big dirty knot of straggly roots. He climbed up the roots and yanked at the ropes the forest service had rigged, testing them for balance. The ropes paralleled the footbridge at waist height. They looped through eyes
on metal rods jammed deep into the tree every ten feet. “Seems secure.”

Seems.

Brynn didn’t move.

Jim stopped beside her, studying her face. “I’ll hold on to you,” he said quietly.

She grinned feebly. “So I can pull you into the water with me?” Her gaze went back to Thomas who was halfway across. She gasped as he stopped mid-span and jumped, slamming his weight into the log, checking out the sturdiness of the natural crossing. Something sharp stabbed deep in her gut.

Thomas jogged to the other side and waved at Alex to cross.

Alex’s face was studious as he sought footholds in the roots, climbing to the bridge. He imitated Thomas, tugging on the ropes then stepping carefully onto the big log. The tree had to be three feet in diameter, spanning the thirty-foot-wide crossing that took up two-thirds of the tree’s length. Alex slowed as he stepped around the first metal rod. Brynn watched his foot slide in the thick layer of snow and felt her heart slip into her stomach. Alex grimaced, but kept his balance.

Brynn wanted to vomit.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Brynn saw a girl crossing a shorter tree bridge with no ropes for balance. It was hot and sunny with skies the color of Hawaiian oceans. The girl’s bare foot slipped on a slick section and the child flung out her arms, wavering on one foot.

“He’s over. No problem.” Brynn heard the forced cheeriness in Jim’s tone. Her eyes flew open and the girl in her mind vanished as she watched Ryan scamper up the roots. He paused and looked back to Brynn, his gaze going from her face to Jim’s.

“Go. We’re coming.” Now she sounded as falsely cheery as Jim. Who could guess her feet felt as agile as blocks of ice? “Kiana, go.” She motioned the dog ahead of her and Kiana darted nimbly up the roots and trotted onto the bridge after Ryan. No fear.

Brynn forced her feet to move, climbing slowly up the roots. She reached the top in time to see Ryan leap off the end and hold up his hand for a high five from Alex. Alex gave a rare grin and met his palm. She saw his lips move but couldn’t hear his words over the roar of the water. Jim came up behind her.

“Let’s go, Brynn.” His tone was firm, but kind. “I’ll be right behind you, honey.”

She pulled the gloves off her hands and crammed them in her pockets, eyeing the ropes. The ropes were so narrow, so thin.

She couldn’t lift her feet. The river was too loud. It was too fast. Too brown. Too everything. She saw Alex do a double take as he noticed the two of them on the bridge. His lips moved again, questioning Ryan, his eyebrows narrowing. Ryan spoke, and Alex’s face filled with concern. He stepped in their direction, but Ryan stopped him with a hand on his sleeve, speaking urgently. Alex knocked Ryan’s hand off his sleeve, but moved no farther, his gaze locked on her. Thomas stood a few feet behind the two men, his arms crossed on his chest, watching everything.

She wouldn’t make a fool of herself. The three guys had practically skipped across the tree. She was being ridiculous.

“Want me in front?” Jim met her eyes, his gaze probing deep.

“No. I’m ready.” She grasped the ropes and stepped out over the water.

She’d known it would be bad. But she’d never guessed it would be this bad. Her gaze locked on the swirling brown muck, so close to the bottom of the log. Flashes of sticks and debris flew
by. From the log, the floating crud appeared to move faster than from the view on the bank. She swayed.

“For God’s sake, breathe, Brynn!”

Jim’s irate tone made her lungs inflate. She hadn’t noticed she’d been holding her breath. She moved her left foot in front of her right and repeated. The shuffle step felt steadier than regular walking and her hands slid along the rope as she awkwardly scooted her feet one after the other. The log vibrated with the power of the river.

“Good girl. Almost halfway already.”

She pulled her gaze from her feet and looked to the far end. Jim was right. She could do this. Alex had moved onto the log and was waiting, gripping the ropes, his jaw hard as he watched their progress.

She felt like a little kid under the weight of his concern.

Her shuffle continued. Her gaze back on her feet, trying to ignore the swirl of brown on both sides of the log.

“Closer. We’re getting real close, Brynn. No sweat.” Jim sounded relieved.

Someone shouted, echoed by two other sharp shouts.

She looked up. The three men at the end were staring upstream. Ryan’s jaw hung open, his eyes panicking. She followed his gaze and froze.

Up the river, a fallen tree was speeding toward the bridge. The fast current was propelling the wooden missile down the river straight toward where she stood. It was huge, and it wouldn’t fit under the bridge. Jim gasped.

“Go, Brynn! Get moving!” He shoved at her pack.

She couldn’t move. The tree would ram the bridge and knock the two of them into the water. She’d hit her head or get a foot caught in the freezing water and it’d be over.

Jim shoved again at her pack, pushing her forward. She stumbled a step and slipped, hanging on to the ropes with every ounce of her strength. She regained her footing and froze again, staring upstream.

“C’mon, Brynn!” Ryan’s desperate yell carried over the water.

She watched the tree move closer, its distance to the bridge had halved already. Her head whipped around at a rough jerk on her jacket front. Alex’s hands were on her coat, his steel eyes furious.

“Move!” He turned, hauling her behind him with one gloved hand, her feet tripping to keep up. Her hands were ripped from the ropes and they were running. She didn’t look down. She no longer heard the river. She heard only Ryan’s shouts and Alex’s curses. They reached the end of the log, and Alex hurled her into the outstretched arms of Ryan and Thomas. He and Jim leaped.

It sounded like a car crash. The log bridge shuddered from the impact of the giant projectile. The bridge held in place then shuddered again as the tree in the water turned ninety degrees and slammed parallel into it, creating a dam by plugging the small space below the bridge. The tree was almost the same length as the bridge. Water could barely get by both ends and the river’s level rapidly rose and washed over the top of the bridge. No one could cross now.

If they’d been ten minutes later, they’d be stuck on the other side. If Brynn had stalled longer at the edge, the river would have separated the two groups. Or she and Jim would be on their way downstream.

“Jesus Christ! Are you nuts? What the hell were you doing out there? You almost got the both of you killed!” Alex shouted
in her face, his clenched hands shook her shoulders. Anger rolled off him.

Her throat closed as she stared at his wild eyes.

He was right. Her Achilles’ heel had nearly killed Jim.

“Back off!” Thomas yanked him away, pushing him to one side. Alex tripped over a root and went down. He swore at Thomas.

“What was
she
thinking?” Jim shouted at Alex. “What were
you
thinking, running out there? That stupid stunt could have killed all three of us!” Jim wrapped an arm around Brynn’s shaking shoulders. She couldn’t stop shivering, and her stomach felt dangerously close to losing her last protein bar.

Ryan held out a hand, pulled Alex to his feet, and turned a furious glare on Jim. “If he hadn’t run out there you’d both be downriver. I was too fucking scared to do it.”

“Rule number one. You take care of your own safety first. Teammates second. You all know that.” Jim’s arm tightened around Brynn as he spoke. His voice was calmer but still too loud. Every few seconds Brynn felt a quake rattle through Jim’s body. Anger and testosterone hung heavily in the cold air as waves of fury and fear shot between the team members.

“Then Brynn should’ve been crossing alone. Not with you. That’s a double standard. You bend the rules to suit yourself.” Alex took a step toward Jim.

Jim was silent for a second. “Yeah, for her I do.”

Brynn stared at Jim.

Steady eyes turned to meet hers. “You’re like a sister to Anna. It’d kill me and her if something happened to you.”

The roar of the rushing water whirled in her ears, and the rage in the air evaporated.

She swallowed, her throat still tight. “That’s not how it works out here, Jim. You know that. No heroes.” She paused. “But thank you. And you too, Alex.” Alex nodded shortly, his angry gaze on the water behind her.

Thomas spoke evenly, “We can’t have a liability like this. Brynn crosses alone from now on.” Ryan and Jim started to protest, but Thomas held up a hand. “You know I’m right.” He eyed the water covering the footbridge. “When we leave we’re going to have to go out a different way. Isn’t there a railroad crossing a few miles downriver? Is that the closest crossing?”

Ryan nodded. “Yeah, that’s the only other way out. Gonna take longer though.”

Brynn studied Alex out of the corner of her eye. He’d stayed silent during Thomas’s statement, not protesting like Ryan and Jim. Alex probably had no issues with her crossing alone. She stepped away from Jim, pushing off his arm and taking a deep breath. “We’re wasting time. This is where we leave the trail, right? Which way do we go?” It took a Herculean effort to keep her voice from shaking as four sets of male eyes blinked at her.

Could they tell her knees were about to give out?