Authors: Kimberley Woodhouse
Wrangling her arms up through the confines of the sleeping bag proved to take all her effort. After breathing hard for several moments, she lifted her foggy, iced-over goggles. Andie must've done this. Every inch of her skin had been covered, protected as much as possible from the elements around her. She'd have to praise her daughter later. She probably saved their lives.
Jenna unzipped her sleeping bag and a swirl of bitter-cold air nipped at her still-warm flesh. Her skin immediately responded to the chill, prickling and stinging. Head pounding, she ran a hand down her face and forced her eyes to focus.
The sky was still bathed in dark; sunrise wouldn't be for a little while. She scanned the area. White as far as the eye could see, broken up by craggly mountain ridges. The clouds hovered below, making Jenna feel like she was floating. Away from the world. And so very alone.
Each movement took great effort, but she was thankful the fog in her head had lifted. What would've happened to Andie if—?
"Mom?" Andie broke through her train of thought. "Mom, you're moving around. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'm okay, but help me with this leg, all right? I think it's pretty messed up." The pain intensified as she moved, but she fought to not let it show.
"Okay." Andie slipped from her sleeping bag and brought the emergency bag to her.
Jenna nodded in the direction of the snores. "Is that our passenger?"
"Yeah. He helped me with your leg."
As she pulled up her pant leg and checked the wound, she discovered someone had indeed bandaged it already. Blood soaked through the cloth. She clenched her teeth. The wound would need a closer look if they were going to get off this mountain.
Jenna eased off one layer of gauze after another, stealing glances at her daughter. A lot of blood had saturated the strips, and she knew what the sight of blood did to her hemophobic preteen. But Andie was taking it pretty well. So far.
When Jenna reached the wound, she knew the best thing was distraction. "Hey, could you get me some alcohol swabs, the Bactroban, and some fresh gauze?"
"Sure thing, Mom."
"And after you bring me those, could you scrounge us up something to eat? There should be plenty of granola bars and trail mix in the emergency bag."
Andie sighed, her clear eyes reflecting a deep relief. "I can definitely do that."
"Thanks, sweetie." Jenna kept the wound covered with the blood-soaked bandages until Andie handed her the items she requested.
She watched her daughter sit cross-legged a few feet away to dig through their emergency food. Facing the other direction. Smart girl.
Jenna lifted the gauze. The gash on her lower calf went deep into the flesh and muscle. Much deeper than she originally thought, but she couldn't do anything about that. She wiped it down, sucking in a deep breath and holding it. She cleaned the injury the best she could, filled the gaping slash with antibiotic cream, and wrapped it tight. Air whooshed out of her lungs as she released the pent-up breath. She prayed she could keep infection at bay until they were rescued.
If rescue was even possible.
Well, if it wasn't, she'd need all her mobility to fight her way off this mountain. What she knew of the Alaska Range brought little comfort. The base camp for Denali climbers was located on the upper Kahiltna, but not many people signed up for the climb this time of year, so there wouldn't be any rangers stationed at the camp yet. They didn't start bringing in supplies and keeping rangers there round the clock until the end of April. Tourist season didn't start until the middle of May, so the chance of rescue by a tourist plane was slim, too. And Sultana wasn't climbed often because it was steeper than Denali and endured horrendous weather.
Talkeetna rangers used Sultana as a barometer for climbers of The High One. At over 17,000 feet, the mountain, known among Native Alaskans as Denali's Wife, took the brunt of the storms that swept in from the West.
Once again, Jenna took in the area around them. Denali National Park was a beautiful, treacherous, and extremely remote preserve, boasting some of the tallest mountains in North America and close to the Arctic Circle. The very things that drew tourists were what worked against Jenna and Andie now.
Chances for survival did not look good.
She glanced over at the sleeping man. More snores emanated from him. Who was he? Why had he fought Hank? To be some kind of hero? Shaking her head, she looked back to her daughter. "Andie, did you find some protein bars?"
"Yeah, Mom. Right here." She tossed one to her.
"Thanks, honey." Opening the foil wrapper, she relished the rich strawberry scent. Amazing how a little snack bar could smell so good and make her mouth water. She must be really hungry. She took a bite. "Hey, you did a good job yesterday. I'm so proud of you. Wouldn't have made it without your help."
Andie beamed under her praise, but moments later burst into tears.
"Oh, baby, come here." Jenna pulled her daughter into her arms. "I'm sorry. I know this is scary."
"It's not your fault, Mom." She choked between sobs. "I just wasn't sure what to do when I woke up all alone. You've always been there, ya know?"
"I know—"
"And with Daddy gone, and then that horrible crash . . . and then you were so still . . . you didn't even move! I thought—I thought—"
Jenna placed her hands on either side of her daughter's face. "Andrea, look at me. I'm still here. We're going to get through this, okay?"
"Okay." Andie sat up, swiping at the tears turning to ice on her cheeks. "But this is really scary, Mom. What're we gonna do?"
Jenna smiled down at her daughter. "Well, for starters, I'm going to finish eating this and get some energy. You need to eat something, too. And then, we're going to find our extra gear and dress properly for these temperatures."
"And then?"
"Well . . ." Jenna looked at the vast wilderness around her. "Then, we'll make a plan."
"A plan? Mom, wait a minute, when you say make a plan that means . . ." Andie took a deep breath.
Seconds passed.
Her daughter's shoulders slumped. "You mean, you don't think we'll be rescued?"
Jenna wanted to reassure her daughter. To tell her everything would be okay.
But she couldn't.
COLE
April 7
Sultana, Denali National Park
6:01 a.m.
"Mom, I don't know what it is, but I think we should trust him."
"Andie, honey, we don't even know who he is or why he's here. Now lower your voice, we don't want to wake him."
The debate over his trustworthiness had been going on for several minutes. Cole faked a few snores and kept his breathing steady.
"Okay, Mom. I just know we could use his help."
So his little interrogator had turned into his champion.
"I know, Andie. But right now, he looks like he needs more help than we do, and
I
need to concentrate on making sure we survive."
The comment stung his pride. Yeah, he probably looked pretty rough. And he'd slept hard. No doubt thanks to the drugs in his system. But he'd sworn to Marcus he would protect his family.
Problem was, so far he'd done a lousy job. He didn't protect them from Hank. From the crash.
And they didn't trust him.
The danger had just begun. Only they didn't know that. And they weren't prepared for it.
Well, things were about to change. As their voices trailed off, Cole listened to their footsteps as they navigated through the snow. They were headed to the plane, most likely looking for supplies. He unzipped his bag and climbed out of the warmth.
Temperature's dropped. A lot.
Not a good sign.
He stood and stretched, assessing all the aches throughout his body. No time for pain. It was time to take control. It wouldn't be easy, but he'd have to convince Jenna he was there to help them. He didn't trust that woman. She probably knew more than Marc had believed, and she was definitely hiding something. He just didn't know what. But he would find out.
Cole trudged through the snow to the wreckage and cleared his throat to give them fair warning of his approach.
"Cole! You're awake." Andie's dimples beamed a smile up at him.
Wow. No arguments this morning. Her warm greeting sent a jolt through his cold heart. But the feeling didn't linger as he glanced from daughter to mother.
Jenna's forehead furrowed. So much for convincing her he wasn't the big, bad wolf. "Yeah, I'm awake. How are you feeling this morning, Jenna?" See? He could be Mr. Nice Guy.
"Fine." Her answer was curt as she went right back to digging around in the plane. "Andie can bring you something to eat and drink if you're hungry."
So far, so not-so-good. "Thank you, but I'm fine. Do you feel up to hiking and climbing?"
Her head popped up out of the cargo hold. "Excuse me?"
"We need to move. It's not safe here. Are you up to it?" He knew his tone was condescending, but this woman infuriated him. And for no apparent reason—other than the fact that she didn't trust him.
Well, the feeling's mutual, lady.
She climbed out of the hold and moved toward him with a limp. Placing her hands on her hips, she stood to her full height, barely up to his chest. "It doesn't matter if I'm up to it or not, Mr. Cole whoever-you-are. Which brings me to another point. Who are you? I don't know why you were on our plane, but in case you haven't noticed—we crashed. I have to protect my daughter." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "There's a storm coming, and we need to prepare to survive it."
"Um,
no.
" He wouldn't let his exasperation show. "We need to get to higher ground before the storm hits."
"Higher ground? You want to climb
up
this mountain?" Moving forward, she laughed. Toe to toe with him now. "Are you an idiot?"
Cole clenched his teeth. He would not. Let. His. Exasperation. Show. "You heard me. Higher ground."
Her face held an expression he couldn't decipher. Like the calm before the storm. "The safest thing to do is stay with the plane. It could be days before they find us, but the ELT should alert them we are here. So for your information, there is no way we are going up this mountain." She crossed her arms.
"Yes, you will. And we're going to get ready. Now."
"Who do you think you are? This is my plane, my supplies, and my daughter's
life
you're playing with. And another thing, this mountain we're stranded on is Sultana." She stormed back to the hold. "It's not exactly the easiest mountain to climb and, in fact, very few people even attempt it each year. Going up is out of the question."
Andie stared up at him wide-eyed.
"Sultana? We're on Foraker."
"I know exactly where we are. Sultana. Just because white men came in and renamed mountains that had been named by my people for generations, doesn't mean I will use them."
Andie tugged on his jacket. "Um, don't think you want to start an argument about the mountain names." Her little voice held a hint of warning.
"Oh really?" He leaned closer to her. "Why's that?"
"People've been known to get into huge fights over it. Even fist fights." She held her hands out like she was holding a scale. She tipped one hand then the other. "Denali, McKinley. Sultana, Foraker. Begguya, Hunter."
"Okay, I've heard Denali and McKinley, but the others, not so much."
"It's the original Athabaskan names versus the new names. Denali means 'The High One.' Sultana means 'The Wife.' And Begguya means 'The Child.' That's why they changed the national park's name back to Denali National Park, out of respect for the Native people and our heritage. Most real Alaskans will always use the name Denali rather than McKinley."
"But what about the other two? The wife and child?"
"People still fight about it. Native Alaskans want to stay true to the original names, but a lot of people don't even know them."
He sighed. Great. Jenna probably thought he wanted to argue about everything. "Andie, would you mind rolling up our sleeping bags? I need to talk to your mom."
"Why?" She shifted her weight and crossed her arms over her chest.
There. That untrusting look again. "I need to apologize."
She softened just a little. "Good. You better." She patted his arm as she walked away. "Good luck." The kid perplexed him to no end.
"Thanks." Cole didn't try to hide his sarcasm. He yanked the warm hat off his head so he could run his hands through his hair. What a mess. How was he supposed to fulfill his promise when the stubborn woman wouldn't even listen?
He approached the cramped opening of the cargo hold. The only way to accomplish his goal would be to strike at her weakness. And Jenna only had one weakness that he could find. Andie.
"Jenna?"
She turned toward him, anger shooting sparks out of her eyes.
"Look, I'm sorry." He gritted the words out and shoved his hands into his pockets. Uh oh. The keychain was gone.
"Oh yeah?" She wasn't budging an inch.
Just get to the point, Maddox.
"You and I both know that crash was no accident." The sudden tremble in her chin told him his words had the desired effect. He dug around in his pockets. Oh well, he'd have to look for it later.
She glanced to where Hank lay.
"Hank meant to kill you, Jenna." Short. Succinct.
Tears glistened in her eyes. She slumped to the floor. "How do you know that?"
"Didn't you see him pull a gun?"
She nodded.
Here was his opening. "We can't stay anywhere near this crash site. We've got to protect Andie. They'll be coming after us and soon. Hank had a parachute with a homing beacon. I'm pretty sure he sabotaged the plane. Then he planned to aim the plane to crash into the mountains while he parachuted to safety. They'll be coming to the coordinates of that beacon. And that beacon will lead them directly to us."
Terror gripped the features of her face. "Who?"
"The people who want you dead."
"Someone wants me dead?" Her voice squeaked. "What? How . . . ? Who . . ." She cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes. "How do I know you're not one of them?"