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“Yep.”
“It’s not working.” She used both hands to grip the bar. “The whole plane is shaking. Is it supposed to do that?”
“We’re fighting a headwind.”
“Nonresponsive.”
What was she, a lawyer? Yes, he decided. That tracked. They were going to love her in Firelight Ridge, where most of the lawyers who’d come through had been hired by land developers or various government agencies. Should he warn her to keep that information to herself?
One problem at a time. “Yes, this is completely normal. Have you tried looking at the scenery?”
“You mean, down?”
Her astonished expression made him laugh. “Never mind that. Just look straight ahead. I’ll try to drum up some scenery for you.”
The first steep ice-streaked ridge of the Wrangells was coming up. No one could witness them from this altitude and fail to be awestruck. He’d seen sullen teens forget about their phones for a few precious moments. He’d seen quarreling couples hold hands as they caught their first glimpse of the steep majesty of the carved granite peaks. When the glaciers came into view, especially Korch Glacier, he always heard gasps and the clicks of phone cameras. As for the Firelight Ridge Ice Falls…that was when people really lost their shit.
Molly Evans might be an unusual person, but she was no different in that respect. He caught her soft in-breath of amazement as the ridge soared against the stark blue sky and the scudding clouds that were the first warning signs of the coming storm.
“Wow. Is that Firelight Ridge?”
“No, Fangtooth is a few ridges deeper into the wilderness.”
“Did you say…Fangtooth?”
“Original name. Rough translation from the Ahtna, the original inhabitants here. Firelight Ridge is just marketing.”
“That’s the name on the map.”
“Now it is. They officially changed it twenty years ago, when they wanted to attract tourists. But if you want to bond with an old miner or a tobacco-stained local, call it Fangtooth.”
“I’m not bonding with anyone. I’m taking care of business and booking the next flight out.”
“What business?”
“None of yours, put it that way.”
Message received. “Anyway, it might be a while.” He gestured at the much larger, much darker cloud system churning to the northeast. “No one will be flying until that clears up.”
“Dear God. What have I done? Why didn’t I just take custody of the goldfish and leave it at that?”
Goldfish? Clearly she’d gone into some kind of fugue state, so he left her to her nonsensical murmurings and concentrated on skirting the edge of the storm.
The farther he flew from Blackbear, the more relaxed he got. Moving to Firelight Ridge had been part of a bigger plan, but the place had grown on him. It was full of oddball characters—his favorite kind. Everyone there had a story, some pretty strange ones, too. And that wasn’t even counting the big one, the one he was trying to untangle.
He wondered if he’d ever find out what Molly’s story was. The thought came, then went just as quickly. It didn’t matter what her story was because it was none of his business. And Sam Coburn only cared about his own business. Everyone in Firelight Ridge knew that, because he’d made sure of it.
5
Molly knew there were peaks, there were valleys, there were breathtakingly steep rock faces and utterly still frozen lakes. It all slid past the window of the tiny plane at a pace that felt both dizzying and glacial.
Damn you, Lila. Why are you putting me through this? Couldn’t you just make a date for brunch and rip me a new one for canceling on you so many times?
But what if Lila wasn’t here by choice? That suggestion from Charlie kept sneaking back into her mind. What if Lila really is in danger?
She kept fighting the temptation to ask Sam if he’d seen Lila, or someone who looked like her. But she didn’t know this man, and she wanted to check out the place before she asked any questions that would show her hand. If Lila was being held captive somehow, she didn’t want to alert the bad guys to her presence.
On the flight to Anchorage, to distract herself from her dread of flying, she’d read up on Firelight Ridge. The town only had a few hundred residents who chose to stay through the winter. In the summer, the population swelled to over a thousand, as workers came from elsewhere to help cater to intrepid adventure-seekers and wilderness visitors. People came for the hiking, the rock-climbing, the wilderness backpacking, the glacier hikes, the trail-running, the whitewater rafting, and the unforgettable scenery. The trail-running in particular caught her interest—she’d been a distance runner since high school, but New York didn’t offer much in terms of trails.
