Not whoever. Steph knew it was the leader of the group. She’d known from early on he was going to be a problem. He would do all he could to find them. Until he stopped circling and searching, the only thing to do was to stay put. Stay hidden.
The cold in the crevice had become its own kind of miserable. Not dangerous yet, but present. The kind that settled into the spaces between joints and reminded you it was there every time you shifted.
The tight quarters didn’t help anything. If they sat there much longer, moving was going to become an issue. She was already experiencing an ache in her right knee from where it rubbed against the rock.
“The packs,” she said quietly. “If we get them off, we’ll have more room.”
The backpacks pressed against the rock behind them and pushed them forward, leaving no give in either direction. More room meant more ability to move if they needed to move fast. It also meant the possibility of layering up.
“You go first,” Jack said. “And we need to make sure we can grab the packs if we need to leave in a hurry.”
“Okay.” She reached for her buckle. “Careful.”
What followed was anything but graceful. The crevice left little room for finesse.
Getting a pack off in such a tight space meant twisting sideways and reaching behind, which would’ve been awkward enough alone. With Jack pressed up against her, it turned into a slow-motion mess of bumped elbows, shifting shoulders, and whispered I’m sorrys.
“Let me help.” Jack twisted toward her as she leaned in. Face-to-face now, moving got even more complicated.
“Um...maybe lean away from me a little?” she said, her voice rougher than usual.
“Uh, yeah, right. That might work.”
She shimmied, he leaned, almost. Heart hammering, she could feel the warmth of him through her clothes, and somewhere in there, a little thrill shot through her.
He held her steady, a light smile on his face and something smoldering in his eyes. The gentle pressure gave her just enough room to free herself from the pack. Now loose, she quickly looked away, her cheeks hot with the embarrassment of a touch that became far too familiar.
“Will your pack fit next to you?” Jack asked, his voice husky.
“It will. I can stack yours on top of it once you get out of it.”
Jack’s position, closest to the opening and in the marginally wider section of the crevice, allowed him to slip his pack off more easily and without so much awkwardness. Somehow, she discovered she was disappointed by this.
Stop it, Steph.It’s just the situation. Jack Swisher is trouble.
“Hold up a minute,” she said. “I have an emergency blanket in my front pocket.”
“Good idea.” He glanced toward the crevice.
The sound of the snowmobile had faded, suggesting it was searching a different section. Steph refused to consider that at least one of the poachers may have ditched the machine and was searching for them on foot. If that were the case, they’d have zero warning and would be absolute sitting ducks.
She pulled the emergency blanket from the pack’s pocket, slipped off her mittens, and used her teeth to tear open the plastic.
“I’ll go slow,” she said. “Try to minimize the noise.”
Each crackle sounded much too loud in the crevice, and she was beginning to regret her choice to open the blanket. But she knew they needed it. The rocks were sucking the heat out of their bodies, and even a little protection might make a difference.
She unfolded it slowly, a few inches at a time, controlling the sound as much as the material allowed. Jack took the other edge without being asked, and they spread it between them, drawing it across the front of them. The change was immediate as the material cut the wind and their own body heat reflected back at them.
The packs were to her right, tucked into the crevice but easy for her to grab if they had to run.
She settled back against the rock, noticing the engine noise hadn’t changed.
Steph unzipped her jacket and pulled out a handful of nuts, offering half to Jack. For a few minutes, they ate insilence, the snowmobile circling somewhere beyond the timber.
Steph reached into her pocket for the personal beacon.
The screen showed what she needed to see.Message received. Assistance en route. ETA 2-3 hours.
