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“I don’t… think… so.”
Her voice was little more than a whisper. She could be going into shock. I found the perfect tree, tying it off then yanking the climbing harness into my hand. The snow continued to fall, the rate increasing. I needed to get this done quickly. When I was ready, I peered over again, calculating the distance. While the decline wasn’t particularly sharp, the snow and packed ice would make the return climb somewhat treacherous, especially carrying her on my back. But it had to be done.
I rappelled down with no issue, dropping to within inches of her. As I bent down, she recoiled, acting as if I was going to hurt her. “It’s okay. I’m a tracker sent by Mr. Washington. He was concerned.”
Relief flooded her face but as soon as she tried to move, she winced.
“O-kay.” Her lips were already blue, her body shaking. That meant she hadn’t gone into hypothermia yet, but it would happen soon.
“I’m going to put this harness on you, attaching it to mine. Then I’m getting you up this ravine. Do you understand?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Don’t try and fight me or you’ll get hurt. Can you stand?” As soon as she tried, she almost slipped. With another drop-off feet away, I had to watch her every move. I grabbed her arm and she almost jerked it back. “Do not do that. I’m not here to hurt you. I promise you that. Stay still or you could die.”
Her eyes opened wide and for a few seconds, I was mesmerized by them. They were hazel but the iridescent flecks of gold around her irises were shimmering.Get a fucking grip. Do your job.Blinking, I went to work attaching a harness around her waist, clipping ours together. Thank God she didn’t try to fight me again.
“Alright. We’re going to do this. Just hold onto me however you can.”
Lily swallowed hard and I could tell she was searching my eyes, ripping right into my soul in an effort to figure out if I was a good guy or not.
Little did she know I was a very bad man.
I positioned her behind me, wrapping my hand around the rope and waited until she grabbed my shoulders, digging her fingers into my jacket. Her actions were tentative, the fear she had crippling.
I’d been through something like this countless times, several more treacherous than this, but I sensed at any moment she could freak, which could prove fatal to one if not both of us. There was nothing more perilous than for a victim to flail, fighting to free themselves. I wasn’t much of a talker, but I also sensed she was close to the edge of losing part of herself to the fear. I had little to offer to try to calm her down.
“New to Montana?” I asked, snarling at the fact the wind had picked up. Even with our combined weight, we were swinging back and forth.
“Uh-huh.”
“Staying a while?”
“Maybe.”
I sucked in my breath, lifting us a couple of additional feet. The snow was now blinding, the frigid air cutting straight through my down parka. I could only imagine how much she was suffering.
“It’s a good place.” What the hell was I doing? I had no idea what to say to the girl.
“Oh, yeah?” Her teeth were chattering, her hold slipping.
I glanced up at the precipice. There was at least ten feet to go. Even though she was clipped onto my harness, her dead weight would make things precarious. “Yep. Some nice people here. Hang on, Lily. We’re almost there.”
After grabbing the rope a few inches over my head, there was a sudden crack, a limb crashing to the ground. That’s the moment she decided to freak, flailing so hard that she managed to pull us away from the cliff, but inertia slammed us against the rocks four times. Her hand managed to find its way under my hair, sharp nails digging into the back of my neck.
Gritting my teeth, I almost lost hold on the rope because she was flailing so wildly.
“Fuck! Stop moving.”
“You don’t get it. I need to get away!” she yelped, clawing my neck.
“You ain’t going anywhere unless I can get us to safety. Stop. Moving.” The anger I felt was evident, but I wasn’t sorry if I created additional anxiety. She needed to follow my orders or else.
“I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.” She said the words like a mantra, unable to hide the terror she was experiencing. Maybe old man Washington was right in that she was pretending to be someone else.
Didn’t matter. I wasn’t here to fixate on a sob story or care about some chick who’d left her husband. I just needed to drop her off at the motel and go on with my life.
Too bad Mother Nature wasn’t cooperating.
