Chapter Seventeen
Leo
Gradually opening my eyes, I squinted against the dazzling white all around me, and tried to figure out where the hell I was, and how I ended up on this ledge halfway down a gorge. Racking my brains, the last thing I recalled was walking through the forest and traversing around a rocky boulder along a narrow section of the trail. After that, my memory became extremely hazy, with only quick bursts of images slipping away almost as fast as they appeared, giving me nothing tangible to hold on to.
Carefully assessing my surroundings, the disturbance in the otherwise pristine snow above me, where I’d fallen off the path, was clear to see. Oddly, I did remember Mitch telling me the path would lead into town. Scanning around for a possible route out of my situation, I miserably concluded there’d be no easy way for me to physically climb the mountainside. Any attempt to scale the steeply angled slope would more than likely end with me making my current situation even worse.
Looking down didn’t offer any better solution, either, as the slope below me appeared just as dangerous. Knowing my luck, I’d end up slipping over and crashing headfirst into a tree on my way down, breaking my neck. So what now? I struggled to concentrate on finding a solution to my predicament, as being trapped here left no way for people to see me or possibly hear my calls for help.
The lethargy washing over my limbs made any type of escape plan suddenly feel like way too much effort, anyway, so in the end, I gave up. I did idly wonder if Mitch and Gabe would be out looking for me, and if they were, how exactly would they find me? Maybe use the bloodhounds? Would the men even bother to try after I had obviously left them, or would they simply let me go, thinking I’d made it home in one piece?
Which brought up another question, I didn’t remember the answer to: Why on earth would I leave the comfort of a warm cabin, in the first place, to go stumbling about in the snow on an insanely narrow path in the butthole of nowhere? Why leave Mitch and Gabe at all? My thoughts became even more scattered and jumbled the more I tried to reason my thinking out, so again, I gave up trying.
One thing I did know, I might be stranded out here alone all night in the freezing cold with no one the wiser. I took a long, deep breath as I desperately tried to keep calm. My heart beat so fast I went dizzy, and the panic I’d so far managed to keep at bay dug its claws in deeper, as the distinct possibility of dying out here before being rescued became a stark reality.
Pulling my cheap winter jacket more snugly around myself didn’t help one iota in keeping me warm, and my ice-cold damp hair had now matted into frozen clumps when I managed to lose my woolen hat after falling off the path. But rapidly turning my legs and back into a human block of ice were my saturated jeans, sweater, and T-shirt, all soaked from sliding down the slope. The wet snow had gotten underneath my jacket and spread everywhere, letting the coldness permeate deep into my bones. If that wasn't enough, my hands were also turning pale blue, as for some reason, I wasn’t wearing gloves.
A pulse of anger instantly spiking my adrenaline shot through me, making me frown as I fought to discover the reason for it. Why would I have such an adverse reaction to not wearing gloves? It didn’t make any sense to me at all.
I wiped my face to get rid of the powdery crystals on my lashes, but the heavy snowflakes continued to fall on and around me, covering me bit by bit, the way they had the rest of the landscape. I frantically brushed them off, making sure my bright-red jacket remained as visible as possible. I had absolutely no clue what else to do, except sit here and hope and pray Mitch and Gabe might stumble across me before nightfall.
Releasing a breath, the air fogging in front of my face, I squashed down my fears, recognizing they wouldn’t help me now. My shivering intensified as I tried to keep warm and figure out how to get dry. Then I remembered I had dry clothes in my duffel. If I changed into those, I’d feel much better. I’d already unzipped and removed my jacket and had just pulled off my sweater and T-shirt before it dawned on me I’d lost my bag.
Tossing the soaking wet layers aside, uncaring of where they landed, I pivoted around and frantically scanned the snow, not seeing the damn thing anywhere in the vicinity. Fuck. My phone, my car keys, house keys, my life, the damn bag contained everything. Fuck, fuck, fuck. In my frustration to locate it, I turned too fast and had to thrust both my hands into the snow to steady myself and calm the giddiness that was making me lightheaded.
Whoa! What’s happening to me?
My body was rapidly going numb now my wet, bare torso was exposed to the elements, so I grabbed my jacket and hastily put it back on. The lining, though not as wet as the rest of my things, was still damp and freezing cold against my skin. Zipping up, I shuffled around a bit to try to generate some heat, but I was fighting a losing battle, as my core remained a block of ice.
“Leo!”
What was that? Had someone called my name? I remained as still as a statue, straining my ears to listen in the silence of the forest.
“Leo!”
I cocked my head to the side toward the path I’d fallen from.
“Leo!”
There. “Help!” I screamed, this time ignoring the dizziness from my increased heartrate. “Help! Please! Help me!” Adrenaline pumped throughout my body as I waited to see if they replied, but I couldn’t hear anything above the blood roaring in my ears, so shouted again and again until I grew hoarse, and my throat felt raw.
“Leo, we hear you.”
Oh, thank God. The fear I’d refused to release surged forward and tears stung my eyes. They’d found me. I was safe.
“Hold on.” Mitch, it was Mitch. “I’m coming to get you.”
Coming to get me? How on earth would he manage to do that?
“Okay,” I shouted through a sob. “Okay.”
After an interminable length of time, I heard a slapping sound to my left and watched as a lime green rope hit the snow. I stared at the rope blankly for a few moments, fixated when it began to wriggle. Looking up, I didn’t see anything at first as my eyes scanned the ridge, but there, at the top and to the right, Mitch peeked over the edge of the path.
Right now, I didn’t care that I barely remembered anything past two minutes ago, let alone the hours I must have been stuck down here. Or the reason why my anger had risen so swiftly for no reason I could discern. All I cared about was being rescued. The rest I’d deal with later.
It took forever as I watched him calmly descend the snowy rock, walking backward, careful where he stepped, until finally, he landed on the ledge beside me. I whimpered when he removed his gloves and his hot fingers stroked along my cheek. I leaned into his warmth, relief at being rescued engulfing me.
“You okay?” The fear, clear as day in his voice, made me ashamed to be the cause. Needing to look away from his penetrating gaze, I stared past him down the gorge, unable to maintain eye contact.
“I-I’m not sure what’s happening to me. I just feel really weird. I can’t stop shivering and feel so listless and uncoordinated. I’m not sure I can stand, let alone climb. I’m sorry, Mitch, I’m so sorry.”
“Hey, hey,” he soothed, his palm once more on my cheek, cupping me tenderly. “Everything will be fine, all right? And we’ll check you out fully when we get home.”
Home. He said home.
“Okay.”
“What’s the rest of you like? Nothing hurting or broken?”
I silently shook my head, not trusting myself to speak.
“That’s good.” He gave me a professional once-over before looking up the wall of the gorge, assessing the situation. “Can you stand?”
“I think so.” First moving to my hands and knees, I then put every ounce of energy I had to get to my feet. Stars began to spin wildly in front of my eyes, so I placed my hands on my thighs to brace myself and lowered my head until they disappeared. Trying again, I prayed I’d be okay this time, but the dizziness returned with a vengeance, causing me to sway. Mitch’s hand whipped out to grab my jacket and haul me to his side.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I don’t know if I going to be able to make it. I don’t seem to have any strength at all.”
Mitch stared at me for a couple of seconds before he nodded to himself. “All right, I’ll carry you,” he stated.
My jaw dropped to the floor. “You can’t carry me,” I stuttered. “I weigh nearly two-hundred pounds.”
“So you’re able to haul yourself up the rope without assistance?”
I struggled to fix my gaze on the rope through my whirling vision, so that would be a no. “Can’t,” I said weakly.
“You got any better suggestions?”
No, I hadn’t.
“You can climb on my back, and I’ll secure us together. I’ll walk us up using the rope.”
His suggestion was never going to work, surely? But helpless and scared, what other choice did I have?
“You need to try to stand on your own for a bit, so I can retrieve what I need.” He gradually loosened his grip on me, until he only held me lightly at the waist. “You good?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think so.” The stars had thankfully disappeared, but I still felt like a newborn colt on spindly unstable legs.
“Here.” He took my hand and hooked my fingers onto one of his beltloops. “Hold on to me like this, and don’t let go, so I can get us ready.”
I nodded, determined not to appear weak and break down in front of him.
Biting my lower lip hard enough to taste blood, I clenched my nearly numb fingers so tightly to his jeans, they turned white.
He took a harness out of his backpack and helped me slip it on. Next he attached four metal rings to different parts of my webbing. After picking up his backpack and putting it on so it sat on his chest, he squatted down and glanced over his shoulder. “Okay, climb on.
“Is this really going to work?” I asked, unsure.
“Trust me, will you?”
“I do.” And I meant it, so I awkwardly clambered on as requested, gripping him with my knees, locking my ankles around his waist, and wrapping my arms like a noose around his neck. “My duffel,” I suddenly remembered to say. “I must have lost it when I fell.”
“Don’t worry,” he replied. “I think I spotted it on my way down.” Relief flooded me, thinking it hadn’t gotten completely lost.
With a loud groan Mitch stood, and the movement disoriented me slightly, but I clenched my jaw and willed the nausea away. Helping him to connect me to his own harness, he pulled on each of the clips a few times before giving a nod of satisfaction.
He shifted his shoulders to get me comfortable. “We’re going to have a very long discussion when we get back, you and I. Do you understand?” he threw the words over his shoulder, determination etched in his voice.
I sighed. “Yeah, okay,” I answered meekly, not looking forward to the scrutiny in the least, but hoping to get some answers to the questions buzzing around inside my head.
He turned to face the wall of white, his strong hands taking a firm grip of the rope while he dug the spikes attached to his boots into the snow. With a strength I was in awe of, he began to haul us both up the side of the ridge. A third of the way up he veered to the left, the abrupt change of direction making me woozy. He dug around in the disturbed snow for a few seconds before pulling out my bag. He handed me the duffel, and I fumbled my way through draping the shoulder strap over my head, then under my arm, before maneuvering the bag behind me.
“Thank you,” I mumbled into his shoulder.
“Thank me once we’re at the top,” he groused and continued his journey. We crawled at a snail’s pace up the mountainside, and by the time we got level with the path, he grunted at the effort for each and every step. But he never faltered, and when we eventually reached the ridgeline, I caught sight of Gabe and the dogs waiting anxiously for us both.
I felt so relieved I almost cried all over again as Gabe rushed to detach me from Mitch and help me onto level ground. Once uncoupled, Mitch fell to the ground, his body heaving, his face bright red and covered in sweat, the dogs whining and snuffling. Amazingly, after only a few minutes of recovery, he was up and moving around like he’d been on a Sunday afternoon stroll, instead of having hauled a grown-ass man up over fifty feet of snowy mountainside.
“We need to get you to the cabin,” Gabe said.
“Give me a minute to catch my breath, and he can climb back onto me.”
“No fucking way,” Gabe declared fiercely while helping to remove my harness. “You’ll never be able to carry him all that way on your own.” He turned to me. “You okay to walk if we both support you between us?”
Probably not, but I’d never dare say so. “Yeah, I should be able to manage that.”
“Good.”
Mitch seemed about to argue but, likely too worn out from the climb, gave in to Gabe’s solution. “Fine,” he replied to Gabe. “But if you get tired, you tell me. I don’t want to have to worry about you collapsing enroute.”
Gabe flashed him a grin. “I didn’t know you cared.”
For a split second, my anger at their easy and familiar camaraderie bit like a rattlesnake, and the reasons why I’d left swiftly flooded into my mind, making my head spin for a different reason, and expelling all my air.
The conversation pretty much died after that, and we fell into an awkward and tense silence, making me feel extremely self-conscious at being the cause of the unease. I should speak, try to explain my behavior, but watching them work in harmony, coiling the ropes and storing them away along with all the other tools they’d used, I had no clue where to begin.
To leave the way I had was beyond reckless and so damn dangerous I found my actions hard to believe. The reasons why were obvious, but the actuality of leaving the cabin and trudging through the wilderness in deep snow, to what—get as far away as possible from a situation I had no control over to begin with?—was irresponsible to say the least.
“We were so worried about you and what might have happened.” Mitch’s gentle voice broke the silence between us, making me flinch. Lifting my head to meet his eyes, I could see he clearly meant the words, and once again I had to look away and stare blankly out into the forest. “Why, Leo?”
Two simple words encompassing a whole world of hurt I wanted to soothe, but somehow the explanation wouldn’t come because once I opened my mouth and announced out loud why I’d tried to leave the floodgates would open. “I didn’t want to be in the way,” I muttered in the end, which was true…well, partly true. The other part, the one that’d hurt so deep, was knowing he wanted me out of the way so he and Gabe could get intimate? Yeah, that part I wouldn’t be telling him about.
“In the way of what?”
My gaze traveled between him and Gabe, eyebrows raised. Did he truly not get it?
“No, tell me, what would you be in the way of exactly? Surely, I’m in the way, rather than you?”
What? “That’s crazy. I heard you two talking.”
“You heard me say I was jealous.”
I cautiously nodded.
“And why do you think that was?”
I took in some deep breaths as I tried to work through his question. The drowsiness enveloping me after being rescued became harder and harder to ignore, while black spots instead of the previous white stars now danced in front of my eyes, clouding my normally perfect analytical thinking. “Can we please talk about this later?” I mumbled. “I still don’t feel great, and all I wanna do is get back to your cabin, get warm, and sleep for a week.” I must be more exhausted than I realized, as even I heard the slurring in my voice.
God, I hated this and fervently wished I’d never given in to Gabe and his demand to see Mitch last Saturday. I could have been enjoying myself for the weekend at a cozy ski lodge with friends who actually liked being in my company. Instead, I’m stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere with two people who preferred to be around each other than me. Now I’d also be a huge burden on them until I finally left, when all they wanted was time alone with each other.
Christ, this day sucked and was one more classic example of me screwing things up. Story of my fucking life, again and again and again.
“Leo?” Mitch’s voice broke into my internal rant, and I blinked owlishly at him. They’d finished packing the gear away and were both crouching down in front of me, a worried expression on their faces. I hadn’t realized when they’d gotten so close. “Hey,” he continued, “you drifted off there for a second. Did you bump your head at all during the fall?”
Perhaps I had, as while I now remembered my reasons for leaving, I still didn’t have a clue what happened leading up to the fall. “I’m not sure, why?”
“Because you look awfully gray, and your teeth are chattering.”
Oh, I wondered what the clacking noise had been. Come to think of it, my vision had narrowed to a small spot in front of me, and I felt oddly detached and distant. Plus, I no longer felt so cold anymore, despite my jeans being soaked through and my body still feeling numb.
Mitch placed his hand on my forehead. “Wow, your hand’s hot,” I replied, though my voice sounded garbled like I’d drunk a whole barrel of whiskey in a hurry.
“Shit,” he swore. What was up with him? He kept looking at me funny, concern creasing deep furrows in his brow. I squinted at him. Why did his voice sound so muffled?
“Leo?” Why did Gabe sound so worried? And why was his voice even more muted?
Both their mouths were moving, so they were definitely speaking to me, but I no longer heard anything they said, only the loud hissing in my ears as I valiantly struggled to keep my eyes open. I was so tired, so bone-weary tired. Their expressions became even more frantic, but by now, the heaviness pressing against my eyelids proved too much to ignore.
I’d just close them for a minute.