Chapter 7 #3
The back end of the SUV crashed through the trees, the rear window shattering.
Cold air, broken glass, branches and snow drifted up into the cabin as they continued to fall.
Evie was buckled in, but the blanket had fallen away and he could see her hands were still restrained.
She seemed to be reaching for him, her hair drifting around her face.
Instinctively, he reached for her too, but it was pointless as the crash tossed him around.
The final impact was bone-jarring as the SUV landed on the rear bumper.
Wyatt lost his breath, tossed into the side of the passenger seat and pinned when the backseat rushed up to meet him.
Those weren’t stars dancing in front of his eyes, but dust and debris floating through the air, all of it laced with freezing air and snow.
Behind him Cordell groaned and wheezed. He could see blood trickling down Baker’s forehead where the driver had collided with the steering wheel.
“Evie?” He tried to twist where he could see her, but he was stuck.
“I’m here.” She coughed. “Hold still, hold still.”
He relaxed just knowing she was alive. Slowly, his body came out of the initial shock, a wealth of discomforts from head to toe accented by a few clear points of sharp pain. “I’m not hurt,” he said.
“Then why are you bleeding?” She’d freed herself from the seatbelt and was dabbing at his cheek with her bound hands. “Can you move?” she asked.
He tried to say yes, but his ribs protested his attempt to breathe.
He gave her a thumb’s up sign. “Need a minute,” he wheezed.
He picked up on the coppery scent of blood in the air.
They were probably all bleeding in various degrees.
Pain pulsed through him in deep, aching waves, but he didn’t think he was seriously injured.
The same couldn’t be said for the man on the other side of Evie. As Wyatt’s vision cleared, he could see that Karl was unconscious at best. Blood pooled behind his head, soaking into the upholstery behind him.
“Take my hands,” Evie said. “You can get out this way through the back door.”
Urgency filled her voice and he understood her intent. If only it was possible for them to get enough distance to make a run for it. They weren’t far from town, assuming they could survive long enough to find a trail out of the ravine, but Cordell was stirring in the passenger seat.
“What now, Jameson?” Cordell asked, his voice strained.
“We get out and find shelter until we can start working our way to the rendezvous,” Wyatt answered through gritted teeth. It would be long miles on foot in a raging blizzard with three inexperienced and possibly injured people. “You still have the diamonds?” he asked, knowing the answer.
Cordell patted the pocket under his heavy coat. “Yes,” he said, somewhat relieved. “Karl has the solitaire. Karl?”
“Karl’s injured,” Wyatt said. “He can’t move. Evie, you’ll need to adjust as Tate gets out so we stay balanced.”
“Got it.” Her gaze was locked on him.
He’d been away from Evie so long he’d forgotten how nice it was to work this kind of emergency with an expert. “Tate, open your door, slow and steady.”
“What’s wrong with Karl?” he asked instead.
Wyatt bit back an oath, more than ready to stand up straight again. “When the rest of us are clear, we’ll find out.” He wondered if anyone actually packed the first aid kit he’d requested. Not that he expected a few bandages would be enough for Karl.
As Cordell climbed out of the SUV, Evie shadowed him so perfectly the vehicle barely moved. “Karl is dead,” she whispered so only Wyatt heard.
He gave her an equally imperceptible nod.
One by one, they climbed out of the car, Baker next, then Evie and finally Wyatt.
He dropped into the deep snow and verified he had his wallet and the GPS tracker.
Following Cordell’s footsteps through the snow around to the driver’s side, he noticed the vehicle looked worse from the outside than it had felt on the inside.
Baker and Cordell were wrestling with the rear door, unable to pull it open and pull Karl free.
“He’s dead.” Baker turned his back on the wreck on an oath and kept on swearing. “He’s dead!”
Wyatt wasn’t in the mood to offer any comfort. Evie was shivering, the blanket doing nothing to protect her feet and legs from the snow. “Someone cut her hands free,” he said.
“You don’t give the orders,” Cordell barked.
“You’ll listen if you want to survive,” Wyatt barked back. Ignoring the others, he slogged through the snow and kicked out the rear passenger window so he could salvage Karl’s gear for Evie and search for anything useful.
“What are you doing?” Evie asked, Cordell right behind her with the same question.
“Karl doesn’t need his coat anymore.” He passed it to Evie, pleased to see she wasn’t cuffed anymore. “Or his boots.” He handed those back as well. He searched for a first aid kit and couldn’t find one.
“Stop!” Baker shouted. “You can’t do this.” He tried to take the coat from Evie, but she dodged him.
“I have to.” Wyatt had no desire to fight with Baker. The man was strong and in a rage. He side-stepped and ducked under the first swing. “Call him off, Cordell.” He ducked again. “You need me. If she gets hurt, I’m out.”
Tate raised his revolver, cocked the hammer. The other gun was somewhere in the depths of the wreckage. “You’ll cooperate, regardless.”
Casually, Wyatt picked up a handful of snow and pressed it to his cheek, washing away the blood. He must have been bitten by flying glass. “Let her wait here,” he said. “We don’t need her anymore. She’ll only slow us down. We have a rendezvous to make.”
Between the storm and the crash, making it to the ghost town on time was unlikely.
According to the plan, the meet wouldn’t have gone Cordell’s way anyway.
Not with Wyatt working against him so the FBI could gather up the thieves in one tidy net.
Of course, the FBI plan was shot too, thanks to the storm.
He had absolutely no idea how he was going to get Cordell, Baker, and the diamonds into FBI custody while giving Evie what she needed to survive.
“One step at a time,” Evie murmured from behind him, zipping into Karl’s coat.
It was a strange comfort that she could read him so well after all this time.
Strange too that she didn’t seem quite so angry at him.
Maybe it was the shock of the crash. In the big man’s coat, she looked small and far too fragile to leave her here alone.
He looked up at the road and the long scar the SUV had carved through the trees and snow.
If anyone could get up there and find help, it was her.
Cordell wagged his gun between them and Wyatt stepped closer, blocking his angle on Evie. “Let’s get moving,” Wyatt said.
He hated leaving Evie here. The outer gear and a crumpled SUV wouldn’t be enough protection from the elements. The heavy snow was piling up too fast. At this rate it would take days for Deadwood to dig out and get back to normal, much less find the signs an SUV had gone over the edge of the road.
“Fine.” Cordell lowered the revolver and stuffed it into a pocket. He moved before Wyatt could stop him and grabbed the coat. “Give me the Mae West.”
Without a word, she pulled out a small velvet bag and handed it over.
“Lead the way,” Cordell said. “I’m not missing my ride out of this hellhole.”
Wyatt bit his tongue. Cordell didn’t want to miss the payday he’d lined up for the diamonds.
“Be smart,” Evie said, using the phrase her father taught them.
Dale Cotton had always said the best tool in any crisis was a clear mind. Whether they’d been leading a tubing group or hiking up to one of the mines, it was imperative not to take even familiar terrain for granted. Today was a prime example that Mother Nature had her own agenda.
“You too,” he replied under his breath. It was as much assurance as he could give her right now. He paused, searching her somber gray eyes. Was it only his wishful thinking, or did she realize he would come back for her?
Feeling like a jerk, he led Cordell and Baker away from the crash site. Wyatt had to trust her to survive so he could explain himself one day. He couldn’t give up on her stubbornness, her sheer willpower, or her grit. He’d need to pull those same qualities out of himself.
The two men behind him didn’t speak, though they were far from silent. They trudged through the blowing storm with grunts of effort and boots stomping and shuffling through the deep snow. Wyatt intended to wear them out by nightfall, leading them well off the track from the intended rendezvous.
Just as soon as he figured out where to park them while he waited for the FBI pick-up.