Chapter 36
Jack
Jack understood that what they were doing was a long shot, but they were out of options.
“Go ahead. Stay low. Get to good cover. Let me know you’re there, and I’ll follow.”
Steph met his gaze and gave a nod. He reached for her, taking hold of her mittened hand and squeezing. “Get as high up as you can while still having cover.”
She flipped her hand over and wrapped it around his, giving it a quick squeeze before releasing it and taking off.
Jack stayed in position, the rifle trained on the tree line where the snowmobile’s headlight would pop into view every few seconds.
He was starting to wonder what was taking Steph so long when her voice came through as a soft whisper. “I’m here.”
His feet protested as he moved in a hunched-over crouch, staying low and close to the rocks. Bits of scree cut into the soles of his feet as he moved. The pain was real and encouraging. If they could get out of this alive, his feet and toes might not be as bad as he once feared.
Big if there.
He rounded a large boulder and found Steph.
“We can still go up,” she said. “But I’m wondering if maybe going to the side might not be better.” She gestured toward what looked more like a sheer cliff than anything. “If we get deeper into the rocks, they won’t have a line of sight, right? They can’t shoot at us from the base.”
“It looks too open.”
“It only looks that way . . . I think, anyway. We should be able to weave around and stay behind the rocks.”
“Have you been up here before?”
“Not here, no. But these formations are often similar.”
“How many options are there?”
She studied the ground below without answering immediately. He waited. She didn’t rush assessments, and he’d learned not to push them.
“One good line. The shelf to the left. It’s the only place the grade is manageable.” She tilted her head slightly. “We could keep going up, but the loose rock might be a problem, and I think we’ll only be able to get so far before we’re exposed. That’s why I think sideways is our best bet.”
He looked at her. “Get deeper into the rock. They might not follow.”
She was quiet for a moment, her head moving as she assessed the situation. “Or if they do, it’s like you said. Making our stand here might be the only choice. The shelf might be a bottleneck.”
She pointed toward what they could see of it.
“We get from here to there, and then there’s only one option coming from that direction.
The shelf looks narrow. Maybe there’s a place to wait on the other side?
They come through, and . . . ” She shrugged.
“It’d be like when we thought he might come through the culvert. ”
“That’s where we want him,” Jack said.
“Yes.” She looked at the loose rock line. “If they see us in these rocks, they’ll know they have limited options. You said shooting up had challenges. They’ll know that, right?”
“No doubt,” he agreed. Though he suspected they were decent shots, they’d proven earlier they took risks. Either Rick or Todd shot at them from a moving snowmobile in the dark. That wasn’t what a pro would do, yet they did.
If Todd was that shooter, he was now out of the situation thanks to Steph and her tree branch. But if it was Rick, it’d be hard to say what he might do now. He might start shooting as soon as he caught a glimpse of Jack or Steph, no matter the angle.
He also suspected Rick wouldn’t climb. He’d send Graham and he’d stay on the machine, waiting for his shot, acting as a sniper. Jack and Steph needed to get past the bottleneck and into a position with a view of it so, if Graham did approach, they could stop him.
But they needed to be out of Rick’s sight. If the rocks were the way Steph suggested, they’d be protected while they awaited Graham’s approach. Graham out of the fight would even the odds and force Rick’s hand.
“Let’s do it,” he said. “Same plan. You go ahead, and when you get in position, signal me and I’ll follow. We’d better hurry. They’re going to break through the trees in less than a minute.”
She touched his arm, a quick grasp with just enough pressure, and then she was gone.
He watched her as she moved, calm and collected, even with the pressure they were under. She knew enough about the area and the way the rocks came out of the earth to know what to expect, even if she’d never climbed in this section. Her knowledge was impressive.
Steph was impressive.
The fear was still there. He wasn’t going to pretend it wasn’t. He could feel it in his chest, the low, steady pressure of it, the particular dread that came from caring about someone and watching them move toward something dangerous.
They were setting a trap. A trap that might work, and if it did, the danger would increase. Graham would come after them. He might not want to, but he’d do it anyway because he took orders from Rick.
Graham would come, and Jack would stop him. Then Rick would decide what he needed to do. He’d either turn tail and run or come after them himself. Jack believed he knew enough about the man to know he wouldn’t run. He’d come in guns-a-blazing.
Which meant Jack would do what he needed to do to make sure Steph wasn’t hurt. Jack almost laughed out loud. Steph had proven she could take care of herself with only a can of bear spray and a branch. He’d do what he needed to do, but she’d be there right alongside him.
They were a team.