Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Nora turned around they’d folded the blanket around Eastman and tucked the ends over his head and feet. They were now wrapping paracord tight around both ends and the middle.
Catching her gaze, Sebastian’s lips tightened. “It’s the only way. We can’t risk wildlife desecrating the body.”
She nodded, but the idea of dragging the man made her feel slightly sick. “Should I start off with Summer?”
“No. This storm looks like it might be worse than forecast, and we’re all going to rope together to get back to the cabin as a group. Understood?”
“Good idea.”
He was in full commander mode, and she liked it. That’s probably why she’d been attracted to Max at first—that and the fact he was easy on the eyes—but she’d mistaken arrogance for true leadership skills.
“Cas, you’re out front, breaking trail. Ryan, pull Summer’s sled.
I’ll tow Eastman. Nora and Chance, bring up the rear.
We can swap positions every thirty minutes.
Any issues we use the comms. Comms go out, we tug on the rope and pass the signal up the line.
We wait for one another. Understood? No one goes anywhere alone. ”
“Yes, Boss.” Ryan.
“Yes, Boss.” Cas.
She gave a quiet smile. “Yes, Boss.”
His brows rose in surprise.
Her smile widened. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
Cas wrapped the roll of paracord around his waist and let out about fifteen feet before tossing it to Ryan who did the same before tossing it to Sebastian.
Sebastian used a carabiner to hook the cord attached to Eastman’s roll to a belt at the back of his jacket.
The temperatures were getting dangerously low for all of them to be exposed for any length of time.
If it weren’t for Summer, they’d have probably retreated to one of the mine shafts nearby and waited out the storm.
But Summer couldn’t wait.
Nora pulled up her neck warmer and put Chance on his longest leash because the last thing she wanted was to lose him in this blizzard.
Sebastian placed the cord into her gloved hand and gave her hand a squeeze.
Then he shocked her completely when he leaned down and kissed her on the lips even though the others were nearby.
His mouth was warm and the kiss fleeting, but that connection made heat bloom from the inside, and she wanted to grab him and hold on. She sucked in her lips to try to hold on to the feeling just a little longer.
He lowered his goggles, and she pulled on her sunglasses.
“Okay. Comms on. I reckon this will take us about two hours if we don’t stop much. Cas, you’re in charge of directions for now. Use the thermal goggles when you think we’re close.”
“Got it.”
“Keep the pace to one we can all manage. Let’s go.”
Meaning slow down for her, but she couldn’t be angry about that.
She looked at her dog. “Ready, Chance? Come on, buddy. Let’s go home.”
But the thought of her cabin didn’t bring its usual comfort, and she knew why. The future was unsure, and that unsettled her.
She almost stumbled and decided she needed to focus one hundred percent on getting back to base, not worrying about the future.
They moved so fast that they created their own windchill.
It wasn’t long before Nora’s thighs burned with exertion and her breath sawed in and out of her chest, sweat dampening her brow.
Still, she kept moving. The white haze was disorienting, but she kept her gaze on Sebastian’s broad back. She was grateful she had a point of reference that wasn’t the dark green shroud wrapped around Eastman’s dead body.
“We’re coming up to the thirty-minute mark. How’s everyone doing? I know I’m feeling the altitude, so holler if you need a break.” Sebastian spoke over the comms.
“While I might be acclimated to the mountains, I am sure you can all hear me wheezing like an old crone”—the pace was relentless—“but I can do another ten minutes before I need to take a breather.” She refused to be the weakest link in the chain even though she obviously was.
“You sure?”
She laughed. “Ask me in two minutes.”
“If you two want to talk privately about that hot kiss you shared earlier, Cas and I can pretend to remove our earpieces,” Ryan offered, slyly injecting a shot of humor into the tense situation.
“I don’t have the breath to whisper ‘fuck you,’ let alone anything else,” Nora admitted.
“I think ‘fuck me’ would be more appropriate—”
“Ignore him.” Sebastian gave a quick glance over his shoulder. “I do, all the time.”
“When do you think the debrief will happen?” she asked.
“Tomorrow probably.” Sebastian sounded resigned.
“You’ll have to make a written statement, and we’ll have about a million forms to fill out.
They’ll take my sniper rifle for assessment, but I should get it back in a couple of days.
Then the incident will be evaluated to make sure it was a fair shoot, but I activated my vest camera after you left to confront Eastman, and there’s the drone footage.
I don’t think there will be any question that it was justified.
But expect FBI suits to interview you ad nauseam. ”
“Not to mention my own bosses at NPS. Will they interview Summer?”
“They’ll probably wait until she’s in the hospital before they pounce.”
“They’re not all bad.” Cas’s voice was like warm honey over the feed. “Some days, they even get out of their coffins during the day. But they are extremely thorough, and we’re going to spend days talking about this op, unless we get called out on another mission.”
Great. The idea of Sebastian disappearing on her did not sit well, not when everything was so unsettled between the two of them.
“Can I ask you guys to do something for me? Please don’t mention anything about me and Sebastian…you know,” she finished weakly.
“Hooking up? Shagging in the woods?” Ryan suggested with glee.
“Jesus.” Sebastian swore.
“Falling in love?” Cas was at least more romantic, but Nora wasn’t sure which was worse. She was a private person. She wasn’t used to others knowing about her affairs.
“Our personal relationship is none of anyone’s business,” Sebastian stated firmly.
It wasn’t, but maybe it would be fairer if they all knew why she wanted to avoid any spotlight.
“It’s not about the two of us really. The thing is…” Nora decided to trust Cas with her secret as everyone else in this little group already knew. “I was abducted as a child by a serial predator, and no one around here knows except my boss at the NPS, who I asked to keep it confidential.”
“Nora, I am so sorry.” Cas’s heartfelt words made her glad she’d trusted him.
“Thank you. Being with Sebastian helped free up in my memory that I killed my attacker by pushing him off a cliff after I escaped and he chased me. That’s not in the official report.”
“I hope he took a long time to die.” This from the usually compassionate Cas.
She felt their concern coming over the comms, but no one said another word.
“I don’t want the press to dig into me for any reason.
I don’t want the media to get hold of my story and sensationalize it again.
It was bad enough last time.” Then she found her courage and the words came out in a rush, spilling from her lips with an honesty she couldn’t hold back.
“Especially when I was somehow crazy enough to fall for an FBI agent on the side of a mountain, in a snowstorm, while searching for another child.”
Tension snapped through the air, and she saw Sebastian look over his shoulder.
“Ah, I wish I could reciprocate, Nora, but Delilah is the only woman for me.” Cas chuckled at his own joke.
“And I’m a confirmed bachelor,” Ryan teased.
“She’s all mine,” Sebastian growled. “Hit on her, and I will break every bone in your body. Okay. Let’s take a couple of minutes to grab a quick energy bar and take a drink. Ryan check Summer.”
The line went slack so quickly she had to swerve to avoid bumping into Sebastian’s grisly cargo. He caught her around the waist with one arm and dragged her in for a kiss that set her blood on fire.
She leaned back to look at him as he raised his goggles. She pushed up her glasses. “This is never going to work out.” But she was smiling.
“Hell, yes, it is. I’ve been waiting to find you my whole life. But don’t worry about that now. We have all the time in the world to figure it out. Now, eat your protein bar, and check your dog.”
She fed and watered Chance, just enough to keep up his energy but not enough to risk bloat. Then she pulled a chocolate bar from the side of her pack and chomped down.
“I was going to suggest switching positions, but it’s a pain in the ass as we are roped together. Anyone need to swap?” asked Sebastian.
No one wanted the hassle. They set off again with two more short breaks where she received a kiss each time that made her toes curl and where she started to believe that maybe this could work.
“I see the cabin,” Cas said excitedly.
They were all physically wrecked, but there was no way they were stopping. Summer seemed to be improving. The warming packs had helped do their jobs, but she was dangerously dehydrated, and frostbite was a possibility—and not just for the child.
Nora made out the shape of the cabin in the near distance. Relief hit her in a wave. They’d made it. They’d actually made it.
Sebastian came over the comms. “I’m going to cut the cord when we’re close and leave Eastman’s body outside for now.
Priority is to get Summer inside ASAP with the doc.
Ryan, you pull as close to the door as you can.
We ditch our skis and carry the whole sled inside as carefully as possible.
Put her near the fire, but not too near, then get the sled back outside as it’s evidence.
Cas get the door, and clear anyone out of the way. They should be expecting us.”
Nora raised her face to the sky and breathed out a long sigh of relief, hoping Summer would be okay, and wondering what the heck happened next between her and Sebastian.