Unleash the Passion

by Karen Kelley

  A coyote howled.

  A shiver ran down my spine. I warmed my hands against the fire. There wasn’t much heat from the small flames, but if nothing else, maybe it would keep wild animals away. I planned to get up during the night and feed it, so I’d gathered more wood.

  When I lay down on the hard ground, I sighed with relief. I set my mental alarm for three hours, then closed my eyes as exhaustion overtook me.

  Chapter 13

  Nash

  I still couldn’t believe Makenna made it up the side of the mountain. I remembered the sick feeling washing over me when I thought she was dead, and we were searched for her body. I hadn’t thought much about the first rock hitting near me, but when the second rock almost hit me, I looked up. There she was, waving her arms. When I began to laugh, the others looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.

  “Look up,” I’d told them. “She made it.”

  I felt as if my life had been given back to me.

  As soon as Makenna waved that she was going to start the long hike back to town, we waited until she was out of sight, and then a few minutes longer. I think everyone was still trying to grasp the fact she’d actually climbed the fucking mountain.

  As soon as we got back to camp, Don started a fire and got a pan of water boiling so we could have coffee. The day wore on, but I was pretty sure everyone was thinking the same thing. How long would it take Makenna to get to town? How long for her to bring back help?

  It was a lot easier to go on a hike in a group than it was with a single person. What if an animal attacked her? What if...

  “She’s going to be okay,” Don said. “Anyone who can scale an almost vertical mountain can do just about anything. Remember, she was born into the life of an adventurer.”

  He was right. I’d been reliving the events from this morning again. I had to keep reminding myself that she hadn’t fallen. She was okay. If a wild animal did come upon her, she would probably kill it, cook it, and have it for dinner.

  Yeah, I’d totally misjudged her. I think we all had. She looked soft, but there was a hard edge to her that said she would never give up or give in to weakness.

  When I went to bed that night, I knew I would have to rethink everything I had thought about Makenna. Fuck, and I’d thought I had her all figured out.

  Chapter 14

  Makenna

  I was falling. My hand slipped from the rock, and I began sliding down the side of the mountain. The rocks scraped my tender skin. My hands burned like they were on fire as I tried to grab a handhold, but it was useless. There were none there. I didn’t want to die. Please, God, don’t let me die! I fought against the mountain. There had to be some place I could grab to stop my fall.

  Open space.

  I reached out.

  Nothing.

  I sat up with a jerk!

  My eyes flew open.

  I pushed my hair out of my face and looked around. I hadn’t been on the side of the mountain. It had only been a nightmare. A sob tore from my throat.

  I tried to calm myself. It would be okay. I would probably even make it to town today, since I’d pushed myself yesterday. Damn, I really needed a fucking cup of coffee, except I didn’t have any. Not even instant. I never carried any because instant was next to worthless to drink as far as I was concerned. Right now, I could probably drink it. Well, except I was almost out of water.

  I slowly, achingly, came to my feet. I felt as if I had fallen off the mountain, then bounced several times on the hard ground. I looked around. The sun was just coming up. I glanced at my watch. Almost six. So much for setting my internal alarm clock. It had never worked in the past, I don’t know why I expected it to now.

  I took a drink of water, then finished the last of my protein bar before making sure my fire was completely out, then made a quick trip to one of the trees. According to my compass, I was still headed north. I figured I should make town late this afternoon. I checked my phone. Still no service. Bummer.

  At least it was a beautiful hike. Trees dotted the landscape, thicker in some areas than others. A herd of elk were munching on grass in the lower valley. I would have loved to sit and watch them. They were magnificent. Much larger than the deer we had in Texas.

  I had definitely inherited my parents’ gene for wanting to explore. I kept walking, though. The group needed me to reach town and send help. I was exhausted, but I wouldn’t let them down.

  I’d walked for about three miles when I heard a ding. I frowned and looked around. It took me a moment to realize my phone had made that noise. I came to a dead stop and pulled it out of my pocket.

  Service! Only one bar, but maybe it would be enough to reach someone. I punched in 911.

  It was ringing. My heart began to pound inside my chest.

  911 operator. What is your emergency?

  “Thank God,” I said. I quickly explained what had happened, then gave her the coordinates off my phone to my exact location. Then I told her what would be needed to rescue the others and how many there were, and told her yes, an off road vehicle would be able to make it in, and that as far as I knew, no one was hurt. There would be time enough later to mention someone had dynamited and blocked our exit. My first priority was to get the others out.

  I sat down on a nearby rock to wait. My eyes filled with tears. I never cried. I knew my emotions were playing havoc with me because of exhaustion. The kind of exhaustion that makes every bone in your body ache.

  I don’t think I realized before now how much responsibility I was carrying on my shoulders and the toll it had taken on me emotionally. I had to climb the mountain. I had to push myself yesterday to cover as many miles as I could possibly go. If I didn’t make it to civilization, they might all die.

  And fuck Eric, too! I’d cry if I wanted. I was still pissed off I’d fallen for his lies.

  Just this time, I let myself cry and released everything I had bottled up inside me.

  My phone rang.

  I glanced at it.

  Sam’s face stared back at me.

  I scrubbed my eyes, then answered. Not that she could see me. “Hello,” my voice wobbled. Maybe she wouldn’t pick up on it.

  “What the fuck is wrong? You sound like shit.”

  Had I really expected her not to notice that I didn’t sound like my usual self? Sam was way too astute for that.

  “Mac! What happened?”

  “I’m fine. Just exhausted.”

  “Why are you exhausted? This hike was supposed to help you get your head screwed on straight. It doesn’t sound like it has.”

  I sniffed. “No, the hike was great. Our guides took us to a beautiful remote spot with a waterfall, but then someone set off a stick of dynamite and blocked the way out. The only way we could survive was if someone scaled the mountain, but we didn’t have any equipment.”

  “So you took it upon yourself to climb the mountain?” Sam said with more than a touch of derision. “What the hell was your guide thinking to let you do that?” she demanded.

  “I sort of didn’t tell him I was going to. Nash actually ordered me not to go. Besides, I was the most experienced.”

  “It was dangerous, wasn’t it?”

  “A little,” I hedged.

  “Mac, I know when you’re lying.”

  “Okay, it was a lot dangerous. I made it out, though, didn’t I?”

  “So where are you now? Are you back in town?”

  I shook my head, then frowned because there was no way she could see it. I must be even more exhausted than I thought. “I’ve been hiking since yesterday morning, but I finally have cell service and I was able to call 911. They’re sending some rescuers out, and then I’ll lead them back to where the others are. I’m sure by tonight I’ll be back in my hotel room. So you see, there’s nothing else to worry about.” There, that should satisfy her.

  “No, everything sounds fine,” Sam said.

  Why did I have the feeling Sam was being sarcastic? “Everything will be fine,” I said
in case she was being serious.

  “Except of course someone dynamited the exit and left everyone to die. That might become problematic.”

  Now I knew she was being sarcastic. “It was probably some jerk who thought it would be cool to light a stick of dynamite,” I told her.

  “Do you really think that?”

  I sighed. “No, not really. I just didn’t want to think Eric might have something to do with it.”

  “He called a few days ago.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “You don’t think he might’ve been the culprit, do you? No, he couldn’t have been. He doesn’t know where I am, and even if he did, he would’ve never been able to find me.”

  “Except he does. I didn’t take the call, one of the temps did. He told her you were his wife, failing to mention the two of you were divorced. She told him you were in Colorado, even gave him the name of the town and said you were on a hike. I wouldn’t rule him out, sweetie. Like I said before, the guy’s a slimeball.”

  “But would he try to kill me?”

  “I wouldn’t put anything past him. He was pretty pissed off when you divorced him.”

  “But I gave him a good settlement.”

  “Pfftt, I’d be willing to bet he’s flat assed broke.”

  I was thoughtful for a moment. “No, I still don’t think he’s capable of murder. It wouldn’t have been just my death, but everyone who was with me.”

  “I wouldn’t put anything past the guy,” she said.

  Her words had been broken so that I barely understood what she said. “Hey, I think I’m losing the signal. It’s weak anyway. As soon as we get back to town, I’ll call you.”

  There was some more static, then the line went dead. I moved higher up the incline until my signal started blinking again before giving me a solid bar. I wouldn’t call her back, because my battery was getting low. As soon as I was soaking in a hot tub, I’d give her a call.

  A couple of hours passed before I heard the rumble of an engine. By then I had pulled myself together. I quickly came to my feet, and as soon as I saw the two vehicles, I began to wave my arms. One of them honked to let me know they had me in sight. Still, it took about ten minutes for them to actually reach me. It felt like a lifetime.

  The first truck stopped near me, and two young men wearing uniforms depicting the local rescue squad jumped out. “Are you okay, Miss?” one of the men asked with concern, handing me an open bottle of water.

  “Tired, thirsty, and hungry, but yes, I’m fine. We just need to get to the others.”

  “I’m Brad and this is Cory.” He wore a confused expression. “Can I ask why they’re not with you? Are they hurt?”

  I took a long drink. I’d never tasted anything better. “When I left them they were fine. I was the only one with enough experience who could scale the mountain.”

  “Amateur hikers?”

  I shook my head. “Do you have a map?”

  “In the truck.”

  We walked back to his vehicle. The two men in the other vehicle climbed out and came over to where we were.

  They introduced themselves. Brad was clearly in charge, though. His partner grabbed a map out of the glove compartment and opened it on the hood.

  I studied it for a moment. “This is the trail we took. We veered off here and went through a kind of maze with rock towering on either side. Sometime during the night there was an explosion. Don thinks someone set off a stick of dynamite. It blocked our exit. The only way to get out was to scale the mountain.” I frowned. “We’re not a group of amateurs.”

  “Was the dynamite intentional?”

  There was a different tone in his voice, as if he thought one of us had been playing around with dynamite. I shook my head. “It wasn’t one of us, if that’s what you’re asking. Was it intentional, though? I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Then let’s go get your friends,” he said.

  We climbed inside the vehicle and took off. I wasn’t sure we could make it all the way to where I’d left the group. Some of it was almost straight uphill. Maybe I misjudged them as well, because they drove like they knew what they were doing. That isn’t to say I didn’t catch my breath a few times.

  We covered a lot of ground in a few hours, but I was right when I figured it would be late afternoon by the time we got to them. There had been places where the rescue squad had to slow or take a different route rather than the crooked trail that I’d followed. As soon as we arrived, I leaned over and pushed the driver’s horn to let Nash and everyone know that help was there.

  I hurried to the side of the mountain. When I looked down at them, I felt my heart swell as they began to wave and yell. My eyes scanned each of them to make sure they were okay. They looked fine. I’d been worried the guy with the dynamite might have returned, but I’d been afraid to dwell on it too much. Nash and the others had been in a vulnerable position and anything could’ve happened.

  Brad came up to stand beside me, scratching his head. “How exactly did you get out of there?”

  “I climbed up the side of the mountain. I told you, I’m an experienced climber.”

  “So where did you leave your climbing gear?”

  I had a feeling he wasn’t going to believe me. “I didn’t have any. “

  The three men from the other truck had come up to stand with us. “You climbed up the side of this mountain without any gear?”

  “Yes. Why do you find that so hard to believe? I’ve been climbing mountains since I was twelve years old. I’ll admit this is the first time I did it without gear, and I hope I never have to again, but you do what you have to do.”

  Brad shook his head in wonder. “You can’t blame us for having our doubts,” he told me. “You just don’t look...”

  His words trailed off when I glared at him.

  Brad cleared his throat. “Well, gentlemen, let’s get the rest of them out.”

  Rachel was the first to strap on the harness. As soon as she reached the top, she shimmied out of the straps and ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck and bursting into tears.

  “Oh my God, we’d thought you’d slipped and fallen when we saw the flashlight coming down the side of the mountain. I kept thinking about Aaron.”

  I stepped back out of her arms. “Rachel, I’m okay. I told everyone I could do it.”

  She was laughing and grinning at the same time, swiping at the tears still running down her eyes. “And you did, didn’t you? I’m so proud of you.” She reached for my hands and squeezed them. “Just don’t ever do that to us again.”

  I sucked in a breath.

  She frowned, turning my hands over before she released them. “Oh no, your poor hands. They’re almost raw.”

  I pulled my hands away from hers. “They’ll be okay. Nothing that won’t heal.”

  Chris was just coming over the side of the mountain. As soon as he saw me, he grinned from ear to ear. “Hey, Mac” he called out. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. Even if you do look a little worse for wear.”

  “Don’t you know that you’re not supposed to comment on a woman’s looks, unless you tell her she’s beautiful?” I lightly admonished him.

  “You look better than beautiful,” he said as he took me in his arms for a bear hug.

  Ouch. Bear hugs were not good right now.

  “It doesn’t matter at all to me that your face is smudged with dirt, or that your hair is sticking out everywhere, or that your shirt is ripped. Nope, it doesn’t matter at all to me that you look like a homeless person.”

  “Flattery will get you nowhere.” I arched an eyebrow. My haughtiness lasted all of five seconds. “Damn, it’s good to see everyone again.”

  Scotty, then Jared, came over next, followed by all the gear that Don and Nash bundled up. Then Don. I should’ve known Nash would wait until last to come up.

  “I had a feeling it wouldn’t take you long to return,” Don said.

  I smiled. “Remember at the start I told you that I would surprise you
.”

  He nodded. “That you did, little lady. But next time if you’re going to drop something, like a flashlight, could you give us a shout out to let us know what you’re going to do? I thought Nash was going to have a heart attack. Poor guy almost lost it.”

  “I think all of us nearly lost it,” Scotty said.

  I grimaced. “So y’all noticed that?”

  “And before that when you slipped and lost your footing,” Don commented.

  “Nash didn’t see, though, did he?”

  “He never took his eyes off you. He watched you the whole time, and when it got dark, everyone watched the flashlight move up the side of the mountain.”

  Damn, I was hoping he hadn’t been paying that much attention. As he came over the side of the mountain, I watched him remove the harness. His expression was grim. He shook the hands of the rescuers before he started walking toward me.

  Oh hell, he didn’t look at all happy.

  He lightly took me by the shoulders and studied my face. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “A little tired, but I’m okay.”

  As if he knew I was sore, he pulled me close and hugged me, but with a gentleness I would have never expected from him. “You scared the fuck out of me,” he whispered.

  “I’m sorry, but I knew I was probably the only one who could scale the mountain.” I closed my eyes and absorbed his warmth. He made me feel safe and protected. I knew everything would be all right now.

  “When the flashlight fell, I thought I would never see you again.”

  “I know. I’m sorry I dropped it.”

  His lips brushed across the top of my head before he stepped back. That’s when I noticed how haggard he looked. I was sorry I had put him through all of this, but it couldn’t be helped.

  “Her hands are torn up,” Rachel said.

  I frowned at her. Gee, thanks. “They’re fine,” I told everyone. I quickly put them behind my back.