Margin of Error

by Christy Barritt

  Boone’s eyes locked with hers, his gaze unwavering. “We’re going to have to get back to safety. We knew this was a risk when we came out here.”

  The thought of being immersed in those woods with that creature . . . it caused a wave of panic to shudder through her. “But—”

  Boone stepped closer and bent closer toward her. “There’s no other way, Brynlee. Vehicles can’t get up here. It’s too cloudy for a helicopter. Not enough space for a plane. We have no choice but to hike back down.”

  Terror seemed to numb both her muscles and her thoughts.

  She didn’t want to be in those woods. She didn’t want to be anywhere near that creature. She craved the safety of her condo back in Pennsylvania. Of her favorite blanket. Of a warm cup of coffee.

  Out here, she felt exposed. Without a safety net. Without . . . hope.

  Boone knelt down closer until they were nearly eye to eye. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to do this.”

  “How?” Her voice trembled. “He’ll kill us, Boone. You know he will. He could be following us now.”

  Using a finger, Boone nudged her chin up. “That’s not going to happen.”

  She wanted to believe his words. She really did. But . . . “You haven’t seen him. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

  He lowered his voice. “Brynlee, I’m going to need you to give everything you’ve got on this hike back down. I know you can do it. It’s going to be hard. Scary. And it’s going to test everything you’ve got.”

  How did she tell him that she never remembered being this terrified in all her life? That she felt paralyzed, like she was living a nightmare?

  “We need to get going, okay?” Boone continued, sounding like a negotiator trying to talk someone off the ledge.

  The urge to throw up gripped Brynlee even more fiercely. But she pushed it down. This had been her idea. Her plan. She’d gotten them into this. Now she had to be strong and find courage she didn’t know she had.

  “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  But why did she feel like she was hiking the green mile—the walk to her final destination?

  Because this creature had targeted her. And she knew beyond a doubt that this was far from being over.

  32

  Brynlee’s thoughts raced as she stared at the Razor Back. Coming up had been one thing. Going down . . . it looked a whole lot scarier. And now her nerves were shot.

  This had been a stupid idea to come out here. She should have listened to Boone.

  The problem had been that she didn’t have that much time. She’d said she’d be back in Pennsylvania by next week. As much as she’d like to stay longer and enjoy this area, it wasn’t possible.

  For that matter, maybe she was exactly like her mom.

  “You can do this,” Boone repeated. “Remember, focus on where you’re going, where you’ll step next. Don’t look down.”

  “Okay.” If only Brynlee felt so certain.

  “I’ll be here if you need me.”

  Brynlee took a few more tentative steps as she followed Boone.

  She’d heard about the bear being captured, about Big Ben being arrested . . . she’d figured with the two of them gone, she was safe. Both the beast and the man portion of her fears had been covered.

  She took another step and reminded herself to breathe.

  Maybe if she’d looked more deeply inside herself, maybe she would have realized that neither had felt right in her gut. She’d wanted to believe it . . . but that didn’t mean she should have.

  And now she’d put Boone in danger as well.

  Despair rumbled in her stomach.

  If anything happened, this would be her fault.

  Brynlee crept forward, unable to stop looking over the edge. At the emptiness below. At the hundreds of feet she could fall without anything to stop her. Boone might not say it, but Brynlee knew that one wrong move, and she’d plunge to her death.

  As she glanced down again, her head swirled. She felt like she was losing her balance.

  She paused and glanced up. The sun had begun its descent. They had to make it back to Fog Lake before dark. There was no other option.

  She took several more steps and then froze as she reached the narrowest part of the trail.

  This had been her least favorite part on the way up. She’d never loved heights. She didn’t tell Boone that. She could already tell he didn’t want to be here, and she didn’t want to add any more fuel to the fire.

  “You ready for this?” Boone asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She took another step and nearly plummeted as a rock tumbled beneath her feet. She caught herself by lowering herself to the ground until she had her balance. But her heart raced out of control.

  Boone paused in front of her. “How about if I set up this rope as a safety? Just to be on the cautious side.”

  A safety net? Nothing sounded better. But . . . “Do we have time?”

  “We’re going to have to make time for it.” He took his pack off and pulled out one of the ropes.

  Brynlee wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but Boone moved like a man with a mission. She watched him with curiosity as he expertly began tying knots.

  But she watched more than that.

  She observed the pain in his eyes. The pain of knowing that his wife had made it to the top. That there was more to her death than he’d ever assumed. What a horrible realization.

  Was that somehow tied in with what was going on now? She had a hard time seeing how it would be. It had to be a terrible coincidence . . . right?

  Boone finished and hooked up her harness.

  “Okay, you’re good to go,” he said. “Just take your time. If anything happens, this will catch you. I’ll be there as well.”

  She felt lightheaded as she continued. One wrong move and . . .

  Against her better senses, she glanced down again. Steep drop-offs fell on both sides of her. What was that? Two hundred feet? She’d plunge to her death if she wasn’t careful.

  No, Brynlee had her safety line. She touched her harness to make sure she hadn’t imagined any of this. She hadn’t.

  She just had to keep moving.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Boone said. “Just take your time.”

  The problem was, Brynlee knew they didn’t have time. That beast . . . creature . . . man . . . he was still out here. The sooner they were off this mountain, the better.

  “You see that foothold right there?” Boone pointed to a rock that jutted out an inch or two. “See if you can reach it. It will be easier going after that. You’ll have a good five inches of ledge.”

  Five inches? She needed five feet to feel comfortable . . . if even that would work.

  Her hands trembled as she took her first step. She closed her eyes, lifted a prayer, and then reached for another foothold. As her toes hit it, she released her breath.

  She’d done it. Now she just needed to pull the rest of her body over.

  Taking a deep breath, she shifted her weight.

  As she did, the ledge beneath her gave way.

  She felt herself sliding down to a certain death below.

  Boone heard the rock crumble only a split second before Brynlee slipped from the trail.

  He jerked his arm out and caught her—but barely. His muscles strained, and he tried to balance himself there on the ledge.

  Brynlee dangled below, her eyes wide orbs of terror.

  Her safety line had caught her. She was secure. But she was also terrified.

  “I’ve got you,” Boone said.

  No sooner had the words left his lips than he heard something snap.

  “Boone!” Brynlee yelled.

  His gaze darted toward Brynlee. As it did, his arm jerked with an unanticipated weight.

  What . . .?

  And then he saw it. Brynlee’s line had broken.

  Flashbacks of Katherine hit him again. Her final moments. How scared and alone she must have felt.


  The thoughts snapped him back into action.

  “You’re going to be okay,” he told Brynlee.

  Her weight pulled him downward, and Boone had little to hold onto. There was nothing here but loose rocks. The situation was precarious—but he wouldn’t tell Brynlee that.

  Certainly, she already knew anyway.

  The rocks beneath him shifted, and he reached for something to grab onto. There was nothing.

  They both dropped two feet until their feet hit another ledge.

  A gasped half scream escaped from Brynlee.

  “I’ve got you,” he told her through gritted teeth. “Can you find a foothold?”

  “I’ll try.”

  Boone watched as she seemed to feel around with her feet. She didn’t dare look down. Finally, she must have found a small ledge. Some of the weight left his arm.

  Still, this was going to be harder than he thought. At least his line was still holding.

  But for how long?

  Boone didn’t feel certain he could trust it.

  “I’m going to pull you back up, okay?” Boone said.

  “Okay.” Brynlee’s voice trembled as she stared up at him, desperation in her gaze.

  Using every last ounce of his energy, he pulled her toward him. “Grab on to the ledge,” he told her through gritted teeth.

  One of her hands released from his, and she grasped on to the rock facing.

  Boone let out a breath.

  Now he just needed to help her pull herself the rest of the way up.

  As he reached for Brynlee, his line caught slack.

  They both began to slide down the cliff again.

  Boone’s belt rubbed against the rocky mountainside. Something snapped.

  He glanced down and saw his gun clattering down the rock face.

  He held his breath as he watched it slip out of reach.

  “What is it?” Brynlee asked, her entire body tense and dread in her eyes. She still didn’t dare look down, though.

  Smart girl.

  “My gun . . . it came out of the holster as I was sliding.”

  “Can you reach it?”

  Boone stared at it down below. He couldn’t reach it easily, that was for sure. Was it even worth it? It would take so much time—time they didn’t have. Yet to not have a weapon when they were in these woods . . . his stomach clenched at the thought. It left him literally between a rock and a hard place.

  He sighed. “I don’t think so. Right now, we need to concentrate on getting you to safety.”

  She nodded nervously. “What do I need to do?”

  “We’re both going to have to climb back up to the trail.”

  “I’m scared, Boone.” Her voice trembled as she said the words.

  “I know. But you can do this. My line will hold us up.” As soon as Boone said the words, he heard another snap.

  His safety line had broken also.

  33

  Brynlee barely held back her scream as she saw Boone sliding down the steep mountainside.

  He wasn’t going to stop, was he?

  But as soon as the thought entered her mind, Boone jerked to a halt.

  He caught himself by his fingertips, she realized.

  She released her breath. But this wasn’t over. Far from it.

  Still gripping the rock facing, she ignored her lightheadedness and stared down at Boone. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve been better.” Boone grimaced as he looked up at her. “This just got a little harder.”

  “I just want to get off this Razor Back area,” she murmured, trying to control her fear.

  It wasn’t working.

  Every time she looked down, her head began to spin.

  It was a long way to the bottom . . . a trip she knew she wouldn’t survive. Neither would Boone.

  “You’re going to have to listen to me,” Boone said from below her. “I want you to find all the footholds and handholds you can. You’re going to climb back to the top of the Razor Back.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that.” The thought of it caused cold fear to shoot through her veins. As she sucked in another breath, cool air filled her lungs.

  The temperature was starting to drop even more.

  Time was not on their side right now.

  “Of course you can,” Boone said. Even as he hung on by his fingertips below her, his eyes still had an unwavering confidence that beckoned her to believe in herself. “You can do anything you set your mind to.”

  “Are you a motivational speaker in your free time?” Brynlee tried to add some lightness to the situation. But her chuckle sounded fake, even to her own ears.

  “I was trying not to say anything, but you found me out.” As Boone said the words, he began climbing, moving skillfully up the cliff.

  How could he do that? One wrong move and . . . he had nothing to catch him.

  Her amazement for the man grew.

  “What do I need to do?” she asked, a new determination rising in her.

  “You’re going to grab that handhold right there.” He nodded toward the spot. “And put your foot on that ledge. You’re going to pull yourself up.”

  “I don’t know if I can.” She stared up at the area, at where she needed to go.

  “Do I need to bring out my motivational speaker side again?” Boone’s voice contained a gentle humor.

  “No, no. You’re right. I can do this.” Brynlee remembered that determination and courage she needed to tap into.

  She lifted up a prayer before doing as Boone said. As she put her weight on the rock facing, she held her breath, expecting it to crumble beneath her again.

  It didn’t.

  “Good girl,” Boone said. He was nearly beside her now. He’d moved effortlessly to reach her. Fearlessly. “Now you just need to do that again. Keep moving up.”

  He directed her on where to step. Brynlee followed everything he said closely, not daring to make a wrong move.

  Finally, her feet hit the top of the Razor Back, and she nearly collapsed there.

  She was safe. For a moment, at least.

  Boone climbed up behind her and let out a long breath, his shoulders seeming to slump with relief.

  She wished the worst of this was over. But she knew the Skookum was still out there. And they still had a long journey ahead.

  Boone’s thoughts raced as they continued down the trail. They’d lost a significant amount of time during that fiasco.

  What had happened to the climbing equipment? How could it have failed them both? It made no sense.

  He tried to recall when it had been out of his sight after he picked it up yesterday. But he couldn’t remember any time when someone else could have tampered with it. It had been fine last night when he and Brynlee had used it outside in his backyard.

  But right now his primary focus was getting them out of these woods. They were almost halfway back to the trailhead—but that meant they’d still have nearly another hour and a half until they reached the end. A lot could happen in that time.

  Boone didn’t want to admit he was apprehensive—but he was. So much could go wrong.

  Brynlee’s steps slowed and she pointed to something in the distance. He already knew what it was: a sixteen-foot waterfall that cascaded to a pool below. The attraction was popular with hikers. Any other day, Boone would enjoy the view also.

  “Look at that,” Brynlee said, her voice full of wonder.

  “When this is all over, I’ll bring you back here so you can appreciate it. Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury right now.”

  Brynlee took a few more steps, pulling her gaze away from the sight. “What’s it called?”

  “Lost Falls.”

  “Lost Falls. I like that.” She continued to walk. “We’re going back a different way. I didn’t see this earlier.”

  “This path is a little longer, but we should be able to navigate it faster.” He nodded, indicating they should keep moving.

  Brynlee kept walking b
ehind him. He pushed branches out of the way as they trekked forward. The air was getting cooler—much cooler. And darkness would be on them before they knew it.

  As Boone heard a stick break in the distance, apprehension pinched his spine.

  He froze in the middle of the heavily wooded area and put a finger over his lips. Brynlee nearly collided with him. Boone gripped her arm and motioned for her to remain quiet.

  Alarm spread through her gaze as she realized that he’d heard something.

  Someone was close.

  Or something.

  Boone studied the landscape around him. The trees. The boulders. The shadows.

  Even the birds had gone quiet.

  But he saw nothing. No one.

  So why did his gut tell him that trouble was near?

  He reached for Brynlee’s hand. Still motioning for her to be quiet, he began leading her through the woods. They couldn’t stay where they were. No, they needed to move—the more quickly, the better.

  “What’s wrong, Boone?” Brynlee whispered.

  “We’re being hunted.”

  The color drained from her face. “What are we going to do?”

  “We need to find somewhere that will act as a shelter for us.” The challenging part would be finding an area like that here in the middle of the forest.

  “I heard a rumor that there’s an old house up there, not far from the waterfall,” Brynlee whispered. “I saw it on an old map. It had Lost Falls on it.”

  An old house? Maybe Boone had heard something about an old building in the past. There was so much of this area that was unexplored.

  Boone had no idea if Brynlee was right, but, if she was, that would be an answer to prayer for sure.

  Still being careful, they continued quietly down the mountainside.

  Boone still sensed unseen eyes on them. Adrenaline pounded through his blood. His instincts were tight, poised to react.

  He didn’t get easily spooked out here in the wild. But right now, every part of him could feel the danger around them.

  As they stepped beyond a boulder, he heard a rustle in the undergrowth. He turned toward the sound and saw something emerge from the shadows.

  He didn’t know what it was.