Brink of Danger

by Christy Barritt

  She glanced below her again, and her head spun.

  Heights had never gotten to her before. But, right now, with no lifeline . . . the adrenaline rush suddenly wasn’t as exciting.

  As she craned her neck in the other direction, she spotted a raft coming her way. Was it someone who’d set out on an adventure in the area? Or was someone coming to rescue her?

  She couldn’t tell.

  More pain shot through her wrist, and she released her clutch on the mountainside again. She must have sprained a ligament there. That fact would make it nearly impossible for her to climb down. She would need her grip in order to do that.

  It didn’t matter anyway. Sweat made her grasp slick. She had no chalk to help with traction.

  One wrong move, and she’d plummet to her death. She’d been in a lot of sticky situations before, but none as harrowing as this.

  How would help even reach her? There was no easy way to get her. She knew that better than anyone.

  She closed her eyes again. She couldn’t think about that now. The important thing was that help would get to her.

  Certainly, Luke knew about this by now. Boone too. Help was on the way, and they’d figure something out. Her brothers wouldn’t let her down.

  At the thought of them she heard a shout.

  She glanced back again and squinted. Were her brothers on that raft? That’s what it sounded like.

  Hope surged through her.

  Even if that was true, she still had to hold on, to remain steady until they arrived.

  Beneath her, another rock tumbled to the ground. She watched as it fell downward, downward and then splashed into the river rapids.

  Her throat went dry. That could have been her lying there. Lifeless. Defeated.

  “Thank You, Lord, for getting me this far,” she whispered.

  She put her weight onto her feet. That was what her brother Boone had taught her. Foot placements are more important than handholds.

  What else had he said?

  Once your feet are set, keep them still. Keep your heels low. Feet are the foundation of climbing.

  That was good news because only one of her hands was worth anything right now, and grip had never been Ansley’s strong suit.

  There was very little ledge to keep her up here. What was the term Boone used in situations like these? Smearing. It meant that mostly friction held her against the rock.

  Her throat went dry.

  Maybe she needed to consider the idea that help wouldn’t come. If Ansley was left to her own devices to get off this mountain, what would she do?

  Her wrist ached again.

  There was nothing she could do. She needed all four limbs if she wanted to get to the bottom successfully.

  The thought sent a shot of terror through her. Boone could do things like this all day long. Ansley had never taken to it. Boone had assumed she would since her nature was to be a thrill seeker. But the thought of having no safety net terrified her.

  Glancing upward, she spotted another protrusion that she might be able to hold onto. The small amount of grip she had right now in her left hand was fading. Her muscles were cramping.

  If Ansley could move to a more stable area, maybe it would relieve some of her pain.

  She glanced behind her again. A crowd still stood at the railing, watching her every move. They probably had their cell phones out, recording her. Her terror would turn into their online clout. With her luck, videos of this would get hundreds of thousands of views. She had some enemies who could very well delight in that.

  Focus, Ansley. Focus.

  Her wrist throbbed again, the ache making her flinch. She shifted her weight, determined not to give in to the pain.

  As she did, another rock beneath her feet tumbled down the cliff and hit the ground below.

  This area wasn’t stable. She had to find a more secure area until she could be rescued.

  “We’re here, Ansley!” Boone called below her. “We’re coming up to help. Hold on until then.”

  Boone . . . he was here. But he might be five seconds too late.

  She was close to falling again. She was going to have to move if she didn’t want to do that.

  With frozen lungs, Ansley released her grip on the depression above her. Only her feet kept her against the cliff. Her head swam at the thought.

  She started to reach up, to pull herself to the half-inch ledge to her right and up two feet higher than where she was now.

  As she did, her foot slipped, and she began sliding down toward the rocks below.

  Ryan sucked in a breath as he saw Ansley begin to skid down the mountainside. Her arm flung up, and she grabbed a rock.

  Her body lurched to a stop on the cliff.

  Ryan released his breath. She was okay. For now.

  Luke muttered something beneath his breath—something that sounded like a prayer.

  “This is a rescue mission,” Ryan told him. “Not a recovery.”

  Luke nodded but still looked pale.

  Boone gripped the rope over his shoulder and stared up at his sister, a determined expression on his face.

  “I can make it up.” Boone’s voice left no room for doubt. “I can climb to Ansley and anchor a line above her. I’ll hook the line to her harness, and we can lower her down.”

  “You’re confident you can safely climb to where she is?” Ryan asked.

  Boone continued to stare up, his expression unflinching. “Yes, I am.”

  “I’ll go with him,” Luke added with a determined nod. “You stay here, Ryan, and lower her down.”

  “Exactly what I was going to suggest.” Hopefully this was a sign of how well the two of them would work together in the future.

  “Any updates on the helicopter?” Luke asked.

  “It has to refuel,” Ryan said. “I’m guessing it’s still at least fifteen minutes away.”

  Luke’s expression hardened. “We need a backup plan for getting her out of here.”

  “I’ll wait here.” Jonathan stood by the raft. “Worst comes to worst, I can walk these rapids and pull the boat back to where it needs to be. I’ve done it before.”

  “All right.” Luke gave an affirmative nod. “Let’s do this.”

  When Ryan looked back, Boone was already twelve feet up the cliff. He moved effortlessly, like he was built for these tasks.

  As Luke started up on the other side of Ansley, Ryan pulled on his harness. He got on the radio and confirmed an ambulance waited at the top of the mountain for after Ansley was rescued—and she would be rescued. Failure wasn’t an option here.

  Ryan adjusted his harness and glanced up. Ansley still clung to the side of the cliff. She shook out her arm, as if it hurt. A gash sliced her leg.

  The fact that she was still alive right now was a true wonder.

  Just then, another rock crumbled beneath her feet. He held his breath, waiting for Ansley to follow it down. She didn’t.

  They didn’t have much time if they wanted this situation to have a happy ending.

  Boone continued to scale the side of the cliff, making the ascension look effortless. He reached Ansley, but only paused for a second. He muttered something to her, and she gave him a dirty look.

  Ryan smiled. No doubt he was ribbing her. It was the Wilder family’s love language, from what he remembered.

  Two feet above Ansley, Boone secured two anchor points into the mountain. As Boone pulled some ropes between the anchors, Luke paused beside Ansley, talking to her in low tones.

  Ryan held his breath, watching as the two of them continued setting up the ropes, using some lockable carabiners.

  Finally, the lines were set. Luke hooked Ansley’s harness in place and tugged on the rope.

  Ryan braced himself.

  Now they had to put their plan into action and get Ansley down.

  Chapter Six

  Ryan hooked the other end of the line to his own harness and waited for the signal.

  Ansley let out a little laugh a
s Luke said something to her. Ryan smiled. At least she felt well enough to banter with her brother.

  Ryan felt the tension on his line and knew she’d let go of the rock wall.

  She was secure. For now.

  Luke signaled him, and Ryan slowly began to lower Ansley toward the ground—toward him. She looked nearly limp, her long limbs sagging as she skimmed the cliff. Luke climbed down beside her.

  In the distance, at the Mountaintop Adventures office, sirens sounded.

  The rest of the crew had finally arrived and would be waiting when they got there.

  Had it only been thirty minutes since they’d started down here? It felt like hours.

  As Ryan slowly lowered Ansley, he released his breath. She was conscious and able to move. Those were good signs.

  With one hand on the rope, Ryan hit the radio mike on his shoulder. “She’s coming down. There appear to be no serious injuries.”

  “Are you waiting for the Nightingale?”

  “It’s still ten minutes out. I need to properly ascertain the state of the victim first. Either way, she’s going to need to be checked out by EMTs ASAP.”

  “Affirmative. We’ve got an ambulance waiting in case she needs to go to the hospital. Do you need us to come down to assist?”

  “Any more people down here will just add to the confusion. I need you to be ready at the top.”

  “Roger.”

  When Ansley hovered only four feet from the ground, Ryan swept his arms under her back and legs. She drooped in his grasp. Her head went to his chest, and she closed her eyes.

  Ryan gently laid her on the ground and removed her harness. His gaze swept over her, searching for obvious wounds. He saw none—but that didn’t mean she was in the clear.

  “What hurts?” he asked.

  She opened her eyes, but her gaze looked bleary. “My wrist. Otherwise, I just have some cuts. I think.”

  “The medivac helicopter is on its way.”

  Her body stiffened with alarm. “I don’t need a helicopter.”

  “Until we know the extent of your injuries—”

  Eyes closed, she shook her head. “I’m perfectly capable of walking. I’m not nearly dead.”

  Ryan repressed a smile at her feistiness. Some things hadn’t changed. Pulling a light from his pocket, he shined it in each of her eyes.

  She flinched and shoved him away. “Is that necessary?”

  “Yes, in case you have a concussion.”

  “You’re making a fuss over nothing.”

  “No, he’s not.” Luke appeared beside them, his concerned gaze on Ansley. “You gave us all a good scare. You could have died.”

  She tried to sit up, but Ryan gently nudged her back down.

  “You know I only like drama on my own terms,” she muttered. “These are not my terms. I’m going to be okay.”

  Ryan exchanged a look with Luke, who shrugged. “She’s stubborn.”

  Ryan remembered that.

  Just then, Ryan’s radio buzzed. The medivac helicopter was held up at the fire. He repeated the information out loud and glanced at Luke, who nodded.

  “Cancel that,” Ryan said. “Victim appears to have minor injuries. We’ll take her to the hospital via ambulance.”

  “I say we put her in the boat and pull it back to the launch area,” Luke said. “Then we just have to worry about getting her up the steps.”

  “I’m right here,” Ansley said with a slight moan. “You don’t have to talk as if I’m not.”

  Boone jumped down beside them and hurried toward his sister just as Ryan gently swept her into his arms again. He strode to the boat and set her inside, where Jonathan was waiting with a lifejacket. Despite her complaints, they pulled the floatation device on her.

  Now they needed to get her across the river and up the mountain.

  Then this rescue would be complete. However, the investigation was just starting.

  Ansley’s head swam as the boat jostled back and forth.

  She didn’t want to tell anyone how much her body ached. But it did.

  She closed her eyes, trying to tune everything out. Overall, she was thankful. Thankful she’d been rescued. Thankful she had such capable brothers. Thankful for the other man who’d rescued her.

  The other man? He’d sounded familiar, but Ansley had barely been able to open her eyes. She figured he was one of the EMTs in town. Jason? Horace?

  She opened her eyes just a slit again. Someone pulled the boat across the shallow river, against the rapids. Someone else helped. Boone maybe.

  Ansley only liked people to make a big deal over her when that was what she wanted. She never wanted this.

  She fought a moan as the boat bumped and jostled.

  How had that cable snapped? It made no sense.

  She’d been on ziplines hundreds of times before. Nothing even remotely close to this had ever happened.

  She knew it was a miracle she was alive.

  That just meant that God wasn’t done with her yet.

  Ryan kept Ansley against his chest, knowing it was the safest way to travel up the river and to the stairs. He needed to shield her, to bear the brunt of the boat as it bumped against the rapids.

  Jonathan and Boone continued to pull the raft across the water, and Luke manned the boat from the back. The craft sloshed and rocked with the rapids. Ryan held on more tightly. On a good day, going against the current was hard. But the dry season they’d had recently made the rapids even more difficult to navigate.

  Help us, Lord. Please.

  As more water sloshed inside the boat, Ansley moaned against him, and her eyes fluttered open. She spotted him. Blinked. Her eyes opened more widely, and she groaned.

  “You?”

  Ryan fought a smile. He’d figured Ansley hadn’t recognized him earlier. Her response hadn’t been strong or robust enough. “Hello, Ansley. Long time no see.”

  “You’re . . . back.”

  She must be doing fairly well if her sass was coming out.

  “New fire chief.” Ryan glanced across the water. Only twenty more feet and they should reach the shore near the stairway.

  “You just had to be the one who rescued me.” She closed her eyes again, her lips tight with discontent.

  “I see you still have your sharp tongue and wit.”

  “I wouldn’t be Ansley Wilder without them.”

  “I’m glad to see the two of you are sharing a moment while reintroducing yourself.” Luke leaned in beside them as the boat bounced. “But, in other news, we need to figure out how to get her up the stairway once we get back to the launch area.”

  “I can carry her. I’ve done the fireman’s carry on someone who was three hundred pounds before. I can handle Ansley.”

  “What are you saying?” Ansley stared at him in mock offense.

  Or maybe it was real offense. Ryan wasn’t sure.

  “Don’t read too much into that.” He shifted Ansley against his body, wishing he could enjoy their banter. But her safety and well-being were his top concern right now. “How are you feeling, Ansley?”

  “My whole body aches, and my wrist is sore. But I’d say over all I’m good. I’m alive.”

  “Do you know what happened?” Luke peered at her, his face stony with concern.

  “The cable snapped.” She moaned again and touched her wrist.

  As strong as she appeared, she was obviously in pain. Moisture pooled at the corners of her eyes.

  Luke must have noticed also. He grimaced beside Ryan, his eyes turning even more concerned than before.

  “How is it possible that the cable snapped?” Ryan asked. “Were they not inspected?”

  “Of course they were,” Ansley muttered. “I have no idea what went wrong. There was no reason for this to happen.”

  She couldn’t stop another moan from escaping.

  Ryan’s jaw clenched. He didn’t like the sound of this. Ansley could have died.

  As soon as he knew Ansley was okay, he was going t
o check out the zipline.

  Because brand-new ziplines didn’t just break.

  Chapter Seven

  Ryan Philips? Why did it have to be Ryan Philips, of all people, who rescued her? Ansley would have accepted anyone else. Even Danny Axon, a man she despised, would have been better.

  But Ryan Philips was one of the only men who’d ever rejected and humiliated her.

  Even though it had been eight years since that night, the memories still stung and caused her cheeks to heat.

  Despite that, Ansley couldn’t ignore the ripple of his muscles beneath her as Ryan climbed the steps, hardly even breathing heavy. The man was obviously in good shape. Ansley had always been a sucker for alpha males.

  But she was not by any means attracted to Ryan Philips.

  Still, thinking about his muscles had been a nice distraction from the overall ache of her body.

  Thank goodness they had gotten to her in time. Ansley hadn’t been sure how much longer she could hold on to the mountainside. The rocks had been crumbling beneath her. Her muscles were weak. Their line had been connected to her harness not a moment too soon.

  She shuddered at the direness of the situation.

  “You okay?” Ryan peered at her as he continued to climb. That stairway winded the best athletes on a good day. How was he doing this?

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” But just as the words left Ansley’s mouth, she stiffened. “Is that smoke I smell?”

  “There’s a wildfire two counties over. It just started last night. A campfire wasn’t properly extinguished.”

  She sucked in a breath. “What? How? When?”

  How had she not known about a wildfire in the area? She supposed she had been secluding herself lately—mostly out of fear of failing, of falling off the wagon. But town scuttlebutt on things like wildfires usually spread faster than the fire itself did.

  “Officials are trying to figure it out.”

  “Can they contain it?” Images of her beautiful mountains being destroyed by fire haunted her thoughts. Losing any of the nature around here would be like having a priceless masterpiece destroyed.