Alaskan Mountain Attack

by Sarah Varland

  He looked over at her, intended to say something in response, but instead found himself wondering what life would be like right now if he hadn’t backed off a year ago. One kiss, that was all they’d shared, but it had been enough to get under his skin, to make him seriously consider what his life would be like if she was still an active part of it. They hadn’t dated officially, but they’d spent a lot of time together climbing, hanging out, going out. It had just been about to turn into something official when he put some distance between them.

  She blinked. Her blue eyes were clear, the color of a glacial river, so blue they almost seemed to glow. They’d always been such a contrast to her strawberry blond hair.

  He cleared his throat. “We’ve got to get you down,” Judah said abruptly. “They could come back.”

  “But you’re here now,” she said, like it solved all the world’s problems. Her confidence in him was...

  Well, intoxicating, frankly.

  And just as dangerous. Because he couldn’t let himself fall for her. He’d made the choice to be alone in life because he wasn’t good at relationships, and at thirty-four, people were starting to believe him when he said he had no plans to get married.

  Surely one woman’s misplaced confidence in him couldn’t shake that.

  “I need to get you down,” he repeated. “Safely.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Five minutes ago this was my rescue and I was calling the shots.”

  “Yeah, well, now it’s my crime scene and I am. Life is funny that way. Your rope is still tied?” He looked over at it.

  She checked the knots and he nodded. Judah glanced at the connectors on her harness, the buckles, and made sure everything was right. Buddy checks were habit still, even though it had been ages since he’d climbed with anyone.

  Maybe he’d been wrong to be so antisocial.

  A small part of him was afraid it was too late to change.

  “You want to go first?” Judah asked her but they both knew it wasn’t really a question. Still, always gracious, Piper nodded. She motioned down to Jake, who nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, confirming that she was on belay in the best way he could since the river was too loud for either of them to hear the other. As they rappelled back down, Judah reminded himself to pay attention to what he was doing, but also found it easy to get lost in thought.

  He wasn’t a man who was unaware of his faults, despite Levi accusing him of thinking he was perfect. Judah was well aware of his shortcomings.

  Did he come across as aloof or arrogant because of the way he held himself apart from everyone else? He didn’t mean to.

  They both came to the bottom of the rock wall and Judah found himself glancing at Piper.

  Was this a second chance at what he’d let pass by the first time? Or rather, run from?

  Just as quickly he shook the thought away. She had been attacked and it was his job to investigate it.

  His job took priority right now. And if there was anything he was good at, it was prioritizing his job.

  Hopefully, that attribute would come in handy to keep Piper safe.

  TWO

  Piper had hardly been able to think on the boat ride back to town. She’d just sat, listened to the hum of the fan in the boat and let Jake handle the driving. They’d transferred to a police car when they’d reached the shore of the river. Now Piper was in the front passenger seat of the car, next to Judah, who was driving to the police station so she could give a statement. Part of her wished he was more talkative, but he hadn’t said anything the whole drive. He just kept his eyes on the road.

  Piper replayed the last hour in her mind. She’d been attacked when she thought she was there to rescue someone. Something about that made the experience hurt more, but she’d have to think through it later. Right now, much as her mind wrestled to process it, something in her just refused to.

  It hurt. It was wrong.

  If Caleb, her former partner, was here, maybe she’d talk to him about it. He’d laugh, tell her to shake it off, but he would listen if she really wanted him to. But after he moved out of town a few months back they’d lost touch, which she’d never thought would happen.

  For a while he’d had a crush on her, and she’d wondered if she had feelings for him, but one coffee date had confirmed that they were better off as relaxed friends. There’d been no sparks at all.

  And Piper was a girl who wanted sparks. She’d barely dated in high school, focused on the fact that God was preparing a man out there somewhere for her, and acted in faith of that, being careful not to give too much of her heart to a man who wasn’t the right one. Besides the one ill-fated date with Caleb, she’d almost dated Judah, and had one long relationship with Drew.

  Drew. Now there was a period of her life she’d like to forget. She’d rather never date again than ever end up in a relationship like that again. She’d mistaken his controlling nature for love and it had hurt her. Physically and emotionally.

  Now here she was, twenty-nine, and he—her alleged, mysterious future husband—was nowhere in sight. If Judah Wicks was any indication, she chased decent men away with the intimidation factor of a grizzly bear.

  She still wasn’t sure what she’d done to break up that budding romance. She’d thought... Well, the way he’d kissed her, the way they’d gotten along...

  It didn’t matter what she’d thought. Reality was what it was.

  It didn’t help erase the attraction she’d felt for him ever since, though.

  Piper sighed, trying not to make eye contact with him. Difficult when she was riding next to him in his squad car. Especially since the attraction she’d always felt for him had never faded, and they were rarely quite this close to each other. Eight inches away and they might as well have been touching, for the amount his presence distracted her. It was unnerving for Piper, who was used to being able to ignore men’s good looks if she didn’t want to pursue a relationship with them.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to go see a doctor first?” Judah asked for what had to be the third or fourth time.

  “I’m still fine, Judah.”

  He glanced back at her anyway and she felt her cheeks heat. Probably the way she said his name conveyed more emotion than she meant for it to. It wasn’t her fault she’d wondered all year what she’d done to destroy her chances with him.

  It wasn’t that he was such a catch, objectively. Well, he was, but he wasn’t perfect. Piper could see his flaws, but he was so...determined. Committed. Good at his job and not showy about it.

  He was the epitome of the strong, silent type, tall dark and handsome, and whatever other romantic clichés were lurking about in her mind. For some reason, they all reminded her of Judah. And he...

  Was not interested in her. And had made that perfectly clear.

  If only she knew what made him draw away... Was she not good enough? Judah had never said that last part—her own mind had filled it in—but it was possible.

  Judah seemed to have more on his mind than just the trip to the station, and was probably already thinking through the case, trying to work out the whos, the whys, all of it.

  She liked that he’d been the one to climb up after her. She’d known when she saw him that she would be okay. His presence did that to her.

  God, should I feel so strongly for someone who doesn’t even want friendship from me? He wants no relationship at all, Lord, and it would be so easy for me to fall for him even more than I have. Help me?

  “Piper, please? Just a quick checkup. It will make me feel better.”

  She looked at him and sighed, but finally nodded. “We can go now. There’s a doctor at the clinic who has told us to call if we’re hurt in a rescue and she’ll see us right away.”

  He drove her there and offered to come inside, but she told him to wait in the car. The doctor gave her a checkup and decided nothing was da
maged enough to warrant further attention. Piper would just have some bruises.

  She made her way back out of the office to Judah’s waiting car, ready with more questions for him.

  He had one for her first. “What did the doctor say?”

  “She said I’m fine. I told you I didn’t need to come in.” She didn’t know why she was being snappy with him, except that it was strange that he cared so much. Maybe that had her off balance—that and the unexpected events of earlier. Piper took a deep breath, made her best attempt at a peace offering. “She did say it was good I came in, so thank you.” She gave a small smile, which Judah returned.

  Now, for her questions. “So, besides my report, why else did you want me to come down?”

  “Why else?” He repeated her question. If that was his version of clueless, he wasn’t very good at it. She made a mental note that for all his standoffishness, Judah was not good at evading the truth. She had a feeling he’d never lied in his life.

  She appreciated that. But it was funny to see him try to avoid answering a question while not violating his personal ethics.

  “You know what I’m asking. You’ve been lost in thought since we started to rappel and I’m guessing you’ve already got a plan for solving this.”

  He shook his head. “You give me too much credit, Piper.”

  “So you’re really driving me there to get my official statement and that’s all?”

  He hesitated and she wished she knew what he was thinking. Unfortunately for her, Judah hid his thoughts and feelings too well, and no evidence of them showed on his face or in his eyes. She’d always noticed the way his dark eyes gave away nothing of his feelings. They were nice eyes, though, handsome like the rest of him. Judah was every bit the poster child for a clean-cut, handsome law enforcement officer, down to the freshly shaven, well-chiseled jawline, and the dimple on his cheek when he smiled.

  Which he wasn’t doing right now. He looked serious. Too serious.

  “I’d like to talk about your last few rescues.”

  Not what she’d been expecting to hear. “My what?”

  “You said earlier, on the rock,” he continued, his voice even, “that you didn’t know who could get upset about lives being saved. I kept thinking about that as we rappelled. You know who could get upset about that? People who meant to kill someone. Maybe they were in the middle of a murder and it was interrupted.”

  Piper blinked. Blinked again.

  “Wait, what? You think someone tried to kill someone and I stopped them?”

  “Possibly. It would provide a reason for them to want you out of the way.”

  She considered it. It wasn’t absurd, but it was still difficult to wrap her mind around. Search and rescue was a good job; it involved helping people. Piper knew her work was dangerous and had counted that cost and deemed it acceptable. But she’d never reckoned on this kind of danger. It rubbed her wrong.

  “You okay?”

  She thought again about how much the attack had bothered her, and not just because of fear. She didn’t have anyone else to talk to, but maybe...

  Could she talk to Judah? Ignore her silly crush or whatever it was and just treat him as a friend?

  “I’m not sure if I am.”

  She felt him hit the brake immediately. “Should we go back to the doctor?”

  “Judah. I’m physically fine. Today is just messing with my mind, that’s all.” Had he been asking how she was mentally or had he only been concerned about whether or not she was hurt? Piper stared out the window, second-guessing her decision to try to talk to him. No need to force a bond that wasn’t there, right? She had other people she could talk to.

  Except, who? Her old friends were busy with their own lives. Like there was something in the air, the other people in her SAR team were falling in love one by one. First Jake, when his first love, Cassie, had returned to town. Then Adriana had found Levi, Judah’s more lighthearted brother. And then Ellie, whom Piper had never expected to be so head over heels for anyone.

  They were all still friends and they’d listen if Piper needed them to, she knew that. But she didn’t like to bother them when they were involved in their own lives now.

  “The attack?”

  Piper nodded, still looking out the window. They drove in silence to the police station and she tried to ignore the hurt that he didn’t ask more, didn’t encourage her to talk. It wasn’t his job; he didn’t have to. He owed her nothing. No matter how much she repeated those truths to herself, though, she still felt alone.

  They pulled into the lot and Piper reached for the door handle. Before she had a chance to open it, Judah’s voice stopped her.

  “What bothers you most about it?”

  She stopped. The casual tone was perfect. No pressure. The question itself didn’t assume he knew how she felt, but also acknowledged that it might be complicated.

  “I...” She trailed off. “You sure you don’t mind talking about this?” She shifted in her seat to face him, taking in the breadth of his shoulders, his sharp jawline. His face was tense, and she knew he, too, was still calming down from the experience. Was he really okay talking through it with her?

  “I don’t mind. I just want you to be okay.”

  Piper exhaled. “Why would someone try to hurt me when all I’ve done is help people?”

  He didn’t answer and she couldn’t blame him. Her question didn’t have an answer, not really. But as they sat together in the stillness, she felt like he understood her, like she wasn’t alone anymore.

  And she also felt more afraid than ever before.

  Because he hadn’t contradicted anything she’d said. She’d understood his suspicions perfectly, which meant that if Judah was right about why she’d been attacked, she was still in danger. And would continue to be.

  Unease crept over her and shivers danced down her arms.

  Keep me safe, God, she prayed.

  “I don’t know, Piper.” Judah shook his head. “But I want to find out.”

  She nodded. Slowly. Met his eyes and felt like maybe they were friends now. Maybe.

  “Ready to go inside?”

  No, she wasn’t, but it was time, and Piper didn’t run from trouble. She nodded slowly and opened the door. Stepped out.

  And immediately fell to her knees as gunfire rained down on them.

  * * *

  Judah couldn’t get to Piper fast enough. At the pop-pop-pop of gunshots, he dove to the dirt and crawled to the other side of the car. The dust was flying, getting in his mouth and making him taste dirt and fear. Those shots had been too close, not quite hitting the car, but almost. When he reached her, Piper had already ducked and curled into a ball.

  “You okay?” he asked, heart still pounding. It was one thing to be fairly certain someone was after her. It was another to have gunfire involved.

  Someone wanted Piper out of the picture. Immediately. The thought turned Judah’s insides to solid ice. It terrified him more than anything had in a long time.

  She shook her head, finally answering his question.

  His breath caught. “You’re hit?”

  “No.” She said around a shuddery breath. “I’m not hit. Sorry. I’m just not fine. Someone’s shooting at us—you know that, right?”

  Judah was pretty sure they were shooting specifically at her, but guessed that wouldn’t go very far to making her feel better. So he kept his mouth shut.

  The gunfire, which had stopped for the span of two or three seconds, started up again. Judah pulled Piper closer to him, feeling unexpected butterflies in his stomach at her nearness. That was something that never happened when he was working, and he was used to protecting people. Was he really still hung up on Piper from all those months ago? Judah didn’t know; right now it didn’t matter. Protecting her mattered. There was nowhere to go. The route from the car to
the police station door was unprotected and there was no way either one of them could outrun a bullet. In extreme situations where people had to run, Judah knew that a zigzag pattern was preferable, but sheltering in place behind a car was even more so.

  “Hang on. Someone inside will hear. It can’t last long.” He hated the feeling of vulnerability, of not being able to help, but there was little he could do. The shots were coming from the driver’s side of the car, somewhere in the woods, but he couldn’t just stand up and start shooting, like people did in the movies. That wasn’t how life worked—a good marksman never shot without being sure of his target. And right now there was no target, only the echo of silence.

  The shots had stopped.

  Judah could hear Piper breathing, could feel her body tremble slightly under his arms. He was still pressed up against her, and finally realized his arms were still wrapped around her and probably...didn’t...need to be.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled as he released his hold.

  “Don’t.” She pulled him back to her and took a deep, long breath. The trembling lessened. He waited. Finally, she scooted away and he dropped his arms.

  “Thank you,” she said calmly, not seeming in the least embarrassed of her fear. Some women would have been mortified. Some would have been overly confident. Piper admitted she was afraid and wasn’t ashamed of it. She didn’t let it control her, but wasn’t sorry, either.

  There was something beautiful in that. Maybe that was why she was the one woman he’d never been able to forget. Because, to her core, Piper was unforgettable.

  “How are we going to get inside?” she asked just as the double doors in front of the building opened. Several officers ran out, guns drawn but pointed at the ground.

  “Wicks, you see anything?” Officer Cook asked as he hurried toward them.

  “No, but shots came from that way.” He pointed. The officers dispersed, searching the scene. They came back moments later, shaking their heads. They hadn’t found anyone. Judah stood, then reached down to help Piper to her feet.

  Her dark blue eyes were serious, somber.