by Seton, Cora
“I see. Is Ty injured?”
“No, he’s fine. But you need to come get him. Can you send a helicopter? The storm is passing, and it’s getting light. I’m worried Crow and his men will find us here.”
There were several beats of silence.
Oh, no. Had she lost him? “Charlie? Are you still there?”
“You, ah, know about Crow?”
Yes she did, but if she told them, they’d rush off and leave Ty alone. She couldn’t risk it. “Ty can tell you where he and his men are when you come to get him. Pick him up soon, okay? He’s not safe here.”
“Sure. We’ll send a helicopter right away. Where are you two?”
She gave him the directions to the cabin from the closest town.
“I’ve got it. We’ll pick you both up. Don’t leave the cabin.”
Just then the cabin door opened. Ty’s voice boomed behind her, “Don’t say another word.”
She turned around with the radio in her hand. “It’s Charlie. He broke through the communication block. The team is coming to get you.”
“Are you still there?” asked the voice on the radio. “Did you hear me say to stay put at the cabin? We don’t want to lose Ty again.”
“Put it down!” Ty slammed the cabin door. “It’s not Charlie. It’s one of Crow’s men.” He grabbed the radio from her hand and turned it off. The anger in his face was fierce. “What did you tell them?”
Oh, no! She’d made a horrible mistake and Ty was furious at her. The old terror coiled in her gut. Hot, paralyzing fear flooded her senses. She ducked her head and threw her arms up to block the blows. “Don’t hurt me!”
Chapter Twelve
‡
Ty had just finished the sled ride from hell—damned Conan tried to throw him off the back and kill him a dozen different ways—only to find Holly missing. Where had she gone? She wouldn’t just wander off, not with Crow on the loose. With his heart in his throat, he searched the area around the cabin, keeping an eye out for tracks, and any sign of a struggle. Had Crow nabbed her? If so, he’d rip the bastard apart. Finally, he rushed into the cabin ready to fight Crow and his men to the death. But Holly was alone and…hold-up, talking on his friggin’ radio? What was she doing? The answer came a split second later when she gave away their current location.
As his brain tried to register they’d been compromised, Holly went into full terror mode.
Throwing her arms over her head she screeched, “Don’t hurt me!”
“Holly, relax. It’s okay,” he said as calmly as he could. He touched her shoulder and she recoiled as if he’d slapped her.
“I messed up,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Sweetheart, it’s okay. Really. Please don’t cry.” He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her hair, back, shoulders, anything he could get his hands on. His heart was shattering into a million pieces. She actually thought he’d hit her? He’d never hit a woman. Or a child or an animal. The one he wanted to clobber was thousands of miles away. Ty didn’t care who her ex-husband was or how much power the S.O.B. held in his woman-battering fists. The man would pay hard for hurting his girl.
She sniffled and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I thought I was helping. He said he was your buddy Charlie.”
Huh. How did Crow’s man know to say that? “It doesn’t matter. I’d never hurt you. You know that, right?”
She looked deeply into his eyes. “Yes. I just…” She dipped her head. “Sometimes, I lose it when people get mad at me. I’m better now.”
“I’m such an idiot.” He groaned. “I wasn’t mad at you. Crow’s flunky used you to get to me. He put you in danger and that’s what made me angry.” He placed kisses all over her cheeks and jaw. “I’m a donkey’s fanny for scaring you like that. A total fanny.” He kissed one eyelid. “A big, fat…” He kissed the other eyelid. “…hairy fanny.”
She burst out laughing. “Such sailor talk.”
“See? You’re making me a better man.”
“Oh, Ty. You’d better leave now. They’ll be coming here.” When she pressed his cheeks in her hands, he saw so much anguish in her beautiful face. It ripped him up inside.
“No. We’re leaving now. Together.”
“I was staying here while you went to June’s. You said giving the intel to your admiral was the most important thing.”
“I’ve changed my mind. Protecting you is the most important thing. Transmitting intel comes second, right now. You know about Crow, who he is, and where he is. That means you’re a threat to him and his men. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Her eyes widened. “They want to kill me now, too.”
He lifted her chin. “They’d have to catch us first. And we won’t let that happen. I’ll protect you with my life, Holly. I swear. Gather your things and let’s go.”
As she packed up, he noticed the tremble in her hands and her shallow breathing. It wasn’t every day a group of terrorists put you at the top of their hit list. Sure, he lived with it in his job, but Holly shouldn’t have to. Dammit, he wished he hadn’t gotten her involved in this.
“I’m ready,” she said softly.
“Good. I’ll put Lucy in the doggie bag and load her into the basket.”
“But what are we going to do? Conan can’t pull us both on that sled.”
“He won’t have to. I’ll run, you drive.”
*
It was tough going at first until Ty’s muscles warmed up, and then he got in the swing of running through the snow. He’d done harder runs then this. He didn’t have to carry his pack today, which made the running easier than BUD/s training. Much easier. Still they weren’t moving as quickly as he would have liked.
The good news? The weather was giving them a momentary break. The clouds opened up to reveal the most dazzling sky he’d ever seen. The deep blue was almost as beautiful as Holly’s eyes. Almost. And there really was a sun up there complete with rays that warmed his back and danced in Holly’s hair. Of course, the bad news was they would be easier targets if Crow was able to get a helo in the air. He started to hope for another blizzard.
“Whoa, Conan. Not so fast,” Holly called out.
“I know, boy. Sorry I’m so slow.” Ty huffed beside the sled, his voice trailing the icy puffs. Poor dog wanted to run, but was resigned to a fast walk so Ty could keep up.
“Slow? You’re running really well, Ty. Do you want to stop to rest?”
“No. Keep moving. See that patch of trees up there?” He pointed to about a mile ahead of them. “We can take a breather there. We should hide in the trees as much as possible.”
Worry flashed across her face.
“Hey, it’s going to be all right,” he said.
“Better than all right. I’m with you.” She smiled at him. It wasn’t her dazzling stage-smile, which he’d seen a few times when she was trying to act the part of a happy beauty queen. This one was simple, pure, and truthful. He loved it. She let her defenses down with him. He sensed she didn’t do that too often.
“I’m sorry I got you mixed up in this, Holly.”
“I’m not. Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons. If my life hadn’t been such a disaster, I wouldn’t have come to Alaska. I wouldn’t have met you.”
He grinned.
“I’m not joking.” She wagged a gloved finger at him. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Who’s joking? I’m agreeing with you.”
She narrowed her eyes, but the light of humor danced in the blue. “A bit conceited, aren’t you, Mr. Whitehorse?”
He laughed. “No, I meant you are the best thing that has happened to me.”
They raced on in mutual silence for what felt like ten minutes. Was the pain in her toes getting to her?
“Are you all right?” Ty asked. “Your feet okay?”
“Me? I’m not the one running. I’m just standing here while you and Conan do all the real work.”
He knew the f
rostbitten toes must be bothering her but she refused to address it. That’s my strong, brave, girl. “Funny. I know how hard it is to drive a sled with knuckle brain up there trying to slingshot you off the back. It is not as easy as it looks.”
She laughed. “It’s not easy, but I love sledding. Especially in Alaska. So much natural beauty and strength.”
Just like her.
“And the glaciers are unreal,” she went on. “Glassy and blue. You really need to go with me on a big sled ride to see the glaciers, and waterfalls. And Northern Lights! Have you seen them yet?”
“Nope.”
“Oh, my gosh, Ty. When this is all done, we need to take a vacation.”
She was thinking of her future, and he was part of it. A decidedly good sign. But a vacation? Wasn’t that what this was already? Suddenly, he wasn’t so desperate to get back to the real day job. He leaped over a fallen tree and had to race to catch up.
“I’d love a Northern Lights adventure with you.” Hell, he’d go anywhere with her or nowhere. Being with her was the key. He longed to take all of her dark worries away and give her a thousand, no, ten thousand, passionate “ohs.” And that was just for starters.
“Good. It’s a date,” she said.
They kept heading toward the forest, which was farther than it had looked because of the dips and bumps in the snow along the way. It was a good two miles, not one, with a few treacherous bunny hills thrown in the mix. Ty set his mind on reaching the forest before resting. I can do that. No sweat.
After a few minutes, Holly cocked her head. “What do you think Crow is up to, anyway?”
They hit a steeper incline, and Ty was winded. It took a few seconds to catch his breath. “Preston suggested that…terrorist activity…can occur when the radar is…out.”
“Do you want to rest? You’re pouring sweat.” She handed him a canteen of water.
He guzzled it as he plowed through the snow. Okay, so he was sweating a hell of a lot, but he could make it.
Holly shifted her weight as Conan pulled the sled up hill. “I get Preston’s point. Planes can fly over, weapons can be moved, gosh, I guess tons of stuff can happen when Big Brother isn’t watching. What is peculiar is where they’re doing this. Do you know much about the HFAFR facility?”
Ty kept his answer to a shake of the head. This slope was a ball buster.
“HFAFR stands for High Frequency Active Auroral Research,” Holly said. “It was a military program. They used to—”
Ty recited what Preston had told him. “…shoot lasers…into ionosphere. For surveillance…”
“Right. But did anyone really know what would happen? I mean, shooting lasers into the atmosphere for kicks? Who thought putting a hole in the sky was a smart idea? Scientists and kooks banded together to protest HFAFR. Some said the program was messing with weather all over the world. The military claimed it was crazy talk, but the program was eventually shut down.” She rolled her shoulders, easing the tension building from holding on. “I can’t help but wonder…”
“If Crow found a way to alter the weather?”
“Yeah. Think how powerful that would make him. The guy who controls global warming could be king of the world.”
“Shit.” Was that Crow evil plan? No way Crow was smart enough to do any of that on his own. Who was the mastermind? Once he gave the team Crow’s location, they would get all the answers. He was sure of it.
They were heading downhill now and the sled picked up speed. Ty struggled to keep up.
“Whoa, Conan, slow down. And would you go straight? For heaven’s sake, why are you zigzagging?” Holly complained.
Ty ran beside the sled, watching Conan. The dog’s ears were back, his thick hair bristling on his neck. Just then, Lucy lifted her head out of the doggie bag and offered a low, short bark.
“They sense something.” Ty went on full-alert, scanning the landscape. Without his binoculars it was tough, but he didn’t want to slow down to dig them out. Still, he thought he saw… “Shit. Holly, do you see that?” He pointed. “West. Nine o’clock. Those dark object? One, two, three of them?”
She squinted. “Snowmobiles?”
“That’s what it looks like to me.”
And they were coming fast.
Chapter Thirteen
‡
Holly glanced at Ty and squeaked, “Crow’s men?”
“Can’t tell from here. But we’re not taking chances. I want you to kick Conan in high gear. Get to the woods just as we said, stick to the trees, and don’t stop. No matter what you hear or see. Got that? Go straight to June’s place and call the Coast Guard and the Navy. Tell them everything you know.”
Her heart was clogged in her throat. This wasn’t happening. Couldn’t be happening. She wasn’t going to lose Ty, not now, not ever. “What…what will you do?”
“I’ll engage them and hold them off so you can get away.”
“There’s at least three of them!” Her voice was so screechy it could have started an avalanche.
“I know.” He grabbed her hips and swung her around to kiss her. He broke the kiss too soon. “Get going. I’ll meet you at June’s.”
He was lying. His blue-green eyes were flashing all kinds of emotions—the worst of them sorrow.
“You can’t. No, this is…oh, my gosh, no, this is insane. Please Ty, hop on the sled with me. We can get away together.”
“I wouldn’t do that to my buddy. Take care of her, Conan. Remember what I said, don’t stop. No matter what. I love you, Holly.”
Before she could respond, he yelled, “Hike!”
Conan obeyed the command and took off like a hurricane blowing across powdered snow. Hanging on, she swung around to get a final glimpse of Ty.
He’d disappeared.
Please God, keep him safe, she prayed.
Everything in her screamed to turn around and save him, but her best hope was to get to June’s quickly. Ty needed reinforcements. She’d try to get him the whole darned Navy.
“Hike, Conan! Faster!”
Behind her, gunfire echoed through the hills unlike any hunting guns she’d heard. Rapid-fire and explosive, the sounds came from automatic weapons that didn’t stop. Man killers.
Sobbing, she urged Conan to go even faster.
*
She made it to June’s place in record time but was terrified she hadn’t been fast enough. Jumping off the sled, she ran to the front door. “June, open up! It’s an emergency.”
“Holy mackerel, Holly. Where have you been? Everyone’s looking for you. Big Jake is about to have a coronary. Are you all right?” The pretty brunette threw her arms around Holly and hugged her tight.
She let out a stuttered cry. “No. I’m not all right. Is your radio working? The one to the Coast Guard?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“We’ve got to hurry. A man’s life is at stake.” Holly rushed inside. “Everyone’s lives are at stake.”
Over her shoulder June yelled to her son, “Jake, take care of the dogs.”
Holly told her story quickly and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with June as she radioed the Coast Guard. Search and Rescue was dispatched to find Ty. The person in charge at the Coast Guard Command center assured Holly he would alert Admiral Collins as well.
All she could do was wait.
“Are you feeling better?” June gave her a once over. Sharp concern weighed down the woman’s gentle smile. “You’ve had a rought time of it. You sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
I must look like death warmed over. She’d been beat up several times, but this injury to her heart was the worst she’d ever experienced. She didn’t tell June all that. “My pinky toe has a bit of frost bite. I’ll have the doctor check it tomorrow. For now, I need…” Ty. Her lip trembled again and she covered her mouth to keep the cry inside. She’d wait for Ty all night, maybe a week, or month until he came to her.
“Poor, sweetie. I’ll get you a cup of hot chocolate.”
>
“No, thank you. I’ll just sit here, okay?”
“Sure, Holly. Anything you need, call me. I’ll give you some quiet time.”
For two hours, she died a thousand deaths on June’s couch. What was taking so long? Lucy slept beside her, while June’s boy played ball with Conan outside. When a call came over on the radio, Holly jumped up just as June answered it.
June’s golden brown eyes met hers. “The Search and Rescue team found three bodies. They’re bringing them back to the station for investigation.”
“Bodies?” The world spun around her. Holly gripped the back of June’s chair to keep from toppling over.
“Three, sweetie. Didn’t you say there were at least three guys on the snowmobiles? There’s still hope.”
Hope? That Ty killed all three of Crow’s men and was still out there somewhere? “Did they see a handsome, wonderful man running in the snow?”
June’s face was loaded with sympathy. “No, hon, I’m sorry. They didn’t find anyone else. The search had to be called off because the weather is getting nasty again. Too windy for the helicopter. What is it with the weather these days? It’s the worst winter I can remember.”
Holly grabbed her shoulders and shook. “But he could be injured out there. He’s in the storm, by himself with those…those sons of bitches shitty asshole bastards after him. Tell the Coast Guard. They have to find him. Tell them to go find him!”
“It’s okay, hon. Yell, cry, cuss, shake the daylights out of me, I don’t care. You’ve been through an awful lot.”
“I can’t…I can’t breathe.” Holly slumped to the floor. Her heart was squeezed in a tight, painful knot. Her lungs heaved and burned to capture air. Every last bit of her energy was gone. Her bones turned to dust. There was nothing left but sadness. With her face in her hands, she cried, “I love him.”
June squatted down and patted her back. “I know, hon. I know.”
It was a surprise act of kindness, a touch she hadn’t expected, not too different from the way Big Jake touched her a few days ago. This time she didn’t squeal or bolt. She grabbed June’s hand and held it. She was getting better, stronger. Ty had done that for her.