by Vivian Arend
Only Vincent grabbed Lana by the arm, and the gun was now pressed to her temple. “You will walk, or she dies.”
CHAPTER 26
They’d been waiting more than an hour for Devon to show up. To call. To do something.
Alisha jiggled on the spot, bouncing on her heels before checking her phone again. She peered out the window, turning only when Erin pressed a glass of juice into her hands.
“Drink. You need to keep your energy up.” The other woman wrapped her fingers around the glass and held it until Alisha finally closed her grasp. Erin crossed her arms over her chest. “If nothing else, it will help you do a few more laps in your attempt to wear a hole in my carpet.”
“Where the hell is he?” Alisha growled. She made a face at Erin, who stood blocking her progress from completing yet another traverse of Erin’s living room. “Fine. Drinking.”
She tilted the orange juice and consumed the entire thing at one go, more to put the glass down than to cooperate with Erin.
“He’s gone to burn off his frustrations. He’ll be back.” Erin leaned on the door frame. “You know, we could go to the RCMP station without him.”
Alisha nodded. “We will if we have to. But, dammit, now I’m worried.” Devon’s ring tone burst from her phone, and she snatched it out in a panic, speaking before Devon could get a word in edgewise. “What kind of stupid-ass move are you pulling? I get it, I pissed you off by taking my time this morning, but now I need you and—”
A combination of crying and heavy gasps interrupted her. “Alisha, is that you? Oh God, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
What the hell? That definitely wasn’t Devon. “This is Alisha, who is this?”
“It’s Lana. You’ve got to come. You’ve got to come now before it’s too late.”
Alisha froze. Across the room Erin watched with concern in her dark eyes.
“Lana? What is going on?” Confusion was rapidly followed by fear as Lana answered.
“Please, it’s Devon. Vincent’s got him, and he’s going to kill him. There’s no time.”
Terror about Devon’s absence flooded her, but nothing Lana said made any sense. Still, instincts kicked in. Training procedure. Gather information, then make a judgment call. “Why are you on Devon’s phone?” Alisha demanded. “And where are you?”
“Takkakaw Falls. I’ll explain everything, but you have to call the police. Get over here and save him.”
Even as Lana continued to wail, Alisha made a decision and snapped into action. She gestured for Erin to join her, snatched up her gear bag, and was out the door even as she continued to speak with Lana. Erin ran ahead to open the trunk before hurrying into the driver’s seat. She had them headed toward Lifeline without a single question, only she did get out her phone and make a couple of calls.
“Okay, I’m on the way.” Alisha blocked out her teammate’s voice, focusing on Lana. “What happened? Why didn’t you call the police?”
Lana ignored the question, instead setting off on a rambling rant.
“Devon came to the hotel. He hit Vincent . . .” Lana moaned. “I didn’t want to do it, Alisha. I made one mistake, and once I fell for that, he had me. Vincent said I’d go to jail. That he had proof I’d drugged you. I wanted a chance to prove I could be on the team—that I had the skills. I didn’t know he would damage Xavier’s belt. I didn’t know . . .”
Her voice trailed away into more crying. Alisha wished she could reach through the phone and smack the woman, partly to get her to settle down and partly because Lana obviously needed a smacking in a bad way.
“Where is Devon now? What’s Vincent doing?”
“He’s taking Devon into the caves by the falls. Thought it would take forever for anyone to find him, and when they did it would look like an accident.” Another set of weeping interrupted her, and Alisha held on to her patience with gritted teeth. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, and once I realized Vincent was crazy, I tried to help. I stole Devon’s phone when he was unconscious.”
The idea of Devon lying helpless at Vincent’s mercy wasn’t a good picture, not in light of his recent threats. “Is Devon okay?”
“He was knocked out for a bit. I gave him my knife; I slipped it to him. My God, I had no idea Vincent would go insane like this.”
Yeah, Alisha could understand that one. “Are they in the caves already?”
“Not yet. Maybe. Probably not. It takes at least thirty minutes to hike, and Vincent had a gun on me, and we were only halfway to the caves when I tripped. Devon hit Vincent, and I ran. I don’t know what happened then because I went down the hill and hid behind a gully, and I can’t call the police because they’ll arrest me.”
They were pulling into the Lifeline parking lot. Alisha pointed Erin toward the chopper pad even as she attempted to talk sense into Lana.
“But if you don’t help, Devon could die.” She was talking to an empty phone. “Fuck.” She shoved it into her pocket as she scrambled out the door.
Erin was right on her heels. “I assume you need a ride?”
“Did you get through to any of the guys?” They raced up the stairs and into HQ.
“No.” Erin’s face twisted as she considered. “You’re not going to attempt a rescue on your own, are you?”
“Devon’s in trouble.”
That was all Alisha had to say. Erin smacked her palm against the wall and swore loudly.
The next moment she was settling her flying jacket around her shoulders. “Fuck it. It’s all kinds of wrong, but I’ll take you. I’m coming with you on the ground, and you call for RCMP backup right now, before we leave. Plus, we’re taking a weapon from Marcus’s case.”
Alisha pulled on gear as she scrambled to put her brain in order. “Police. Yes. Ground assist, yes, but what weapon?”
Erin darted into the office, shouting over her shoulder. “I don’t need long to get the chopper in the air. Just give me a second here . . . Where am I headed?”
“Toward Field town site, then north to the falls.” Alisha grabbed a first-aid kit. More rope. Shoved it all in a pack. Yanked on her boots.
Something grey and metallic was thrust into her line of vision. She jerked back in protest. “Shit, Erin. A gun?”
Erin rolled her eyes even as she tucked the firearm away and headed for the door. “You don’t even know where the safety is, do you?”
“God, no.” For all her training, guns had never been a part of it. “I’ve got bear spray.”
“Fucking princess.” Erin’s smile contradicted her insult. “Fine, I’ve got this. Now get your ass in gear; we leave in five minutes.
Erin slammed out the hangar door, her back visible through the opening as she ran full tilt toward the chopper.
Alisha paused inside HQ with her phone to her ear. She spoke with her contact at the RCMP and got transferred to Field in one step. Fortunately, by the time the chopper blades were going hard enough to make hearing difficult, the constable had gotten the message and she was able to hang up and sprint to the chopper.
She crawled in up front with Erin and yanked on a headset to catch the pilot up on details.
“We’ll be racing them to the cave entrance.” Alisha checked her watch, calculating time frames. “RCMP has to prep, drive to the trailhead, and then hike, while we can land a lot closer to the access point. They won’t be there for at least forty-five minutes.
Erin held up a hand, clicking to a different frequency for a moment and speaking to someone. She lifted them skyward before reconnecting with Alisha. “We owe Jason at the tower a bottle of something expensive—he got us clearance faster than usual.”
“Done. There’s a clearing above the cave entrance—you do know where we’re going, right? How long will it take?”
“Takkakaw Falls? Thirty-five minutes tops. But Alisha?” A pair of dark eyes flashed a warning as Erin’s hands continued to dance over switches and controls. “Don’t be a hero. You know the rules, and even though this is Devon and he’s i
n some royally fucked-up situation, you do it the safe way, understand?”
Her heart was in her throat, but she got it. “Agreed.”
Alisha leaned forward and stared out the window at the rapidly passing terrain beneath them, the brisk flick of the blades overhead not nearly quick enough to match the tempo pounding inside her.
Devon. She was going to tie him up and give him more than a tongue-lashing. What the hell had he been thinking?
It was a nightmare beyond anything she could have come up with. All the past weeks of caring and teasing played through her mind. The months and years before that when they’d always been there for each other, even when they’d fought like cats and dogs.
She wanted him back. God, she hadn’t even had a chance to tell him she loved him yet.
Alisha shook her head as Erin took them past Saddle Mountain, the familiar outline of the Devil’s Thumb out the left window. Below them the picturesque village of Lake Louise splayed out in the level space between mountain ranges. Shining metal roofs reflected red and blue in sunshine, glorious white surrounding most of the roads and homes as winter settled over the tourist community. It was all so innocent and peaceful.
An image of Vincent’s cool, sophisticated face flashed into her brain, and Alisha grimaced. Outside appearances could be so deceptive.
“Nearly there.” Erin interrupted her thoughts. “You’re in charge on the ground, so what’s the game plan?”
Alisha took a deep breath. She’d been lead climber for more than two years, but she’d never actually had to call the shots during a rescue before. “Nothing fancy. The only issue is there are a series of caves and entrances. Chances are Vincent will go for the easiest to access, but we’ll have to check the snow to confirm where they’ve entered. Low light on headlamps—we don’t want Vincent hiding and overpowering us.”
Erin nodded. “They might hear the chopper. Unless they’re deep in the caverns, they’ll know we’re coming.”
“Good,” Alisha said. “That might be enough to convince Vincent to leave Devon alone. If we have enough time, backup will arrive and the RCMP can handle it.”
“Cave details I need to know?” Erin asked. “And we’re there in five minutes. We’ll pass Mount Ogden and drop from the east. I’ll have the chopper shut down in two more minutes while you go check the snow tracks.”
It was time to focus on the rescue, not on memories of Devon’s blue eyes shining at her as they worked together. Not on the softer, heated passion she’d seen there as he’d held her and they’d made love. Focus on the facts. Alisha closed her eyes and pulled up information from previous trips and rescues in the area. “The most likely approach is the lower loop. Upper cave closes into tight passages before leading to an eighteen-meter drop that people rappel down. The lower entrance is level with the river, and there are a ton of pools with narrow pathways along the perimeter.”
Erin made a disgusted noise. “Can I vote for the water route, and not the death drop in the dark?”
Alisha didn’t even want to think about it. It would be so easy to hurt someone at that point—a simple shove, and Devon would be at the bottom of the slick rocks, broken or dying. The only good part was it would take a lot longer to get up to the upper cave entrance—they had a shot at stopping the guys before they made it into the caverns.
Flying over the ridge of the falls was beautiful and horrifying. The calm waters of the glacier melt that formed the falls exploded off the granite lip into the air to fall in glittering ribbons to the earth. The sun reflected on water droplets, turning the world into a shimmering rainbow—hauntingly beautiful, considering that somewhere below them Devon’s life was on the line.
Around them the treetops wavered, a fine dusting of snow off the branches filling the air and turning it white as the props whipped up wind currents. As Erin smoothly lowered them, Alisha examined the snow for clues of which direction to go. They were slightly to the north and above the cave entrances. Alisha squinted to be sure, but there seemed to be two distinct lines breaking away from the main trail. One led to the upper cave entrance, one down toward the river.
That made no sense. Vincent and Devon going in opposite directions?
A flash of alarm rang out. Was this another setup? Had Lana lied, and even now they were walking into another trap?
As the runners touched down, Alisha took a deep breath.
There was no way around it. The RCMP were on their way. Even if it did all turn out to be some elaborate hoax, no one would leave this section of the mountains without a damn good explanation.
Saving Devon came first. He’d trusted her with his life many times before.
Like hell would she let him down now.
CHAPTER 27
A bruised right shoulder and a slightly twisted ankle had joined the pounding in his head.
They’d been walking single file along the narrow boardwalk that made up the first part of the trail. Lana in the lead, Devon behind her, Vincent at the back of the line. When Lana slipped on the snow-slicked trail, Devon reacted, throwing himself backward into Vincent and knocking the other man to the ground. With his arms still lashed behind him, the only thing Devon accomplished was to temporarily separate the gun from Vincent’s hand. Long enough at least that when Lana rolled and popped to her feet, sprinting for the tree cover, Vincent had no way to take her down.
Vincent roared in frustration, kicking furiously and slamming his hands against Devon’s face. Vincent scrambled until he was free of Devon’s body weight, snatching up the gun and aiming down the hill, but Lana had vanished like a ghost.
Her tracks were there, though, a clear line leading away. Vincent followed them for a few paces, sinking to mid-shin in the deeper snow.
Devon thought furiously. While he didn’t trust Lana, she was basically his only hope at this moment. “Really? You’re going to leave me right out in the open to chase down some little girl who’s so scared of you she can’t talk without shaking?”
Vincent paused, glancing over his shoulder to where Devon lay sprawled in the snow.
It took some effort, but Devon hid the exertion it cost him, rolling and twisting and ending up on his feet in what had to look like a very impressive move, if Vincent’s widened eyes meant anything.
“Yeah, you go ahead and leave me here,” Devon taunted. “I’ll be so far into the bush before you make it back, your head will spin. Hell, I might even make it to the highway to get the police before you can find me.”
“You’re very cocky for someone about to become a cave fossil,” Vincent snarled. He glanced into the trees, but there were no further signs of Lana. “I’ll find her after—she won’t get far on foot.”
For once Devon was glad to have Vincent pull his typical chauvinistic crap and underestimate Lana. The woman was probably as proficient in the backcountry as Devon, and she didn’t have her hands tied. If she made the right decision and called someone, he might have a chance.
Now it was up to him to give her the time.
He paced forward as slowly as he dared, Vincent hard on his heels, that bloody gun pointed directly between Devon’s shoulder blades. “If you call this off and go back to the car on your own, you might get into hiding before the authorities come down on you,” Devon pointed out.
“No one is coming down on me.” Vincent laughed softly as they reached the end of the easy-access boardwalk and headed onto the more dedicated climber’s trail. “You’re making all sorts of assumptions, as if I’m not smart enough to get the girl’s phone before we went anywhere. No, I think things are going fine. If she gets lost and dies in the bush, well that adds to the mystery. Such a romantic twist—lover’s spat, or some nonsense.”
Vincent was breathing heavier, the increasing snow underfoot and the changing elevations taking their toll on his less fit body. Devon increased his pace, adding pressure to Vincent’s already taxed system.
The man was too young to drop dead of a heart attack, but he could hope.
&nbs
p; The trail through the trees ended abruptly, opening into a wide meadow. Devon led them forward until they were in the clear, then stopped.
Vincent pushed him forward roughly. “Move.”
Devon shrugged. “You shoot me here and casual tourist sightseeing traffic will spot me from the air within the hour. You want to take me to the caves, you lead the fucking way.”
Vincent stomped around him, cautious to maintain a distance between them. He waited until he had the uphill advantage to face Devon. He swung his arm and backhanded Devon across the face, and Devon rocked on his feet. “You might want to consider Alisha and what I’ll do to her over the coming years. Cooperate now, and I promise to be more lenient.”
Devon licked at the split in his lips, the salty tang of blood on his tongue a strong warning. “The word of a man who plans to kill me. I don’t think I give a shit what you promise.”
Vincent stepped back and adjusted the backpack to lie across his chest. One-handed so he could keep the gun in position, he reached in and pulled out a rope. It took him a while, but Devon had to admit the man wasn’t an idiot. He vanished behind Devon again and before Devon could turn, Vincent jerked his toque over his eyes, then retreated out of harm’s way.
The next thing Devon felt was a noose around his neck, the slipknot tightening. He tucked his chin to his shoulder in an attempt to protect his airway, but it was too late. Vincent slammed him between the shoulders again, and, unable to see, Devon stumbled to catch his balance, elbows jerking wide, the restraints on his wrists holding solid. The slight gap he’d maintained in the noose slipped away as the cord settled tight to his skin, and Devon’s hopes fell.
Vincent had him collared like a damn dog.
His toque was pulled off along with a few strands of hair, pain jolting his already aching head. Vincent stood to one side of him, emotionless.