She went on to explain where had Milton landed, and the fire in the helicopter, and how the pilot’s screams were so piercing they echoed through the chasm. “I covered my ears; I couldn’t stand it. That’s when the helicopter exploded.”
“Shit!”
In minute detail she spoke about finding Milton gone, and when a tear trickled down her mutilated cheek he nudged forward and pulled her to his chest. She sobbed in his embrace, and it didn’t seem at all strange that she was crying for another man.
When she couldn’t cry anymore, she pushed back and offered a lopsided grin. “So, there you go.”
He blinked a few times. “That’s not the end. You haven’t told me about how you got your scar and lost your toes, or how you were rescued.”
She chuckled. “Haven’t we had enough misery for one night?”
“Not even close. It’s time for port. Do you drink port?”
“I’ve never tried it.”
“Perfect. I like that I’m showing you something new.” While he went to the kitchen, she took the opportunity to go to the bathroom and check her eyes. She’d done her fair share of crying and knew exactly how bad she looked after it. Today was no exception. She washed her face, holding a cold cloth to her closed eyes for a few moments. It made very little difference. She dried off with a towel and when she returned, Oliver was placing another log on the fire. He’d also put a box of chocolates onto the table, with two port glasses that he’d filled to the brim. He raised a glass to her as she approached. “Here, try this.”
She inhaled its sweet berry aroma, then sipped. “Yum.”
“I know. It’s even better with chocolate.” He held the box forward and she plucked one with intricate gold swirls across the top.
They settled back on the sofa, facing each other, and sipped their port. “Okay,” she said. “Ask away. What do you want to know?”
He ran a hand through his damp hair, then settled his palm on her thigh. His touch was as warm as the blazing fire. “I still don’t understand how you got the burn scar.”
“A piece of the burning helicopter fell onto my cheek. I flicked it away, so it was probably only there for a second or two.” She touched her cheek, remembering the moment she’d been hit. She’d been lucky she was wearing gloves at the time. “But it was long enough to burn through three layers of skin.”
“It must’ve hurt like hell.”
She shrugged. “Not as much as some of my other injuries.”
“Tell me about them.”
“When the helicopter crashed, so much was going on that I barely even noticed my injuries. But after the explosion, when Milton… vanished, that’s when the pain started to set in. I broke the ulna in my left arm.” She held it up and indicated where the break was, between her wrist and elbow. “Broke two fingers, middle and ring.”
“Shit. So you’ve hurt three fingers on that hand now.”
“Yep. I broke my eye socket.”
“Oh my god.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t work out why I was blind in my left eye. I thought it was blood at first, but it was so swollen I couldn’t see.”
“Jesus. Anything else?”
“Yes. Fractured my left ankle and had cuts all over, including my left cheek, which—thank god—didn’t scar, or I’d look like something from a B-rate horror movie.”
“No, you wouldn’t. You’d still look beautiful.”
Amber’s heart fluttered, and she could barely contain the smile shaping her lips. She sipped her port and, for the hundredth time, questioned how Oliver could possibly be interested in her.
“It’s a wonder you survived.”
She resisted telling him how many times she’d wished she’d died on that ledge. “The doctors called it a medical miracle. Oh, I nearly forgot. I also had two fractured ribs and a partially collapsed lung.”
“You forgot about your toes too.”
“Oh no, that didn’t happen in the crash. Apparently, that was frostbite.”
His brow furrowed. “Frostbite? How long before you were rescued?”
She huffed. “According to the report I read, we crashed about four o’clock in the afternoon, and I was pulled from the crevice about three o’clock the following day.”
His eyes bulged. “Twenty-three hours! Holy shit. You must’ve been going out of your mind. Why so long?”
“Because remember I said the pilot wasn’t supposed to fly there? Well, apparently, he didn’t register the exact flight path, so they didn’t know where to look. Fortunately, the explosion left a heap of debris on the surface, so a spotter plane saw it. But then it took a long time for a rescue party to reach the crevice.”
“How’d you survive?”
She huffed. “I’ve been asking myself the same question ever since. Dumb luck, I think. I had one of those safety blankets down my jacket. Milton had given it to me as a joke, so I’d be warm during the picnic.” Her survival had been predicated on so many miracles, it was no wonder people had trouble believing her story.
“Jeez. Were you conscious the whole time?”
She nodded. “I can recall every single second, until I heard the rescue party shout out if anyone was alive. I don’t remember anything after that. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital in Seattle eight months later.”
“Eight months! Good god.” His eyes widened. “Your mother…”
She let out a breath. “While I was in the coma, Mom developed pancreatic cancer. The last time I saw her she was happy and healthy. She died five weeks before I woke up.”
Oliver hugged her to his chest again. But her tears didn’t flow this time—she’d already cried a lifetime for her mother. It was time to tell Oliver about the bodies in the ice, and the thought terrified her. She’d lost lifetime friends over it. Three of them. They’d all thought she was crazy—as did some of the so-called experts who’d treated her.
But she wanted Oliver to know. No—she didn’t just want him to know.
She needed him to know.
Pulling back, she looked into his eyes. “There’s something else.”
His shocked expression was justified; she’d already overwhelmed him with too much. “Okay.”
“When the helicopter exploded, it dislodged the ice shelf Milton had been lying on. But what I didn’t realize until I rolled away from the ledge was that the explosion had also sliced off a chunk of ice near where I was lying. In doing so, it exposed… in the ice were…” She closed her eyes, and the image of the frozen couple appeared as if they were right in front of her.
Oliver placed his hands on her thigh. “It’s okay, babe, you can tell me.”
It was the first time he’d called her babe, and the wonderful connotation broke down the final barrier she’d been fighting.
She opened her eyes. “There were two bodies, frozen in the ice.”
“Holy shit. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Neither was I. Believe me, they scared the crap out of me when I first saw them. I wondered if I’d lost my mind. But I was stuck there with them so long I had time to debate whether or not they were real. The ice kept them in perfect condition, to the point where I half expected them to wake up.”
“Jesus. Were they mountain climbers?”
“No, that’s why it was so strange. They were a man and a woman—a couple, I assume—and they had their arms around each other. The woman wore a full-length fur coat and a matching fur hat. She had a red woolen scarf around her neck that matched her red lips and nails. She didn’t even have gloves on. Her shoes looked to be fine leather, and were trimmed with gold. They’d be hopeless in the snow.”
He frowned. “That’s weird.”
“I know. The man was in a long brown leather trench coat. He had a black woolen scarf and his hat was a black felt trilby. His shoes were normal evening shoes, and looked to be made of crocodile skin. I was near enough to touch his right foot. It took me a long time before I did, but I had to know they were real.”
She looked
into Oliver’s eyes, searching for the look she’d received from her friends that implied she was crazy. But, to her relief, Oliver didn’t show that at all. His wide inquisitive eyes implied he was fascinated.
“How long do you think they’d been there?”
“I know how long.”
“You do?”
“I know who they were, Oliver.”
She told Oliver everything she knew about Angel and Frederick. She described how she found out about them and how sad Frederick’s mother Dorothy looked over the accusations that Fred had kidnapped Angel. To bring it into perspective, she also told him about Victoria’s never-ending accusations that she’d killed Milton.
“She sounds crazy. Why on earth would she think that?”
“Because I was the one who convinced them to go on vacation.”
“Well, shit, it’s not like you planned the crash.”
She shrugged. She’d been playing the what-ifs through her mind since she boarded that helicopter.
Oliver shuffled over and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you for telling me.
“So, you believe me?”
He pulled back with a jerk. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because the people who rescued me never saw the bodies—at least, if they did, they never mentioned it, so no one ever believed me. And it was eight months after the accident before I even had a chance to tell anyone. Everyone thought I’d lost my mind.”
“I don’t think you’ve lost your mind. You’re a little crazy sometimes, but not in a bad way.”
“You might change your mind in a minute.”
“Oh god. Don’t tell me there’s more.”
She nodded. “Dorothy needs to know what happened to her son. She needs to prove he’s innocent.”
“You mean you haven’t told her?”
“No. Telling isn’t enough. I need to prove it to her.”
“Prove it!” His frown deepened. “How?”
“I’m going back there, to the bodies.”
Chapter Nineteen
Oliver stared at Amber, and the look in her eyes was both calm and resolute, convincing him she meant every word.
“You want to go back into that crevice? Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“I know. That’s why I’ve been training.”
“That’s why you started rock climbing?”
She nodded. “And skiing.”
He shook his head. “Why don’t you just tell someone?”
“Tell who, Oliver? No one believed me back then, they won’t believe me now.”
“But now you know who the bodies are.”
“And that makes it sound even crazier. They went missing nearly forty years ago, and everyone thinks Frederick killed Angelique and took off with the money. Besides, when I go to Dorothy, I want her to know the absolute truth and, believe me, when she sees the way Fred and Angel are holding each other, she’ll know he didn’t kidnap her. They were in love.”
Oliver shook his head, trying to rattle all the pieces into place. “Do you even know where you’re going?”
“That’s the interesting thing. You know the plane I told you about, that’d been found by that National Geographic photographer, Carter Logan?”
He nodded.
“Well, I’ve been in touch with Carter, and he gave me the name of the guide he used. Chancy Holden. I’ve spoken to him.”
“So, what? You told him you’re getting Angel and Fred’s bodies out of the crevice and he didn’t—”
“No,” she interrupted gently. “I told him I was retrieving Milton and Kane’s bodies.”
“What?” He frowned and shook his head.
“That’s not what I’m actually doing, though.” She placed her hand on his knee. “All I want is photos of Angel and Fred. I want to show Dorothy how loving their embrace is. But I couldn’t tell Chancy about them, so I needed a more convincing reason to go back there. I told him I wanted to give Milton and Kane proper burials. It took some persuasion, but apparently he’s retrieved bodies off the mountain before, so we went through the logistics and he’s agreed.”
“So, he knows where the crevice is?”
“He’s fairly certain.”
Oliver leaned forward, ready to protest, but she held up a finger. “Please, just hear me out. Angel and Fred can’t have traveled too far from the plane wreck. Think about it. The shoes they were wearing… what they were wearing, they couldn’t have gone too far before they fell into the crevice.”
Oliver was struggling to get his head around the plan. “So, what? You just fly up there, get down to the bodies and…”
“Well, um… it turns out we can’t take a helicopter all the way. The western face of the mountain has this ridge that runs right up to the top. The wind chops and changes too much as it switches from one side of the ridge to the other, so it’s too dangerous. We were never meant to go there in the first place.” She rolled her eyes. “But Milton had bribed the pilot with a bucket of money and the stupid guy agreed. Anyway, they’re not allowed to fly near there now, but the helicopter can take us most of the way, then he thinks it’ll be about a two-day return trek.”
“Two days? Amber, you’re talking about climbing a mountain. No amount of rock climbing or skiing can prepare you for that.”
“I know. That’s why I’ve booked a mountaineering course too.”
“What? When? Are you crazy?”
“I told you you’d change your mind about me being crazy.”
He reached for her hand and clutched it between his. “I know how determined you can be. Hell, I’ve seen what you’ll do to prove yourself, and I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through. But this idea…” He shook his head. “It’s dangerous.”
She nodded and turned her gaze toward the fire. “I know. But I have to do it.”
He cupped her cheek, desperate to get her full attention, and waited until she turned to meet his gaze. “Then if I can’t stop you, I’ll go with you.”
She did a double take. “What? No. You—”
“I mean it.” He truly did. As much as his offer surprised him, it also felt right. Amber had come into his life for a reason, and he’d never felt so connected to a woman before. The need to protect her was carved into his being now. “When are you doing the mountaineering course?”
“Oliver, I can’t let you.”
“Of course you can. I want to come, it’ll be fun.”
“It’s not going to be fun.”
“Sure it will. We’ll make it fun. Just like today.”
Her shoulders softened, but she still shook her head. “I didn’t tell you so you’d—”
“I know. I’m glad you told me, ’cause I was going out of my mind trying to figure you out.”
“You may never figure me out.”
He huffed. “That’s probably true. So, when do you start the mountaineering course?”
“First of next month.”
That was two weeks away. “That soon, huh? And how long does it go for?”
“It’s a twelve-day course. Full time.”
“Full time? But what about your work?”
She shrugged. “I’ve already told them I’m taking a vacation. None of the doctors had a problem with it.”
Oliver tried to run through all the things he’d need to do to get away for twelve days. It’d be a hell of a lot. He hadn’t had a vacation since he’d opened Upper Limits for exactly that reason—and money. Even if everything worked out, the ability to pay for a mountaineering course would be an issue.
“What?” Amber must’ve noticed his apprehension.
“Nothing.”
It was her turn to lean forward. “When I first met you in your office, you told me I had to be honest with you. I have been. Now it’s your turn to be honest with me.”
“I have.”
“Then don’t tell me you’re thinking of nothing. After everything I’ve just told you, you’d be thinking a thousand things.”
He chuckled. “You’re right about that. Okay, I was wondering how much a mountaineering course would cost.”
“You’re not paying a cent.”
“Excuse me?”
“If you really want to come—”
“And I do,” he cut in.
“Then I’m paying. And that’s not negotiable.”
“Amber, I can’t ask you to do—”
“You didn’t. My mother left me some money when she passed, so I can afford to pay for both of us.”
That explained how she could afford the private climbing lessons. Several times he’d offered to drop the price, but she insisted on paying the agreed-upon amount. “If you have money, then why don’t you pay someone to—”
“No.” She cut him off, and the resolution in her eyes surprised him.
He was certain there was something else she wasn’t telling him. Considering what she’d already told him, he couldn’t even begin to fathom what it could be. But as all her revelations rolled through his brain, he realized there was still something that didn’t add up: her secrecy. None of what she’d told him explained why she hid in the shadows before every lesson, nor why she insisted he keep her lessons a secret. Nor why she didn’t show up on a Google search. With what she’d told him, her name would be all over the internet. She wasn’t being entirely truthful. The very thought cut deep. “We’re being honest with each other, right?”
Her eyes shifted, and he sensed she was formulating the perfect response. “Everything I’ve told you is the truth.”
He absolutely believed her. “But what about what you haven’t told me?”
The flames from the fire danced across her wolf-like irises. “What do you mean?”
“Well…” He opened his hands and shrugged. “None of what you’ve told me explains why you wanted private lessons.”
When she looked down to her lap and ran her tongue over her lip, he had a terrible feeling she was calculating her answer. “I wanted your undivided attention so I could learn as quickly as possible.”
Her answer was plausible, yet… “So why did I need to keep your patronage a secret?” He used the exact same words she’d used when she made the odd request.
Amber seemed to shrink back into her seat, and she looked as scared now as she had when she’d first walked into his gym.
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