Читать книгу Tailspin - Elizabeth Goddard - Страница 14

FIVE

What kind of name is that?

Will glanced over his shoulder at Sylvie. She stood from the log, easing onto her good foot and using Will’s back for support. She wanted to be standing in case they needed to make a run for it.

“Sorry for the unannounced visit, Snake. You know I’d never intrude if it wasn’t an emergency. But I had some plane trouble. A hard landing and Sylvie and I...we’ve had a brush with death or two today.”

The man’s expression darkened as he studied both Sylvie and Will. It seemed that he had issues with trust. Clearly he lived a reclusive life away from civilization. Away from the prying eyes of the law. She wouldn’t second-guess his reasons. This wasn’t her world.

“Come on, then.” He turned and disappeared into the trees.

Will lifted her back in his arms and followed. “Only a little longer, Sylvie. You hanging in there? Doing okay?”

“I’m good, thanks to you.”

“You’ll be thanking Snake before too long. He’s the one with the cabin and a warm fire. I bet he’ll have a big pot of game stewing, too. That’s what I’d do in this weather if I were him.”

Sylvie’s mouth watered at the mention of food. She could already imagine the warm fire and wanted nothing more than to sleep in a soft bed, covers piled high. Safe, sound and secure. She sighed at the thought. Was that asking too much?

But she had to remain vigilant. This wasn’t over yet. She couldn’t rest until it was. And Will deserved an answer to his question. “No. I didn’t find the plane. I thought I saw something, though. The glint of what could have been part of a plane. That’s when I was attacked.”

Lines pressed between his brows.

“There’s something else,” she whispered. “I’m grateful for your help and for Snake’s, but you know I need to get out of here. I need a decompression chamber. And I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”

There, she’d said the words that had been crawling over her ever since Will had made an appearance today and put himself between her and the men trying to kill her.

“One thing at a time,” he said. “Snake has a radio. While I was in the air trying to figure out how to rescue you, I tried to radio for help a few times, but no one connected on the other end.” He glanced at her, his strong, scruffy jaw and warm brows much too close. “I’ll make the call for help first thing. Only Snake isn’t going to like it.”

“Why not?” But she thought she already knew.

“He lives off-grid. Doesn’t want anyone to know he’s here. Doesn’t want to draw attention to his castle in the glen. Once people know about his castle, he might be overrun with marauders.”

“Out here? Nah, I doubt it.” Sylvie couldn’t help but grin at his medieval references. He was definitely chivalrous, a real knight in shining armor, now that she thought about it. With his strong arms holding her, carrying her over and through the terrain—not an easy task in places—and keeping her pressed against his warm, muscular form, she couldn’t think straight.

She had to get her mind on something else. She was strong and independent, and didn’t like that being near him turned her soft and compliant. Made her needy. She couldn’t afford to be like her mother when it came to men, and get hurt in the worst of ways. With all that had happened today, she feared her suspicions that her mother had been murdered were confirmed, and she’d almost blurted it all out to Will. She wasn’t ready to tell him her darkest of secrets yet. Not until she was absolutely certain of it. She didn’t want to think about it now, didn’t want to face the truth of what that would mean. So she turned her thoughts back to Will and Snake.

“But you know where he lives.”

“That, I do. He needs someone he can trust to bring him supplies and keep his existence a secret.”

“Are you telling me the Alaska State Troopers or the Coast Guard or some other entity doesn’t know he’s here?”

“Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. The point is that he is off the grid and off the radar. Or at least, he was.”

“And now you’ve blown his trust.”

“He invited us to follow him, didn’t he?”

“Doesn’t mean he’ll let you use his radio.”

“That remains to be seen.”

Sylvie wasn’t sure she liked Will’s answer. Was he going to use the radio or not? And if not, how did they get out of here? The need to get them out of his sanctuary should be reason enough for Snake to let them call for help.

Sylvie could barely make out the man’s silhouette ahead of them since he made better time, crept stealthily through the forest much faster than Will, who carried Sylvie. Once again, she found the need to distract herself from Will’s sturdy body, and the great care and attention he took to making the ride as smooth as possible despite the slick, sodden boulders and fallen trunks and debris he had to step over and around.

Finally, Will stood at the open door of Snake’s log cabin and then carried Sylvie over the threshold.

“You can set her down over there.” Snake referred to her as if she were a box of supplies and gestured to a long sofa near the woodstove.

Will was right. The man had something going on the stove, and the aroma stirred her hunger. After Will gently settled her on the sofa—worn out but more plush than she would have expected—Snake appeared by Will’s side with a first-aid kit.

“Thanks.” Will took the kit. “She needs dry clothes, too. Got any extras? I’ll make sure to reimburse you.”

“No need for that.” Snake nodded and disappeared through a door off the main room.

“I agree,” she said. “There’s no need for you to reimburse Snake for any dry clothes he offers me. I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.”

At Will’s surprised glance, she added, “And I’m perfectly capable of being grateful.” She offered a smile of her own. “Thank you, Will, for your thoughtfulness. For carrying me through the woods. I’m sorry you had to do that. Besides, you need them, too.”

“What do I need?” Will crouched near her ankle and examined it.

“Dry clothes.”

“I’ll manage. And you’re welcome, by the way. All in a day’s work.”

Yeah, right. When he touched her ankle, she winced.

“It’s not so bad,” he said, “And probably the least of your worries. Am I right?”

“You know you are.”

He shot her a grin that tugged at her insides. She was losing it. Cold and hungry and injured and...well...that made her vulnerable. Sylvie wouldn’t read anything into his grin. She couldn’t afford to get sidetracked.

“I’ll wrap this after you change out of the dry suit.” Will stood when Snake appeared and held out a couple of large flannel shirts and some jeans.

“These do?”

Will cocked a brow at Sylvie, humor flickering in his gaze.

“It’ll have to. Thank you, Snake.” Saying his name felt awkward on her lips.

Will slung the extra clothes over his shoulder. “Thanks, Snake.”

Sylvie hated to ask, hated to need help, but worse than that, she hated to limp across the floor. No, falling on her face would be worse. She had some vertigo. Not good. She hoped she only had a mild case of DCS. She’d never before gotten the bends. The dive hadn’t been that deep, and she’d descended at the appropriate rate. But her ascending straight to the surface without any stops had been all it took to throw her body chemistry into turmoil. The cold water and exertion from fighting off a killer hadn’t done her any favors.

The next few hours would be telling, especially if she didn’t get help. But first things first. Right now she simply needed to make it to that room for some privacy. “Will, can you assist me to the room so I can change?”

“Sure thing. Um... Sylvie... I need to doctor that gash across your shoulder and back, too.”

“You don’t think that can wait?”

His grin from moments ago quickly faded. “No.”

“I need to doctor your head,” she said. Fair play.

“Snake has a mirror. I can take care of it.”

But Sylvie couldn’t reach her shoulder and back, even with a mirror, so that was that. She let the compassion and concern in Will’s warm brown eyes calm her nerves. He was good in that way, even addicting if she wasn’t careful.

“While you guys take care of business,” Snake said, “I’ll dish up the stew. Got strong coffee going, too. When you’re ready, we’ll eat.”

“Sounds good.” Will assisted Sylvie into what was obviously Snake’s bedroom and set her on the bed. He frowned down at her.

All she wanted to do was lie down and sleep forever. This close to a bed, the warmth of the cabin and the aroma of the stew, she could sense the adrenaline crash coming.

Hold it together. Just a little longer.

“You okay to get out of that suit without any help?” His tone and the look in his eyes said his only concern was for her. He wasn’t going to take advantage of her. She didn’t trust easily, but he’d brought her this far. She wanted to trust him.

“Thanks, Will, but I can handle it.”

“Good. Call me when you’re ready.”

“Okay.” His words held tenderness that pricked her heart. She was definitely vulnerable. Somehow she had to get her guard back up. She’d been through too much already.

Her stepfather had been a wonderful father during her childhood. Someone she could trust, someone she had been proud to call Dad, until she’d become older and wiser. When she was a teenager, she discovered he was having an affair. The betrayal devastated Sylvie. She didn’t know where to turn. She didn’t want to hurt her mother, but finally shared his duplicity, only to learn that her mother already knew. How could her mother let him treat her like that? At first Sylvie thought her mother hadn’t left because she loved him—which just proved how dangerous love could be. Sylvie built a wall around her heart that day. She could never trust anyone again. And from that moment on, she called him Damon.

But then, behind closed doors, she heard the arguments. Raised voices. Her mother crying. And then Sylvie began to suspect that her mother hadn’t left Damon because she was afraid of him. Afraid to leave. Damon was a powerful man.

None of that mattered now, except to remind her to keep her guard up around Will. She needed to keep herself together until she was back home. Or at least in that decompression chamber.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, her ankle throbbing, every joint in her body aching badly enough to make her completely forget the open gash in her back, she drew in a breath and prepared to peel out of the dry suit and layers of clothing beneath. All she wanted was a hot shower, but she supposed the best she could get at an off-grid cabin was a sponge bath. She looked down to see the ripped, practically shredded suit. She hadn’t wanted to look too closely. Seeing it now, a replay of the last few hours flashed through her mind, reel after reel.

All the way to her soul, Sylvie was torn and ripped like the dry suit she wore.

She pressed her face into her hands and let everything she’d held back come flooding out.

* * *

Will had changed quickly so he’d be ready to dress Sylvie’s wound. Behind the door he could hear her quiet sobs. She’d been strong, held it together in front of him. He wasn’t sure why the sound rocked through him, knocking against the hidden parts of his heart. He pressed a hand on the door as though he could comfort her. He didn’t know this woman at all, but he didn’t have to know her to feel the pain with her.

He let his hand drop. He wouldn’t go rushing in. He wasn’t a knight and she didn’t want to be saved. If he knew anything at all about the woman shut away in the room, it was that she didn’t want him to see her vulnerable. Sucking in a breath, he glanced up and caught Snake watching him from where he hovered over the fire, dishing up the stew that he cooked in a cast-iron pot hanging over the flames, old school.

Will had another situation he’d been avoiding. He needed to face off with Snake about using the radio to call for help. He knew the other man wouldn’t be pleased. The harsh environment along with fifty-plus years had made the man hard and lean. He kept his long silver hair in a ponytail hanging down his back, and time spent away from civilization kept his expression harsh, especially when faced with having to make conversation. But he’d still saved them. Will would give him that. He hadn’t been anything but helpful—so far.

Snake’s bushy eyebrows creased together as he stood from the fire and held out a bowl. “You hungry?”

Will took the bowl, but set it on the table. “Thanks, but I’ll wait for Sylvie.”

“Suit yourself.” Snake remained standing and wolfed up a few spoonfuls of his stew then paused, the spoon halfway to his mouth. “Something on your mind?”

Here comes the moment of truth. “I told you we had some trouble. That trouble includes men who tried to kill her, kill us. They shot at my plane. Caused some damage and we went down. I hope I haven’t brought the trouble to your door.”

Snake’s eyes narrowed. He set his bowl on the home-crafted table and crossed his arms. “What do you need?”

“I need to use your comm to call for help.”

Snake shook his head. “You’re not bringing them here.”

“You can see she’s injured.”

“Call them and make arrangements to meet them elsewhere. I’ll help you get there.”

Will scraped a hand over his face, exhaustion creeping into his bones. “She has the bends, and with her other injuries she needs treatment right away.”

Snake’s eyes lit up, surprising Will. “Why didn’t you say something before?”

“Would it have made a difference?”

“I’m a diver. Got the equipment. Worst case, she could recompress in the water.”

Will shook his head. “That is the worst case. It’s too risky. Better to wait for a hyperbaric chamber, which is why I need to use your radio.”

“Well, you know the option is available. Why don’t you tell her and let her make the decision? She isn’t afraid of diving.”

Had Will been that readable?

Snake disappeared through a door, reappearing a minute later to set his scuba equipment out in full view. Was that because he didn’t trust Will to bring it up?

Will frowned.

“Make your call. Pick a meeting time and place. Early morning’s best. Give us time to rest up and gather the gear we’ll need.”

“I can’t ask for more than that.”

Will hated to put it off that long, considering Sylvie needed assistance sooner rather than later, but Snake was right. If they were forced to travel to make contact, they couldn’t do it in inclement weather in the middle of the night. He had to persuade Snake to shorten the distance they needed to travel.

“Just how far do you want us to go?”

“I don’t want anyone coming within five miles of my cabin. That might sound harsh, Will, but let me remind you that if it was someone else I’d seen tromping through the woods, I wouldn’t have shown my face. I wouldn’t have offered an invitation into my home. I wouldn’t even have opened my door.”

“I know.” Will was grateful to Snake. The man had chosen this lifestyle for reasons unknown to Will. He wouldn’t pry.

“About those men who tried to kill you? You sure they didn’t follow you here?”

“I don’t see how they could have, but neither can I be sure. I don’t know who they are or why they tried to kill her.” He had his suspicions. Some things were trying to fall into place, but mostly it was still a mystery.

“What do you know about her?”

“Nothing. I just happened to be flying overhead in time to see her running for her life.” Will struggled with whether or not to share the full of it with Snake, considering he didn’t particularly seem the kind of person who would want to know the details about others’ lives, nor would he reciprocate. Best to keep things simple and not share that Will and Sylvie had both lost their mothers on the same MIA airplane. For now.