Читать книгу Freefall to Desire - Kayla Perrin, Kayla Perrin - Страница 7

Brianne Kenyon held her breath, her eyes locking with Alex Thorpe’s the moment he stepped into the lobby. For two long hours she had been waiting for his return, praying every second of that time for the best possible outcome. But one look at the defeated expression on his face and she knew that the news was not good.

She rose from the sofa where she and her sister, Shayna, had been sitting and waiting by the cozy fireplace—but nothing about their visit to British Columbia was cozy.

“Nothing?” she asked Alex as he reached her. “No sign of him?”

He ran a hand over his head, emitting a groan of frustration. “Brianne, I’m sorry.”

“But how can that be possible?” she asked. “There has to be something. Some sign of him on the mountain.”

“The Rockies are vast, Brianne,” Alex explained. “He could be anywhere.”

Brianne stared at Alex, willing him to say something that would give her hope. Not the spiel she’d heard from the Canadian authorities over the last five days.

“But,” he continued, then stopped.

“But what?” Brianne asked quickly. She felt her sister slip her arm around her waist, offering support. “There is something. What is it?”

“It… it’s not good.”

Brianne’s stomach sank. She felt nauseous. But she had to know. Good or bad. “Tell me.”

“The search team…they found something,” Alex explained slowly. “Carter’s jacket. It was torn…and … bloody.”

“It might not be Carter’s,” Brianne said without hesitation.

“It was. After I described to them what Carter was wearing that day, they were able to identify the jacket as his. And the moment they showed it to me, I confirmed it.” Alex paused. “It’s bad enough to be out there in this weather, but without a jacket?” His statement hung in the air, heavy and ominous.

Brianne’s brain tried to process the news. She couldn’t speak.

“What are you saying?” Shayna asked. “Do the authorities think that Carter—”

“They don’t want to jump to conclusions,” Alex interjected. “But at the very least, they figure Carter’s hurt. The blood could mean that he fell … or that he was attacked by an animal.”

“What kind of animal?” Shayna asked.

Brianne moved away from her sister then, stepping in the direction of the fire. But it did nothing to warm her. She felt cold from the inside out.

“A wolf,” Alex said. “Maybe a cougar.”

A cougar? God help her. Brianne’s knees buckled then, and she faltered. But strong arms wrapped around her waist before she could collapse onto the floor.

Alex held her up. “Brianne, are you okay?”

A wolf. Maybe a cougar… No, she wasn’t okay. “Brianne?”

Brianne broke down and cried. Cried at the reality that her fiancé was lost in the middle of the Rockies, left to fend for himself in horrendous conditions.

In six days he hadn’t turned up. Five days of searching had produced no sign of him—until now.

A wolf. Maybe a cougar…

“Damn, Brianne. I hate this.” Alex cradled her head against his chest. She gripped his arms, holding on to him as she rode through the turbulent emotional wave.

After about two minutes, she shook her head and eased backward. “No. I won’t believe that he’s anything other than okay. Carter is strong. You know how strong he is. He’s got to be fine.”

“Brianne—”

“Don’t tell me I’m wrong,” she snapped. One minute she’d been bawling, the next biting Alex’s head off. She wanted this all to end.

“Brianne, listen to me,” Alex said. “I know exactly how you’re feeling. But it’s worse than we want to think.”

“Everything will be fine when they find Carter,” Brianne said, refusing to give in to despair.

“They’re not going to find him,” Alex said.

“How can you say that?” She felt a spurt of anger. “Why are you giving up already?”

“Because they’re calling off the search,” Alex answered matter-of-factly.

Brianne’s body went rigid. She looked up at Alex in confusion. “How can they call off the search? Carter’s still lost!”

“I wish it wasn’t the case, Brianne. God knows I do. But they’ve searched for five full days, and the snow has continued to fall, covering any possible tracks. It was a fluke they found his jacket. After all this time out there, they think it’s really unlikely—”

“I don’t care what they think,” Brianne interrupted before Alex could say the words she didn’t want to hear. “They found his jacket, so they know he’s hurt. He’s got to be close by. It’s critical that they keep searching so they can find him now!”

“I agree with you,” Alex said.

“Then do something!” Brianne yelled, not meaning to, but unable to stop herself. People in the hotel lobby looked in her direction. She knew they were wondering what was going on, but she didn’t care. She would make as big a scene as necessary if it got her the results she wanted.

Alex raised his hands in a helpless gesture and then let them fall against his thighs. “What can I do?”

Brianne shook her head in disbelief. “He’s your best friend and you’re giving up on him.” She turned around and marched back to the sofa where she’d left her coat. “Fine. If the authorities are giving up the search, then I have to find Carter.”

“Brianne, you can’t go out there.”

Ignoring Alex, she shoved her arms into the ultrawarm parka she’d bought. “Someone has to!”

“Brianne,” Shayna said gently. “If the authorities can’t find Carter…”

“No, don’t say it. Please, Shayna. Don’t say it.”

And then she started for the door.

Alex reached her before she could step outside. “Don’t be foolish, Brianne. Carter wouldn’t want you to get lost, too.”

And as she met Alex’s gaze, saw the pain she was feeling shimmering in his eyes, she knew he was right.

There was nothing she could do.

Her knees giving way again, she reached out and gripped Alex’s forearms. Gripped them for dear life as emotion overwhelmed her.

This time when she cried, she couldn’t stop the tears. Because she had most likely lost the love of her life. The man she was supposed to marry next year.

And her life would never be the same.