If We Dare to Dream (41 page)

“I knew it! He rode over… See Jamie? I told you he’d be here. He doesn’t know how to be selfish.”

Jamie crossed the wide expanse and went as close to the edge as she could. Being so near to the side of a sheer cliff took her breath away, but it did not seem to faze Adam at all. He stood at the very edge on a rock, his binoculars pressed against his eyes watching the speck that was Andrew approaching at a rapid pace. She watched his approach in admiration, wishing she was in tiptop shape like these two men apparently were. His steps never faltered, despite the steep incline.

“Okay, so he’s on his way up. Now what?”

“We have to wait for him to come.” Adam lowered the binoculars and stared at her. “Relax. It’ll be over soon.”

“That’s what scares me.” She reached for his arm and gripped him tightly. Noticing how the muscles under her hand tensed reflexively, she looked up into his eyes knowing she had his full attention. “Promise me you’re not going to try to hurt him.”

“Hurt Andrew? I’m not going to hurt Andrew,” he said incredulously.

His eyes were clear when he answered, so she released him with a sigh of relief. Making her way back to their dwindling fire, she sat back down and put her hands over her face. She was starting to feel the bite of the wind through the sweatshirt Adam had given her, and her fingers were cool against the warm skin of her cheeks. Though she was eager to see Andrew, the misgivings she had felt earlier would not leave her. She was confused about the entire situation she had put herself in, and Adam was not in the mood to enlighten her. Every time she asked, all she would receive for an answer was a simple “just wait”. So she waited.

Though still confused about Adam’s plan, she hoped it was just a ploy to get Andrew’s attention. As he had promised, Adam had not hurt her. In fact, he was ever conscious of her comfort, stoking the fire, offering her what meager food he had with him, and promising her she would be safe.

Now seeming calm again, Jamie watched as Adam strode back to her. The way he moved was a very familiar sight to her. In looks and build, he was so similar to Andrew - tall and darkly handsome, with straight noses over deep set light brown eyes. However, the similarities were superficial, especially at that moment. As Andrew continued his hasty approach, Adam’s movements had become erratic again, and he began muttering to himself as he wandered back and forth across the flat expanse. When he returned, he grabbed his binoculars and went to the side again. That was when the first drop of rain hit.

The rain came on quickly. First she felt a single drop on her hand. When she lifted it to see what had struck her, a sudden barrage of drops began falling on her head. The raindrop dripped over her hand and onto the ground, joining a multitude of others that began a drumbeat of danger.

She heard Adam’s swear just as she came to her feet. “Ok, Adam, I think I’ve had enough. We need to get down now.”

“We can’t leave.” Holding his binoculars to his eyes again, he swore even louder.

“What?”

“I can’t believe it,” he shouted. “He just turned around.”

Hoping she could finally talk some sense into him, Jamie spoke in a low, calm voice, using every bit of persuasion she could. “He probably feels the same way I do, Adam. It’s too dangerous to hang out up here with a storm coming. We don’t have any shelter.”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen… I need to finish this!”

The binoculars lowered long enough for him to hit his forehead with them several times. She frowned. Things were not working out the way he planned, but she never expected him to take it so harshly. She swallowed hard and watched him warily. He suddenly appeared frightened and confused, but when he turned away from the trail his face had regained its determined set.

“Forget it. I can just do it myself,” he muttered.

“Do what?”

He stalked off again, back to his pack. She watched as he jerked the zippers open in irritation, pulling out a beige folded tarp and some collapsible poles. Having no other choice, she joined him by the fire and glanced down.

“Why don’t we just start heading back? It’s not raining hard.”

“It will be in a minute. I’ve got to set up your shelter. You’re stuck up here until the water runs off or someone comes to help you down.”

She noticed how he mentioned just her and frowned. “Where are you going?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said firmly.

Returning his attention to the poles, he hastily erected a sort of lean-to, with the back blocking the wind and the front leaning over the fire pit. The efficiency with which he worked was impressive, and though she wanted to offer to help, she knew it would be futile.

“This should keep you fairly dry. The rock is elevated and slopes off the sides. That’ll keep the rain away. It’s a good campsite…” He stared down at it and then nodded. “I’ve got to find some more dry fuel. Wait here.”

Spreading the sleeping bag down on the smooth rock, he tossed the pack in and then indicated with his hand that she should follow. With a resigned huff, she ducked and went under the tarp, a part of her happy to escape the rain while the other part of her wished they were heading down.

When Adam saw her frustration, he shook his head and explained. Though he had been varying between excitement and an unexplained tension, his voice was calm and matter-of-fact, almost completely lucid. “The water will make its way down the canyon we climbed. There’s no way we can leave yet. It’ll be slippery and we’ll break bones.”

Jamie hated that he was right. “Isn’t there another way?”

He sighed impatiently. “Unless you want to jump over the side, no. We have to wait it out.”

Grasping for anything at all that could put an end to their crazy situation, Jamie sent him a pleading look. “What about the ridgeline? Surely there’s another trail.”

“It’s just as steep, Jamie.” He sighed in frustration. “Just stop arguing and stay here.”

“Maybe we should call for help. We’re not exactly prepared for bad weather up here.”

“I need to think… Just give me time to think.”

Realizing that he had not prepared for the current developments and was now dealing with his own doubts increased Jamie’s panic. Andrew was not coming up; he had turned back, and that meant she was on her own. But that did not mean she would have to stay, and she planned to go now while she still had a chance. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this with you anymore. I don’t know what’s going on, but this has gone beyond creepy to outright dangerous. I’m leaving now.”

Turning on her heel, she ducked under the top of the tarp and began to walk away. Surprisingly Adam did not respond, but no sooner had she traveled twenty yards than a loud crack broke the soft pitter patter of the rain. She jumped as a tuft of dirt alongside the trail exploded outward. Disbelief and panic caused her to spin around with wide eyes.

“You have a gun? Why do you have a gun?” Jamie shrieked in disbelief.

The gun that had magically appeared in his hand was now leveled on her. Knowing his skill with a firearm, she froze and waited for his next response. His voice was deceptively calm when he spoke. “You can’t go down alone. I’m sorry, but it’s for your own good.”

Heart thundering in her chest, she took a step forward. However, tears now formed in her eyes, tears of fear and desperation. “Please, Adam.”

Scowling at the sight of her distress, he stormed off to collect more kindling for the fire. There was a stand of pine trees back down the trail, and she could hear him snapping branches just out of her line of sight. For a moment she considered making a run for it, but as she prepared to go she saw him coming back with more kindling in his arms. He dumped his load at her feet, just under the tip of the tarp. The wind had picked up, and the back of the shelter blew in the wind. Though feeling the chill, at least she was dry. For how long remained to be seen.

She sighed in frustration. “All right. It’s time for you to tell me what’s really going on. Did you bring me up here to hurt me?”

Adam chuckled, the sound deep and eerie to her oversensitive ears. Pulling a hunting knife from his boot, he began trimming the branches he had carried over with a violence that sent shivers down her spine. As he made short work of the dead branches, he glanced at her. “I had a plan, Jamie. It didn’t have to involve you, but you calm him down and I needed to get Andrew’s attention. I wanted you here so I could talk to him reasonably before this all ended.”

Jamie shook her head in confusion. “What ended?”

“I didn’t expect him to scare off by a little rain. He’s normally tougher than that.”

“He’s just being smart,” Jamie said defensively, though she was curious about his sudden change as well. “It won’t do either of us any good if he gets trapped up here or hurt trying to meet us… Why are we here?”

“I wanted to come up here one last time. I wanted to end things right here… Andrew and I used to come a lot when we were little. I wanted to come clean before I left.”

“Then why a gun?”

“Just in case.”

“In case of what?”

Poking at the fire he had rebuilt with a piece of wood, Adam seemed to completely disconnect from her presence. His eyes took on a faraway look and his foot began its rapid tattoo that she was growing more familiar with. The rain was coming down steadily now, and the landscape around them took on a slippery appearance. She knew that her chances of making it down now were fairly slim. All along, Adam had been right.

Knowing that they were stuck for the time being, she reached for the block of cheese Adam had brought up with him and broke off a piece. As she chewed, Adam leaned back and rested his head on his hands. She watched as he closed his eyes.

“I’m not right,” he said softly. “I know that; Andrew knows that.”

“Andrew will help you with whatever you need.”

“That’s just it. I can’t be a burden anymore. This was going to be my last stand before I removed myself from his life forever.”

Jamie frowned down at him. “Why would you want to do that? He’s your brother; he loves you.”

Adam scowled at the reminder. “I’m done talking. I’m going to rest a bit and decide what to do next. You may as well chill.”

Jamie knew there was no chance of her resting up on a campsite that she had no wish to be at, but she leaned back on Adam’s pack and closed her eyes. Though she had not intended on falling asleep, a sudden rumble of thunder and the heavy pattering of rain startled Jamie awake. Not wearing a watch, she could not tell how much time had passed, but the sky had grown darker since she last opened her eyes and Adam was snoring softly on the other side of the tarp. Smoke from the moist fire had blown under the tarp, and the air was ripe with the smell of burning wood. She scrunched her nose and leaned her head out of the tarp, ignoring the rain that instantly drenched her head.

The irony of her day suddenly seemed all the more dangerous to her. She was trapped at the top of a mountain in the middle of a winter storm. The air had cooled even more, and they had only a tarp to protect them from the elements. Her companion was a man on the edge, now sporting a gun to make sure she did not run off.

The gun.

With Adam acting sporadically and nervous, she concluded that it would be better for both of them if she got rid of the gun. Her gaze swiveled over to Adam’s prone form. Both hands were still behind his head, and a low snore continued with each rise and fall of his chest. This would be her only opportunity to grab the weapon where it rested by his hip. If she tossed it over the side like he did with the phone, the chances of someone getting hurt would decrease dramatically.

Though shaking with fear, Jamie leaned across the expanse and placed her fingers gently over the butt of the gun. Her knowledge of weapons was limited. About the only thing she knew was how to engage the safety. However, taking command of the firearm was a risk she was willing to take.

She did not count on startling a high strung man.

No sooner had she pulled the weapon toward her than Adam awoke with a sharp cry and grabbed her hand. She realized her mistake too late. It happened fast, for before she could blink he was on her. Hastier than she would have imagined she was thrown backward and her hand twisted painfully. With a panicked cry, she realized that her finger had slipped through the trigger hole, and just as Adam wrenched the gun from her hand she heard a blast.

Her first thought was of the safety. Why wasn’t the safety on?

Then a burning sensation sliced through her arm, followed almost simultaneously by pain, pain so great that her terrified gaze met Adam’s equally panicked stare and she let out a sharp cry that sent him flying off her with a muffled swear. Jumping to his feet, the gun dangling from his hand, he stared down at her, aghast.

“What were you thinking?” Adam gasped.

Too stunned to move, her mouth fell open as her hand went to her arm. When she lifted it she saw blood. With wide eyes, she met his gaze. “Oh Adam… you shot me.”

“Jesus, Jamie. Why did you do that?”

He stumbled backwards and tripped on a rock. Seizing the opportunity, Jamie scrambled to her feet and lunged past him, blindly running into the cover of the thick fog and ignoring his pleas for her to return.

Chapter 21