SHIVER (41 page)

“The only woman I need in my life is Raven.”

“She’s right, Aidan,” Raven said. “Leave me. Take her and the snowmobile, it will be faster. Find Fox and bring him home.” Her voice cracked on the word ‘home.’

No way in hell would he leave Raven here, out in the open, hurt like she was.

“I’ll head back to the cabin,” Raven said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Just go and get Fox.”

Aidan glanced around him. Genie had a calculating gleam in her eyes, while Raven’s were full of fear and pain.

The wolf howled behind him and suddenly he knew.

“No. She stays. We go.” He finished tying off the strings, pulling on them once to make sure they’d hold.

“What? No.” Genie struggled, twisted and turned, trying to free herself. “You can’t leave me here alone.”

“Yes, I can. Just like you left my son alone.” Aidan hoped she didn’t get free, because he planned for her to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

“Aidan, what are you doing?” Raven asked, watching wide-eyed as he finished with Genie and returned to her.

“I’m not leaving you.” He bent down and took her cold face within the heat of his hands, staring deep into her frightened eyes. “Trust me. Please.”

She studied him, wetted her lips. “Okay.”

He kissed her, quick and hard, his heart swelling with emotion he couldn’t name. “Thank you.”

He helped Raven to her feet, assisting her over to the snowmobile. It was hard enough mounting the machine with the snowshoes strapped to her feet, not to mention her head injury. Aidan sent a prayer to the heavens that they’d get their son back and both Fox and Raven would be safe. When Raven was situated, he got on the snowmobile.

“You’ll never find the brat without my help!” Genie screeched.

Raven shivered at Genie’s words as she wrapped her arms around Aidan’s waist. Aidan started the machine, trying to block out Genie’s threats.

He
did
know what he was doing, right?

You’re following a wild timber wolf hoping the animal is going to lead to you to your son, like Lassie. What do you think?

The wolf waited until he was close to the tree line and then leapt into the forest. Aidan followed at a slower rate as he ventured the snow machine into the trees, fresh tracks gridded the tight trail. This had to be the way Genie had gone. Aidan didn’t know how he knew it, but deep down on some cellular level he recognized the wolf as his spirit brother. Maybe his mother hadn’t been so wasted on booze when she’d told him the legends of the wolf and him being born under the sign. Maybe he’d been outside too long and the cold had stunted his brain function. Either way, he was going with his gut.

The wolf ran ahead of them, staying just within sight. When Aidan had to slow down the machine, as the trail narrowed, the wolf slowed, increasing its gait as the trail widened. They were climbing and Aidan suddenly realized where they were headed.

The bitch.

Raven gasped behind him. He felt more than heard her quick intake of air as she, too, comprehended where they were going.

The old mine shaft the Fairbanks Exploration Company had closed down back in the sixties.

The trees thinned and then cleared as the mountain rose like a monster above them. Rusting steel mining dinosaurs dotted the landscape and he slowed the machine to avoid hitting something hidden under the thick blanket of snow. The wolf stood, his sides heaving, on a small rise above the timber-framed mouth of the mine. It was still chain-linked off but that didn’t keep kids from coming up here in the summer, scaring each other with dares or finding places to make out. He and Raven should know. They’d used this place a few times for stolen moments themselves.

He slowed the machine to a stop and killed the engine.

Raven climbed off the back, unsteady on her feet. “Tell me, I get to go back and kill that bitch.”

“As soon as we get Fox to safety, you can do whatever you like to Genie in the Bottle. Why don’t you stay here, while I find Fox?”

“No.”

He knew by the clench of her jaw there was no arguing with her, regardless of the pain shining in her shadowed eyes.

They struggled up to the foreboding entrance of the mine. Footprints were cut deep in the snow since neither Genie nor Fox had worn snowshoes. Aidan yanked back the chain-link fencing, held it open for Raven, and crawled through behind her. “Fox!” he hollered into the deep, dark cavern, his voice echoing back at him.

No answer.

“Fox!” Raven screamed his name.

Still no answer.

“
No
.” Aidan grabbed for Raven, but missed as she barreled past him into the darkness. “Raven, stop.”

“Fox!” she continued to holler, ignoring Aidan’s warning.

He hurried behind her, reaching out into the sinister abyss until he felt the fabric of her parka. His fingers clenched around the material, dragging her to a stop. “Raven, slow down. Think. You’re going to get hurt or worse, if you don’t slow down.”

Her breathing was ragged. Her body twitched with the effort it took not to rush. He understood what she was feeling. He wanted to tear this fucking place apart stone by stone until they found Fox and then he wanted to torture the bitch who had put him here too.

He reached into his pocket, took out the mini flashlight on his key ring, and flicked it on. A black mouth of stone braced with ridges of rough-cut, rotting logs flashed in front of them. Even knowing what the scene would be didn’t help the clenching of his heart, knowing his son was somewhere in the labyrinth of tunnels, scared and cold. “Fox!”

“There.” Raven pointed to the left. “I thought I heard something.”

He grabbed her arm. “Hold onto me.” They trekked left, being careful of the loose mix of dead leaves, gravel, and rock that made up the debris littering the floor of the mine. “Fox!”

Then he heard it. A muffled sound. He hurried, keeping a firm hold on Raven. They turned a corner and Aidan’s flashlight shone on Fox, his hands and feet tied with rope, a gag around his mouth. He was lying on his side, huddled in a ball, his face tucked into his knees. Raven rushed to him, her cries bouncing off the stone walls.

Aidan felt for Fox’s pulse, releasing a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding when he found it steady, a bit fast, but strong. Raven released the gag over his mouth and pulled Fox into her arms, tears streaming down her face.

“Mom, Dad?” Fox asked, his voice jagged with emotion, his body racked with shivers. “Are you really here?”

“Yes, yes, we’re here.” Raven tightened her arms around him, and buried her face in his neck. “You’re safe.”

“Mom,” Fox croaked. “C-can’t…breathe.”

Raven pulled back, laughter adding to her tears.

“How? How’d you f-find me?” Fox asked. “I-I didn’t think anyone w-would ever find me.”

Aidan cleared his throat in order to get words past the fear and love thickening his throat. “Let’s get you out of here, son, and then we’ll answer all your questions.” He handed the mini flashlight to Raven. “Hold this on the ropes so I can cut him loose.”

Raven took the flashlight with a shaky hand and held it for Aidan as he flicked open his pocketknife and sliced through the ropes binding their son’s hands and feet.

“Can you walk?” Aidan asked, helping Fox into a sitting position.

“D-don’t know. Can’t feel my toes.” Fox laid his head back on Raven’s shoulder as she steadied him from behind. “I’m r-really tired.”

Aidan and Raven shared a look.

“No going to sleep, son.” Aidan grabbed Fox’s face, looked into his eyes. Fear shot through him at the dazed, glassy-eyed reflection in his son’s pupils, the blue tint of his lips. Aidan glanced at Raven, and saw the same cloudy expression in her eyes. He needed to get them to the hospital. “Stay with me.” He spoke to them both, praying under his breath to any God who would listen.

He unzipped his coat and lifted Fox into his arms, cradling his son tightly to his chest, hoping his body heat would help quell Fox’s shivers. “Raven, can you walk out of here?”

“Is M-mom hurt?” Fox asked, voice shaky, worried.

“I’m fine.” She looked at Aidan and blinked, as though the action was as close as she could come to a nod. He couldn’t even imagine how she was holding it together.

“Grab my coat. I need to feel you behind me.”

She fisted her hand in his jacket and held the small flashlight on the carved rock ahead of them. Aidan led them out of the mine as fast as he dared. The dim light of the setting sun glimmering on the snow was a welcome relief as they exited.

Raven stumbled in the snow, falling to her knees, her head bowed.

“Raven?” Seeing her hunched over, he knew he was losing her too.

“I’m okay.” She grabbed his pants and pulled herself up. “Just tripped.”

He slowed the trek to the snowmobile, his body shaking with the need to hurry. Fox’s eyelids were shuttering closed and Raven was using everything she had to keep up with him. Hell, he didn’t know how she’d made it this far.

“Stay with me, guys.” He sat Fox on the snowmobile, holding him steady as he mounted the machine, wrapping the edges of his parka around Fox. It was going to be a tough ride back to the lodge with the machine loaded down with the three of them. Raven got on and leaned onto Aidan’s back, her arms wrapping loosely around his waist. “Hold onto me tighter, sweetheart.” He felt her try, but she was spent. He started the machine and headed down the hill. At least they were close to the lodge and the trails were packed from other snow machines. Halfway to the lodge, Aidan felt his son give into sleep. It felt like forever until the lodge came into view. He pulled the machine right up to the front door, hollering for help.

Sonya and Fiona were the first to appear, followed closely by Peter and Lana.

Lana
.

Had she been told of her father’s death? He couldn’t worry about that now. Not with Fox and Raven in danger.

“We need to get them to the hospital.”

“Oh, good heavens,” Fiona exclaimed. “Eva!”

Eva waddled out the front door, holding the underneath of her swollen belly. “What the hell happened?”

“Fox is in the second stage of hypothermia, and…and Raven…” He had to take another breath. “Raven’s been shot.” His heart stuttered over all that he could lose.

Fiona gasped, her hand covering her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes.

Eva rushed over to them. Aidan was afraid to move off the snow machine. Raven and Fox were both awfully quiet and he was sandwiched between the two of them. Any jostling he did could shake them both to the icy ground.

“Fiona, get me some hot water bottles and blankets,” Eva began barking orders. “Lana, give her a hand. Sonya, find us a vehicle to take them to Fairbanks. Peter, get those men back here. Let them know we have Fox and what the situation is.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Peter hurried after the women.

Eva checked the pulse at Fox’s neck. He was still unconscious, and his shivering had stopped.

“Where was Raven shot?” Eva softly asked.

Raven stirred behind him, the movement a blast of hope to his heart. It had been so long since he’d felt anything more than her weight pressing heavily onto his back.

“It’s just a graze. We need to get Fox to the hospital.” Raven moved to stand. Eva rushed to help as Raven stumbled off the snow machine. “Help me get these damn snowshoes off or I’m going to kill myself.”

“I’ve got keys to someone’s Durango,” Sonya said, coming back out of the lodge with her coat on. “I’ll get it started and warmed up.” She hurried to the electric-blue SUV parked in the lot.

Aidan climbed off the snowmobile, lifted Fox into his arms, and walked over to the Durango where Eva had opened the door to the backseat. He gently laid Fox on the seat, taking off his coat and wrapping it around his son. His lips were bright blue, his breathing fast and shallow. Fiona appeared behind Aidan and handed him the hot water bottles. He tucked them around Fox, up and under his coat, covering him with the thick blankets that Fiona had also provided. Eva scooted in next to Fox.

Raven stood swaying on her feet. “Eva, tell me he’s going to be okay.”

“He’s going to be fine. Now let’s get this sorry-ass group to the hospital.”

Aidan made a quick grab for Raven as her head lolled on her shoulders. He caught her up in his arms just before she would have hit the ground.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
S
EVEN

Aidan paced the putty-colored corridors of the ER. Eva had called ahead on her cell and had the staff prep for their arrival. But things were still taking too long. He’d already been questioned by the troopers as the doctors had to report on Raven’s gunshot. There had been no word on Fox. They’d kicked him out of the room since he was in the way and Raven had been sent up for a CAT scan as she hadn’t regained consciousness by the time they’d arrived.

Fiona and Sonya had followed in another car and were quietly talking in the corner of the waiting room with Eva. Every now and then he felt their worried eyes on him. Life had never played him a winning hand. How could he expect that now would be any different?