Tailspin (4 page)

Had she stumbled on something and was hiding that fact? There had to be much more to this story. That something gnawed at his mind again, just out of his reach. A cup of warm coffee and some rest might ease the ache in his head and set him thinking clearly again.

She released a sigh that tickled his neck. “Obviously I have a lot to figure out, but I can't think a straight thought.”

“Right. You need food and warmth and sleep.” Just like he did. If only he could find that cabin. He hoped he didn't run into those men after Sylvie. But they couldn't have followed him. He'd take comfort in that. Then again, letting down his guard could be a mistake neither of them could afford.

Too many unknowns made him edgier by the second.

As the cold rain came down harder, tumbling through the canopy of spruce and hemlock, Will focused on stepping his way over slick boulders and freezing ground, careful to avoid slipping, especially with his burden. Though Sylvie was small, carrying her the distance began to weigh on him. His arms ached, challenging his confidence. He should have come across Snake's cabin by now. If he wasn't going to find the cabin, then they needed to make shelter while there was still enough light.

The rain eased to a fine mist, blunted by the forest canopy.

He stopped, thinking about putting her down so he could build a fire.

“Will.” Her warm breath caressed his cheek. “Through the woods...”

Will's pulse jumped. The cabin? He peered through the trees, eyes following where she gestured. An elk. Disappointment jabbed through him that it wasn't the cabin. How could he tell her the disheartening news that he didn't know where he was going, after all? He set her down, steadying her to sit on a fallen log, and drew in a breath to tell her the bad news. Before he could say the words, the fog in his mind lifted, and he saw clearly what he couldn't understand before.

Sylvie had been looking for her mother's missing plane—the same as him.

His next words took a different tack altogether.

“Tell me about the plane you were looking for.” Ever since she mentioned her mother's plane, Will suspected they were both on the same search. His mother's plane was the only one that had gone missing in the area in more than a year, and there had been one passenger. A woman. Sylvie's mother—he was sure of it. And from the look on her face, she was making the connection, too.

“You're a bush pilot. Mountain Cove Air. That's your company?”

He nodded. “My mother was flying a surprise package back to Mountain Cove two months ago when her plane went missing. I've been searching for her ever since. I think we've both been looking for the same plane.” How could it have flown so far off the intended path that search parties—Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Fire Service, Coast Guard, Fish and Wildlife Guard, the list went on—hadn't found them? Then again, they had thousands of square miles of islands, water and mountains to search even on the flight path she should have taken. Not counting where she might have detoured.

That was it, then. She'd taken a detour and Will suddenly knew. Why hadn't he thought of that before? She'd kept a postcard his father had sent her years before of a beautiful waterfall. What if his mother had been showing Sylvie's mother the sights, including her favorite?

Will remembered the postcard because of the scripture quote written on it. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

From the moment he'd seen the postcard and read the verse, Will had always pictured himself as an eagle when he flew. Seeing life from above, the big picture of things, must be how God saw things.

Could the plane be there?

Sylvie rubbed her arms. “Oh, Will.”

“Do you know anything about a surprise package?” he asked. “I keep wondering if...” He couldn't bring himself to say the worst. He didn't want to believe his mother had delivered a surprise that turned out to be an actual explosive device. The idea was too far-fetched.

“I think the surprise was my mother. She lived in Mountain Cove years ago. She left after she had an affair with a married man. It was a bad breakup. And then she found out she was pregnant. She had to leave.”

Will hated where this was going. Hated it for Sylvie. “Was she pregnant with you?”

“Yes.” She hesitated then added, “My mother's name was Regina Hemphill. My father was Scott Warren. I have half brothers and one half sister. Maybe you know them.”

“I do.” He released a heavy sigh. “That is
one
surprise package. But you're an even bigger surprise.”

“Yeah, a surprise nobody wants to hear about. Or at least, that's what my mother told me as gently as she could when she explained why I shouldn't try to contact my father or half siblings. I guess she didn't want to see me get my expectations up and get hurt. I can't be sure she even told him about me. When I finally worked up the nerve to face him on my own, I couldn't because he had died.” She shivered, either from the memory or from the chill in the air.

Will was reminded that he needed to find shelter. They could search for a cave, but what if they didn't find one in time? He needed to build at least a rudimentary cover. A debris hut would be quick and easy and keep them warm. He'd prefer a bough structure to reflect the warmth of a fire. The problem was a rainforest was much too wet, and the chances he could start a fire were close to zero.

God, please, we need Snake's cabin
.

“It's not fair,” she whispered. “And I have half siblings who may not even know I'm alive. I can't tell you how often I've thought of them, wanted to meet them.”

Strange to think her mother, given the circumstances of her having to leave Mountain Cove, would have told Sylvie about her half siblings. Or had she done her own research? But she wasn't finished talking and he wouldn't interrupt. Instead, he began creating a mound from the forest floor.

“On the other side of that, they could resent me for the reminder that their father betrayed his marriage vows with my mother. They could hate me. So it's almost better if I never meet them. Then I can stick with believing they'd want to meet me, but don't know if I exist or how to find me if I did.” Sylvie groaned. “I can't believe I'm telling you all this. You didn't exactly ask for the whole shebang.”

“I know the Warren siblings would love to meet you.” He knew the siblings were aware of their father's affair, and knew they'd tried to find out if they had a brother or sister out there. These were conversations he couldn't help but overhear when piloting the Warrens to Juneau or sometimes even delivering them to a SAR—search and rescue—command center. They trusted Will. But in all of this, what he'd really like to know was if his mother had known where Regina had gone all along, but said nothing. “I'll help you make that happen.”

“No, please, no. I'm not sure I'm ready to face them. I'm torn about it. I need time to think it through. I want it to be on my terms. Please don't ever tell them. I'll be the one if it happens.”

“Okay, then.” If Will's mother had kept Regina's secret, he thought he could feel some of what she might have felt when someone extracted a promise like that.

Still, it would be a hard promise to keep, depending on how all of this unfolded. From what had happened so far, this seemed to be shaping up into quite an adventure that Will could tell his grandchildren about one day. But he couldn't think of it as an adventure until it was over and they survived. Grandchildren? He'd never get married so children were out of the question.

Will needed to excavate a hole in the debris, and then he and Sylvie would have to crawl into the pile, supported by loose branches, and hope to keep warm. Tomorrow he could build something better, if it came to that.

She tilted her head. “I thought you were making a fire.”

“A fire? It's too wet.”

“Oh, I guess you're right. I should be helping you.” Sylvie stood then fell back to the log.

“You're injured. No need to help.” Will took a short break and sat next to Sylvie on the log, hoping his body heat would warm her, wishing his headache would subside.

“I know it's hard to understand how I can ask you to keep my secret. Mom made it sound like the whole town of Mountain Cove gossiped about her. Practically ran her out of town. That's why I need to work up my nerve before approaching the Warrens.”

“You? You've got nerves of steel.” Will inserted some humor into this too-serious conversation to cover his own growing anxiety about their chances of survival.

“Nerves of steel don't matter. Under the right circumstances even something as benign as salt can turn corrosive and erode steel.” Sylvie shifted next to him. “Despite her feelings about the town, she was on her way back to Mountain Cove. I guess I'll never understand why, but I wanted to find her plane. I want to know what happened.”

“You and me both, Sylvie. You and me both.” Will waited for Sylvie to go on, one question burning in his mind. When she didn't continue, he asked, “Did you find what you were looking for? Did you find the plane?”

Sylvie opened her mouth to speak.

A twig snapped from the shadows. Will sprang from the log to face the threat. He stood in front of Sylvie to protect her and reached for his weapon, but came up empty-handed. He'd forgotten that he didn't have it. It was submerged with his plane.

Wearing a hood, a man emerged from the trees. Friend or foe?

“Snake?” Will squinted, studying the intruder.

The man stepped forward and tugged back his hood. “What are you doing here?”

FIVE

W
hat 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.”