Untraceable (8 page)

He nodded, and got out of his sleeping bag.

Heidi zipped the tent completely closed. If she couldn’t persuade Zach, maybe she would bring Jason over to her way of thinking. He seemed to have warmed to her. “And if we do that, Zach is going to let us go, right? I mean, a deal is a deal.”

Shrugging, he averted his gaze.

Disappointment swelled inside her. She’d try another tact. “How did you get involved with him anyway?”

Jason swiped his light brown hair from his face and narrowed his eyes. His cheeks were puffy and red, and his expression reminded her of a young child. “I didn’t wake up one morning and decide I wanted to rob an armored car, if that’s what you think. But I’m in it now, and Zach is calling the shots. He’s just crazy enough that I have no intention of offering up information like I did before. You can quit with your interrogation.”

So he wouldn’t be so easily persuaded to share what he knew about Zach’s plans.

Heidi ignored her disappointment. “No interrogation. But even though you somehow got in with Zach, it doesn’t mean you have to keep going down this road. You have choices, you know?”

“That’s easy for you to say. I got no more choice right now than you do.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I’m not talking to you anymore.” His gun within easy reach, Jason pulled on his boots, shuffled around, found his coat and gloves, and donned them, as well.

When he started for the tent exit, Heidi moved aside and let him go through first. Well, it had been worth a shot. Still, she’d seen something behind his eyes. He wasn’t as hard-hearted as he wanted her to believe. Everyone, even bad guys, had something good inside of them. Maybe Heidi was crazy to believe the way she did, but she hoped to find Jason’s soft spot and connect that way. It might be their only chance.

Heidi started out of the tent only to face Isaiah on his way in, his nearness taking her breath, like always. She scooted out of his way.

“What’s going on out there?” she asked. “Where did you go?”

“The sky’s clear for now.” A grin crept into his somber expression. “It’s going to be a sunny day.”

“Oh, Isaiah.” Relief swept over her. But they weren’t out of this yet. “I’m amazed we made it this far. But that still doesn’t answer my question.”

He started rolling up the bags. “I went to explore what we’d face next, see where we’ve been and where we need to go. I didn’t go far.”

“And nobody saw you? Stopped you?”

He shook his head. “Everyone is too exhausted. These guys aren’t accustomed to this much exertion. Frankly, neither am I.”

He sent her a wry grin, along with a chuckle.

“Why didn’t you try to get a radio and make a call for help?”

Pausing, he looked up at her. “How do you know I didn’t?”

Words caught in her throat. She studied him, her heart pounding. “Did you?”

He focused on the sleeping bags again. “I tried. Couldn’t get through.”

“Isaiah, what if Zach had caught you?” She crawled closer. “He’ll kill you if he finds out.”

He started to speak, but she pressed her hand over his mouth. “Don’t say he’s going to kill us anyway. I don’t want to hear it. There has to be another way. I talked to Jason this morning.”

Isaiah scowled. “You’re not going to talk us out of this. Jason is not going to help us.”

“Then why don’t we overpower them, get the guns back? Something.” She hated the trembling that crept into her voice along with a rising panic.

“If we get the chance, we will. But I need to tell you something.” Isaiah gripped her shoulders.

“What is it? Is it Cade?”
Oh, God, please no...

“No, no.” He hesitated, then, “I found Liam’s body yesterday.” Another pause, then, “I haven’t told anyone yet.”

Heidi shrank back, tears surging. She’d presumed he’d died. They all had. How could he have survived out there? But to find his body...

Covering her mouth, she sobbed softly. Isaiah pulled her to him and held her. His arms felt strong around her, and she could easily sink into his chest and soak up his confidence, his reassurance. Everything about Isaiah that she admired. And Heidi wanted so much more from him, but she couldn’t bear the thought of getting hurt again. Isaiah had been the first one to hurt her. He’d been the one to start her spiral away from trusting in forever, and he’d done it while they were only friends. She couldn’t imagine how hard it would be if she let herself love him.

She moved away from his embrace.

“I know the point of search and rescue is to save people,” he said. “I don’t want to sound harsh, but he might not be the last person to die as we make it through these mountains. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Heidi nodded. The harsh environment would pick them off, one by one, despite the best efforts of the search and rescue team. Then they could worry about fighting whoever was left. But she didn’t get the chance to voice her thoughts.

Outside the tent, someone shouted.

Gunfire resounded through the mountains.

* * *

“Stay here.” Isaiah scrambled from the tent, praying Zach hadn’t suddenly decided to shoot them all now.

Zach stood a few yards away from the tents where Cade and Rhea had paused from digging out the bags. Had he found the body?

The man holding the weapon turned, spotted Isaiah, and the game was over. “There’s the man of the hour.”

Uh-oh.

Zach strolled toward Isaiah looking as if he would toy with him, maybe even kill him. Isaiah stiffened when Zach looked from the gun to Isaiah. “Rhea said she saw you leave the camp this morning.”

“Just scouting around to see where we need to go, that’s all.”

“With a radio.”

“She was mistaken.” Isaiah kept his face straight. “Radios don’t work out here.” Depended on the radio, of course.

Zach shot a look at Rhea. Isaiah feared she would argue with him, try to convince Zach that Isaiah was the liar, but terror filled her eyes instead. The control this guy had over his people should be more than terrifying, but Isaiah hoped to use it to his advantage.

Heidi tromped up behind him.

His gut clenched.

I told you to stay in the tent.

He wanted to whirl on her and send her back, but he stood his ground. Didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t act as if he cared.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to fool Zach. The smirk that Isaiah was growing to hate filled out Zach’s face as he studied Heidi.

“What was with the gunshot?” Isaiah hoped to distract him.

“I fired off a shot to bring you back from wherever you’d gone, and to remind everyone who is in charge. And it worked. You showed up, and everyone is shaking in their snowshoes.”

“Come here, sweetheart.” Zach motioned for Heidi to come closer.

Isaiah almost threw his arm out to stop her. Push her behind him. But doing that would only put her in more danger. Zach was becoming drunk on his sense of power and the money he lugged around with him. Isaiah had to bide his time until he could take Zach down for good.

Though he hated that someone had died, there was one less person for him to fight. When would Zach bring up his friend? Mourn his loss? Did he even care?

Heidi hiked over to Zach, and Isaiah didn’t miss Rhea’s hateful look.

Zach snatched her to him. Cade flinched at the same moment Isaiah stepped forward, reacting before he could catch himself. And that was the worst thing he could do. Zach would take that and run with it. Toy with them in painful ways Isaiah didn’t want to imagine.

The man pulled her even closer and smelled her hair in an overly dramatic fashion. “I love the smell of lavender.”

Zach’s gaze stabbed Isaiah. It took everything inside him not to take the bait.

Isaiah clenched his teeth, squeezed his gloved fists and stared Zach down. They would have their moment to face off.

“Rhea, bring me the radio.”

Rhea glared at Zach and Heidi, but did as she was told, handing off the device.

Isaiah thought he’d been as discreet as possible earlier when he’d tried to establish radio contact with the command center. Everyone had been snoring. He’d taken a risk, yes, but what else could he do? He’d lied when he’d said the radios don’t work here. Sometimes they did. Same with the SAT phones. It all depended on a lot of factors. But he still hadn’t been able to reach anyone.

In the silent winter wonderland around him, in the terror of the scenario unfolding, his heartbeat resounded in his ears. Isaiah prayed hard.
God, please. I know what I said earlier, begging You to let the radio work, but I want to reverse that request now.

Zach tried the radio.

They all listened to the static as the sun peeked over the mountains from the east.

“If we have any chance of making the ice field, we don’t have time for games.” Cade dug their bags and packs filled with supplies and gear out of the snow. “Like Isaiah said, radios don’t always work out here. We’re in the mountains in a dead zone.”

“Why’d you take the radio, then?”

“I told you, I didn’t.” Okay, so that was a lie, but it was unavoidable. He stood his ground.

Cutting Zach’s interrogation short, Isaiah ignored him and hiked over to help dig their gear out, keeping his head down. Cade was right to bring Zach’s focus back. Another storm could come through and bury them for good this time. They had to make it all the way out of this gap between the mountains that created another ferocious wind tunnel before it began all over again.

When Isaiah knew that Zach had lost interest in grilling him about the radio, or using Heidi to taunt him, he blew out a breath. In his peripheral vision he saw Zach, Jason and Rhea breaking down the tents. He and Cade should do it, to make sure they didn’t destroy their only protection against this environment, but he needed a moment to steady his nerves, rein in his anger.

Cade grabbed a snow-covered bag near Isaiah, leaning in. “I’m surprised you held it together.”

How well Cade knew him. “Thanks for jumping in when you did.”

“The radio wasn’t the issue. I jumped in to protect all of us, but especially my sister. It’s obvious that Zach has picked up on your affinity for Heidi.”

Isaiah shrugged, digging another bag out. “I haven’t done anything to encourage him, Cade. You have to know that. I haven’t responded to any of his taunts. I wouldn’t do that to Heidi. He just doesn’t like me. That’s all.”

Cade’s eyes were colder than the air. “You’re going to get her killed.”

“What do you want me to do? Walk off the next cliff?” Isaiah wished he could take the words back.

Breathing hard, Cade straightened to his full height. “Just keep your head down and stay out of trouble. Don’t leave the camp again. Don’t try
anything
again.”

“Have you got a plan then? Because I’d sure love to hear it.”

“Sure I do. I plan to get the group to safety. We’re taking them to the ice field. We have to believe a search and rescue team will find us by then. David will figure out something has gone wrong soon, if he hasn’t already.”

Isaiah wanted to believe in Cade’s plan. He really did. “This guy isn’t going to let them find us, and besides, we have to warn them, Cade. We can’t allow more people to be put in danger.”

Since Cade was clearly delusional, finding a way out of this mess was up to Isaiah.

EIGHT

T
hey hiked in snowshoes throughout the morning, but at least the sun broke through the clouds and warmed them, though Heidi knew that another snowstorm was on the way. And when it came, the inclement weather would be like a recurring nightmare. Torturing them during the day, too.

Facing the harsh Alaska environment was one thing, but she’d never imagined herself in this predicament. Not in her worst nightmares, recurring or not. This journey couldn’t end soon enough. And yet she almost dreaded the end, especially after Isaiah’s words.

They can’t let us go.

Would she face her death, then? Watch Cade and Isaiah be executed?

Heidi shoved aside the foreboding thoughts, though they stayed at the edge of her mind. She wished she were hiking closer to Cade and Isaiah. Instead, Zach kept her near him at the back of the line so he could use her to control them. Cade led the way as they hiked out and down toward the base of the mountain, followed by Jason, Isaiah, Rhea and then Zach with Heidi.

Rhea tried to hang back so she could be near Zach, the man she claimed to love, but he kept urging her forward. If only he would pay attention to Rhea and reassure her of his affections. After her talk with Rhea, Heidi hoped she’d convinced the woman she had no plans to steal Zach away. The very idea made her shudder.

“What’s going through that pretty head of yours?” he asked.

His question repulsed her. Rhea glanced back and glared at Heidi.

“I’m thinking about what’s up ahead. We got a short reprieve from stormy weather and from any serious climbing. But there’s more to come. And we’re all exhausted.” How would they survive this?

“Those energy bars don’t stay with you long, do they? I’m hungry again. Aren’t you?” Zach’s attempt at a normal conversation fell flat. What did he think? That he could change the way Heidi thought of him?

“Yeah, I’m hungry, too,” she admitted. They were burning up their energy reserves quickly, and running out of supplies.

Rhea slowed and hiked next to them, and this time, Zach said nothing about it. “Do you think we’ll need to use your climbing ropes again?” she asked. “That was the worst experience of my life.”

Heidi nodded, pleased that Rhea’s thoughts were now turned to the dangers ahead, and not Zach’s misconstrued interest in Heidi. At least she hoped Zach had no real interest in her. She ignored any warning thoughts to the contrary, burying them deep.

“Mine, too. But we won’t have to climb at night during a storm if Zach doesn’t force us to.”

She hoped Zach wouldn’t push them, if it came to that.

At her comment, he scowled at Rhea. “Get back up there, you’re slowing us down.” Once again he urged Rhea ahead.

By the time the sun had crawled to late morning, almost lunch, Heidi’s stomach had been rumbling for over an hour. They only had a few energy bars left and would need to save them, or else start on the MREs. David would be expecting them to show up where Isaiah had said they would be hiking down, but he’d been forced to misdirect the rest of the team who presumably waited back at the command center. How long before David sent helicopters out to search for them? Would they look for them in this region, and could they even spot them if they did?