Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

J agger

Another hour.

Snow still falling.

Temperatures dropping.

Hope diminishing.

We were on the higher slope, one more dangerous than the lower portion.

Both David and Bella were exhausted, Bella pushing herself, but I sensed she was completely numb at this point. We were back together in a group, no one from the other search teams having found anything. I was enraged, trying to keep my mind in the moment instead of mentally going through events in the past. It wouldn’t do me any good and could possibly derail my portion of the operation.

“No. No!”

I took a deep breath as Bella dropped to her knees in the snow.

David shook his head. “It’s useless.”

“No!” she yelled, struggling to right herself. She lunged toward him, pulling back her arm as if ready to punch him.

“Whoa.” I caught her arm just in time, wrapping my other around her waist and pulling her against what little heat my parka might offer her. “We’re not doing this. Do you hear me?”

“We can’t stay much longer,” David chimed in once again. He wasn’t winning any points.

Bella sobbed for a few seconds as she constantly swung her light from side to side. When she suddenly jerked from my arms, I aimed my light at whatever she was looking at. “There. There!”

I had no idea what she was pointing at, but she took off trying to run through the snow, falling once but continuing to press on.

“Bella. Don’t go that way. Do not go that way!” I turned to David and yelled, “Stay here.” I wasn’t going to have the chance if forced to rescue both of them. Shit. She was headed for the blind drop-off. It was steep enough she would break a leg or worse.

“She’s here. That’s her shoe. That’s her shoe!” Bella was yelling, the wind trying to muffle her words, but I heard them.

And I was sick inside, the rage increasing minute by minute. Losing her wasn’t an option either. With my longer legs, I made some headway, but it was slow going given the snow drifts. “Bella. Just stop. Stop!”

But she didn’t.

With the horrible sound of a limb snapping in two, I used every last bit of energy to rush toward her, swinging the light furiously.

She’d almost taken a tumble over the edge, stopping only because a limb had somehow broken her fall. She lay motionless in the snow, face down with her arms outstretched. Fuck.

Hearing footsteps, I was thankful David had ignored me.

“Oh, my God. Is she…”

“Do not go there,” I snapped at him. “Shine the damn light right there.” I pointed exactly where I wanted the beam. “And do not move.”

“O-Okay,” he said in a gruff voice. Hiking, mountain climbing, and tracking were entirely different. He’d had no full understanding of what he was getting himself into.

But I had.

I dropped into the snow, doing a controlled slide toward her. I’d left the damn grappling hooks inside the bag. My mistake, although there was no guarantee a single rock or crevice could be found to use.

“Okay, baby. If you can hear me, I’m coming to get you. Just don’t move.”

I don’t know whether I should have thought of the slight lift of her head as my reward or a foretelling of things to come. I did my best to shut out my demons, inching closer. The rescue would be dangerous, but I didn’t care at this point.

The truth was I had nothing to live for anyway.

With every foot gained, I felt a portion of the hill sliding away. I was almost to her, calculating the best way to bring her to the top. In daylight and in warm weather, doing so would have taken seconds. The weather hindered every movement, every single breath.

The moment David changed the beam’s direction, the light shining directly down on my head, I was thrown into a moment of my past. The images were so vivid I was stopped cold, completely paralyzed. As I tried to get back to my safe zone, the words I’d learned to drag me there wouldn’t come. I couldn’t think of them.

“You can do it!” a call came from above.

I was the only one who could. I slammed the grappling hook into the rock, pounding it in as I’d done so many times before. But those had been for recreation. This was to save a life.

The recent snowstorm had drifted, leaving a single exposed area. With the single member of my team hanging on to a failing rope, I had little time to react or think about my training.

I just reacted. The hook in place, I slid further down now within a couple of feet. “Tom. Listen to me. Don’t move. I’m coming to get you.”

“I can’t hold on. I just can’t.”

“Yeah, you can. Just breathe for me. Okay? I’ll be right there.” The slope was still icy as fuck. What few places I had to place the toe of my boot were slippery as hell. Twice I almost fell, gasps from topside pissing me off.

There was no way two people could have handled the rescue operation even though our squad leader had insisted on it. I’d gone against orders while he’d been barking on the phone to someone from headquarters. There’d been no time to wait for bureaucracy.

“Hurry,” Tom reminded me.

I was forced to struggle retrieving another hook. Going down much further was dangerous. Unfortunately, with the thin air, I was running out of time due to exhaustion, the heaving training in the worst conditions compromising my body’s integrity.

But I pressed on, driving the hook into place. “Almost there.”

We’d all been trained not to panic, but I sensed Tom was losing control. I managed another foot and was within reach.

“I’m going to wrap the rope around you, but you’ll need to attach it. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, sure.”

It wasn’t a voice of confidence, but I had no other choice but to continue at this point. The wind was getting stronger, making the rescue that much more dangerous.

“Get up here!” the squad leader barked and others tried to calm him down. The only thing that mattered was getting my team mate to safety. I’d take the goddamn consequences for my actions, no matter what they were.

“Tom. Just listen to me. Don’t fight me. I’m going to hand you down the rope now. Okay?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“The hook is on the end. All you need to do is strap it to the ring on your safety harness.”

He made the mistake of looking down just as he reached up.

“Tom. Look at me. Just me. Tom. Tom!”

There was a split second as he glanced up at me when I knew his strength wouldn’t hold. Everything was in slow motion as he smiled, still fighting to reach my hand. I managed to grasp his fingers, trying my best to get a better grip. That’s the moment he started flailing.

“Tom. Tom!”

“Jag-ger.” A small voice broke into the horrible vision and memory, jerking me back to reality. Her voice. Bella’s voice.

Fuck me.

“You okay down there, Jagger?” David called.

I shook the cobwebs from my mind, hissing from allowing the horrible memory to carve even a second into the limited time I had to save her. “Fine. Going down.”

I allowed myself to drop more than I should, rocks somehow finding their way through the ice and snow, tumbling into the abyss.

“Jesus!” David called from above.

Ignoring him, I reached her. “Listen, Bella. You can’t fight me. We might only have one chance at this. Just lie still and I’ll get you to safety.”

Her moan meant she was still conscious. That was a positive.

I managed to wrap one arm around her. Now it was all about crawling toward the top. It was only two feet away, but it felt like ten at least. With the wind blowing snow in my face, I struggled just to slide her a few inches.

But I pressed on, noticing her long, gloved fingers were digging into the snow, helping in any way that she could. Inch by inch, we advanced. When we were close to the top, thankfully David was right there offering a hand.

As I pulled her safely to the surface, forcing us a few feet away, he let out a huge howl.

“Goddamn, man. That was incredible,” he said, whooping into the air.

I let out a deep breath, still able to hear her slight moans. “You okay, city girl?”

She muttered something and I took another deep breath.

“We need to get her to the vehicle. Now. Keep that goddamn light shining so I can see the way.” There was no time to waste. She was losing body heat.

I fumbled getting to my feet, but managed, taking another deep breath before lifting her into my arms. She felt so light, as if she’d lost half her body weight. As I cradled her next to me, she pressed her hand against my chest.

“Hold on, lady. I’m getting you to safety.”

“My baby. I can’t… leave my baby.”

She was starting to drift off, the beginning of hyperthermia the reason. As David pressed down the slope toward the Range Rover, I continued to hug her close. I’d caught a glimpse of Cally’s shoe. Time was of the essence more so now than before. I knew what I had to do.

As soon as we neared where the vehicle was parked, I stopped briefly. “David. Take the walkie-talkie. Tell the others we’re bringing in Bella. Also tell them we found signs where Cally can be found.”

Fortunately, the guy didn’t hesitate, or I might have beaten him to death.

“Team. This is David. Bella is hurt. We know where Cally went.”

While I could tell others responded, I had no clue what they were saying. All I could concentrate on was getting Bella back to the resort into warmth and safety.

I was as gentle as possible when I placed her on the passenger seat, trudging to the other side and jumping in while David climbed into the back.

The road leading down toward the resort was slippery, but I pushed it like I did with everything else. All the while, Bella was whispering words I couldn’t hear, but were no doubt about saving her daughter.

I wasn’t surprised the other vehicle pulled in beside me. As soon as I got out, I could hear snowmobiles heading in my direction. Everyone was returning and I was pissed.

With Bella in my arms, I stormed toward the back entrance to the resort, David opening the door so I could take her directly inside.

Several of the hotel staff were quick to respond, Zoe the one barking out orders. Bella was taken to one of the offices and placed on a couch.

“Blankets. She needs fucking blankets,” I yelled to no one in particular.

“I’ll get them,” a male voice shouted out. I had no idea who he was and didn’t care at this point. I dropped down beside Bella, brushing my knuckles across her ashen face.

I wasn’t shocked when she opened her eyes, grabbing my fingers in her own.

“Save my baby.” Her voice was weak yet determined.

How the fuck could I tell her the odds were falling minute by minute?

I had no plans on telling her something that would put her into a tailspin. Not a chance.

Both Shephard and Hunter barged into the room, pushing aside others. I noticed Denise’s face, her expression telling me everything I didn’t want to know.

Cally was likely not going to make it.

“What the fuck happened?” Shep asked.

“Bella took off on her own. Don’t say it, brother. I don’t need shit right now. We found Cally’s shoe. I know where she went.”

The blankets were brought seconds later and I stood so I could get out of the man’s way.

“You could have died out there,” Hunter stated, as if I didn’t know that.

“We need to suspend the search,” Denise admitted.

I shifted a harsh gaze in her direction. “Unacceptable and so the fuck what if I die? You got her covered, Zoe?” I asked.

“Of course. We’ll take care of her.”

I nodded and headed back to the door.

“You can’t do this,” Denise insisted.

I didn’t answer, continuing my determined path.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Shephard barked at me, as if it meant anything at this point. I noticed he had three walkie-talkies in his hand.

My hard stop was followed by the kind of sound most people should be terrified of. “To find the little girl.” I didn’t wait for any replies. I didn’t care nor did I need them. After shoving my gloves back onto my hands, I took long strides toward the door, slamming my hand against it. The cold air was refreshing at this point and nothing was going to stop me.

“You’re not doing this,” Hunter said from behind me.

“Like fucking hell I’m not.”

“Not without us.”

Hearing Shephard’s determined voice brought a glitch to my system and a moment of grateful relief. “Fine. Then get the fuck in. We need to do this.”

“Together,” Hunter said as he threw open the passenger door.

Together. Other than running the resort, we hadn’t done anything together in one hell of a long time.

With the engine running, I barely waited until the two doors were closed before taking off. At least we had a basic location of where the girl had gone. How she’d managed to get up the slope was beyond me, but at this point, it just didn’t matter.

Her life depended on our combined skills.

Nothing was said as I drove, skidding a few times, but correcting the wheel and the tires easily. At least I knew the strengths of my vehicle. The moment we were in position, I cut the engine and jumped out.

Shep and Hunter followed, but I was at the point of not caring. A walkie-talkie was forced into my hand that I immediately clipped to my belt.

“Where was the shoe found?” Hunter called from behind me.

I turned on the flashlight, scanning the area before I answered. “Four hundred yards up to the left.”

“Come on,” Shep told us both. “We fan out in a proximity, only staying a hundred yards away from each other. Talk, gentlemen. We need to do a uniformed search just like we were trained to do.”

I managed to nod to both of them and took off, trying to jog and bogged down every step of the way. At least the snow had stopped falling, but an ice fog had formed. All the odds were against us.

Steps were taken, even long strides, but with every length advanced, it felt as if I was being pushed back from the wind. I wiped my eyes more than once, but kept going even though the ice crystals on my beard became a tough reminder I was losing the battle.

I kept going, searching every bank of fallen limbs and any cover that Cally might think of to protect herself with. What went on in a four-year-old’s mind? I had no idea, but the instinct of survival was innate in all of us. I had to believe that.

“I got nothing,” Hunter said into the walkie-talkie.

I didn’t answer him, choosing to call out Cally’s name instead. “Cally. Where are you? Come on, honey.”

Only the wind howled.

Another ten steps were taken and I tried it again. “Cally! Cally!” I could swear I heard my brothers from the short distance calling her name as well.

Yet there was nothing.

Then…

Woof. Woof. Woof.

What the hell? A coyote?

“Cally?”

Woof.

No, it was a dog. A dog was barking. “Come on, buddy. Where are you? Talk to me.” There was no way of knowing if the dog could understand, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t continue barking.

The dog’s constant barking became a beacon of hope and a guidepost allowing me to follow his cry. “Come this way. I may have found her.” There was way too much excitement in my voice even if the chances of finding her alive were slim to nil. Too much time had passed.

But I pressed on, following the dog’s weakening sound. I knew when I was close, not only by his barking, but because I felt the little girl’s heartbeat. I knew it.

I pushed myself through a thick group of foliage, shining the light. A dog’s face appeared. Guarded relief rushed through me, but a tight tug at my heart followed. The dog led the way to a group of brush. I fought to shove it aside, the snow having drifted to partially cover it. By the time I freed an opening, the dog returned inside. The moment I flashed the light inside, I could see why.

The little girl had found the dog or vice versa, the pup doing what he or she could to keep her warm. I could tell neither were in good shape. My heart dropped when I touched Cally. She was so cold. The dog started barking again as if trying to tell me something.

“I found her. I found Cally.” My voice broke up as emotions swelled within me. “You did good, puppy. You did real good.” Her little body seemed so frail, so stiff as I pulled her into my arms, gently pulling us both free from the debris. But she was alive, her breathing rapid and ragged, but the soft blows indicated we hadn’t lost her.

With the wind still howling, I held her close, rubbing my gloved fingers across her face. The dog was jumping and barking, which alerted my brothers to our location.

Shephard allowed the light to flow across us while Hunter came forward.

“Jesus, brother,” Shep said. “You did it.”

“The dog did,” I told him. “I might never have found her. Cally’s breathing is shallow.”

“Let’s get her into the vehicle,” Hunter demanded.

“You drive. And the dog comes with us.”

No hero, whether in animal or human form, would ever be left behind.

My brother was a damn good driver, avoiding losing control as I cradled Cally in the backseat. The entire way, the dog refused to keep his head from my lap, his nose on Cally’s arm.

“No collar,” Shep said as we neared the resort. “Likely a stray or dumped.”

“Bastards. It’s okay, pup. We got you too.” I stroked his or her head, more grateful in finding Cally than I’d been with anything for a long time.

With the vehicle jerked to a stop minutes later, Shephard jumped out first, yanking open my door. By the light of the resort’s back entrance, I could see the anxious look on his face.

We weren’t out of the woods yet.

As the four of us and a hero dog walked into the resort, I was shocked to see at least a hundred people if not more standing in wait for our return.

Once they noticed the little girl in my arms, every single one of them started to clap, cheering for the heroes.

Only I felt like less than a hero than I had ever before.

With a group of people following us, I moved quickly down the corridor toward the office where Bella had been taken. The moment I walked inside, there was sudden hushed silence.

Bella struggled to rise to a sitting position, tears sliding down her face. She held out her arms, darting her eyes in my direction several times.

The dog pressed forward, moving to Bella’s side while I kissed Cally on the head before gently easing her into her mother’s arms.

There was another collective cheer from the crowd of guests before Shephard and Denise attempted to push them back. The dog was following closely behind.

I slowly lowered to my knees, offering a smile as the dog licked my face.

“You saved her,” Bella said as she immediately shifted again in her effort to check her daughter’s condition.

“I can only take partial credit. The pup kept her warm. He led us to her.”

“No, you’re my hero, Jagger.”

“Nah. Not true. Not by a long shot.”

She glanced down at the dog, allowing herself to smile before lifting her head toward my brothers. Her silent mouthed words of thanks nearly broke my heart. She continued rubbing her daughter’s face, fighting tears and my gut told me she was praying the little girl would wake up from her slumber.

We both had our hands on the dog’s head, his dark eyes confirming he’d been through the same horrible ordeal as well. In a few minutes of connection, something stirred inside of me that I’d long since thought dead.

“I think the pup is a she,” I said absently.

There was a hard thumping of my heart that had nothing to do with adrenaline from taking risks or craving danger.

I closed my eyes, thankful both were alive until I heard a little voice that formed a jagged edge in my jaded heart.

“Mama?”