Buried

“You’re more fortunate than you know.” The solemn tone of his voice pulled her gaze up.

She figured he’d ask her why she was skiing in the back country with the avalanche danger high, but he didn’t even ask her what had happened to her skis. She hadn’t been skiing, so didn’t have any, of course, but she had no idea how she’d explain her presence here if pressured.

Cade frowned and stood tall, squinting as he skimmed the slope behind Leah. “What can you tell me about your friend? The man you were with?”

Leah’s heart stuttered. She forced a calmness into her expression she didn’t feel. “What man? I wasn’t with anyone.” True enough.

What am I doing? Why lie about Snyder now? Confusion crept over her like the cold trying to slip into the thermal blanket. She wasn’t sure how to handle this. But one thing she felt all the way to her chilled core: she wasn’t out of danger yet.

Snyder might not be working alone. That meant she had to stay on her guard and she couldn’t trust anyone. Until she discovered why he’d killed Tim that night and what he wanted from Leah besides her life, she couldn’t be safe. That meant she needed to disappear again somehow. And when she was gone, the less people in this area knew about her or what had happened to her, the better.

Cade stared down at her, his pensive gaze taking her in once again, wringing her insides as though he’d have the truth from her.

“Okay, then,” he said. “There was a witness—someone who’d seen the avalanche and called it in. He reported seeing a man and woman go under. We have another victim out here somewhere, and I need to help find him. If you think you’re not hurt, and are able, you can search, too. There’s only me and my partner until another team arrives, but they’ll take too long. And our witness seems to have disappeared after pointing me in your direction.”

What? He had no idea what he asked of her. How could she make herself help find the man who only moments before had tried to kill her?

Cade must have noticed her reaction. She saw suspicion in his eyes.

“Are you okay to rest here, then, while I help?”

No. She wasn’t okay. She didn’t want him to go. She hadn’t felt this safe, this secure, in so very long. And those things poured from this man. She’d never needed that before, and the realization stunned her. But she reminded herself she couldn’t afford to need anyone. To trust anyone. “Sure, I’ll be fine.”

“Someone will be here soon to evacuate you.”

Leah nodded and searched the canyon, reliving that moment only a few days ago when Detective Nick Snyder had shot and killed her boss, Tim Levins, in cold blood.

Tim was a lawyer and Leah was his legal investigator. She’d been leaving town that night for a three-week vacation. Tim had insisted she go and use the bonus he’d given her as thanks for her two years of service in his office. He’d bought her a present, too—a necklace that she’d forgotten on her desk in her rush to put everything in order before leaving. She’d stopped by the office late that night to pick it up, not wanting to hurt his feelings if he noticed that she’d left it behind.

Deep down, she knew she had wanted to stop by the office for more than just the necklace. She’d had a feeling something was wrong...that Tim had been trying to hide things from her. He’d been a little too insistent that she use the bonus to go on a long vacation. So she’d gone back to investigate.

She’d liked Tim, but thanks to the trauma of her childhood, she’d never met anyone she trusted, her lawyer boss included.

She’d arrived just in time to witness Tim’s murder. And Snyder—a decorated, trusted police detective and the town’s hero—had come for her.

So she’d disappeared on her own to figure it all out. It had seemed impossible that he’d find her in the remote cabin hidden deep in the Inside Passage of Alaska, hundreds of miles from Kincaid, the small town in the Seattle metropolis where she worked and lived.

Tim had recently inherited the cabin from a distant uncle. He’d wanted Leah to do some research for him regarding the man’s daughter, who Tim thought should have inherited the place. But the woman had vanished. With their case loads, researching anything about the cabin had been put on the back burner.

And when she’d known she had to run and hide, the cabin had been the perfect choice because she’d thought no one had known about the place or had any reason to connect it to her. That is, until she’d spotted Snyder at the cabin.

Until she found out why he’d killed Tim, she couldn’t be sure Snyder had been acting alone, which meant Leah didn’t know who she could turn to with what she’d seen. There could be others in the department who could make her disappear.

Pulling the thermal blanket tighter, she tried to ward off the double chill that told her she wasn’t out of danger, even if Snyder died on the mountain today.

* * *

Cade and Isaiah were still fruitlessly probing for the other avalanche victim when the whir of an additional helicopter echoed beyond the spruce trees covered in white icing. The second mountain rescue team had arrived.

He glanced up the hill at Isaiah who gave a shake of his head. By this time, it was highly unlikely the second victim would survive.

Disappointment corded through Cade and pulled tight. He glanced over to where rescue team members were already preparing to evacuate the woman and reminded himself that he’d succeeded, at least, in saving her. This could have turned out much differently for her. They could be placing her in a body bag right now, as they might be doing in a few minutes when they discovered the other victim. His chances of survival after all this time were almost zero. But they would continue the search for as long as they could safely do so.

Cade’s thoughts tracked back to the five snowboarding victims.

Five body bags.

Earlier in the week Cade and Isaiah had hiked into the backcountry to out-of-the-way paths in the higher elevations. On the north ridge they’d found packed cornices—heavy snow blown in by the wind and overhanging a ridge. After dozens of compression tests to determine the strength or weakness of the snow layers, Cade had been ready to call it a week when they’d received the callout for the snowboarders.

Before the mountain rescue team had even been able to begin searching for the snowboarders, Cade and Isaiah had tossed scores of explosives to trigger the snow that remained above the avalanche—the hangfire snow. Stabilizing the area so that the mountain rescue team could go in. All part of their jobs as avalanche specialists. That, and forecasting and educating the public. While rescuers had shoveled several feet of snow to uncover the victims, their hapless friends or family watching from the sidelines nearly always asked why this was happening to them.

There was no one standing on the sidelines today for either this woman or the other victim.

David, Cade’s older brother, was leading the second team. When he spotted Cade, he approached. “Tell me.”

Cade pointed to the debris field and explained what the witness had said. “We figured with the victim’s trajectory and where we found the woman, this would be the likely catchment area. But as you can see, we’re still probing.”

David grabbed Cade’s shoulder. “You did good, man. You saved someone today. You can take that to heart. Now go home and celebrate. We got this. We’re already setting up a probe line and shovel crew. Handlers are bringing the search and rescue dogs in, too.”

As David jogged through the snow to dole out instructions to his volunteer rescue team, Cade spotted Isaiah hiking toward him.

“Let’s get going. We need to finish our forecasting work before the sun goes down so there won’t be more victims.”

Cade wanted to stay and help. Isaiah must have sensed his hesitation. “You’re exhausted. We’re exhausted. You did what you could, Cade, and it worked. You saved that woman. There are plenty searching for the guy now. Forecasting the avalanche dangers, which is your primary job, saves lives. You can’t know how many lives, but you have to trust that it does.”

Isaiah’s words encouraged Cade. His friend was right. They had work to finish and he’d be in the office until late again, as it was. “I wanted it to be more.”

“I know you did, man. I know you did. I parked the helicopter over the ridge. Let’s go.”

Cade grabbed his gear and followed Isaiah, trudging through the snow that less than an hour before had turned brutal and lethal. More often than not, they had to cart victims—or bodies—out of the area on snowmobiles and toboggans because there wasn’t any helicopter access. This time they had two helicopters—though Isaiah’s was a single-engine R22—and a survivor. The R22 could only accommodate two passengers, so Cade might have had to wait around or hike down on his own while Isaiah evacuated the survivor if not for the medevac.

Cade still didn’t know her name. Strange that she’d seemed hesitant to tell him what it was. But she’d been through an ordeal and he’d given her the benefit of a doubt.

They topped the ridge and spotted the R22 and the medevac that provided both medical attention and transported mountain rescue teams as necessary.

The woman climbed into the medevac, her ash-blond hair with golden streaks half hidden under the blanket covering her shoulders. When he’d found her, tunneled through to her, he’d been stunned at the blue-green eyes staring back at him—the crystal purity he’d seen there. Like a tomb raider, he’d pulled her from the snow-laden crypt and it was then that he’d noticed the rest of her face. She had a clean, natural look. No makeup hiding flaws. She had an open, honest look—like someone with nothing to hide.

If only he could believe it were true. She’d winced when he’d asked her about the other person with her; denied she’d known anything about another victim. She’d been hiding something.

He hated the images that accosted him at that moment. Images of his fiancée with another man. They’d been caught in a situation that required a rescue, revealing her deception. Cade had been devastated that day. Even now his heart was still too strung out to think about loving again and he couldn’t stop himself from looking at this woman with suspicion.

Normally he wouldn’t concern himself too much with whether or not someone he’d helped was deceiving him. After all, it wasn’t as though he usually knew any of them well. It wasn’t until a victim teetered on the precipice between this life and the next that Cade met them, which only made sense. But then he never saw them again. He liked it that way. Better to keep his distance. He’d rescued them. End of story. They didn’t need him anymore anyway.

His throat twisted tight. He couldn’t understand why he didn’t want this to be the last time he saw this woman. Then again it had been too long since he’d rescued someone buried alive in an avalanche. Too long since he’d seen a positive outcome. Maybe that explained it.

With no relatives or friends to call, she had that proverbial deer-in-the-headlights look about her. Well, who wouldn’t after being buried alive? But Cade couldn’t shake the sense that she was afraid, scared of something or someone that had nothing at all to do with the avalanche.

He had a feeling he wasn’t done with this rescue.

Cade trudged forward and chided himself. He was probably reading way too much into things. He was tired and distracted and too suspicious for his own good. He tugged his gloves off. At the very least, Cade would deliver her home. Wherever that was.

He grabbed Isaiah’s arm as the medevac rotors started up. “Nothing personal, but you mind if I ride with them?”

“Instead of with me? Thought we were going to finish the assessments?”

“I think we’ve done all the assessments we’re going to do of the mountain today. You have about enough time before dusk to fly back to the center. Anyway, the avalanche gives us a good assessment of the instability. I’ll do the reports back at the center, so you don’t have to.”

Isaiah saluted and gave a crooked grin. “Have it your way. So, what is your evaluation of the instability?”

“The danger is high.”

THREE

“I need to get a brief medical history, ma’am.” The medic sat next to Leah inside the helicopter. “Take your vitals again. They’ll do a full assessment at the hospital. Your name and age?”

“Twenty-nine.” She didn’t want to give her name; didn’t want it surfacing in the computer system. She wanted to be invisible. To disappear. “But I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

He frowned, but didn’t push her on that or her name. He went through a list of questions, which she answered, portraying a healthy medical history. When he cuffed her for blood pressure, Leah sighed.

Please, just leave me alone.

She needed space. Time to think about what had happened. About what to do next. She inhaled a breath to calm the turmoil rising inside.

I’m alive.

She should be grateful for small things. For this moment. That she was alive, thanks to God. And to the man who had believed he’d find someone beneath the snow on a backcountry strip of a lost canyon.

“Looks good.” The medic packed his equipment away. “Still, you should go to the hospital for a complete exam. Make sure I didn’t miss anything. Internal bleeding or a concussion could be serious.”

“Thanks. I’m fine.”

He promised to return in a few minutes and hopped from the helicopter.

Maybe he was going to check on the other victim. See if the helicopter was free to whisk her off the mountain. Had they recovered Snyder? Leah’s heart stammered at the thought of Snyder, alive or dead. The whole situation filled her with fear.

She strapped herself into the seat, as though it would protect her from whatever would come of it all, the events of the past few hours—past few days—blowing through her thoughts and twisting into a tight knot. For this moment in time—this one moment—she was safe inside this helicopter.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

The deafening whir of the medevac’s blades started up. A familiar voice resounded over the obnoxious sound. Leah opened her eyes to see Cade—the man had stepped from her thoughts into the helicopter. He sent an assessing glance her way and spoke to the pilot, who nodded. Cade closed the door and took the seat next to her, strapping in. A few moments later the medic climbed aboard and sat next to the pilot.

Cade looked at her, that concerned yet calm, soothing expression she’d seen when he was digging her out now gone, replaced by something she couldn’t read. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she said.

Closing the helicopter’s door had turned down the volume of the rotors, but not by much. Did the relative quiet mean she might have to talk to Cade? What did he want from her? Had he seated himself next to her to gather more information such as, say, her name? Or for some unrelated reason?

“You never told me your name.”

Leah sighed and looked out the window, away from him. She would only make him suspicious if she didn’t answer, didn’t give him at least this much of the truth. “Leah. Leah Marks.”

She would be forever grateful to him, but she reminded herself not to take his rescue too personally—that was part of his job. He was likely a volunteer as most were. Men and women from all walks of life who gave up their time and their own hard-earned dollars to rescue people who too often made life-endangering mistakes while hiking, climbing or skiing.

Her knowledge from her ski patrol experience had made her aware of the avalanche risk today, but she’d had no choice but to run straight into the danger zone. The way things had unfolded seemed surreal. The avalanche had prevented Snyder from harming her.

She wanted to relax and breathe, but she couldn’t think she was home free yet.

The helicopter lifted up and away. Leah shifted in her seat to peer out the window, the sun beginning its dive toward the horizon. Darkness would overtake the rescuers soon. Cade leaned over her, a little too closely, to look out the window on her side. She smelled the faded remnants of a musky aftershave overshadowed by the outdoors—evergreens and mountain air and something entirely masculine.

It made her uncomfortable. She wanted him to move away.

He pointed out the window. “Look, you can see displaced snow from the crown and the path. That’s the avalanche that took you down.”

The width and breadth... The whole side of the mountain appeared to have caved in, flattened by snow. Looking like ants from this distance, people were searching for the other victim. For Snyder.

Her ribs contracted. Feeling her lips tremble, Leah slid her hand over her mouth. How had she ever survived that? She knew...she knew exactly how.

She knew exactly who.

Slowly she turned her eyes to look into Cade’s. His face was still much too close, making it hard for her to remember to breathe. The burn started behind her eyes and she blinked at the moisture. That same look of concern she’d seen when he’d first pulled her from the snowy depths pulsated there again.

“Thank you.” The whisper creaked from her lips.

His half grin spread wider. “You’re very welcome.”

The sound of his voice was comforting—too comforting. She knew better than to trust anyone, especially now. Besides, men were louses. She’d seen the way they’d treated her mother, learning that much at an early age. Every person was only out for themselves. Even someone like Cade.

He eased away from her and Leah breathed easier.

“About the other victim, what are his chances?” With this question, Leah’s pulse thundered in her ears.

She already knew, of course, but she needed to hear it from Cade. Wanted to know that she was at least free from Snyder. And yet part of her knew she should hope and pray he survived. That she could somehow bring him to justice. But the thought of Snyder alive and well, tracking her down, plotting the best way to kill her and leave no trace, terrified her.

Her question had apparently affected Cade, as well. He leaned forward, dropping his head into his hands. Then, just as abruptly, he sat up, wiping them down his face. Obviously losing someone to an avalanche upset the guy. As though he felt he was somehow responsible.

Leah didn’t know what came over her, but she slipped her hand over his. “You did what you could. Maybe they’ll find him in time.” Oh, why had she said that?

Though he left his hand in place under hers, Cade relaxed his head into the seat back. “His chances aren’t very good. I’m sorry.”

He was sorry—she could hear it in his voice, see it in his expression.

He didn’t know what she knew. The victim was a murderer. How she hated to see Cade suffer through the agony of believing he’d let someone down because he hadn’t saved a man today. Maybe she could ease that pain by telling him the man had stalked her, wanted to kill her. Then again, Cade didn’t seem like the kind of guy who wanted to play God, deciding who should live and who should die.

Regardless of Cade’s answer, fear that Snyder or someone involved with him was still out there waiting to kill her clawed across her thoughts.

* * *

For a moment Cade had felt like some sort of superhero or something, filled with elation that he’d rescued Leah. Her question had knocked him back to earth.

Leah finally took her hand back from where she’d covered his. Showing him compassion, she’d only meant to help, but she couldn’t understand how her simple touch had moved him.

He didn’t understand it. He didn’t want to be moved. Didn’t think it could happen.

And then he remembered looking into her crystal-clear eyes from the snow—a life hanging in the balance.

She’d moved him, all right.

For a million reasons he hadn’t figured out yet and some reasons he might already know.

He’d been untouchable since Melissa’s betrayal. And the pain of his father’s untimely death while saving old Devon Hemphill, a man his father had quarreled with for the better part of his life... Cade had no words. Even at the thought of the loss, his heart recoiled.

He stared out his own window now, studying the terrain, looking at the cornices and the buildup of windswept snow after the storms. All death traps waiting to be sprung. The helicopter carried them away from the canyon and Mount McCann and would set them down at the Incident Command Center location.

Leah seemed happy that Cade had left her to her thoughts. She had to be exhausted. Did she have any idea how fortunate she’d been?

God had intervened on this one, Cade was sure. Something Cade rarely saw anymore, which made him wonder about God sometimes.

“We’ll land at the Incident Command Center for coordinating the avalanche rescue and recovery,” he informed her. “They’ll want to take you to the hospital to get things checked out.”

She shook her head.

Cade had expected that reaction. “Listen, when I was digging you out, you mentioned you had no family or friends for me to call. I need to make sure you get home safely. That is, after your visit to the ER. The hospital staff needs to thoroughly check you out.”

“That’s not necessary. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“You might be injured and not even know it.”

“The medic already checked me out and said I was fine. I don’t need anything else.”

Cade knew what the guy had told Leah. Too bad he was up with the pilot, wearing a headset and oblivious to their conversation. Why didn’t she want to go to the hospital? “Look, at least let me give you a ride home.”

“Thanks, but I can get myself home.”

“Really?” Dusk clamping down on them, Cade shifted in his seat to face her full on. “Because unless you parked your vehicle at the ICC, you’ll need a ride somewhere.”

Leah blew out a breath. “You’re persistent, aren’t you?”

“What kind of rescue is it if you can’t get a decent ride home?” He was only being courteous. That’s all this was, wasn’t it?

Part of him liked Leah, sure—he’d admit that. He should stay far away from her on that reason alone, except that same feeling came back to him that he’d had before. He sensed that something was terribly wrong. That he shouldn’t let her vanish into the night. He wasn’t done with this rescue.

He almost wanted to roll his eyes at his own thoughts—he thought much too highly of his ability to assist people.

“Listen, Cade...”

Anything prefaced with those words couldn’t be good. Had he given her the wrong idea? That had to be it. But he had a strange feeling that he’d given her exactly the right idea about his interest in her—and he couldn’t be interested, not in that way. How did he protect himself and protect her? Especially when she clearly didn’t want his help or protection.

“I’m listening.”

“I like you.” She paused, appearing to measure her next words. “It’s just that I’m not in a place in my life right now to have friends, especially someone...”

She left the sentence hanging and Cade wondering what she had planned to say about him. She obviously had thoughts about him one way or another; she had been thinking about him. Even in the dimming light of day at only four o’clock Alaska time, Cade noticed the rush of color to her beautiful, nature-girl face. He’d be a jerk if he told her now that he wasn’t interested.

Cade held up his hands in mock surrender. “Point taken. But I’m only trying to wrap up your rescue and leave you safe and sound at home. If not me, then let someone else deliver you there.”

Passing her off to someone else to help her was for the best.

“I’m in a cabin up by Dover Creek. Not far from—”

“Dead Falls.” Where the avalanche happened today. “I know the place.”

All too well.

After her insistence that he stay out of her business, he was surprised she’d told him where she was staying. Acid burned through him. Though that explained what she was doing in the avalanche area, it didn’t explain why she was in old Devon Hemphill’s abandoned cabin. When Devon had died not long after Cade’s father had saved him, he’d taken with him the chance for Cade to get answers to his questions as to why his father had given his life to save the man he’d always seemed to hate. Could the answers be hidden somewhere in that cabin? Was he supposed to meet Leah for that very reason?