Chapter 19
Jayden was leading a pair of climbers through crevasse training when she saw Rhian and her three contestants crossing the glacier, roped together in pairs and spread out across the ice for safety, exactly as she’d instructed Rhian to do. They still had a decent walk ahead of them before they reached base camp. Enough time for Jayden to finish the crevasse session and get coffee made before they sauntered in.
When they finally arrived at the encampment, Rhian pulled off her hood and neck gaiter and grinned. “Damn, it’s nice to be out of that wind for a bit. I’m loving that ice wall.”
Jayden helped her lift her pack off her back and lowered it to the ground as the others followed her into a semicircle of people gathering around.
Luiji shook hands with Hunter and Lonnie, tugging them in for the obligatory man hugs before chest-bumping Tomasi and tipping his head to the rest of the team. Jayden filed the information away for later use, as she did with every detail she learnt about her team. She looked around to where Killian stood on the edge of the group, only to find it wasn’t Killian. A new face smiled at her alongside the woman she hadn’t met before. She strode over to them.
“Hi, I’m Jayden. You must be Brooke.” She shook Brooke’s hand first then held it out to the new guy.
“Oskar Nowak.”
“Well, nice to meet you, Oskar.” She waved her arm out wide. “Welcome to base camp. We’ve got coffee just brewed, so help yourselves. Dinner shouldn’t be but a few minutes, right, Felix?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he shouted from over at the camp kitchen. He had a smile on his face, clearly enjoying his turn as camp chef as he tossed the contents of one pan and stirred another. It smelled gorgeous, and Jayden couldn’t wait to get a bowl full of it, whatever it was.
“How long?”
“Twenty minutes,” Felix shouted back.
“Plenty of time. Hunter, Lonnie, over here.” She called and waited for them to arrive. “Guys, this is Oskar. He’s gonna bunk with you two.” She turned back to Oskar with a smile. “This afternoon they were busy tidying it up to make space in their tent. We thought it would be for Killian, but now it’s for you, so you should at least be able to get your sleeping bag in there.” They all laughed and sauntered off, Hunter leading the way. “Follow me,” she said to Brooke.
“You’re the head honcho around here?” Brooke asked.
“Nah, that’s Rhian. I’m just the guide.” She stopped in front of the group of women chatting with Rhian. “Sky, Kimi, this is Brooke. She’ll be sharing with you ladies.”
“I’m not sharing with Rhian?” Brooke asked with a frown.
Jayden shook her head, surprised, and a little unsettled by the question. “No, you’ll be sharing with Sky and Kimi.” Rhian will be sharing with me. It’s my turn to spend some time with her now. What the hell? Where did that come from? She pushed aside the intrusive thoughts and focused on the sneering woman in front of her. “You’ll partner Kimi for your training tomorrow. It’ll do you good to get to know each other a little bit. Luiji!” she shouted and turned on her heel, dismissing Brooke and her annoying dissatisfaction. Her covetous attitude towards Rhian made Jayden want to put her in her place, and enjoy doing it.
Luiji ran across the ice to her faster than she thought wise, but she didn’t say anything. She wanted to see what he was going to do. He checked himself to a loping jog and slid to a halt in front of her, then held his hands up.
“May I speak?” he asked politely. She nodded and waited for him to continue, aware of Rhian arriving at her side the instant she got there. “I wish to apologise for my behaviour. I do not blame you for banning us from the trip. I would have done the same in your position. But I have had much time to reflect on my attitude, and I give you my word that I will show you I have learnt the lesson you were trying to teach me.”
“And what was the lesson?”
“That it takes more than ability to survive out here. I must have strength, not just in body, but in mind, in will, and in heart.” He tapped his chest. “I must have discipline, and control. And above all else, I must have respect—respect for you, for myself, and, most importantly, for the mountain.”
Jayden smiled. “I’m very glad you’re still with us, Lui. You mind if I call you Lui?” She offered her hand.
“I think I like Lui.” A wide smile broke across his lips. “Thank you, Jay,” he said with emphasis.
She threw her head back and laughed. “Okay, you’ll have to crash with Miguel and Santiago.”
“No problem. I have extra provisions for stores in my pack. I will unload those first and then make up my sleeping space. Which tent is it?”
She pointed to the yellow-and-black dome on the far side of the encampment. “They’re out scouting a location for me right now, but they’ll be back in a few. If I know those guys, it’ll be as neat as a pin in there. You shouldn’t have any problems.”
He nodded and scooted off.
“He’s been a different guy the last couple of days,” Rhian said.
“Good. Do I want to know why Killian isn’t here?”
“Probably not, but you need to.”
Jayden glanced at her and nodded. “Well, since the only tent left with space in it is mine, you can tell me later.”
“Thanks. I’ll save the gory details for you, then.” She cocked her head to one side.
Jayden frowned as the change in light showed the faint outline of a bruise on her cheek. She touched the tip of her finger to Rhian’s chin, turning her head a little further so she could make it out better.
“How did this happen?”
Rhian pulled her head away. “I’ll fill you in later. How’s the training been going?”
Jayden didn’t like the sound of that but allowed her to change the topic. They would have plenty of time to talk later. In private. “Very well. They’re all working hard and improving quickly. You picked good climbers. Some of them just need a few reminders, but very few of them are learning new skills here. You’ve made my job a lot easier. Thanks.”
Rhian’s face flushed under the praise, and she turned away, her gaze flicking from one contestant to another.
Jayden took pity on her discomfort. “So tell me what I need to know about our two newbies.”
“Well, Oskar’s a twenty-year-old Alpine specialist—”
“At twenty? No one’s a specialist at twenty.”
Rhian scowled playfully. “Do you want me to tell you or not?”
Jayden sighed, but quirked her lips. “Go on, then.” She rolled her hand in a circular motion.
“He’s been based in Chamonix since his parents moved him there when he was twelve. Skis like a demon and has scaled the Eiger, the Matterhorn, and Mont Blanc this year.”
“Originally from?”
“Poland.”
Jayden nodded. “Explains the odd accent he has. Polish-French mix.”
Rhian chuckled. “But at least his English is good.”
“True.”
“And then we have…”
Rhian sighed heavily. “Brooke Shields,” she said and paused.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Everyone asks that. And, no, I’m not. I didn’t name her,” Rhian replied testily.
Jayden held up her hands, eyes opened wide. “Sorry.”
Rhian sighed again and shrugged off her annoyance. “No, I’m sorry. She’s just…doesn’t matter. Anyway, she’s from South Africa—Cape Town. Twenty-three. Mostly a sport climber with trad climbing experience.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Why’s she pissing you off? Bad attitude?”
“No, not bad. Just…” She sighed again. “Give it an hour. You’ll see for yourself.” She snorted a bitter laugh. “If you even need an hour.” She nodded in the direction of the tents. “Which one’s home, then?”
“The black-and-red one.”
“’Kay. Thanks.” She picked up her pack and set off for the small dome tent at the far edge of the encampment, close to Miguel and Santiago’s. Jayden’s frown deepened. She didn’t like the sound of it. The woman had already set her teeth on edge, questioning where she’d be sleeping and who she’d be sleeping with.
Then the penny dropped. Shit. Clearly Brooke was hitting on Rhian. And just as clearly, Rhian was uncomfortable with it.
She tucked her hands into her pockets and made her way over to the camp kitchen.
They’d been working together for five weeks. They’d shared some great hikes, done a few climbs, and had more working dinners together than she could remember. They’d talked about a lot of things. They were becoming…friends. Though neither of them had spoken much about their pasts, she’d gotten the distinct impression that Rhian was gay—just little comments, off-the-cuff remarks that had led her to the conclusion. And Jayden wasn’t usually wrong about these things.
Despite the rocky start, and Jayden’s admittedly uncharacteristic harshness towards her, she could admit her initial assessment of Rhian as a vulture had been wrong. She’d proven herself to be kind, considerate, intelligent, and with a sense of humour that constantly caught Jayden off guard. She enjoyed being around her, working with her, talking to her. And the idea of Rhian being uncomfortable, for any reason, well, that really pissed her off.
Felix handed her a large bowl of pasta with chunks of chorizo and peppers and a spicy tomato sauce all over. “There’s garlic bread on the board there.” He pointed to the end of the makeshift table and went back to ladling out another portion.
She was sitting on one of the ice benches, chewing thoughtfully, when Rhian sat next to her.
“Mind if I join you?”
Jayden shook her head and swallowed. “Not at all. On one condition.”
“What is it with you and conditions?” She chuckled. “Go on. What’s the condition?”
“You tell me what’s bothering you about Brooke.”
Rhian rolled her eyes and nodded as the lady in question walked towards them with her own bowl and a cocky grin. She plopped down on the other side of Rhian, and Jayden instantly noted how Rhian’s jaw tensed when Brooke put her hand on Rhian’s knee and patted it before stroking it. The action of a lover, intimate. Too intimate for the situation unless… Had Rhian and Brooke had a fling? Or a one-night stand? A little fun, thinking she’d never see the rejected climber again? Is that why Rhian looked so uncomfortable?
An image of Rhian cradled in Brooke’s arms popped into her head and stubbornly refused to leave. She pictured Rhian, eyes closed, lips parted in surrender as Brooke plundered her mouth with her tongue. Brooke’s hand, wrapped in Rhian’s blond hair, tugging her head back to give her access to her delicate throat. Rhian’s hands grasping at her shoulders as her hips pressed into Brooke’s body.
Jayden’s heart smacked against her ribs like an out-of-rhythm bass drum, low and deep and threatening to crash through at any moment. Jealousy wasn’t an emotion she was familiar with, and it wasn’t one she liked the flavour of now.
The soft press of Rhian shuffling closer to her snapped her out of that torturous daydream. But Jayden wasn’t even sure Rhian was aware she’d moved. Her eyes were fixed ahead, and her fingers were clasped tightly around her fork.
Whatever the reason, Rhian was uncomfortable, and Jayden couldn’t ignore it. She couldn’t let Rhian sit beside her like a stone while Brooke ran her hands possessively over her body. She just couldn’t. It wasn’t right. Jayden shifted her bowl to her lap and her fork into one hand and slid the other around Rhian’s shoulders. In for a penny, as Mum used to say. She leant over and kissed her cheek.
“It’s really good to see you again, babe,” she said loud enough for Brooke to hear. Two things happened at the same time: Brooke’s hand stopped stroking Rhian’s leg, and Rhian’s head spun to look at her so quickly, their lips touched. Jayden used the momentum to tuck her cheek against Rhian’s and whisper in her ear, “Play along if you want her to leave you alone. Slap me if you don’t.” She could feel Rhian’s throat work as she swallowed.
“I missed you too,” she said quietly.
Jayden smiled and held her position a moment longer. “We can talk about this later as well. Okay?”
Rhian nodded and eased away from the embrace. Brooke’s hand had moved from her knee, and she’d slid across the ice bench until she was no longer touching Rhian. Jayden smiled and decided to have a little fun with the game they’d started. She reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Rhian’s ear. She didn’t miss the way Rhian’s eyes fluttered shut, or the way she leant her face into Jayden’s palm before she pulled away and started in on her meal. Her body relaxed as the group all gathered.
She relaxed even more when Oskar sat beside her, putting a whole other body between her and Brooke. Jayden caught his eye over the top of Rhian’s head and nodded to him. He winked and tucked into his food with gusto.
“So tell me all about your little fan, Miss Phillips,” Jayden said when they lay side by side in their sleeping bags.
Rhian groaned and pulled the hood over her face. “Why do I have to? You saw what she was doing.”
“Yes, I did. I guess I’m wondering why.”
“A girl could get offended, you know.”
“What?” Jayden frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You ask that question like it’s beyond the realm of possibility that a woman could find me attractive and want to hit on me, or something.”
Jayden laughed before she realised Rhian was serious and looked more than a little offended. She looked upset. “You can’t be serious? Rhian, you’re gorgeous. Any woman would be stupid not to—you’re playing with me, aren’t you?”
Rhian grinned. “Little bit.”
“Child.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who pulled the fake-girlfriend stunt.”
“No. You seemed content to stew on it. What’s up with that?”
“I was about to slap her and was working out just how much trouble it would get me into.”
“See? My plan worked much better, then. No trouble at all.”
“Hm. I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Rhian sighed heavily. “If everyone thinks we’re sleeping together, it could make our other issue worse.”
“What other issue?”
“Killian.”
“Ah. The missing Killian. He’s not here, so why is he still an issue?”
“He’s threatening to sue for bullying, sexual harassment, and sexual discrimination.”
Jayden sat up in her sleeping bag, twisted so she was facing Rhian, and stared at her. “Are you kidding me?”
Rhian shook her head. “Wish I was.”
“Bullying? I gave everyone the same treatment. Everyone had the same deadline. That’s just bullshit. As for discrimination, he’s a white bloke. All he needs to do is live to be an old one, and he’s hit the jackpot. How does he get discrimination—oh. You mean I’m discriminating against him because I’m a man-hating dyke?”
Rhian chuckled.
“I thought this wasn’t funny.”
“It isn’t. It’s just that that was the same phrase that Rachel used. And he’s not claiming you discriminated against him. He’s claiming I did. After he refused my sexual advances.”
“My, my, Miss Phillips, you sure are getting around a bit on this tour. Wait, your mother called you a man-hating dyke?”
Rhian sniggered. “Told you she was a bitch.”
“Yes, you did. I don’t remember disagreeing with you. Is she right?”
“What? No. I don’t hate men. Well, some of them I do, but I hate some women too. I don’t discriminate in that way.”
“At least we know where we stand now. I’m a bully.”
“And I’m a sexual predator.”
“Well, won’t Brooke be disappointed when she finds out.” The uncomfortable thought wormed its way into her brain. “Wait, does she already know? Is that why she was so keen to bunk up with you?” She tried to keep her tone light, make a joke of it. But it stunned her how much she needed to know the answer.
“What are you talking about?” she asked with a frown.
“You know…you and Brooke—you’ve met her before at the trials, right?” Please don’t let them be lovers. I’ll never get that image out of my head if she confirms she slept with that bitch.
Rhian nodded but still didn’t respond.
“Well…is there history?” Jayden hoped she was hiding the very real anxiety that gripped her, but she could hear the quaver in her own voice.
“History? Are you kidding? The only thing she wants from me is a ticket to the final, and she thinks sleeping with me is the way to get it.”
Thank fuck for that! “Ah. And you’re stuck on how much you can tell her to back off because of the situation with Killian.”
“And the fact I’m now out of alternates. If she quits, we’re kinda screwed.”
“And I came along and dropped us both in it.” She slapped her hand to her forehead. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Like you said at the time, I could’ve slapped you.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No. I liked her reaction.”
“And how do you think she’s going to react now?”
“Don’t know. She doesn’t have a lot of choices out here, but once we get back to El Chaltén, she could well decide to quit. I might have to try and talk Mellissa into being our reserve alternate.”
“We could fix it so she lost the challenge and got kicked out first.”
“Yeah,” she said and yawned. “Still think she’ll kill me first.”
“So what do you want to do? We could play it like we’ve had a fight and are no longer, erm…” She waved a hand between the two of them.
“A couple?” Rhian supplied.
“Yeah. A couple. And then she’ll think you’re available again, and—”
“Then I’m stuck fending her off for as long as she remains in the competition. No thanks. You started this, you’re stuck with me now, sweetheart.” She patted the sleeping mat. “So lie back down and share some of that body heat. My toes are freezing.” She rolled onto her side away from Jayden.
“Oh, so you’re the bossy kind of girlfriend,” she said, lying down and turning to face Rhian’s back.
“That’d be telling.” She shuffled back until their sleeping bags were touching.
Jayden took a moment to enjoy how their bodies spooned together so easily before she asked, “What’s happening with the Killian situation, then? Do we have to give statements or something?”
Rhian shook her head. “No, I gave Rachel the CCTV footage of the time you met the group and told them the plan and the deadline, and the footage of when he hit me—”
“He hit you?” Jayden sat up and rolled Rhian onto her back. She wished she could see her but it was too dark. She wanted to look at that bruise again. “When? What happened?” Jayden’s head swam with anger, and the strangely satisfying image of a dismembered Killian scattered across the ice. She reached above her head and turned on the small lamp suspended from the centre of the tent. She squinted a little against the dim light and turned back to study Rhian’s face. The bruise was barely visible in the low light, but it was visible. And Jayden seethed.
Rhian glanced away and tried to turn her head. “Erm, didn’t I mention that bit before?” Tears clung to her lower lashes, and she desperately tried to blink them away.
Jayden cupped her cheek and stopped her from turning away as she forcibly smothered her rage. “Erm, no, you didn’t. I’d remember if you told me the little twat hit you.” Whatever had happened, Rhian was here, she was okay, and she didn’t need Jayden flying off the deep end about it. Clearly she’d already handled it. Even if the little bastard had left a bruise. And some tears.
Rhian giggled. “So you’re the protective kind of girlfriend.”
Jayden paused, then laughed herself. “Sorry, it’s just…I mean, I knew he had a chip on his shoulder but I didn’t think he’d go that far. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. You weren’t even there.”
“I wish I had been, though.” She smiled to herself, thinking about the ways she’d like to make the little fucker suffer for daring to touch—
“You’re growling. What are you thinking about?”
She chuckled. “Entertaining fantasies of making him a eunuch.”
“Rachel said she wanted to do the same thing to him.”
“Hm. Maybe I was wrong about your mum being a bitch after all.”
Rhian took hold of her hand, and Jayden realised she’d still been stroking her cheek. “No, you were right. She’s just the bitch you want to have on your side.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.” She squeezed Rhian’s hand and said softly, “Tell me what happened.”
Rhian sighed heavily and tucked her hands back in her sleeping bag like she was trying to hide herself before she started to speak. Slowly she told Jayden what had happened, and Jayden battled another homicidal urge.
“I’m glad the little bastard’s gone now,” Rhian said when she finished her story.
“I’ll bet. I’m sorry I left you to deal with my mess.”
“That’s why they pay me the big bucks. Apparently.”
“Rachel tell you that?”
“Nah. Rachel tells me I do this because I love it, not for money.”
“Is she right?”
Rhian shrugged. “Sometimes.” She yawned and closed her eyes, snuggling deeper into her sleeping bag. “You’re different out here.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve changed. You seem happier, more playful. I mean, would you have contemplated pulling this fake-girlfriend thing with me a month ago?”
“No.”
“Exactly. Even a few weeks ago, you were still treating me like the enemy. You’ve changed.”
“I am,” she said quietly after a few minutes. “Happier, I mean. I don’t think I’ve changed, though. More like I’ve started to become me again.”
“Why?”
Jayden didn’t want to relive the past. She wanted to enjoy feeling connected again. So she debated how much to say. “I’d stopped climbing. I was working in a call centre.”
Rhian giggled. “I can’t picture you in an office.”
“Neither could anyone else, but there I was. ‘Hello, Northwest Electrical, how can I help you?’” she said with a nasally affected voice. “It was awful.”
“So why were you there?”
Jayden shrugged. “It was where I needed to be for a while.”
“But now you’re back in the mountains, and you feel happy.”
“Yes. I feel more alive and yet at peace at the same time. I know that’s a contradiction, but—”
“It’s okay. I get it.”
“That’s good. I was worried I was starting to sound like a total nut.”
“Starting?”
“Hey, be nice. I’m your girlfriend, and you haven’t seen me for days, remember?”
“Oh yeah. Right. Sorry.”
“I should think so.” Jayden snapped off the lamp and snuggled deeper into her own sleeping bag.
“I like it,” Rhian said quietly.
“Like what?”
“This new you.”
Jayden couldn’t help but think how much she liked it too.