CHAPTER 17
Jason drove them to the airport, pulling to a stop outside the transport building. He smiled sincerely as he passed them their bags. “Come for a longer visit next time.”
“We’ll take you up on that,” Erin promised, not at all certain how or when, but sincere in the hope she’d get to return.
The whirl of prep for flight began. Tim let her take care of the technical details while he guided Matt to the chopper. He showed his friend around, how to use the headsets and harnesses, went over emergency procedures.
Once Matt was comfortably settled, Tim returned to see if she needed anything.
Erin motioned to the hangar. “There are a couple of boxes in the office that we’re transporting. You can grab them and lash them down in storage. Other than that, I’m nearly ready.”
He nodded, then paused at her side, kneeling to kiss her.
Hard. One hand thrust into the hair at the back of her head, fingers tightening. He tugged her lips higher so he could reach her better, and a rush of sexual endorphins floated through her bloodstream.
There was a marked contrast between the intense concentration she’d been using to prep for flight and the total lack of brain cells she was currently engaging. Intense and exciting in two completely different ways.
He backed off and left her gasping for air. “Dammit, you make my head spin,” she complained.
“I’m still on holidays,” he joked before heading off to load the supplies she’d mentioned.
The chopper rose smoothly under her control, the incredible break in the weather continuing as she took them in a direct line off Vancouver Island, headed for the shortest route home.
The terrain changed moment by moment, the icy waters of the Pacific under them dotted with numerous islands, everything from places large enough for a single-family dwelling to those with tiny communities, their only access off and on by boat.
A buzz broke in over her headset. “You need me to do anything?” Tim asked.
“Not right now.”
“Good. Then Matt and I will play tourist. I haven’t seen the view this clear in years.” Tim adjusted his angle to join Matt in staring out the window, forehead resting against the glass as he gazed downward.
Matt clicked on the line. “It is a great view. You know how seldom I get to see clear skies on the coast?”
“Best part of living in Banff,” Erin teased. “No coastal weather. I don’t miss the grey skies all winter long.”
“The never-ending winter winds that sweep the east coast drive me insane,” Tim confessed. “Erin, you know this—if it’s not tied down or fastened to the Rock, there’d be nothing left in Newfoundland after a long hard winter with the winds licking over the Wreckhouse flats.”
She shuddered involuntarily, remembering all too clearly even after her years away. “God, it chills to the bone, doesn’t it?”
They all fell silent for a short while, admiring the sunshine glinting off the wave-painted surface of the water. From this height each indentation appeared to be lit from within, turning the entire ocean into a sparkling, multifaceted diamond. It was glorious, and mesmerizing, and she nearly hated to exchange the water for the shoreline, rising over the trees and heading through the passes that provided the straightest route while avoiding the major cities.
A world of shimmering silver was exchanged for the purest white of upper-range snow. Here among the peaks there was no one to disturb the virgin white. Rare even was the thin line of an animal track marring the endless fields of snow as they headed higher and broke through the teeth of the Selkirk Range.
“Amazing.” Tim reached over and clicked her radio to a different line, not the one they’d been talking on with Matt. “It’s a piece of heaven, love, and I’m so grateful for the chance to see it with you.”
With one sentence he melted her. She took a deep breath and refocused on the instrument panel to stop from blurting out anything that was too soon to be saying.
But she was thinking it. Hard. It would be too easy to completely fall in love with her scoundrel if he kept on being so damn fascinating.
Too much baggage was involved to be thinking that seriously. So much they still needed to discuss.
They topped the next ridge, entering a sea of mountaintops, and Erin gloated in the glory that was her job. “So beautiful.”
Black snow-free peaks jutted skyward, breaking the pristine landscape with sharp slashes of dark against the light. Erin adjusted altitude to follow the level of the glacier field below them, the earth racing past in a rush of wild magnificence.
“Makes me want to leap out and make some tracks,” Tim shared. “Leave behind a sign that we’ve been here.”
Matt shook his head. “It would only last for a few hours. The wind would have the slopes buffed and polished before you even reached the bottom.”
“I’d know I’d been there.”
Tim twisted to catch her attention, brilliant blue eyes as beautiful and compelling as the scenery below them.
She smiled back. “You do leave an impact wherever you go.”
She’d planned a flight path that took them north of Whistler, heading in a near-straight line toward home. Tim fell silent, and she just enjoyed being with him. At one point he leaned in the opposite direction so he could lay a hand on her thigh, his gaze still fixed out the window in fascination.
They’d been in the air more than two hours, the huge chopper easily eating up the distance. Another hour and a bit and they’d be landing. Drop off the chopper, find a rental car, then they could discuss the next thing.
Their holiday break was needed in more ways than one. For the first time in a long while, Erin could honestly say she was on her way to being truly relaxed.
They closed in on the secondary pass, a narrow passage between the towering cliffs. Erin increased their altitude slightly so as not to get caught by an updraft off the opposite side of the mountain. The shadow of the chopper followed them on the snow below, a dark silhouette growing larger and smaller as the terrain changed.
They broke over the ridge, and the world changed.
“Holy shit, what’s that?” Tim pointed to the south.
“Tracks. What makes tracks that big?” Matt asked.
The ground was exposed in a near-straight line running northwest to southeast, the snow shoved aside like an enormous shovel had been dragged over the surface.
Tim stabbed a finger at the window. “There. Broken landing gear?”
Erin headed for the cliff Tim indicated, the situation far too similar to recent memory. “Damn, looks like a plane crash. Think it went over the edge?”
“Possibly. I’ll get our gear ready.” He unbuckled and headed into the back.
“Hey, slow up, buddy. We have some decisions to make first.”
Tim stopped dead in his tracks, reversing direction and planting his butt in his chair. “You’re right. Sorry for jumping the gun. Matt—you okay with us stopping?”
“Of course. My God, there are people down there. I’ll stay out of your way, or help if you tell me what to do.”
“Good man,” Tim said. He turned to Erin. “Anything on the radio?”
“I’m not picking up anything.”
She manoeuvred them toward the thick line marring the pristine snow. Tim leaned against the glass, a set of binoculars in his hand as he scoured the ground.
Erin double-checked instruments and made a few notes in the log. “I’ve got our location. We spot anything, and I’ll call it in.”
“Still want to go down and— There, over to the right more.”
It wasn’t a cliff crash, but it wasn’t good. Whoever had been piloting the plane had managed to land it before the entire level of the glacier surface dropped a good twenty feet, leaving the plane at an impossible angle, not just for takeoff. Most of the body was still intact, and as they buzzed, a flash of bright orange appeared in the doorway.
“We’ve got survivors,” Tim announced.
Erin checked the site. “Not a lot of room to land, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go down a line without a winch man.”
“Land on the upper slope and we climb down?” Tim was itching to get moving, she could tell.
“If we have snowshoes. Otherwise at this elevation you try a step forward, and you could be up to your neck.”
Tim was already headed to the back. “I’m sure we have a bag of them in the gear section. We brought all that stuff when we came out, remember?”
Erin hovered, wanting to turn them toward the landing spot. “Give Matt your binocs. I need the numbers off her to call them in.”
Tim did as she’d asked, then moved out of sight behind Matt, equipment being shifted.
“What do you need?” Matt asked.
She explained, then waited as he called out the plane’s identifiers, jotting the information down before prepping for the next step. “I’ll have us down in a minute. Once we’re on the ground, Tim’s in charge. I haven’t run a rescue for years.”
“Matt will be staying at the chopper,” Tim announced.
“No problem.”
Matt’s quick agreement was the only acceptable response, but Erin couldn’t help but worry.
This was no longer a relaxing sightseeing trip. Things had gone real bad, real fast, and she only hoped they got better just as quickly.
* * *
Tim threw gear bags into rows based on what he thought might be needed. He pulled out spare gloves and a thick coat for Matt and Erin as well as himself. In the background, Erin was on the radio, giving information to the authorities in the hopes they could identify the downed plane.
This was something totally new they were headed into, not only because Matt was along and Erin rarely went on the ground portion of a rescue. Those issues were bad enough, but the sheer isolation added a ton of risk as well. Any mistakes were amplified tenfold simply because they were so far away from additional backup.
The sooner he knew what they were dealing with, the better.
The chopper settled, the heavy noise beating in his ears at the same pace as his heart. The rotors slowed, and Erin scrambled out of her seat, hurrying to pull her hair back and lock it out of the way under a warm hat.
He held out a helmet, and she rolled her eyes, pulling it to her and exchanging it quickly. The volume outside decreased until she could speak without using the chopper radio system. “I forgot about the helmets. Thanks.”
“Here’s your remote radio. Matt, I don’t know if the range will be good enough that you can hear us, but listen in best you can. Don’t talk unless we specifically ask you a question.”
“Got it.” Matt was tucked to one side, pulling on the extra gear he’d been handed and trying to stay out of the way.
“Channel three for everything, backup on channel four. If I need to talk to you in private, or there’s an emergency, flip to two lower than what we’re on.”
Her eyes snapped up to meet his. “You expecting problems?”
“Always. But I love it when I’m surprised and there are none.”
Erin cracked a smile. “Did I mention it’s been a few years since I was actively on the ground during a rescue?”
Tim zipped up his coat, then pulled on an oversized harness. “Like falling off a cliff—you’ll remember soon enough. I’ll deal with the medical, you make decisions regarding getting them home safe.”
“Which bag is for me to carry?”
Tim pointed, and Erin hoisted it. “No problem.”
He helped her into a harness and checked straps as he explained how they’d use the chopper as a secure wall to run their ropes down. “That way we don’t have to worry about setting anchors in the snow or ice.”
Erin settled her pack into place. “The chopper’s not going anywhere.”
Tim turned to Matt. “You hear that? The chopper’s not going anywhere, so don’t take off for Hawaii and leave us here or something.”
Matt nodded. “Deal. Stay safe, you guys.”
Tim shot him a thumbs-up before looking Erin straight in the eye, his hands tight on the front of her harness. “You good?”
She nodded. “You?”
“Nauseated, and butterflies the size of hummingbirds are fighting in my belly. About like normal.”
She laughed. “Good luck, and be careful, okay?”
He kissed her quickly before stepping back. “Ditto.”
Ice-cold air rushed in when he opened the door, and he and Erin both cringed a little, but the rush of anticipation couldn’t be denied.
“Oh, hey,” he tossed at Matt. “Once we leave, close this door and then you make sure you keep moving. Best way to burn off the calories we’re going to consume for dinner.”
“Go. I’ll be fine,” Matt insisted.
It changed the situation enormously, having a passenger on board without more of the team around, but they’d just have to deal with it. Matt was being as cooperative as possible, and they really had no choice.
There were a whole lot of unanswered questions, though, that he’d better find out answers for, and fast.
Tim hooked a pulley system over the side struts, attaching one on either side of the door. Ropes were added before he tied Erin in, and then himself.
Final step? Snowshoes. Less fun than skis or snowboards, far more efficient for their needs right now.
Was it only the day before they’d been out playing on the slopes with Matt? Tim shook his head at the unreal sensation.
“Go first, I want to watch your self-belay,” Tim ordered.
Erin nodded, caught hold, then stepped back off the chopper deck. It was only a few feet to the ground, but she did everything right.
“That wasn’t so bad.” Erin lifted a thumbs-up at him.
Tim joined her on the ground, testing his balance and the snowpack. “Looks like we’ve got a nice firm base for walking on. Keep your rope taut, though,” he warned.
Erin’s voice over the radio was firm and confident. “You want me to drop over the cliff first?”
“Nope. I want you on the edge, watching me. If I tell you to bug out, you go. Head back to the chopper and get it ready to leave.”
She glared at him but didn’t argue, which was good. If he found out the plane was about to explode, he wasn’t letting her anywhere near it. If he found any manner of things gone wrong, he’d be ordering her to get her ass out of there as fast as possible.
They waddled their way to the edge, following the hard-packed trail the plane had carved into the frozen surface. Tim stopped them a few feet back to make sure they weren’t walking over a cornice, one of the dangerous snow ridges produced by high winds, but the plane had done a good job of removing everything at the edge down to bare rock.
“There’s someone,” Erin pointed.
“Two someones. We’ve got room for how many?”
“Twelve if they need room to spread out, sixteen if it’s a short flight, but that size of plane shouldn’t have had more than six on her.”
He nodded. “I’m going down.”
It was only a twenty-foot drop, not long enough to get any kind of adrenaline flowing, but he already had plenty of that, stepping into the unknown.
The drop was long enough to look over his shoulder at the couple of men approaching his landing spot. Thick winter coats, snowshoes—they weren’t unprepared for the conditions.
He landed on the lower level, detached his rope, and locked the lines in place to use on the upward journey.
“Hello.”
Tim turned and lifted a hand in response to the shout. “I’m Tim—paramedic with Lifeline Search and Rescue. You need some help?”
The men exchanged glances. “Search and rescue? Damn, you got here fast.”
“You just went down?”
“Two hours ago—we think our pilot had a heart attack. We’ve done what we could, but he’s passed out inside the plane.”
Shit. “Okay, let me take a look at him. Anyone else hurt?”
“No. Can you take us out of here?”
“How many are there of you?” Tim asked, stomping forward to examine the plane. “And how is the engine? Any leaks or other dangers to worry about?”
“Except for she’s not sitting on a runway, and we have no one to fly her, I think the plane is fine. There are four of us.”
Erin’s radio crackled in his ear. “Tim? Can I come down yet?”
He responded softly. “One more minute to clear.”
“Roger.”
Tim stomped up to the plane, eyeing the men who had moved to stand on either side of him. “I didn’t catch your names.”
“John and Ken.” The shorter of the two gestured. “I’m Ken.”
“I want to check you guys out as well,” Tim commented, “but first, show me where your pilot is.”
He ditched his snowshoes outside the door, then willing hands pulled him onboard as another face was added to the mix. This guy was a lot bigger than the other two, and Tim made sure to put on his least scary expression. “Paramedic. Where’s the pilot?”
The man pointed, and Tim hauled his way down the narrow path to where they had the man supported in a nearly reclined chair. He went to work, but first he called Erin.
“Leave your supplies at the chopper and exchange them for a stretcher. Shove it over the cliff, then come on down. We’ve got three able-bodied and one not so good. Their pilot.”
“Got it,” Erin responded immediately. “Time for me to check the radio for a response from emergency?”
“Matt? Has the radio up there made any noise?”
A short pause—Matt was probably trying to remember how to use his radio. “Oh, no. Nothing but you guys.”
“There’s your answer, Erin. The authorities know where we’re at, that’s all we need right now.”
Tim worked steadily, but one fear had faded after he’d entered the plane. The distinct lack of boxes and bags meant at least they hadn’t stumbled upon a group of smugglers. Because getting mixed up in a drug transport situation couldn’t end well.
“I need some information,” he called. “Any ID on the pilot? Age, anything else you can tell me? Was he complaining about anything before the crash?”
“Nothing unusual. Said he wasn’t feeling well, and the next thing we knew we were way lower than we should be and headed for the ground.” John slipped into the chair next to him. “Just a pilot we hired out of Anchorage. We’re headed for a private home outside Seattle.”
“Grab me his ID from up front,” Tim ordered.
John hesitated. “I don’t know where it would be.”
“Root around. See what you can find. Trust me, he’s not going to be upset with you—I’d like to know if he’s got medication somewhere.”
“Don’t you usually have a much bigger team to go out on a search and rescue?” Ken asked. “Just one guy, flying all alone?”
Tim paused with his fingers on the victim’s pulse, not liking how low the count was. “You caught me coming back from a holiday. I can’t imagine how long it would have taken a team to respond to your SOS—you’re in a hell of a spot here.”
“There’s another person coming down the hillside,” the unnamed third man announced.
“Another part of your team?” Ken snapped. Either he was beginning to freak out now that rescue was happening—some people did that—or Tim had made a horrid mistake.
“That’s our chopper pilot. There’s one more waiting on the chopper—a good friend of ours. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got plenty of room. Ken, go grab the stretcher from her, and you—what’s your name?”
“Red.”
Guy was shaved totally bald. He had either a sense of humour or delusions of grandeur. “Red, stuff the most important things you guys need into a couple of bags—no more—and we’ll get you on the chopper and headed home ASAP. John, I need you to help me get the pilot ready for transport.”
Three people headed in three directions. Tim glanced out the window at Erin, who was at the bottom of the slope, securing her ropes together as he’d done. Once this was all over, he owed her a huge dinner and a massage and hell, another damn getaway, just the two of them.
The pilot wasn’t responding, his skin gone ashy white. Tim didn’t like the looks of it at all. Still, he did what he could.
He clicked on his radio. “Erin, I don’t know if Ken reached you yet. If he did, give him the stretcher, then turn around and get the ropes ready for a stretcher lift.”
There was no response.
“Erin?”
He shot to his feet and looked out the window, but there was no sign of her.
Hell.
A body blocked his path as he headed for the door. “Move. I need to check on my partner,” he snapped.
Red stepped aside just far enough to reveal that Ken now stood beside Erin at the back of the plane, one hand clutching her arm, the other holding a gun to her head.