Page 46 of Jagger

The road was partially gravel, which helped with the traction to a point. I made our first stop only a couple hundred yards in, jumping out along with the others. I grabbed flashlights and markers, along with forcing extra batteries into their hands. My flashlights were designed to withstand heat and frigid cold, but without light, people died.

“Stay in a close radius. Bella. Come with me,” I told her.

“Not a chance. We need to cover as much ground as possible.”

“Fine. Mark where you are going and leave them there. Got it? Ten minutes out. Ten minutes back.” I stared at her and the ache in my gut grew.

Maybe in my heart as well.

“That’s not enough distance.”

“We’ll go up another few hundred yards. I don’t think she’d make it further than that. We’ll revisit this area if we can. Just follow my lead. Trust me, Bella. I do know what I’m doing.”

“That’s my little girl, Jagger. If I place my trust in you, don’t let me down. I can’t handle it.”

“I don’t plan on it.” I pulled out the walkie-talkie. “Jagger reporting in.”

Others followed.

“How’s it looking?” Denise asked.

“Treacherous,” I finally said after a short delay.

As we took out, my instincts were telling me we were already too late. I couldn’t say that to Bella but at some point, she’d need to listen to me.

The twenty minutes were up too quickly, neither David nor Bella returning immediately. When they did, I was furious, but said nothing. Those who’d never tracked before had no understanding that disorientation occurred very quickly.

“You need to follow the rules.” I issued the order in a much harsher manner than I should have. Damn it. The moment I highlighted Bella’s face with the flashlight, I could tell she was ready to tip right over the dangerous precipice of emotions. “I’m sorry. We just need to keep a clear head.” I tried to choose my words carefully. “Navigating this mountain is confusing to most. Myself included. It’s easy to get lost in the daylight. Stay focused and we’ll all get back in one piece.”

“What if we can’t find her?” Bella’s voice was much smaller than I’d heard before. What scared me the most was that somewhere inside of her big, beautiful brain, she’d already accepted the idea her daughter wouldn’t return.

That wasn’t a fucking option.

Maybe if I continued thinking that, the ending would be a happy one.

Maybe…

CHAPTER 14

Jagger

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.”

---