Page 34 of High Seduction
It wasn’t him going it alone this time. It was there in the team, and Tim was growing to crave the sensation of being a part of the whole. Wanted to be in a position to gain the admiration of them all.
That in itself was strange. He wasn’t usually the one to go looking for pats on the back.
***
The first part of the approach was straightforward as far as she was concerned. Once they had crossed the Strait of Georgia and started down Bute Inlet, the sharp edges of glacial-topped peaks faced them like a row of massive sentinels, guarding the wilderness interior. Dark green pines broke to dusted white on the front row, the warmer air off the ocean keeping the snow from settling over the entire face. But beyond that, as elevations soared, winter held the landscape in a tight-fisted clutch, beautiful and deadly.
Flying into them was like facing an ancient power—one to be respected and feared at the same time. Friend or foe? From the safety of her chopper, she was a more powerful supplicant than the people they were headed to rescue, yet it could all turn on a breath.
While Alisha and the others strapped themselves into harnesses, Erin brought the chopper closer to the mountain face. Below them the torn carcass of the missing plane desecrated two sections of the steep, rocky crags, the transport torn in two uneven pieces. Broken debris scattered between the main sections clung precariously to the precipice. One person waved, arms moving rapidly as they stood over the still form of another.
Erin eyed the rescue location where she’d have to hover. Of course, they were right at the narrowest section, with two long valleys leading off in different directions. The ultimate worst situation in terms of crosswinds and back eddies off the steep ridges.
It was one of those situations she both loved and hated. The challenge of keeping the chopper in the right spot, of guiding the massive machine over the varying terrain and dealing with shifting wind patterns was something Erin never got enough of.
The fact that they were there because people were suffering wasn’t as thrilling. She was glad her skills helped save lives, but the reality of why the team was needed was horrid.
On the more intimate side of the equation, knowing there was someone at the end of the winch line whom she cared about changed the situation all over again. It lent an extra edge of fear and adrenaline that made it more exciting in some twisted way.
Erin listened carefully as Anders called out instructions, guiding Alisha down. The instrument panel gave feedback as well, but Erin’s attention remained on her forward focal point. Nothing to distract her. Nothing but the rescue and the victims below her who were waiting to be brought to safety and taken for needed medical attention.
Which reminded her that Tim was there as well, and for one second the whole idea of sleeping with a team member became a terrible, horrible idea.
She had grown used to being responsible for Alisha’s life. For the lives of Devon and the rest of the team—used to, yet not complacent. The sense of awe in the trust they showed never left her. It might make no sense, but with Tim, it was different. There was a sense of something—other—lingering every time they worked together.
If something happened to Tim, she wasn’t sure what she would do. How she would respond.
Then there was no time to worry because Alisha was on the ground, and Erin had to make rapid adjustments to keep them level. Pressing forward with the controls, listening to the response of the chopper with not only her ears, but her body.
“Tim, drop second,” Alisha ordered as she hurried through triage. “Then Devon can bring a stretcher. We have at least one who will need a ride.”
“On my way,” Tim responded.
He’d barely cleared the doors when it happened. A hard gust of wind hit from the north. The change in air pressure shuddered across the chopper, and they dropped a few feet. Erin fought to level them, countering the strong crosswind.
A muffled masculine curse carried over the line.
“Tim, you okay?” Anders demanded.
The pause before Tim answered was painful to wait through. “Fine. Lower me.”
Erin clenched her teeth and focused straight ahead. Eyed the rocky walls ahead of her as they narrowed. Adjusted an inch at a time toward the north wall to bring Tim closer to where Alisha waited to guide him to safety.
The chopper danced with her. The subtle changes in altitude registered not only on the gauges, but under Erin’s hands. A rhythm developed as she finessed the massive machine past the narrow rock walls. Easing back, sliding forward. Watching for danger signs and following the steady stream of verbal direction Anders breathed at her as Tim approached the ground.
“I got him,” Alisha shouted. “Clear.”
Erin let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Take us up for a moment, Erin,” Anders ordered. “I’ll get Devon in position.”
The short time of respite was long enough to let her pounding heart settle a little. Then she had to do it all over as Devon was lowered, the spinal board with him. Once again there was that sense of anticipation mixed with dread. Erin had to acknowledge what she’d always known yet had become so much more apparent this time around.
What they did mattered, but what they did was dangerous, and there was no way around that fact. It was their life on the line as well. That her job put her in charge over them was unlike anything she’d experienced elsewhere.
She watched the team hustle below her and soaked in the wonder and the thread of satisfaction that rose at the thought. She was powerful. In control. A lifesaver, and in charge of her own destiny.
That wasn’t going to change.
