Page 48 of Canyon of Deceit
“I did all right.”
“Your humility tells me you were good. I bet the girls were all over you.” I stitched up the open gashes, then applied an antibiotic gel and bandages. “Do your best to keep this clean. So a horse for your birthday. What’s the date?”
“In two days.”
I inhaled sharply. “I’m so sorry. This will go down in history as your worst birthday ever.”
He closed his eyes. “Maybe my best. You kissed me.” He slurred. “Back to my original statement before you distracted... me.” He paused, and again the concussion symptoms showed through his speech. “Leave at first light. Find the team and bring Alina back.”
I hated abandoning him or Alina. Choosing between two wrongs meant facing the consequences. The whirling sound of a helicopter grasped my attention. I rushed to my feet and stared up at the steadily darkening sky in the direction of the aircraft. Waving my hands wildly, I attempted to get its attention.
“Here! We’re here.” I repeated like a crazy woman. Those inside the aircraft didn’t hear me, but I wanted to believe they knew exactly where we were. The pilot flew on to where the meetup was to takeplace—hours from where Blane and I camped. I returned to Blane and slumped beside him.
“Therese, I’m a big boy. You have a huge responsibility, and it’s not about me. Alina deserves a chance at life. She’s frightened and in danger.” He struggled for breath. I touched his lips, but he shook his head. “She needs you and the team to yank her out of Chandler’s clutches. And we have no idea about the kidnappers’ ultimate plan. Do whatever it takes to get her back to Rurik. I’m glad it’s my backpack at the bottom of a canyon. Yours has part of the ransom money.”
He made sense. What else could I do? “What if Chandler shows up while I’m gone?”
“I’ll tell him where he can put his feather.”
TWENTY-FOUR
BLANE
In the bitter wind, Therese dug a hole like we’d done together on previous nights. She had a fire going as darkness wrapped around us and added another plunge of cold temps.
I sunk my teeth into my lower lip to manage the continuous throb in my arm and head. Therese had done a quick and good job of setting it, although I wanted to cry like a baby. Instead, I’d let out a string of curses that would cause Sergio’s mother to wring her hands and give me a lecture on bad language.
“How do you plan to find the SAR team?” I struggled into a semi-upright position to reduce the pressure on my head.
“I’ll start out at sunrise, but I’ll leave you two military rations. Probably something you haven’t eaten, but it’s filling and nutritious.”
“Oh, I have, and I’ll eat the chocolate too, or I’ll be constipated for a month.” I pondered the danger she’d be in. “I prefer you keep the military rations. You or Alina might need them.”
“I figured you’d refuse the food, so I’m going to prepare you a roasted feast.”
“Rib eye?” We both laughed. I pointed to more tinder and kindling that she’d brought to our campsite earlier. “Are you planning on using those?”
“Just you wait and see. I’ll create you a meal fit for a hero.” She studied me in the flickering firelight. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, and this way you’ll have food and water to last a few days. I know you’re a trained paramedic, but please stay hydrated. If food makes you nauseous, leave it alone.”
“I’ll do my best to follow orders.”
“A word of warning here, you have a nasty concussion. Do your best to stay awake. Stay warm. Oh, one more thing—if you sense rescuers are nearby, use my whistle. I’m placing it beside you.”
“No way. And bring Chandler into the campsite to gloat?”
“As you and I have talked, he already knows where we are.”
Talking hurt my whole body. “Grade-one concussion.”
“More like grade two. You had temporary amnesia, and I’ve detected slurred speech.”
I’d concede but not outwardly. The fall had done a number on my head.
Therese dug a second pit for the cooking fire. She added stones atop the flames and let it burn down. “I’m going to find an agave, cut off the prickly leaves, dig up the heart of it, and bring it back to roast. It’s loaded with complex sugars and lots of calories. You’ll have the distinct experience of a desert artichoke. The problem is the plant needs to cook eighteen to twenty-four hours for humans to digest.” She adjusted her headlamp.
“Be careful,” I said. “Hey.”
She stared at me in the flickering light. How could one woman light up the night like she did?
