Page 83 of Forever Never
“Come on, buddy,” he said to the horse. “We’re getting close, aren’t we?”
The horse’s ears perked up.
Brick listened for a minute, then called again.
There was nothing but silence, so he pressed on. Nothing but snow and trees and rocks spreading out before him. “Remington!” he bellowed.
He almost didn’t hear it. Almost missed it. But it caught his ear, and Cleetus shuddered under him.
“Help!”
It was so faint, he couldn’t tell if it was Ben or Remi.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.
“Remi? I’m coming!”
This time, the cry was a little louder. He kicked Cleetus into a jog and followed the tracks. He spotted her turn off the trail into the woods and urged his mount to follow.
“Ben! Remi!”
“Down here,” came the reedy cry.
He maneuvered around an outcropping of rocks, and that’s when he spotted the mangled snowmobile on its side. Half of one ski was embedded straight up in the snow. His heart nearly stopped then. That bright splash of yellow against the sea of white.
He didn’t even realize he’d nudged Cleetus into a run until they were bolting into the clearing.
“Remi? Baby. Are you hurt?” He dismounted and strode toward her. The foot of snow barely slowed his progress.
“Ugh,” she groaned from against a boulder. “Only my…pride.” The wheeze in her voice scared the life out of him.
She climbed to her feet slowly as he approached. She had a scrape on her forehead that was bleeding. One on her chin, too. But she wasalive.
“Why did it…have to be you?” she grumbled.
“Where’s your inhaler? And where’s your fucking phone?”
“Language, young man,” Ben barked. The man was bundled in a winter jacket and blanket, wearing Remi’s hat and eating fucking cookies out of a Ziploc bag.
Remi, on the other hand, was wheezing like a deflating bagpipe.
He patted her pockets and found four hair ties, a phone charger, and a wad of tissues.
“Where’s your fucking inhaler?” he demanded.
“Forgot it,” she said. The strain it took her to force out the words caught him by the throat.
“Sit the hell down and stay there,” he ordered, pushing her back to the ground. Keeping her in his line of sight in case the woman somehow managed to start an avalanche or spontaneously catch fire, he moved over to examine Ben and pulled out his radio.
“Both victims found safe,” he reported.
“Thank fucking God,” Chief Ford responded. “What’s your location?”
Brick gave the coordinates while watching Remi’s chest rise and fall through labored breaths.
He spent the next three minutes glaring at her while he waited for the EMTs to arrive.
“Here comes the parade,” Ben said cheerfully as three snowmobiles broke through the trees and raced toward them.
