Spiral (The Salzburg Saga Book One) (13 page)

Hugh stared at Jake with horrified eyes. “Like hell I am.” His voice shook. He looked at Parker as if waiting for him to deny Jake’s accusations.

Parker didn’t. He seemed incapable of saying anything.

Hugh’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t–”

“Do you see him anywhere?” Jake fumed. “You knocked him out not giving him a chance to position himself for protection before the jet crashed.” Face red with anger, Jake turned away, and then halted when he saw the tears streaming down Emily’s face. On a curse, he swung back to Hugh. “Explain your sudden amnesia to Emily. Go on. Ben was her husband.”

Nina went to comfort Emily who continued to weep silently.

Hugh watched Emily, his face tight. “It’s not…it’s not my fault if I can’t remember what happened.”

“Well, let me remind you,” Jake said bitterly. “You were drunk. Drunk and on an ego trip. Ring any bells? Or does it happen so often that you can’t distinguish one episode from another?”

Hugh averted his eyes. His gloved hands gripped the edge of the cave’s entrance ledge and his mouth trembled.

No one interrupted; their attention captivated by the two men. The ice-capped mountains and thick, dense snow surrounding them seemed to be watching and listening too. Jake stood with his booted feet braced apart in a combative stance while Hugh stayed out of harm’s way inside the cave.

“I came out here to apologize,” Hugh snapped, “but you’ve pissed me off.”

“Save it,” Jake dismissed. “If you want to make a difference, a real one, take responsibility for what you’ve done and help find a solution. No one wants your half-assed apology. What we want is to survive. To get out of here in one piece. You see this cave?” Jake flung a gloved hand at their cave. “The one you didn’t help build? That’s our only hope of survival out here. And snow caves shrink in size every day. We escaped an avalanche, but it blocked our escape route. We’ve lost a man, a good man, and we couldn’t give him a decent burial. A man only four months married. What else?” he asked with derision. “Oh, yes. We don’t have any food, our medicine supply is disappearing fast, and we’ve yet to get a decent phone signal. There,” Jake snapped, “you’re up to date with the nightmare
you
caused. Welcome.”

Hugh looked dazed. “I - I won’t have all this blamed on me. I wasn’t the only one on the jet.”

“Do you
see
the jet?” Jake shouted. “It got burned to a crisp. We were all bloody lucky to get out of it alive. Ben wasn’t. He was already dead.”

Hugh’s eyes went as round as saucers. “Look, I–”

“Shut up, Hugh,” Justin said as he studied his brother's belligerent expression. “What Jake has said is true.”

“You have to take responsibility,” Parker said in a defeated tone. “You have to do that, Hugh; it’s what men do.”

Hugh’s eyes hardened. “Oh really, father?” he drawled in a waspish tone. “Take responsibility? Be a man? And who would I look at for inspiration? Surely, you don’t mean yourself.”

A shocked and awkward silence descended over the group again as Hugh’s words hovered in the air.

Parker had gone white but his gaze remained steady on Hugh’s flushed face. “This isn’t about me.”

Hugh’s lip curled into a sneer. “Just as well–”

“If you guys want to have a domestic, do it in your own time,” Jake interjected, sparing both men a pithy glance. “The rest of us came out here for a reason.” Going to Emily, he took Luke from her and passed the baby back to Shayna then pulled Emily gently into his arms, rubbing her back as she hiccupped. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“Let’s get started on getting that phone signal,” Neil suggested.

“I can’t do any walking,” Hugh pointed out. He glanced at Emily before looking away guiltily. “Are there any more painkillers around? My leg’s killing me.”

Nina stared at him, marveling at his audacity. She wasn’t surprised when no one bothered answering.

Parker scratched his head. “Stay here, Hugh. We shouldn’t be long. Do you want to stay back with him, Justin?”

Justin shook his head. “No. I need to walk. My legs are stiff.” He glanced over at his brother. “You’ll be all right by yourself for a while?"

Hugh merely nodded. “I’ll see you when you get back,” he muttered.

Nina pulled her phone from her pocket. Hazel might have called and left a message. Only a strong signal would allow her to know. She turned it on, but as expected, no signal yet. She slipped it back into her pocket, and followed the others away from the cave.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Jake and Emily led the way this time, closely followed by Neil, Shayna, and Luke. Nina walked behind them with Angela. Parker and Justin followed behind.

“Are we going anywhere in particular or are we just randomly walking?” Justin asked petulantly.

When no one answered, he asked again. Neil tossed him an impatient glance over his shoulder. “When the signal picks up? I thought that’d be obvious.” He looked down at the phone in his hand shook his head. “We’re lucky to even have these with us; they could’ve perished with the jet.”

“I always keep mine in my pocket,” Justin murmured. “Thankfully.”

“Me too,” Neil responded. “Just keep an eye on it. As soon as it picks up a signal, shout.”

The sun blazed through the cornflower blue sky yet delivered little warmth as they walked. Nina labored with every breath, her bones feeling brittle and the skin on her face tight from the cold. She didn’t have any night cream with her, and she almost laughed thinking of it. Night cream. That had been the last thing on her mind last night. But, as a result, her skin was extra dry and her nose had started peeling.

With an effort, she concentrated on each step through the snow, her ski boots sinking through the six inches of it with relative ease, though her quads sang in pain with each step. She also tried to keep an eye on where they were heading, although so much around them looked the same.

Like the others, her most pressing concern was making contact with her family. Pulling her phone from her pocket she frowned down at the screen. It only had two battery bars left. No chance of recharging that in the cave. She glanced at Ange walking beside her. Her friend’s gaze focused forward, but every now and then, Nina had caught her eyeing the tall snow-covered mountains around them, as if expecting an attack. Or for there to be another avalanche. Nina shuddered at the thought.

“Are you okay, Ange?” she asked softly.

Angela started as if interrupted from deep thought. She smiled at her. “As well as can be expected considering I no longer have any personal belongings with me.” She drew a breath. “My passport, phone, purse. All of it got blown up in that jet.” Her voice caught. “None of us have eaten for hours, yet we’ve had to walk, and walk, and walk.”

Nina swallowed at the truth of that. “Not to mention build a snow cave.”

“Don’t remind me. My arms still ache from that.”

“Me too, and not sure how much more walking I can do to be honest.” Nina squinted at Jake up ahead. His phone lay in his hand at his side; she’d seen him checking it every few minutes. She glanced at Angela. “This weather’s killing me.”

Angela peered at her. “Your nose is peeling.”

“I know it, but my head’s feeling better.” She managed a smile. “The Saranax’is doing its job.”

Angela forced the zipper of her jacket further up her neck until it almost strangled her. Taking her asthma pump from her pocket, she inhaled twice before putting it away.

Nina remembered vividly the concern she’d felt when Ange had placed it in her trouser pocket instead of her clutch bag as she normally did. How grateful she was that Ange had done that, as no doubt Ange must be.

“My signal’s getting stronger,” Jake announced suddenly, his voice ringing with excitement. “But it’s spotty. I don’t know if it’ll hold long enough to put a call through.”

They all crowded around him. Nina looked down at her phone and blew out a frustrated breath. Still nothing.

“Mine’s flickering, but I’ve only got one bar of battery left,” Neil reported.

“That’s something, at least,” Parker said. Though the rest of them continued to stand, he sat down with a heavy sigh, seeming unconcerned of the snow’s wetness beneath him. “I’ve got a whole bunch of client meetings arranged and no way to get through to them to let them know what’s happened.”

Nina winced. She couldn’t think about client meetings right now. Instead she performed slow squats, needing to loosen the tightness at the back of her knees. She ignored Justin who smirked as she did them. Despite his continued attempt at bravado, she'd heard the grunts he'd tried to suppress and knew he hurt just like the rest of them.

She watched Jake rub Emily’s back and Neil rub Shayna’s, and tried not to be envious. Her back could use a rub.

“Let’s try heading further out,” Jake said after a few moments. “The signal’s still not strong enough.”

There was grumbling among the group, but everyone knew they had no choice.

“Are you keeping track of how to get back?” Parker asked Jake.

Jake shot him a look of disgust. “Why is all the responsibility being put on my shoulders? You all have eyes, ears and legs don’t you? We all need to know our bearings, and not rely on one, or even two, people.”

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at a lake. It was a fifteen feet wide and oblong-shaped and frozen solid.

“A better signal now.” Jake didn’t bother to hide his relief. He immediately pulled off his right glove and began punching in numbers.

Taking a deep breath of hope, Nina took out her phone again.

She had a signal.

She screamed in delight, making Angela and Emily jump. “Sorry.” She laughed at herself. “Sorry,” she said again, “I’m just excited because I finally have a signal.” She dialed Hazel’s mobile number immediately, but it disconnected after a couple of seconds. She frowned. “It cut me off.”

“Try it again.” Jake held his own phone up to his ear. “It might take a few attempts before it goes through.” He looked around at the rest of them. “How’s everyone else’s?”

“Mine’s getting there,” Neil answered. “I want to get a hold of Shayna’s parents who are back in London.”

Angela said nothing, merely watching them all with pained eyes.

“I…I left mine in the cave,” Justin suddenly admitted and flushed with embarrassment when everyone looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and confusion

“Don’t worry about it,” Jake drawled with deceptive understanding as he redialed a number that Nina estimated was the third time. “None of us are relying on your brain cells to get us through this.”

Justin flushed again. “If you want to say something–”

“Don’t start, you two, please,” Parker pleaded. “Don’t we have enough problems without fighting one another?”

“Do you think we’re doing the wrong thing trying to call anyone?” Angela asked tautly. “Jake, you’ve said you can’t give an accurate location of where we are.”

Everyone stopped and looked at one another.

Jake took his phone from his ear to meet Angela’s worried gaze. “We have to let people know what’s happened, Angela.”

“What for? To tell them we’re stranded and we don’t ‘know where?” A tear slipped down her cheek. “Well I’m glad I no longer have my phone.”

Nina stared at her friend. She hadn’t thought about it from that perspective, and her phone trembled in her hand.

Jake’s eyes held sympathy but his tone remained determined. “It’s either that or die out here without anyone ever knowing what happened.” His gaze whipped around the group. “Is that what you all want?”

Something snapped inside Nina and she set her teeth. “Must you mention the word
die
? No one else is going to die.”

“I’m only ever optimistic when, and if, there’s a logical reason to be, Nina.”

“For goodness’ sake, Jake,” Parker began hoarsely. “Give us some hope.”

Jake’s expression grew hard. “I’m not here to give you anything.”

“I’m not dying out here.” Justin had gone as white as the snow around them. “No way.”

“Exactly. We have to concentrate on surviving this,” Neil reminded them all. “That’s making contact with our people in London.” He looked at Angela who stood opposite him. “We have to have hope. We have to stay positive.”

“Yes, he’s right, Ange.” And Nina redialed Hazel’s number. Once again, the phone cut off. She almost screamed in frustration.

Jake curved an arm across Emily’s shoulders. She had remained quiet and pensive throughout the exchange. “I’m going to keep trying to call my boss,” Jake said. “He has to know what’s happened. The rest of you…well…that’s your call. Em and I don’t have family back in London to worry about.”

Nina’s throat tightened. “I’m not calling my sister to say goodbye.” She tightened her hand on her phone, strengthened her voice. “I’m calling her so she knows what’s happened.”

“We should never have brought Luke along,” Shayna pressed her face into Luke’s neck. “Oh God, Neil. Why did–?”

Neil pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Ssh. Let’s keep calm.”

Parker’s hand shook as he scrolled through the menu on his own phone. He still sat on the snow, brows furrowed. “I won’t let this crisis be the last chapter on my life. My team needs to know what’s happened. There may be something they can do.”

“Do you have a signal?” Neil asked him.

“A faint one. I’m going to see if I can put a call through to the hotel.”

Emily worried her bottom lip. “The guys at the office will all likely be at the weekly meeting at this time,” she told Jake.

“I know. I’ll leave a message with Sam; she’ll get it to them when they’re back. I–Sam, Jake here.” His words caused everyone to stop and stare in hope and relief as he finally got through. They all watched as he spoke quickly but clearly, giving as much detail as he could.

Several feet away, Parker pressed a hand to his forehead in despair.

“You couldn’t get through?” Nina asked him. She continued to dial Hazel. Each time she did, it disconnected after initially connecting.

“The line kept breaking.” Parker’s eyes watched Jake. “But at lease Jake’s making headway.”