Spiral (The Salzburg Saga Book One) Read online

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Time to get up, Neen; we’re heading out to try and find a phone signal for you guys.”

  Nina jerked awake. Disorientated, she blinked up at Angela who stood peering down at her. Nina frowned. “Where…?” Then reality hit her in a sickening wave and she groaned, lifting a hand to her aching head. “Oh, God.”

  “Yeah, we’re still here,” Angela muttered. “How’re you feeling?”

  How was she feeling? Carefully, she shifted her legs to the side of the sleeping platform as she sat up and took stock. The pain in her back made itself known first, quickly and ruthlessly followed by her hips that tingled as if knives were being poked into them. She loathed acknowledging the churning of her empty stomach too, along with the throbbing of her right temple “I’m feeling okay.”

  Angela snorted. “Sure you are.”

  “Is everyone up?”

  “Almost. Neil said that Jake has been up for a while, putting up markers outside et cetera.”

  “Markers? Oh, rescue signs.” Nina tried to ease the stiffness of her shoulders by gently rotating them backward.” Nina eyed her. “How are you doing?”

  Angela grimaced. “My scratches and back are talking to me, and I’m trying not to listen. But I’m just grateful to be alive.”

  Nina yawned. “What's the time?"

  “Just gone noon.”

  “Noon?” Nina blinked in surprise. She’d never slept so late, but under the current circumstances, she felt no guilt. Sleeping was her only respite from her grim stark reality. She took a deep breath and rubbed her hands together; her skin dry as sandpaper. “I guess I did manage to sleep in the end.” Gingerly, she slid off the platform and put on her boots, gloves, and then searched for her sunglasses.

  “Got your phone?” Angela asked her.

  With a mutter of annoyance at herself, Nina pulled it from her battered handbag.

  “Hugh’s awake,” Angela told her. “Fully awake.”

  Nina froze for a moment before looking up to meet Ange's gaze. “He is?”

  Angela’s eyes were hard. “Neil said he’s talking without any difficulty. Apparently, he surfaced early this morning. He’s been complaining about his leg.”

  “He’s going to be all right.” Nina shook her head at the injustice of it. “He’s going to be all right, but Ben’s gone?”

  “Where’s the justice, right? Neil said Parker’s suggested that Hugh stay back and not go out this morning.”

  “Just as well.” Nina drew a steady breath. “I don’t want to see him.”

  “Join the queue. I think he’s likely to stick close to Parker for self-preservation, if nothing else. This might actually bring them closer together.”

  Nina gritted her teeth. “Bring them together at our expense? Great.” She took Angela’s offered arm and they slowly made their way out into the cave corridor. She looked toward the entrance of the cave. Only a beam of light shone through. Jake must have temporarily removed the snow block. “We’re going to have to bend low every time we want to get in and out of here?”

  Angela grimaced in answer. “Will you be all right?”

  She hoped so. Yet, she’d only taken a handful of steps and could already feel a fine sheen of sweat settling along her upper lip. “I think we should give each other a massage when we get back,” she managed. “Finally make use of the skills we learned in that health and wellbeing course last year.”

  “Yeah but...jeez, I never thought I’d use them in a situation like this.”

  “Me, neither.” Nina paused and took a moment to prepare her mind before preparing her body to exit the cave.

  “Watch your head,” Angela warned. In front of Nina on all fours, Angela led the way out carefully. She paused to look back over her shoulder at Nina before climbing out fully. “Shout if you need help. I can get one of the guys to help pull you out.”

  Nina groaned silently. How mortifying would that be? “I think I’ll be okay.”

  And she was. The air was cold and crisp, a gentle howl of the wind in the air. She drew in a deep breath and tried to ready herself for the day that lay ahead.

  Neil stood just outside and moved forward to help her. Digging in her pocket, she took out her sunglasses and slipped them onto her nose. The morning sun was a welcome change after the dimness of the cave, but it was also a migraine trigger.

  Neil pressed a hand to her forehead like an anxious father. “Morning.” He smiled a little, and his hand, which was ungloved, was somehow warm despite the chill of the morning air. He had a night’s worth of beard stubble. “How’d you sleep?”

  She gave him a light hug. “I slept eventually.” She pulled back to search his face. “How about you?” But she didn’t need to ask as the dark shadows under his eyes answered her question.

  “Fits and starts,” he confirmed.

  She looked over his shoulder at Shayna who sat with Emily a few feet away. Luke sat in Emily’s lap gurgling something only babies understood. Emily cradled him against her chest, but she looked blankly ahead, not appearing to see or hear anything. Jake paced up and down nearby with hooded eyes, and like Neil’s, dark rings shadowing them. He had a night’s growth of beard too, and his short dark hair stuck out in different directions. She saw no sign of the Draytons and figured they’d yet to leave the cave.

  “Think you’ll find a good phone signal?” Angela asked Neil.

  “Hope so.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and slumped his shoulders, signaling the situation weighing them down. “The signal here’s lousy. We also need to stretch our legs, look for a way out–” He broke off, his eyes slitting at something he saw over Nina’s shoulder.

  Nina and Angela turned.

  Parker had appeared with Hugh and Justin. Parker and Justin wore fresh ski gear. Hugh wore the same clothes he’d worn yesterday. He was swearing furiously. Clearly unwilling to venture out of the cave, he lingered at the entrance, arms resting on the ledge. His eyes sat sullen and sunken and his lips were tight with pain.

  Even as anger rose up inside of Nina at the sight of him, she also felt a grim satisfaction to witness that his leg was clearly in pain. He looked like he’d aged ten years. She hoped his leg fell off.

  No one spoke. The fraught silence stretched as everyone watched Parker and Justin leave Hugh behind and make their way toward them. With a grateful sigh, Justin sank down wearily on the snow beside Shayna.

  “Morning.” Parker didn’t attempt a smile, for which Nina was grateful. Still unsteady on his feet, he slid to the ground beside Justin. He turned to look back at Hugh. “Hugh has something he wants to say to you all.”

  Nina arched a brow, an action she saw mirrored by Neil when she shot a glance at him. Emily closed her eyes and held Luke closer. Jake didn’t stop pacing, she noted, his hands jammed into his pockets. Angela’s expression didn’t change as she sat and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

  Hugh shot his father a resentful look but lifted his chin and faced the rest of them. “Look,” he said loudly in order to be heard. “I don’t remember anything about what happened so...”

  Disgusted, Nina looked away. So he’d developed amnesia? How convenient.

  “Hugh,” Parker snapped, “you’re here to apologize, not make excuses.”

  “I’m getting to it,” Hugh ground out, “but I only have your word that I caused all this.” His angry gaze swept their bleak surroundings and carefully avoiding anyone’s gaze.

  Jake stopped, and his eyes were stone cold. “Look around,” he bit out acidly. “Do you think this is merely a result of his word? ” He tossed his head in Parker’s direction. “Then you’re a fool. But you want to apologize? Go ahead. Give it your best shot.”

  Hugh said nothing, merely looked away.

  “My friend’s dead because of you.” Eyes blazed, Jake was breathing heavily. “You can fake amnesia all you want but we all know the truth. You killed Ben. That makes you a murderer.”

  Hugh blanc
hed. "Look–"

  “You can fake amnesia all you want,” Jake cut in, “but we all know the truth. You killed Ben. That makes you a murderer.”

  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 gettin
g 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.”