Untraceable (21 page)

God, I know You hold me in the palm of Your hand. I never doubted that. But right now, I’m struggling...
Isaiah choked up. Couldn’t finish his prayer, even though it was silent.

Lord, please. I pray for Heidi and for Cade and even Rhea. Protect them and save them, and if I’m blessed enough to make it out of here, then maybe I can right some wrongs.

He let his gaze follow the light again and, looking up, saw the way out. He’d have to climb. Squeezing his eyes shut, Isaiah pictured Heidi’s smiling face back before all the drama. Back before he’d hurt her. If he ever had the chance to be with her, he would never hurt her again. But he reminded himself that he’d revealed everything. He doubted she would have him now.

Isaiah drew in a long, measured breath, gutted it up and half crawled, half climbed out of the crevasse. As he neared the source of the light—the small entrance to a hole in the ice—he figured he had just enough energy to make it through.

And after that?

Only God knew.

In the tunnel, he felt the cold air whipping around him already, accompanied by snow. That meant the storm would bear down on the ice field soon if it wasn’t already. Isaiah would be lost forever, buried alive, if he stayed tucked away in the crevasse, but crawling out into the storm to die from exposure didn’t seem like much of a choice, either.

Peering below him, his heart sank. He’d burned all his energy and couldn’t make it all the way back down if he wanted to. He was almost out of the chasm. His only choice was to keep going and hope for the best.

Pulling his broken body out of the entrance to the ice cave, Isaiah fell flat against the snow, gasping for breath. In the distance, he heard helicopter rotors, growing stronger.

Louder.

Isaiah sat up the best he could and waved his arms. A coast guard helicopter hovered above him. Nothing had ever looked so good.

That is, until the rescuers hoisted him into the helicopter, and he saw Heidi—smiling and crying at the same time.

Careful of his leg, Heidi wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close and tight. It felt incredible. He hesitated for a millisecond, then hugged her back, drawing in the scent of her hair. They held each other long and hard. He didn’t want to let go.

Then his eyes drifted to that ominous green bag.

* * *

Heidi had never been more grateful for anything in her life than the moment she’d spotted Isaiah in the snow waving. She wasn’t ready for him to loosen his arms around her, but she knew he had to be in pain.

Then he gripped her shoulders, a fierce look in his eyes. Not at all the look she wanted or expected. Isaiah had gazed at her with regret and with such longing right before he’d fallen into the crevasse. She wanted to see that in his eyes again. He’d told her that he loved her. Had he forgotten? Was it all a lie?

“How did you survive?” she asked, a sob in her words. “I thought you were dead, but I had to look for you. I had to hope.”

He ran his thumb down her cheek. “I’m glad you did, Heidi. Thank you. I thought I was gone, too. I would have been if you hadn’t come when you did. Hadn’t shown them where to look.”

Heidi closed her eyes, savoring the comfort and reassurance in his touch.

“I found a way out of the crevasse and followed it.”

Her eyes blinked open. “With a broken leg? You have serious survival instincts.”

His grin wiped away the earlier scowl. “I thought about you, Heidi. I had to get back to you. Why don’t you tell me what happened? How did you escape?”

Heidi shifted in the seat. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything later. I promise.” She didn’t want to ruin this moment by sharing her tactics. Nor did she want to think about that look that had skewered her when she held the gun on Zach. She couldn’t shake it. Couldn’t shake the feeling that he would be back. Changing the subject was a good idea.

“They found Cade,” she said. “He’s going to be all right. Rhea, too. They transported her to a hospital and she’s in the ICU, I think.” Heidi leaned closer so she wouldn’t have to yell over the steady whir of the helicopter. “I hear she’s telling them everything, after the way Zach treated her.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Cade, I talked to Cade. David told us that you ending your radio call with ‘over and out’ clued him in and the search for us was on. But with the storms and being shorthanded on teams, it took them a while to find us. So good job.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Heidi.”

“When they found Cade, he told them where to look for us. Where Zach had us guide him.”

“Did they also capture Zach and Jason? The pilot?”

She shrugged. “I don’t think so. I haven’t heard.” He was back to that again.

“Did you tell Cade everything?”

Pursing her lips, she shrank back. “What are you talking about?”

Isaiah’s gaze slid to the green bag on the floor then back to her, the scowl returning. “I think you know. Why is the money bag in this helicopter, Heidi? What have you done?”

Heidi blew out a breath. “Can’t you be happy that we are all alive? Who cares about what’s in that bag? You can’t think that I took it for myself.”

His grin softened the intense displeasure in his eyes, but only to a point. “Funny thing. While I was crawling out of the crevasse, I pictured you escaping all by yourself. You’re strong and brave and shrewd. I figured you’d get the men out of the way. Remove me, the hero wannabe, and you’d take Zach down all by yourself. Looks like I wasn’t far off. So what
did
happen?”

She hadn’t wanted to tell this story more than once, and she knew she’d have to tell it to the authorities. “I wanted to get back at Zach for taking everyone away from me. He made me pack the bags on the plane and I stowed this one in the snow beneath the plane. When he wasn’t looking, I took the gun from his pocket before he ever knew what happened. Told the pilot to let me out and take off or I would kill Zach. He and Jason agreed they didn’t need me.”

Admiration brimmed in his gaze, but only for a moment. Isaiah shook his head, and then an expression of anguish crossed his face. The medic tried to administer a painkiller, but Isaiah refused.

“Let me see if I understand. The pilot took off without the money. None of them knew you’d taken it.”

“That’s right.”

“But they know now.”

Heidi couldn’t stand Isaiah’s recrimination and averted her gaze. Watched out the window and held on, praying this thing didn’t crash with the winds whipping at it. Isaiah grabbed her hand, the gesture forcing her to look at him.

“Why did you do it?”

“I already told you!” Why did he have to grill her like this? “To hurt him. Besides, I couldn’t overpower Zach or Jason and hold them until the authorities arrived, but at least I could rescue the money.” Right. That had nothing at all to do with why she’d taken it, and by the look in his eyes, Isaiah knew it.

“You’ve put yourself in grave danger.”

“No kidding. That was two million dollars.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Two million dollars?”

“Yes. But there won’t be any reason for him to come for me because I’ll be turning the money over to the FBI. They’re meeting us when we land. I’ve already given them the plane’s registration number, too, so they can track these guys down quickly.”

“You think Zach will know that you turned the money over to the government? If he finds out, do you think he’ll care? He will want revenge.”

The helicopter jerked and rolled. Heidi held fast, while Isaiah cried out in pain.

She eyed the medic. “Do something for him.”

He nodded and administered a painkiller.

Heidi looked out the window again, trying to gain control over her roiling insides due to the turbulent flight. She hated seeing Isaiah in so much pain, most of it physical, but by his reaction she knew she’d caused him additional pain through her actions.

Oh, Lord, what have I done?

She’d brought the threat home with her. Not only was
she
in danger now, but her whole family.

Heidi let her gaze drift back to Isaiah. His eyes were closed, agony still etched on his face. He was a brave, courageous man, just like she’d always thought he was. But he’d run away from his problems, lied about who he really was. Heidi understood him better now.

The irony. Heidi might have to do the exact same thing in order to keep her family safe. She might have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life, watching out for the day Zach would come for her.

TWENTY-ONE

L
ike two bodyguards, Cade and David escorted her from the FBI’s satellite office in Juneau. She and Cade had both shared their stories about the ordeal more times than she could count, as if they were the criminals. Heidi had been questioned more than either of the men because she’d taken the money right out from under Zach’s watchful gaze.

Heat swam up her neck as she reiterated how she’d drawn his attention away from his money. In the end, the FBI was grateful the money had been returned and appreciative of all the information the SAR team shared about Zach and his partners-in-crime. The hunt for them was on.

She climbed into Cade’s truck after the boat ride from Juneau, sitting between him and David. Their longtime friend and bush pilot, Billy, usually flew them in his float plane, but he was in the Alaska bush today, so they’d taken the boat, which took much too long, in her opinion. Regardless, the ordeal was finally over and she had thought it would never end. In truth, she’d never been sure they would survive, and it seemed a little surreal to be sitting next to Cade. The rest of the world continued on—life as usual—and hadn’t come to a screeching halt just because the three of them had been abducted.

But something was missing for Heidi. Or rather, someone. Isaiah had been taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries and had been questioned there.

“Have you heard anything more about Isaiah? Is he going to be all right?” Heidi didn’t dare look at Cade. She understood now why Cade had cautioned her to avoid Isaiah, but he was being a little hard on the guy.

“He’s fine.”

She was still working through her feelings on Isaiah’s past, but that didn’t mean she didn’t care for him fiercely. And that was putting it mildly. She had wanted to go directly to the hospital and see him, but Cade and David insisted on getting back home. Grandma Katy and Leah were waiting.

“Did they release him?”

“Not yet.” David shifted in the seat next to her. “But don’t worry about him. He can take care of himself. Adam is there with him. They’ll return to Mountain Cove together.”

“We need to get home,” Cade said.

Heidi didn’t argue with Cade on that one. She knew that Leah had to be anxious to tell him about her news if she had some. Heidi hated that she knew there was a possibility that Leah was pregnant and hadn’t said a word to him, but it was Leah’s place to share, not Heidi’s. Cade drove his truck into the driveway of the home they shared with Grandma Katy and everyone climbed out. Cade ushered Heidi to the door as if she was a child. This was getting old.

Once inside, Heidi breathed in the aroma of Italian food mingling with that of a few baked goods. Grandma Katy appeared from the kitchen and hugged Heidi and Cade. Leah, too, but she remained in Cade’s arms.

Tears streaming from her face, Grandma Katy didn’t seem to want to let go of Heidi, but she relinquished her hold anyway. Gripping Heidi’s shoulders, she looked her up and down. Then pressed her palms against Heidi’s cheeks. “I’m so thankful God saved you, Heidi.”

Then she did the same to Cade, after Leah stepped out of his arms. Heidi never doubted that her grandmother cherished and loved them. And she regretted taking the money now. She never wanted to bring harm to this house. They’d already known that kind of fear with Leah’s stalker.

Grandma Katy swiped at her tears, a broad smile on her face. “You must be hungry for a hot meal. The food will be ready in half an hour. Gives you time to clean up.”

She went back to the kitchen.

Heidi decided she and David should leave Cade and Leah alone. Give them some space. She was surprised they didn’t head back to their apartment.

“I think I’ll run upstairs and take a quick shower.” If Heidi could lie in her own bed and rest a little, that would make her day.

* * *

The next thing she knew, she woke up. She’d gotten her wish. She’d lain on her bed for a moment. She thought she’d only briefly closed her eyes, but looking at the clock, she’d slept three hours.

Climbing from the bed, she quickly showered.

She’d missed Grandma Katy’s meal. Heidi shook off the grogginess and slipped down the stairs. Just as she reached the bottom step, someone knocked on the front door. She made her way to the foyer where Cade had already opened it.

Leaning on crutches, Isaiah stood in the door frame, filling it out with his sturdy form. Heidi had the urge to rush to him, much as Leah had done with Cade before, but with her disapproving brother looking on, she held back.

Isaiah’s dark gaze slid from Cade to Heidi and he stepped inside. Cade offered him a seat in the living room but Isaiah declined. He moved to stand directly in front of Heidi. His proximity tugged at her, and she thought she could sense he wanted to hold her, but Cade’s brooding stare hovered just over Isaiah’s shoulder. She wanted to tell Cade to go away and give her and Isaiah privacy, just like she’d done for Cade and Leah.

She focused back on Isaiah and searched his eyes, remembering that awful moment right before Zach shoved him into the crevasse. She recalled the words he’d said.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t get us out of this, Heidi. I love you. I think I always have.

Had he meant those words? Or had he said them because he thought he would die? Crazy thoughts. Heidi wanted the words to be true, but she still held on to other words he’d said about changing his name. About someone he loved being murdered.

Who are you really, Isaiah?

An invisible, unscalable wall stood between them. As the technical climber on the team, she knew everything about climbing. If only this were the kind of wall she knew how to climb.