Naked Edge (17 page)

The hikers don’t even try to hide the fact that they’re listening.
 

“He’d never do that.”

Anna’s shouting now. “You took his virginity the night his mother died then disappeared without a trace.”

Oh my god. Really? I can’t believe Rowdy told her about our first time. I glare at the hikers, two women. “Do you mind? This is a private conversation.”

 
They turn their backs and continue down the trail. One of them looks over her shoulder. “I’m pretty sure the entire canyon can hear your private conversation.”

I rub my temples, but it doesn’t alleviate the building pressure.

Anna’s chest heaves with every breath. Her eyes are wild and wide. “I’ve invested too much into my relationship with Rowdy to just let you steal him away from me.”

“Anna, listen to me. Rowdy cares about you. He might even love you, but as a sister, not romantically.”

 
She moves closer, invading my personal space. “If you hadn’t come back, we’d be together by now.”

I take a step back, putting me closer to the edge of the narrow trail.

“He’s mine!” Anna shoves me. Hard.

I windmill my arms, trying to regain my balance. It doesn’t work.
 
Pain explodes across my ribs as I bounce off a boulder. I try to relax as I tumble down the talus field like a rag doll. It’s supposed to hurt less if you don’t tense up. I don’t think it’s working. At least I’m wearing a helmet. I grab at anything I can as I roll down the rocky slope, tearing my nails, shredding my palms, but nothing I do slows my deadly descent.
 

I finally stop when I slam against a tree but the world continues to spin. A red tail hawk circles above me. I try to inventory my injuries without actually looking at them but everything hurts.

Loose rocks, some of them as big as my fist, continue to rain down on me. It should have stopped by now.
 

The scrape of boots on gravel fills me with relief. Someone’s coming. But they should know better than to descend right on top of me. Are they trying to trigger a landslide? Whoever it is nudges my helmet with their foot. What the hell? “Don’t.”

“So, you’re alive. Too bad.”

Anna.

“Barely, no thanks to you.”
 

She kicks me again. Every last shred of sympathy I had for her disappears.
 

She squats down beside me and cocks her head to the side. “Hmm…what to do, what to do?”

“Call for help, you crazy bitch. I can’t walk out of here on my own.”
 

“I don’t think so.” She unclips her multitool knife.

Fear replaces anger. “What are you doing?”

She flicks the blade open then waves it back and forth in front of my face. “I told you to leave Rowdy alone, but you wouldn’t listen.”

I don’t swear very often but this is definitely an ‘oh fuck’ situation. “Rowdy will hate you if you kill me.”

“Perhaps.”

I try to claw my way into a sitting position, but I’m too weak. My vision turns grey around the edges. I try to remain conscious. And fail.

When the fog clears, the rough bark of the lodgepole pine is pressing against my back. I’m sitting up. Someone’s holding my hand. I open my eyes. It’s Anna. Thank god she came to her senses.

She squeezes my hand tighter. She’s helping me hold something. I look down. My fingers are wrapped around her knife. Is she trying to stage a suicide? “No one will believe I killed myself.”

“Maybe not. But they
will
believe you tried to kill me.” She slowly draws the serrated blade across her forehead then lets go of my hand.

I drop the knife. “Oh my god! You really are crazy.”

She leans over me and lets her blood pour onto the front of my shirt. “When Rowdy sees what you’ve done to me, he’ll comfort me. Just like I comforted him. It’ll be just like it was before you came back.” Spit flies out of her mouth as she yells at me. “You ruined everything!”

I hope someone hears her ranting before she changes her mind and decides to just kill me. “You’re right. Go find Rowdy and tell him what happened.”

“You don’t think he’ll believe me.” Anna narrows her eyes then jumps to her feet. She points at me. “You brainwashed him.”
 

She paces back and forth, rubbing her hands as if she’s washing them. “I need more time. I have to get him out from under your spell. Once I do, he’ll see what a monster you are. He’ll be glad I saved him.”

“That’s right.” My vision is swimming again. “Go find Rowdy. Save him from me.”

Anna pokes a stick through the carabiner attached to her knife and drops it into her pack without touching it. She removes my helmet. A breeze ruffles my hair. It feels good.

“Thanks.” I must be going into shock. Why else would I thank her for anything?

Anna grins as she picks a rock up off the ground and holds it over my head. “Any time.”
 

The easy pickoff turns into an all out search.

We scour all the trails and interview climbers at the base of every cliff in the park, but no one knows anything about a stranded climber. Eldo is a popular place and any sort of rescue drama always draws a crowd. The fact that not a single person knows anything is highly suspicious.
 

Mike calls off the search when the last trail is crossed off the map. It’s too dangerous to search off-trail in the dark when we don’t even know if there’s anyone out there. Everyone knows the park closes at dusk. Usually, if a climber is more than a few hours late and can’t be reached, someone calls it in. But not every dickwad with a rope is smart enough to tell someone they’re going climbing or when to expect them back.
 

It only takes half an hour for most of the volunteers to meet up in the parking lot. Skylar isn’t one of them. I grab Wade. “Skylar was assigned to your group. Where is she?”

“She isn’t here?”

“If she was, would I be asking?”

“She and Anna fell back to take a bathroom break.”

My stomach drops. “When was that?”

“About two and a half hours ago.”

“Shit.” Sweat beads on my forehead. I feel a little guilty for not noticing that Anna’s not back either. “And you weren’t worried when they didn’t show up?”

“Of course I was. I called Anna. She told me they decided to go to the ranger’s station so they could use the facilities there. By then, we’d reached the fork where Eldo branches off from West Ridge. It was getting dark so I told her to just go back to base.”

I pull my cell out and call Skylar. It goes straight to voice mail. The same thing happens when I call Anna. I run over to Mike. “Did Skylar or Anna check in yet.”

“No.”
 

“Did Anna call after splitting off from Wade’s group?” My voice cracks.
 

Mike presses his lips together and shakes his head. “Wade. Get over here.”

Wade explains the situation to the few members of the group still on site while I pace.

Mike authorizes us to search the trail between base and the girls’ last known position. “Follow protocol. Stay on the trail. If you find something, mark it and call it in.”

I don’t care if it breaks the rules. I don’t even care whether or not it’s safe. I’m not leaving without Skylar and Anna.
 

Wade, Derek and I gear up again and head back into the canyon. The girls have to be somewhere between here and the fork in the trail. It’s only about a quarter mile, but it’s still a lot of ground to cover, especially in the dark. Even more so if they left the trail. My anxiety rises with every step I take. If we don’t find them before we reach the fork…
 

I can’t afford to think about that. We call their names every few seconds. But no one answers.
 

I wake up with the worst headache I’ve ever had. It’s getting worse by the second. The acrid stench of vomit burns my nose. I gag. Pain explodes across my left side. I clutch it instinctively.
Shit.
That hurts. Everything hurts. My crotch and thighs are cold and damp. Did I piss myself? I try to open my eyes but it feels as if they’re glued shut. I rub them with the base of my thumbs. The left half of my face is caked with dried mud. What happened? I’m on my side, wrapped around something hard and rough. It’s a tree.
 
God, my head hurts. I pry my eyelids apart, but I can barely see. It’s dark. Where am I? The last thing I remember was lying in Rowdy’s bed. We were about to make love when we were interrupted by a phone call. I try to sit up, but change my mind when a wave of nausea crashes over me. Bits and pieces of the past few hours float through my mind. Anna pounding on Rowdy’s door… Sitting in Rowdy’s truck… The ranger at the entrance gate of Eldorado State Park waving us through. That’s it. I’m in Eldo Canyon. But it’s dark. The park closes at sunset. I’m alone. And hurt. Where’s Rowdy? I lick my parched lips and call his name. It’s barely a whisper.

“Sky-lar.” Someone calls my name, dragging it out.
 

It’s hard to judge distances in the canyon, but it sounds as if they’re a long way away.
 

“Ann-uh.”
 

“Here.” I try to answer. But it comes out as a barely audible croak. Every breath I take hurts. I can’t suck in enough air to speak above a whisper. I’m so thirsty. How long have I been out here? The air is chilly, but the rocks are still warm.

They keep calling and I keep trying to answer. It sounds like they’re getting further away. Half a dozen beams of light flicker in and out of my line of vision. They’re so far above me. And they’re definitely moving in the wrong direction.

“Sky-lar.” That’s Rowdy’s voice.
 

“Over here.” No way did he hear that. I know it’s going to hurt, but I’m desperate. I pant three times then suck in a giant breath of air and scream.
 

“Skylar! Where are you?”

“Here.” I’m whispering again. I’m in so much pain. I don’t know if I can do it again.

“Sky! Keep talking so I can find you.”

I whimper. Knowing exactly how much it’s going to hurt makes it so much harder. I think of Rowdy out there, searching for me and fill my lungs again. This time I’m prepared and yell his name instead of just screaming like a wounded animal.

The lights are right above me. I must have passed out. They sweep over me then one by one converge on my face. I slam my eyes shut, but the beams are so bright it doesn’t help very much.

“Hang on, babe. I’m coming.” Rowdy calls out. “On belay?”

Someone answers, “Belay on.”

“I’m coming, Sky. Do
not
move.” One light continues to shine on my chest while half a dozen spotlight Rowdy’s boots.

Oh. He’s rappelling down to me. That can’t be good. Did I deck off a wall? I don’t have a helmet on and I never climb without one. I feel around my waist and thighs. No harness.
 

It only takes Rowdy a few minutes to reach me. I want to hug him so bad it hurts, but I can’t sit up.
 

“Don’t move.” He pauses. “I need a litter, collar and beanbag.”
 

It takes a second for me to realize he’s talking over his radio.

“I need you to stay still while I check you out.”

“You can’t check me out.” I gesture at the lights shining on my body. “People are watching.”

Rowdy gives me a fleeting, closed lip smile. “I’m going to shine a light in your eyes. Try not to squint.”

“What happened?”
 

“You fell.” Rowdy runs his fingers over my skull. He’s being extremely gentle, but it still hurts.

“Were we climbing?” We’d been planning to climb The Naked Edge together for awhile.

“No. What’s your name?”

“You don’t know my name?”
 

“Yes, babe, I know your name. I just need to know if
you
do.”

“Do I have a concussion?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
 

“My name is Skylar.”

“Good girl.” I can’t see him with that damn light in my eyes but I can hear the smile in his voice. I’m glad I made him happy.
 

“I know your name, too, Cowboy.”

“Try again.”

I was hoping for a laugh. I love it when he laughs. Maybe he doesn’t want me to use his nickname. “Rowdy Daletzki.”

“How old are you, Skylar?”

“Twenty.”

“What day is it?”

“Crap.” My voice trembles. “I can’t remember.”

“That’s okay. I don’t know what day it is half the time either. Do you remember what you had for breakfast?”
 

“Cheerios?” Boone and I only have one kind of cereal, so if I ate breakfast, that’s what it would be.

“You don’t remember going out for breakfast?”
 

“Oh, wait.” I do remember. “We were supposed to go to The Walnut Cafe, but Anna needed a ride to work.”

“That’s right.” Rowdy’s hands move lower. His headlamp follows, giving my throbbing eyes a break. He traces my collar bones then moves to my ribs.
 

I yelp, which only makes the pain worse.

“Sorry.” Rowdy holds his gloved hands above my stomach. “I need to palpate your abdomen.”

“Palpate’s such a weird word.”

“It’s a medical term that means—”

“Poke and prod everything that hurts.”

“Pretty much.” Rowdy smiles, but it’s fleeting. “Tell me if you feel any discomfort.”

“I hurt all over but my head and my ribs are killing me.”

He lifts the hem of my shirt and peeks under it. “I’m going to unbutton your shirt.”

“Why?”
 

“There’s a lot of dried blood. I need to know where it came from.”
 

His headlamp sweeps over my chest without pausing on my boobs. I’m impressed.
 

“You’re bruised, but I can’t find a single cut except for the one on the side of your head. And that flowed over your shoulder onto your back.” Rowdy sounds confused. “Where’d all that blood on your chest come from?”

A chill runs down my spine as it all comes rushing back to me. “Anna.”