Endless Night
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Roman closed his eyes against the dizziness that made his head swim, not from the exertion, but from the nearness of her, the small hand on his arm, the brush of her hair on his face. “Not hurt,” he managed.
Skip also groaned a reassurance and managed to sit up. When he turned to look at Roman, a strange wash of emotion flowed over his face. “You, you saved me.”
Roman cleared his throat. “You would have been fine.”
Skip continued to stare, his eyes fixed in terrible concentration. “No, I wouldn’t. You shouldn’t have done it, Roman, not for me.”
Roman thought for a horrifying moment the man was going to cry until Jackie knelt by him. She had noticed Skip’s strange reaction too. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Skip shook his head and nodded, wiping a hand across his forehead. He hauled himself up and headed for the ladder. Jackie stared after him, a puzzled look on her face, then she turned to Roman and stroked his shoulder. “Are you sure you aren’t hurt?”
He wanted to hold her hand there forever. “Not hurt.”
“That was crazy. What were you thinking?”
The words came out before he had a chance to strip out the emotion. “I was thinking I could save him.”
She must have heard it in his tone, the thought that rose to the surface like a needle-toothed barracuda. Like I tried to save your brother.
The pain flashed in the amber depths of her eyes. She jerked her hand away and stood. The moment was gone, Jackie was gone, and he felt only a heavy fatigue, weightier than the snow that had buried them on that terrible night.
SIX
When the loading was done, they made their way to town in a Wayne’s Aviation van. Jackie mulled over the accident at the airport. Roman’s behavior had been reckless. She felt a surge of anger. How had he felt when his recklessness had caused him to drive off the road with her brother in the car? He’d said he couldn’t remember the details. There was some mysterious vehicle that appeared and caused them to veer over the embankment. Rescuers and investigators had found no sign of any such thing. It was an excuse, a way to escape blame that should rest entirely on his shoulders.
Please, Lord. Take my anger away. She’d asked God countless times already to free her from the rage that burned brightly inside her. There was something that prevented her from letting it go, a heavy weight that kept her anger fixed firmly in place.
She thought of Skip’s face as he lay on the platform, a mixture of relief and gratitude and another emotion that she couldn’t define. Something was definitely not right with Skip Delucchi. She turned it over and over in her mind before her thoughts led her back to Roman.
It might have been a rash act, but she had to admit it was also a selfless one. Much easier to wait until help arrived, to climb the safer route as they had, knowing Skip would have fallen before aid arrived.
She looked surreptitiously at Roman, who kept his eyes fixed on the snowy road. He had always been impulsive, but there was a calmer quality to him now, and a sober maturity in his face. For a moment, she had the wildest urge, in spite of her anger, to reach out and touch the strong fingers that gripped the steering wheel.
Snap out of it, Jackie. You’re losing your sanity. She fingered the thumb drive in her pocket as they rumbled into town.
“Going to the Sea Mart to get something,” Skip said, his face still a shade too pale, Jackie thought.
Roman nodded. “I’m going that way too.” He shot a look at Jackie.
She waved them off. “I’ve got banking to do. I’ll meet you back at the van.”
They disembarked into an intense cold that made her eyes tear. As Skip hopped out, he dropped his bundled papers. An envelope hit the ground, scattering its contents.
Jackie barely restrained a gasp to see a dozen hundred-dollar bills fluttering in the slight breeze. She and Roman helped Skip retrieve the money before it could blow away.
Skip’s face reddened. “Gotta make a payment. Cash seems like the easiest thing.” Without another word he shoved the bundle into his pocket and headed toward the grocery store.
Jackie saw the worried frown on Roman’s face, which she knew matched the one on her own.
She shook her head. “That’s a lot of cash.”
“Uh-huh. Sure is.” Jackie watched Roman’s tall form as he walked away across the street. He wore only a light windbreaker, his body perfectly acclimated to the freezing temperatures. Shivering, she zipped her coat, wishing she could face the cold as bravely.
The clerk at the bank greeted her with impersonal efficiency. She was grateful not to run into anyone she’d known two years prior. The man issued her a small safe-deposit box and with great relief she deposited the thumb drive. It might be the only proof they could find that Reynolds was bilking his clients. Had he sent the threatening message? In spite of the warm air in the bank, she shivered, casting a glance around to see if anyone was watching as she strolled back through the lobby and out the front door.
Blinking in the sunshine, Jackie saw Roman loading a bag into the back of the van. Skip had not returned. What business would he have that would require him to carry so much cash around? Remote Alaska was very much a cash-and-carry place, but he’d behaved so oddly after the accident and in the van she didn’t think it was an ordinary debt.
She started to make her way back to the van when someone grabbed her arm. Crying out, she whirled to find herself staring into the exuberant face of Mick Andrade.
“Mick!” She hugged him tightly, noting the bruise on his cheekbone from the beating. “I’m so glad to see you. How did you find me? Where’s Asia?”
Mick gave her a hearty squeeze and shook his head, speaking in a low tone. “I got in last night. Asia isn’t here—she’s coming on a later flight. She called your father in Maryland. Apparently the owner’s wife called to let him know you’d arrived safely.”
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