Uncontrollable (The Nature of Grace, Book 2) Read online

  She just nods with a quivering lip.

  Wyn comes sloshing through the water to Skyler’s side.

  I look at him and frown. “Jesus, Wyn! Why in the world would you get wet on purpose? Don’t you know anything?”

  He looks surprised. “What do you mean?”

  I point to his shoes. “Your feet are drenched. That’s like Rule #1 in Boys Scouts’ winter survival.”

  “How would you know? Aren’t you a girl?”

  I refrain from mumbling idiot under my breath and pull out the first aid kit from the pack as he kneels next to Skyler. By now, she’s wailing.

  “What’s the damage?” he says.

  I talk over her sobs and give it to them straight up. “Her leg is obviously broken, but it doesn’t seem like she has a concussion or a head injury. We need to move her up to dryer land so I can splint her leg. Then I need to warm her up while you go get help. Because from the looks of it, she won’t be able to walk out of here.”

  Skyler whimpers as Wyn pulls me out of her ear’s reach. “Me go? Alone?” He puts both hands on his head. “Are you serious?”

  “No, I’m joking.” I hit his shoulder. “ Of course, I’m serious.”

  “Why can’t I just carry her out? She can’t weigh more than 120 pounds.”

  I rub my temples. “Two miles? In those shoes? You’d never make it. Not to mention, she’s wet, and I’m assuming she doesn’t have a change of clothes. I need to get her dry and warmed up before hypothermia sets in.”

  “Holy crap! I thought that only happened on Mount Everest,” he says.

  Wyn pulls the walkie-talkie out of the backpack and tries to radio for help. The static that answers is quickly drowned out by Skyler’s yelps and moans.

  I look at the hills stretching up on both sides of us. “We’re in a valley. It probably won’t work unless you get higher up.”

  He starts to climb the slippery slope, and I tug on his arm. “Let’s just get her situated first. Before she goes into shock.”

  I face Skyler, who’s shivering and pale as the snow. “I need to get you up on flat land so I can support your leg. Then Wyn will go for help. Do you understand?”

  She nods through the tears streaming down her face. “Will it hurt?”

  I don’t even bother to sugarcoat it. “Like you won’t believe. But only for a minute. Or two. You can do this.”

  Wyn and I each grab an arm. “On the count of three. One… two… three!”

  Wyn and I heave Skyler off the mud embankment. The horrible sound that comes out of her mouth brings tears to my eyes. I’ve heard that primal sound once before. The day in the woods when Dad got shot, he made a similar sound. My eyes water at the memory as I help move Skyler up the embankment. She screams the whole way, and I can’t stop tears from falling. I hate to see anyone in that amount of pain. Even her.

  It seems to take forever until we reach the top. Once we set her down on a bed of pine needles, she stops screaming and sobs hysterically.

  Wyn sits next to her and tucks the tarp around her legs to keep her warm as I get to work.

  I take out the scissors and cut her pants up to the thigh. “The blood is from a gash in your thigh, so luckily the wound is closed. No showing bones.”

  Skyler speaks between sniffs. “Oh, lucky me.”

  I find two solid branches that are the proper length and cut off any protrusions with my knife. I line the sticks on both sides of her legs, hip to ankle, and use my extra sweatshirt as padding. “Wyn, give me your t-shirt.”

  He slips his shirt off and hands it to me. “I hope you know this is one of my favorite shirts.”

  I ignore him and rip it into strips. Then I tie the material tightly around the sticks to stabilize her leg. The whole process takes me about ten minutes.

  When I’m done, I sit back. “There! Good as new.”

  Skyler wipes her face with her mittens and starts to shiver. “Now what?”

  “Now we need to find some shelter and warm you up while Wyn goes for help.”

  A horrified look washes over her face. “You mean, you have to move me again?”

  I nod. “Yes, but it shouldn’t hurt as bad this time because your leg is supported.”

  Wyn takes her hand. “I’ll help you.”

  He puts her arm over his neck and lifts. Skyler bites her lips as she stands. I have to hand it to Wyn, he works hard to get her up that hill.

  At the top, she collapses, her body shaking uncontrollably. “I… I need to sleep.”

  “No!” I bark. “You have to stay awake.” I quickly pull Wyn aside. “Listen, you need to go get help fast, before it gets dark. Or she could be in serious trouble.”

  “What about you?”

  I scan the woods. “I’ll find shelter around here and get a fire going until you bring back help. She can’t make the hike, and I need to get her warm immediately.”

  He glances around the woods. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am not a woodsy kind of guy.”

  “You don’t have a choice, Mr. Let’s Cross the Raging River. So buck up and pull it together.”

  He glances back at Skyler, who is lying in the snow, eyes closed. He nods slowly as if he’s not sure. “Okay. Where do I go?”

  I pull a map and compass out of the bag and point to the route. “Just follow this. Stay to the trail. If you head northeast, it will take you to the meeting point.”

  “Northeast by northwest?”

  I scowl. “Very funny. Be serious.”

  He rolls the map and sticks it in his back pocket. “I got it. Don’t worry.”

  I hand him the radio. “Here. Please don’t get lost. She might not make it.”

  “No pressure.” He walks over to Skyler and kneels. “I’ll be back. Try not to have too much fun without me on your Girls’ Day Away.”

  She grips onto his hand. “Don’t go. Please.”

  He pats her hand. “This is my fault. I gotta get help, or she’ll never let me live it down.”

  I roll my eyes while I look through the first aid kit for aspirin.

  Skyler pulls him closer and hisses in his ear. “I can’t stay here. With her. Alone.”

  “You don’t have a choice. You’re in bad shape.” I notice he looks at me to see if I’m listening, then he lowers his voice. “Give Grace a chance. She might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but she’s the best. And she knows what to do. You’re safe with her.”

  Skyler mumbles. “Figures you’d say that.”

  Wyn kisses her forehead and comes over to me. “You sure you’re going to be okay?”

  I lean on one leg and cross my arms. “Are you? I think you need to worry about getting out of here and bringing back help for her. I can take care of myself.”

  Wyn salutes me as if he’s off to war. “See you later, Miss Independent.”

  And with that he disappears into the snowy trees.

  I glance over at Skyler, who is glaring at me.

  It’s going to be a long day.

  Survival Skill #11

  Most wild animals do not consider human beings prey and are not likely to attack unless threatened in some way.

  The wind outside picks up. “We need to get under some shelter in case the weather gets worse.”

  Skyler scoffs, “And how do you suggest I do that?”

  “I guess I’ll have to drag your grumpy butt. So you’d better be nice to me.”

  Her eyes turn cold. “At least I’m not hitting on someone else’s boyfriend.”

  I drape her arm over my shoulder and laugh as I lift her. “I can only assume you’re talking about Wyn. So that’s a joke right?”

  “Do you deny it?” she says, sounding a lot like Birdee.

  Skyler is not very heavy so I take a few easy steps. “What is this, a court of law? I plead the fifth.”

  “Ha! So you admit it.”

  I stop and face her, still holding her up. “Let’s get something straight. Wyn’s been my best friend as long as you’ve been dyeing your ha
ir. So let’s not talk about who stole who from who.”

  “I think it’s whom.”

  I reposition my arm around her tiny waist and drag her along the path. “I don’t care who is whom.”

  She spouts off in my ear. “You left him. You didn’t want him, and then you got another boyfriend. Wyn was fair game. I didn’t steal anything.” She stumbles, and I prevent her from tumbling into a slushy spot. She grits her teeth and winces.

  I shake my head. “You make it sound like Wyn’s prey in some dating challenge. You win, okay? I’m not in the market.”

  “Like I trust you.”

  “You’d better since I’m taking care of you.” Off to one side, I spot an overhang with a dry spot underneath. “Over here.”

  Skyler whimpers as we hobble through the snow and into the enclave. I can’t imagine how much her leg hurts, yet surprisingly she’s not complaining at all. She’s different than when Wyn’s around. With him, she acts weak and needy. With me, she’s cold and stubborn.

  Once we get to the overhang, I lower her onto a small boulder and get to work on the dry space. I lay one tarp on the ground and hang one up to keep the wind out. I quickly start collecting branches and logs. Within minutes, I have a fire blazing and a kettle of water on the flames. I sit down and zip up my jacket to keep the chill off my neck.

  Skyler shivers. “I’m so cold.”

  I take out the hand warmers. “Here. You can use these.”

  “Thanks.” She slips them into her dirty mittens, which are now not so fuzzy. Her face is bright red, and her breath seems shallower. Shock and hypothermia do not mix well in this weather.

  “Move closer to the fire. You need to keep warm, and you need to stay awake.” She yelps as I help her move a few inches closer to the flames. Tears appear in the corner of her eyes. “Sorry, I know that hurts.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  I ignore her snide comment, because if I don’t, I’m going to say something nasty. I’m out in the cold wilderness taking care of her. I could have easily left her alone and trekked home to my warm bed. I’d be there within an hour at most. Instead, I’m stuck taking care of someone who can’t stand the sight of me. I stare at the flames flickering against the tarp like it’s some kind of shadow-puppet show.

  Skyler’s voice breaks the silence. “You like him, don’t you?”

  I sigh. “Do we have to talk about this again?”

  “I do, too. You know, he’s all I’ve had since…”

  I can only respond with, “I know.”

  And I do know. She’s talking about Carl, and neither of us wants to say his name. “Skyler, I’m sorry. About everything. I just wanted my dad back.”

  “So you took mine instead.” She focuses on the fire.

  “This wasn’t a barter. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, you know. I had no clue what was going on.”

  “Doesn’t mean I have to forgive you.”

  “I don’t expect you to.”

  I feel dejected and exhausted from trying to make other people happy. I think about Carl and everything he did to my dad. To Mo. To me. Anger festers inside me, and I want to go off on Skyler–and Wyn, for that matter. How could either one of them turn against me and defend a man who betrayed his family and killed animals for money. Someone who was ultimately responsible for killing people, including my Dad, who never did anything to anyone. As far as I’m concerned, even though it’s sad, Carl dying was the only way I could live.

  But I hold back. There’s been enough hurt. If I have to take an ego hit to help her feel better, so be it. A howl pierces through the wind, and Skyler’s head snaps up.

  “What was that?”

  I poke at the burning embers. “A bear?”

  She frowns. “Very funny. That was a wolf.”

  “They say there are a few up here,” I mutter sarcastically.

  Wincing, she scoots her back against the rock. “Yeah, but with us. Now.”

  I pull up my hood and lie back against a log. “They hunt at night, so usually you start to hear them around dusk.”

  “Thought they didn’t like to be seen?” Her eyes shift wildly around the small space. “Will they hunt us?”

  I smile under my hood. I might not be able to get mad at her about Carl or attack her about her relationship with Wyn, but I can torture her with wolf trivia. “They eat meat. They’re not picky.”

  As if on cue, another wolf howls. This one sounds a bit closer.

  She gasps. “What do we do?”

  The tension of the day seeps from my bones. “I’d stay quiet if I were you.”

  Skyler whimpers a little. “I thought Wyn would be back by now. What’s taking him so long?”

  I sit up and check my watch in the dim light. To be honest, I was expecting Wyn to be back by now, too. I had no intentions of staying out here all night. Especially with Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. If I’d known it was going to take him this long, I’d have gone instead. I picture Wyn stumbling through snowdrifts in his fancy shoes, possibly lost. I rub my temples. I assumed he’d be able to walk the couple of miles on his own, but maybe I was wrong to send him.

  I pull out the radio and speak into it. “Wyn? Anyone out there?”

  Once again, nothing but static, which doesn’t surprise me. We’re in a valley, the weather isn’t great, and he’s probably out of range by now. I should have made him take the radio. That way if he got lost, he would’ve had more of a chance to call someone.

  “Something wrong?” Skyler says.

  I try not to let on that I’m a tad worried. “Nah. Wyn’s not the greatest hiker. What would take me two hours takes him too long. The weather isn’t great. Maybe he got out, and they decided to wait until morning.”

  Skyler starts to rock. “Oh my God. You mean we have to stay out here all night? In the dark? With hungry wolves?” Her voice starts to tremble.

  I stop playing games and sit next to her. “We’ll be fine. Trust me. They know where we are.”

  I try to comfort her more. Maybe now I’m trying to ease my own rattling nerves as well. I never expected to be out here at night either. Al pops into my head. Suddenly every crack and scuttle has me jumping like a flea.

  I try to ease my own mind. “It’s just a matter of time before they find us, and we’ll be slurping Birdee’s potato soup before you know it.”

  “I hate potatoes.”

  “Trust me, after being out here too long, you’ll love anything they stick in front of you.” I drop my head back and stare at the gray sky. As clouds pass over, every now and then the sun peeks through and reassures me I’m not alone.

  Another howl breaks the silence, and Skyler scoots closer to me. She whispers as low as she can in her high voice. “What about the wolves?”

  I keep my voice down. “Porter said there’s never been an attack on humans.”

  Just as the words leave my lips. A growl sounds off on the other side of the tarp blocking our view. My heart soars into my throat. I know right away it’s a wolf, and that he’s closer than I want him to be.

  Funny. We’ve spent a couple of days trying to spot these wolves, and they show up now? How rude.

  Skyler’s eyes are as wide as an owl's. I put a finger to my lips so she doesn’t say anything. Picking up a large stick, I motion to her head. She immediately rips off the fabric and hands me the bloody bandana. I slowly wrap it around my stick and plunge the end into the fire.

  As the torch blazes, I pull back the tarp, keeping it in front of me as a flimsy barrier. At first, I see nothing but a black canvas. Once my eyes adjust, I spot something a few yards away, hidden in the trees. A pair of glowing eyes.

  Holding the torch, I pick up a rock and launch it, taking the animal by surprise. The wolf darts away and crashes through the piles of brittle branches scattered along the snowy ground. I scan the woods, swinging my torch from left to right. Wolves never travel alone, so there’s bound to be others out there. Waiting.

  Just wh
en I’m about to lower my guard, something moves off to my left. I swing the torch toward the shadow. A large wolf slowly appears from the darkness with its teeth showing. I can only assume it’s the alpha male, though I’m not sure why it’s acting so bold. I guess we’re a threat to his pack somehow. Red wolves aren’t normally very aggressive unless a litter or den is in danger.

  The wolf takes another step forward. I hold the flames out in front of me and wave them in the air while keeping my eye on the trees, looking for more. I can hear Skyler whimpering behind me, which is not helping at all. You can’t appear to be prey to any wild animal. They only back off if they think you’re a huge threat, not when they know you are a weak meal.

  I stand completely still, staring into the wolf’s eyes. If I move, he’ll charge. Besides the makeshift torch, all I have to defend myself is the knife Tommy gave me. And that’s strapped to my hip. I stay behind the tarp for protection in case he attacks.

  My hands shake as the wolf takes another step. Skyler shifts behind me and groans again like a wounded animal. The wolf snaps his head in her direction and sniffs the air. I bet he can smell the blood from her leg. Maybe that’s what drew him out.

  I rattle the tarp to get his attention. He jumps as if startled and then crouches like a tiger, hunching over with his teeth showing. The glow from the fire catches the light of his eyes, making him appear slightly possessed. I focus on breathing steady. He takes another step forward, and I get ready to throw the torch, hoping I can grab my knife in time.

  Just then, a gunshot goes off in the air. I jump and spin around as the wolf darts off into the woods. The sound of gunfire triggers a slew of flashbacks to that day in the camp. My whole body freezes and chills race along my spine. I press my back against the mountainside and draw my knife, not knowing what to do. I put my finger to my lips.

  A beam of light sweeps the ground and someone calls out. “Grace? You out here?”

  I exhale as the adrenaline pumps through me. “Agent Sweeney! Over here!”

  Skyler laughs and cries at the same time. “They’re here. Oh, thank God.”

  Agent Sweeney appears from out of the thick woods, resting a large gun on his shoulder. He points the barrel at the tarp. “Love what you’ve done with the place.”