wasnât helping ⦠anybody. Did that mean there wasnât anybody who could be helped?
He sprinted back to the rope and climbed up, hand over hand, until he reached the top. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, then faced her. He put his hands on her shoulders, and her panicky feeling went straight to dread.
âIâm going to need your help, Piper.â
âOkay?â
âThere are two kids in that car. My guess is theyâve been there for at least a couple of hours. Theyâre hypothermic. We donât have time to wait for paramedics.â
âWhat do we do? Why didnât you get them out? What about the driver?â
âBecause I canât get them up this cliff.â He paused, drilling his eyes into hers, not answering her question about the driver. âBut you can.â
âWhat?â She backed up. âNo. I canât! What are you talking about?â
He removed the ropes from his body and held them toward her. âIâll lower you down, and when you get to the bottom, grab one of them, hold on tight, and Iâll lift you back up here. Then weâll get the second one.â
âNoahââ Her voice was tight with fear. Her head prickled, and she was afraid she might pass out. âI donât think I can. You donât understand. Iâll do anything else. There has to be another way.â
âThe car is stuck between a cliff and a river. The only way weâre going to get them out of there is to bring them back up. We canât cross the river, and even if we could, I have no idea how far weâd have to walk before we found a house. Miles, Piper.â
She closed her eyes, and visions of her parents made her draw in a shaky, scared breath. Theyâd fallen from a rock wall just like this one.
Sheâd been at the bottom.
Chapter 7
âWhat if I help pull you back up?â Piper took another step backward. âBetween you and me, we could do it. Youâre, like, crazy strong.â
âNot strong enough. And thereâs no way you can pull me back up here. Somebody would get hurt.â
âOh, God.â She looked over the edge again. The car was so far down there. And the cliff was so damn steep.
âI know youâre afraid, Piper. But we donât have a choice. Those kids could die. You have to do this.â
âOf course I do. I know. I will. Oh, God.â She lifted her arms so he could tie the rope around her, but she was shaking so hard that he actually had to steady her when he was finished.
âHoney, you can do this.â
A strangled sob sneaked out of her mouth, and she clapped a hand over it. He had no ideaâno idea at all of the pictures and sounds that were flipping through her head right now. The screams, the frayed rope landing in her lap, the helicopter racing away with her parents on board.
âPiper?â His eyes went wide, and he looked over the cliff. She knew heâd assessed the kids like a seasoned climber would know how to do. She knew he had a pretty damn good idea of how quickly they needed to move. And she knew he was wondering why the hell she couldnât seem to grasp the gravity of the situation here.
She had to tell him. Sheâd never done it years ago, but there was no way she couldnât do it now.
She took a deep breath, but her voice still came out in a whisper. âThis is how my parents died.â
âWhat?â He spun toward her, eyes even wider.
âThis.â She pointed vaguely at the cliffâs edge. âThey were climbing.â
âGod, Piper.â He stood poised with ropes in his hand, like he had no idea how to react. âHow did you neverâJesus.â He swept a gloved hand through his hair, looking down again. âJesus.â
âIâm sorry.â She took another deep breath. She had to do this. They didnât have any choice, and two kidsâ lives were at stake.