Mountain Refuge (Mountain Mutineers #1)

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Adam

T he vehicle handled the snow well. I’d grown up in northern New Jersey and lived my entire adult life in New York City. I knew how to handle a vehicle in snow, but, the higher we got, the thicker it became and, the darker it got, the worse my visibility became.

My fears slowly began to creep in again.

I was doing the right thing. Wasn’t I? God, I hoped so.

The road became too hard to see, the tire tracks I’d been following were long covered. I was driving barely ten miles per hour. Enough to continue upwards and slow enough to hopefully see whatever was directly in front of me.

But after a near miss with a tree, I had to stop. I had no choice. This was no longer just snowing. This was a blizzard. And we were stuck. I couldn’t risk taking the car any further without knowing where I was going. Jack had said to just keep driving and Corbin would find me.

What an idiot I was to listen. I looked out of the car into the white abyss and doubted all my life choices.

After putting the car in Park and activating the parking brake, I turned on one of the burner phones. It powered on but there was no signal. My head hit the headrest in frustration. Of course, there was no signal, because that was just my luck. So I could say I had tried all my options, I turned on the remainder of my burners to verify they did not have signal either.

I twisted in my seat to stare at the two joys in my life. I was terrified for them. I knew what would happen to me if I was caught. I knew what it had meant when I’d run with them. But these two innocents were everything to me. How could I live with myself, how could I call myself a man, a father, if I’d just stood there and done nothing? If I hadn’t run, Lydia’s fate would have been sealed.

Running then had been impulsive, but there’d been no time to follow our plan. There’d been no packing, no preparing. There’d been gunshots then grab, run, and go. Whatever had been previously packed in the diaper bag had been it. I’d grabbed a change of clothes for Lydia and myself, and the postcard. We’d jumped in my car, already fitted with car seats, thank God, and we’d gone. I hoped the ensuing chaos that had covered our escape would give us enough of a head start to avoid being followed. I’d dumped my wallet—minus the measly amount of cash I’d had on me—and my phone in a dumpster within the city. After a quick stop at a pharmacy to pick up my first burner phone and a coloring book for Lydia, we’d left.

The wind howled outside. It reminded me of wolves. I knew we were safe in the car. Animals wouldn’t be out in this weather either. They were clearly smarter than I was, blindly following instructions from a man I hadn’t seen or heard from in eighteen years. I could chastise myself all day, or night, long but that wouldn’t save us. We were warm for now with the car running. We had protein bars, baby formula, and water. The kids were bundled up after our trip to the park. We’d be okay for a little while.

But once we ran out of gas, there’d be no more heat. Without gas, we also couldn’t move once the storm cleared. And who knew if the car would even be able to move once the storm cleared. Snow was coming down fast and hard. We’d soon be buried in it. Even if the snow stopped, I had no idea where we were or where to go from here. Corbin’s instruction to keep going and he’d find us seemed so silly now. Why hadn’t I asked for more information? Why hadn’t I demanded he meet us in the town? Why hadn’t I stopped at Jack’s General Store and discovered if that Jack had been the Jack helping us?

Three hours later, the kids slept blissfully unaware that we were almost out of gas. My body shivered as if anticipating the cold we were about to face.

I crawled over the center console. Henry was sleeping the sleep of the exhausted infant. I prayed he kept sleeping. I prayed we weren’t going to die here, buried in the snow and never found. I prayed I hadn’t saved my kids only to lead them to a frozen death.

God hadn’t been a part of my life since I’d left home. My very Catholic mother was only able to get me to Mass on the holidays, but I only went for her comfort, not for mine. Yet, I prayed. I was a good man, a good person. I loved my kids more than life itself. I needed to save them. I needed to be strong for them.

I watched like a condemned man as the gas gauge slowly crept past the E. I took Lydia, waking her slightly, and brought her to my lap. The kids would need my body heat. Henry’s coat was on the floor. I grabbed it and laid it over his sleeping form.

Then I sat back and waited for the inevitable.

The pounding on the window scared me so badly that I jumped, waking Lydia completely. My heart thudded louder than a drum. We were in the middle of nowhere on a mountain in the middle of a blizzard. Had someone really just pounded on the window or had I imagined it? What if it had been a branch and a tree was about to fall on us?

The pounding happened again. This time, I saw movement outside my driver’s frosted window. Lydia, quiet as a mouse, moved off my lap and back into her booster seat. I could see the caution and fear in her eyes. I squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Carefully, I moved myself back up to the driver’s door. I knew opening the door would let out the heated air and let the cold in, but what choice did I have? What if the pounding was Corbin and he’d found us as promised?

I felt bad for doubting my best friend.

Making sure Lydia was as covered as possible, I opened my car door. It took some effort, as it was mostly frozen closed. I had to put all my weight into it to get it to budge. I could tell the person on the other side was pulling as well.

The frigid air wracked me. Despite my gloves, hat, and coat, I was beyond cold stepping out of the warmth of the car.

I could barely see. The wind, snow, and darkness prevented me from seeing more than a few feet in front of me. I closed the door so the kids were protected. We were almost out of gas. They didn’t have that much heat left.

A figure stood in front of me, bundled up so completely that I couldn’t make out a face or features. However, I knew he wasn’t Corbin. Corbin was over six and a half feet tall. Unless he’d shrunk in prison, this guy wasn’t him. The person in front of me was slightly taller than I was, but that might have been because he was in proper snow gear and I was hunched over against the winter storm. I cupped my gloved hands around my eyes to protect my face and to help me see better, but it didn’t do much.

I didn’t know who this person was but they were out in this blizzard too and it was obvious though that they were prepared far better than I was .

“Help us!” I pleaded, my voice a shout to be heard over the raging storm. My nose and ears hurt so badly that I feared frostbite, even though I’d only been standing out here a minute.

The man looked around me and into the car. His pounding on the window had knocked some snow loose and he could see inside a small gap. I didn’t know if he could see Henry, but Lydia’s blonde hair was very distinctive. The light was still on inside the car from when I’d opened the door.

The man stepped back. He took a backpack off his shoulders that I hadn’t realized had been there. He pulled out what looked like a large rectangle of aluminum foil, but I knew better. It was a Mylar blanket for keeping in body heat. He handed it to me; I quickly donned it. It was big enough that I could carry the kids and still close it around us.

I feared for a moment that the man was just giving us the blanket and then leaving. But he’d been walking to a snowmobile I hadn’t seen or heard. Thank God. We were getting out of here. I didn’t know if the man was with mountain rescue, the police, or just a passerby, but in that moment I didn’t care. I didn’t know if the kids’ door was frozen shut, but I knew mine worked. I quickly climbed back inside to get them ready.

Lydia said nothing as I climbed over the seats, the foil blanket crinkling as I went. She was already working on getting Henry out of his seat. I knew we couldn’t take all of our stuff with us. The cash had come in a backpack, though, and I quickly transferred as much of Henry’s baby supplies into it as I could fit. His needs were more important than mine or Lydia’s at this moment. Feeling guilty about that thought, I threw Lydia’s new Barbie into the bag too.

Once I saw she was bundled up, I instructed Lydia to climb into the passenger seat. She did without question. I leaned over and kissed her forehead. She was my good girl. I was so proud of her, I hardly had the words .

Henry woke as I picked him up. Unfortunately, his crying and needs would have to wait. I couldn’t change or feed him right then. After I got his coat, hat, and boots on him, I handed him to Lydia. As I climbed into the driver’s seat, I was careful I didn’t hit them with the overstuffed backpack.

I opened the door and, by some miracle, the man was still there. He had brought the snowmobile closer to the car and was waiting by the driver’s door. I stepped back out into the glacial winds. I wasn’t even sure if it was still snowing at this point. The wind made it impossible to tell.

As soon as I was standing, I reached in and grabbed Henry from Lydia. I felt awful for ignoring his tears, but survival was more important than his current discomfort. I brought him out into the cold but, before I could cover him under the Mylar blanket, our rescuer took him from my hands. For a fleeting moment, I panicked. I couldn’t let a stranger take him.

But then I saw what I’d previously missed. The man had unbundled his jacket. He had many layers on. He took a squirming and crying Henry and placed him against his chest. Then he zipped my son up inside his jacket. I feared Henry wouldn’t be able to breathe under the heavy coat, but despite the layers I could still hear his cries. That brought me comfort.

Henry was protected.

Now I had to get Lydia. She handed me the backpack. Her eyes were resigned and held depths no seven-year-old should have. She understood this was a life-or-death situation and she was doing all she could to help me. My little angel.

I drew the Mylar blanket as close to my back as I could and put the backpack on. I hoped it would help keep the blanket more secure for the ride we were about to take.

I picked up my little girl. She clung to me of her own accord, allowing me to keep my hands free and draw the blanket around her completely .

“Is this everyone?” The muffled voice came from beside me. He had some sort of thick ski mask over his face and across his mouth. Over his eyes were snow goggles.

I nodded, not sure I could speak.

The man went to the snowmobile and straddled it. He indicated behind him. I had a hard time walking but was able to make my way over to the vehicle with Lydia. I was so cold, despite Lydia’s heat and the blanket, but I needed to be strong for my kids. I needed them to survive.

I climbed onto the back of the vehicle.

“Get closer,” I was instructed. It was so hard to hear him. I knew as soon as we started moving, I wouldn’t be able to take any directions. “Squeeze her between us. Hold onto me as tight as you can.”

“Th-th-the ba-baby?” I struggled to ask. I couldn’t hear his cries anymore and still feared suffocation.

“He’s fine!” was the answer I received.

Lydia curled her legs up between us and tucked her head under my chin. I brought myself as close to the man as I could with her protected. He had her back while I had her front. I took a second to tighten the blanket around her. Then I brought my arms around the man.

I didn’t know how to tell him I was ready, so I tapped his torso where my right hand had landed. He must have felt it or just sensed we were as ready as we were going to get, because we suddenly lurched forward.

The wind was brutal as we started out. I could barely breathe with it blowing so hard into my face. I had to duck my head down into the man’s back to protect myself. While I couldn’t see where we were going, I hoped my tighter huddle protected Lydia more.

I lost track of time. I was concentrating so hard on making sure Lydia was protected from the harsh weather and that my grip on the man’s coat was secure that I wasn’t paying attention to how long we were driving. Eventually, though, we stopped.

I was slow to lift my head. My muscles were so tight and cold that it hurt to move. Light drew my attention, and I finally looked to my left to see a snow-covered cabin in the middle of a small clearing. We were surrounded by trees otherwise.

As I got myself off the snowmobile, I nearly fell. Lydia was still in my arms so I was grateful I didn’t. The man shut off the engine and climbed off more gracefully than I had. He grabbed my arm and led me to the cabin. It had three steps for us to climb before leading us onto a small, covered porch. I was so grateful for shelter that I wasn’t paying attention to the size or material of the cabin. However, the light that had caught my attention was coming from one of the frosted windows by the door. I didn’t know how in the middle of nowhere there was electricity, but I was very grateful. Electricity hopefully meant heat.

I knew we were still on the mountain. I couldn’t see during our drive here, but I knew we hadn’t gone downhill. I wasn’t sure if we had gone up either. At this moment though, I didn’t care where we were on the mountain as long as my kids were safe and warm. I would figure out where we were and how to find Corbin later.

The man opened the front door and led us inside. Heat engulfed us. It felt so good, but also hurt as my body started to thaw. Frostbite was still a concern. I prayed my babies had been protected enough to prevent the cold from affecting them.

I couldn’t get my arms to move. Thankfully, Lydia caught on to my predicament. She lowered her feet to the floor.

The man was unbundling his jacket, and I almost cried at the sight of Henry. My baby probably hadn’t even noticed the cold. Lydia stepped forward and took Henry into her arms. We were dropping snow and melting ice all over the hardwood floor. From the way the man let his outer coat fall to the floor, I guessed he didn’t care. He continued to unbundle. I saw a flash of blonde hair but didn’t pay attention to it.

As the cabin’s warmth worked its magic, I was finally able to move my arms. Anxiety and the heat were making me very sleepy. I feared my eyes wouldn’t open again with each blink. Gravity helped me drop the frozen backpack to the floor. The Mylar blanket went next.

The crackle of a fire drew my attention to a quaint living room. There was a single couch next to a large La-Z-Boy type chair. A square wooden table stood between them. A matching rectangular one sat in front of them on the only rug I could see. The stone fireplace was huge. My sleep deprived brain wondered if it was the fireplace or electric heat that warmed us. The winds howled behind me, once again reminding me of a pack of wolves.

My vision hazy, I barely saw the man lead Lydia, who was holding Henry, into a kitchen. I could hear the rattle of pots and pans, followed by the clicking of a gas lit stove. I wasn’t sure what they were doing and needed to get myself unbundled to follow them.

I heard Henry’s cries once more. It was time to feed him. His baby food and formula were in the backpack at my feet. I somehow got my gloves off and with shaking fingers got my jacket unzipped. Even as a New Yorker, I was not prepared for the weather raging outside.

I worked on getting my boots off too. I must’ve been more out of it than I realized because the outerwear from the man and Lydia were no longer on the floor. There was a coat rack to my left. I almost fell over as I slowly bent to pick my coat up. Thankfully, I was standing close enough to the front door to put a hand out and steady myself. After hanging it, I placed my boots next to the man’s and Lydia’s by the door .

Somehow I got my legs working enough to carry me into the kitchen. The man’s back was to me as he stirred something on the stove top. I could make out blonde hair and a slim body, but locating my children was my priority. Lydia and Henry were sitting at a wooden kitchen table with matching chairs. There was a steaming cup of something in front of Lydia.

I think Lydia was speaking, but everything was muffled as if I had cotton balls stuffed in my ears.

I didn’t realize I had been supporting my weight on the doorframe until my head clunked down against it. I was so tired, but we were in a stranger’s house. We were protected by the storm, but I feared we’d only traded one dangerous situation for another. I couldn’t sleep until I knew my kids were safe here.

A face appeared in front of my line of vision. Beautiful, vibrant blue eyes surrounded by dark lashes. Long blonde hair tied back in a braid. Full, red lips moved as if speaking but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

My eyes blinked and felt weighted as I tried to keep them open. Something hit my knees but I wasn’t sure what.

Blackness crept into my vision, but I kept seeing that face. That beautiful, feminine face. I wondered who she was and why I was seeing her.

A sudden shriek of “Daddy!” finally reached my ears and then Lydia’s face was also in my line of vision. Her little face, concerned and streaming tears, was right next to the woman’s. The woman said something to Lydia, who stepped back.

It was then that I realized the shirt the woman was wearing. It was the same long sleeve tan shirt the man had been wearing as he stirred the pot at the stovetop.

Despite falling into unconsciousness, despite my fear for my children, despite the millions of worries I had, one realization hit me hard: our rescuer wasn’t a man.

Our rescuer was a woman.