Page 20 of The Northern Lights in His Eyes

“Are you sure?” Devon asked. “I know you helped out with the rescue, but tomorrow is going to be even colder. They’re calling for clear skies, which means that temps are going to get well below zero, and even the sun isn’t going to provide any heat.”

William hesitated, and Garvin hoped he’d agree to stay back, but the set of his jaw returned. “I’m going.”

Enrique and Devon nodded before getting up. Devon went back to his studio, and Enrique to work. Garvin and William ordered lunch and took a place at a table. “You know you don’t have to do this.”

William glared at him and leaned forward. “If you don’t want me to go, just say so. I’m not going to intrude where you don’t want me.” Damn, Garvin was trying to figure out when William became so stubborn. He had always thought of him as this rather happy-go-lucky kind of guy that fortune just shone her light on. “I offered to go because I thought I could be of help, but if you think I’m just going to be in the way—”

“I didn’t say that. I just thought that you might be more comfortable here at the trading post or back in the cabin where it will be warm. Sasha can stay with you, and….” He could see by William’s darkening expression that he wasn’t making any headway. “Look, this could be dangerous. We don’t know what we’re going to be getting ourselves in for. The mining company may already have gotten people up there to try to clean up their mess.” The truth was that Garvin was concerned and just wanted William to be safe, but he was doing a shit job of explaining it.

“Sure. I’ll sit back here and wonder the entire time if you’ve run into trouble or gotten hurt. You go on out in the severe cold and expect me to stay back here. If it’s so dangerous, then none of you need to go, and you can all stay where it’s safe and deal with this in the spring.” Their burgers arrived, and William left his plate alone. “This is obviously important enough for you and your friends to go out in the cold to figure out what happened.”

“It is. Mining is big business here, but it comes at a huge price, and the environment is what suffers. We put an end to an earlier operation, and if these people are breaking the law, we’ll put an end to them too. Hopefully word is going to get out that this part of the state is just too expensive and that their kind isn’t wanted. The rivers and streams in this area are clean, and we want to keep them that way. In the spring, the pass over the mountains is glorious with wildflowers and covered with tundra grass that wildlife feed on. We want all of it to remain that way.”

William put up his hands. “I get it. You want to keep this area wild and as natural as possible.”

“Exactly. We have osprey and hawks, bear and moose, as well as tons of fishing and natural streams, and they all need to be protected. Besides, who knows what these people were up to? It’s likely they already caused a great deal of damage.”

“Then we need to get up there and try to see what’s truly going on, and the more sets of eyes, the better.” He was being stubborn, and Garvin, while worried about him, didn’t have the right to tell him not to go. “I’ll be careful, and I’ll dress warmly. I don’t want to repeat the night I got here.”

“Me either.” There was no use fighting over it. William could be an asset to the team. He had sensational hearing, and he was observant. “We’ll be up early so we can go as soon as it starts getting light. That way we can get there and back and not worry about the dark.” Though Garvin had plenty else to worry about.

“ARE YOU set?” Garvin asked the following morning. He poured William some coffee and had him drink some extra water.

“Yeah.” He drank the water and coffee before pulling on his gear. Garvin did the same, checking that William had everything on and that he was bundled up enough. He also had the snowmobile fully gassed up. He fed Sasha and let him out and back in before he and William headed over to the trading post, twilight just starting to build in the sky.

Devon and Enrique were ready and waiting, and after taking care of final plans and using the bathroom, they all headed out, zipping over the snow, following the same route they had the last time. In case they got separated, they agreed to use the same rendezvous point before heading out to where they had found the survivors.

“It’s right over there,” William said with a pat on the shoulder. Garvin shook his head, and William tapped him again, pointing.

“The GPS says it’s still up ahead.”

“But that tree right there. We turned just past it, and that’s when I heard them.” He pointed again, and Garvin turned. He was sure they were in the wrong spot until he saw the bits of wood and broken building. They came upon the field where the helicopter had landed and continued on. William’s directions and the GPS converged as they approached the rescue site.

Garvin pulled to a stop, and Enrique did the same. “It’s right over there. We have to be careful. The wind has probably blown snow into the shelter they dug, and we may not see it.”

Enrique motioned. “Let’s circle the area. We don’t need to find where they took refuge. Let’s head up the debris field and see what we can find. Follow me, go slowly, and watch for obstacles.” He moved forward, and Garvin followed, treading carefully over what seemed like a huge field of snow and ice. But he knew the avalanche could bring down plenty of rocks and boulders as well, so who knew what was under the pristine white covering?

They made a wide arc before ending uphill, where larger pieces of the building were to be found. “You were right,” Enrique called as he picked up a hunk of wood, brown on one side and black on the other. It was about three feet long, and Enrique attached it to the light sled he was pulling behind his machine.

“There’s another,” William said. “Can you get over there?”

Garvin maneuvered, and William stepped over the side of the machine and reached down to tug at the piece of wood. He grunted, and when the wood came loose, William overbalanced and fell off the snowmobile and into a snowbank up to his hips.

“Don’t move,” Enrique and Garvin said at the same time. “If you do, it will only dig you deeper.” Enrique came around the other side and got as close to William as he could. Jesus, seeing him buried like that made Garvin’s mouth go dry, and he had to force his mind to stay clear. All he wanted to do was go in after him, but that was a terrible idea. Stay calm and think straight—he knew that was what was needed, but his mind screamed at him to get William safe. “Hold on to the side of the snowmobile,” Enrique said as Garvin’s heart beat a mile a minute. “Good. Now lift yourself up and take Devon’s hand.”

“That’s it,” Garvin encouraged, his heart roaring in his ears as more of William emerged from the snow. He moved forward and around in a circle, approaching slowly on the other side. “Devon is going to lift you, and then you can climb back on.” It took a few tries, but Garvin could breathe again, and the knot in his belly eased once William was safely on behind him again. The piece of wall lay about three feet away, and Devon and Enrique got it on the sled, covered it with a tarp, and bungee corded everything down.

“My guess is that the mine building was somewhere up that way. We could try to see what else we can find,” Devon said.

“Turn off the engines,” William said, holding Garvin tightly. Garvin cut the engine, and Enrique did the same. “Listen. It sounds like someone is coming. I think we should get the heck out of here. I think it’s a chopper.”

“I’m taking pictures of the area so we can document where we found the wood,” Devon said as they started the engines once more, and Garvin took off across the open field toward the standing trees. The helicopter grew louder, the sled behind Enrique’s snowmobile bouncing slightly.

“There it is,” William said, and Garvin followed where he was pointing.

“Hang on. We aren’t going to stop for a while.” Garvin was afraid that snow might have gotten under William’s winter clothing. It would melt closer to his skin, and the moisture would wick away heat. They continued forward as the helicopter made a loop over them. Garvin motioned to Enrique to keep going, and they slipped between the short, scraggy evergreen trees.

“What are you doing?” Garvin asked when William released his hold with one hand.

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