Page 35 of One Last Chance

Silence.

“Axel?”

Nothing.

“Lugnut!”

Crackling, then. “I heard that.”

“Do not sleep.”

“Not. Sleeping.”

“Listen. You can do this. You managed to escape a sinking ship! You’re tougher than you think—I know it. So,stay awake. Your turn to talk.”

“Fine. We have a serial killer in Alaska. The Midnight Sun Killer.” His voice was fading.

“I know,” she said. And oh, in that moment she wanted to tell him. Why not? Clearly it wasn’t him. What would it hurt? “Actually, I came to Alaska in search of?—”

Outside, the sound of a motor hummed in the air. “Stay there. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

“Where am I going to go?”

She didn’t answer—just set down the mic and headed outside. And wanted to weep when, through the dusty shadows of the forest, Peyton emerged, riding hard on her four-wheeler. Head down, helmet on, thundering over the field, throttle open.

Flynn waved, stepped off the porch, and Peyton almost skidded to a stop. Threw up her visor. “Why didn’t you answer me?”

Flynn jerked, stared. “What? I’ve been calling you for hours! Over and over!”

Peyton just looked at her. Then she grabbed the radio. Closed her eyes with a face. “Channel sixteen.”

“You said six!”

She drew in a breath. “Okay. Yeah. That’s the channel I use when I’m out with Echo—sorry. I got worried when you didn’t answer. Did you shoot off a gun?”

“Yeah, I did?—”

“Are you okay? Are you in danger?” Peyton pulled off her helmet.

“No—but I have a guy on the ham radio who is.”

“What?” Peyton got off the bike and headed into the house.

“He’s a rescue swimmer, and he got caught in a storm. I’ve been talking to him for the better part of the night. He was on a ship but it went down, and now he’s in a life raft, but I think he’s hypothermic and he’s barely talking?—”

Flynn charged in behind her, but Peyton had already picked up the mic. “CQ, CQ, this is AL7RAC?—”

“I don’t remember my numbers,” said Axel, barely mumbling.

Oh no.

Peyton’s eyes widened. “Axel? Is that you?”

“Mm-Mmmhmm.”

“This is Peyton. Where are you?”

“I’m . . . in a life . . . raft.”

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