Page 33 of When the Silence Breaks

Sarah Ellison was putting too much hope in him, but he’d agreed to take this on. And it felt like maybe, just maybe, solving this mystery, protecting someone, was exactly what he needed. And he’d been waiting for this chance—to make up for all that had gone wrong before.

Thirteen

Into thewild wego...

Sarah had contacted Tessa last night and spoken with her and listened to Jeremy’s jabber and laughter. She had to make sure all was well. As she listened to the fear in her sister-in-law’s voice—the tears she held back for Jeremy’s sake—Sarah almost wished she hadn’t called. Still, of course she had to make sure they remained safe. And hearing Tessa solidified Sarah’s resolve, especially after seeing Malcolm. The warning in his words had left her unsettled and questioning her decision.

“Do not go down this path...”

Tessa’s email early this morning didn’t help.Found a thumb drive. Audio file. More later.Sarah hadn’t even had time to ask where it came from or what it contained since she was about to shoulder a pack and follow Ryder into the wilderness. Tonight, at camp, she’d deal with it if they had any kind of service.

As for this dangerous expedition, it was about her grandfather, the truth he’d hidden that needed unveiling. The truth behind Aaron’s murder.

She’d resigned three years ago and sworn off danger for a life in which she could pick and choose her own projects and walkaway when she needed to. But family mattered, and now ... she was heading back into danger. Still, this was on her own terms.

And she had Ryder with her—thank you, Lord. Ryder Goodwin wouldn’t let her down. He parked his Silverado and got out. Sarah’s heart rate jumped. This was it. Really it. She was really doing this.

He gave her a cursory glance, and maybe he suspected she needed a moment to herself. He might even expect her to back out. But they were here, and she was doing this, so she opened the door and hopped down. It was definitely cooler up here. She stretched, drew in the crisp mountain air, and stumbled over to the small, barely visible sign.

“Lost Signal Trailhead,” she said. “Where did that name come from? I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“I’m not sure.” He moved to the bed of the truck for their gear.

Sarah followed. “It’s kind of foreboding, don’t you think?”

“I try not to think about trailhead names, or mountain names for that matter. I’d never hike if I did.” His crooked grin made her curious about his life. The part she couldn’t read in a file.

She wanted to get to know him in a personal way, not during a stressful, dangerous mountain-climbing experience to find answers someone wanted buried.No. I’d like to get to know you,Ryder, when a deadly threat doesn’t lurkso near.

But she didn’t have the luxury of those kinds of dreams.

He handed her the fifty-pound pack. She heaved it onto her shoulders, the weight pulling at her muscles in an unfamiliar strain, but she hid her sudden uncertainty from Ryder, who watched her. She got the feeling he was just waiting for her to scrap the whole thing. Or maybe he was trying to stay attuned to every nuance—Sarah included. Fifty pounds was definitely more than she’d wanted, but not as much as she’d feared. Sheliked that Ryder had packed for every conceivable scenario. An ice ax was strapped to the side of both her and Ryder’s packs, but he carried both sets of crampons since they’d be traveling near Ironveil Glacier. She prayed they wouldn’t have to use the crampons or the ice axes.

Ryder pulled on his own backpack and then locked up the truck. He pocketed the keys. His gaze was intense, serious, and searching, and after a few frantic heartbeats, he finally asked, “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Because was she, really? Or was she on a doomed mission that Aaron never would have wanted for her? Regardless, she wasn’t backing out now.

She wore a light fleece jacket over her base layer, and hiking pants that brushed her boots with every step. At this elevation it wasn’t that cold yet, and she kept the heavier layers tucked inside her pack, ready for when the wind picked up higher on the mountain. Gloves and a beanie waited in her pocket. For now, at least, the cool autumn air felt good against her skin.

The pack wasn’t that heavy. I can do this.

Between them, they carried a few liters of water and a compact filter for the mountain streams ahead. They’d refill as they climbed.

Sarah drew in a breath of the crisp autumn air, the scent of pine and adventure filling her head along with something else ... “It smells like snow.”

“According to the forecast,” he said, “we have forty-eight hours. But forecasts lie.”

“Well, that’s comforting.” But she knew that already.

He readjusted his pack. “This isn’t Everest or K2—the second-highest and second-deadliest mountain in the world—but we’ll treat this with all the same care.”

“Good to know.”

He started forward on the trail, and she fell in line behind him. At some point they’d leave the well-worn path—that much she knew—to follow a track only Ryder knew in his head. If only she could be embarking on this in the summer instead of the beginning of fall.

Despite his warning that they had forty-eight hours before the weather turned, the early morning sky was painfully clear. Too clear. Maybe the smell of snow had been a figment of her imagination. The calm skies made her relax when she needed to focus on the looming threat. A cloud-free day belied the danger they would face against nature and whatever they found at what she hoped would be the actual crash site of a long-lost World WarII plane and ... possibly—please, God—answers.

She wouldn’t lie to herself—they could face danger from the men who wanted to stop her too.