The Survivor - Page 75

Maya shot Riley a helpless glance. Clearly, she was afraid of what her daughter would find back in the cave.

“You promised,” Bailey said.

Cade exchanged a glance with Riley before replying. “You’re right, Bailey. We promised. If it’s okay with your mom, let’s go see how mother and child are doing.”

Maya nodded. “If you think it will be okay.”

“The worst of the avalanche hit the next plateau. We should be all right.”

The group headed back in the direction from which they had just come. Riley was shocked at how much the mountain’s topography had changed in the space of just a few minutes. Nothing looked the same to her; were it not for their GPS devices, they’d have no hope of finding their way back to the cave.

“Take it slow,” Cade said. “The ground will still be unsteady in places.”

Riley pointed to a ridge lined with daggers of ice pointing upward like glittering swords. “I think we’ll also want to avoid those.”

“Ice spikes. You see them after every avalanche. They’re as sharp as razor blades, and they’ll be here until the first thaw. They can slice right through our coats and gloves.”

Maya pulled alongside them. “And still you thought this was a safe place to bring my child?”

Bailey squeezed her tight. “I’ll be careful, Mama. Are we almost there?”

Cade checked his GPS monitor screen. “It says it’s just ahead.”

They slowed to a stop, and Bailey jumped off Maya’s snowmobile. She pointed to a triangular rock formation jutting out from the snow. “The cave was here! It’s been buried. They’ll suffocate!”

Cade quickly dismounted and flipped up the storage compartment lid on the back of his snowmobile. “There’s a small shovel in every kit. Everyone pull one out and start digging!”

The entire group attacked the snowed-over tunnel, half digging, half chiseling until they managed to pierce an opening large enough for Bailey to climb through.

“I’m going in!” she yelled back at them. “There’s no snow after this point.”

Maya put a hand on her arm. “It’s been a little while for them in there. You know how weak they were when we left them.”

“I don’t care. Cade said they’d be safe. I’ve got to keep them that way. I’ll be okay.”

“Be careful, Bailey. We’ll be right behind you.”

Bailey had already crawled through the opening.

A full minute passed, then another. Cade, Riley, and Maya worked frantically on widening the opening while leaning inside, waiting to get a glimpse of Bailey.

Then Bailey’s brilliantly smiling face suddenly appeared at the opening. “They’re fine! They’re alive! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us.” Maya cupped her face in her hands and kissed her. “Hey, this is your rescue. We were glad to help, but it’s all because of you, Bailey.”

Cade stepped back from the widened hole. “We should all be able to get through now.”

Maya shimmied inside the cave, followed by Cade and Kun. Riley backed away and pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call Eve and Kagan to let them know we’re okay. I’ll see you in a minute.”

Riley stepped away from the rock formation, trying to give her satellite phone the best line of sight. Mobile communications had been spotty since they arrived, but maybe she could—

“Hello, Riley.”

She stiffened in shock as she turned. It was Nadim. His face was bruised, and he was covered in blood. He was pointing a semiautomatic handgun.

She swallowed hard. “You survived.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I still have a score to settle.” He nodded back toward the opening. “I assume Maya is in there?”