Page 97 of Snowbound Threat

Ryan could see Will slumped over the steering wheel. The interior lights revealed he was bleeding from his forehead.

Ryan didn’t dare try the driver’s door. One false move and the tree would give way.

“Stand back.” He carefully opened the passenger door. “Will, can you hear me?” No response came from his friend.

“I’ve got to get him out before this whole thing crashes down the mountain.

“What do you need me to do?”

“As soon as I unbuckle the seatbelt, I’m going to pull him as fast as I can from the wreckage. Help me get him away from the vehicle before it goes over.”

She nodded confirmation. Ryan slowly leaned over until he could reach Will’s seatbelt latch. With fingers that shook, he clicked it. The seatbelt swung open, violently rocking the cruiser.

Will moaned.

Ryan grabbed hold of Will around the upper torso and pulled. Getting Will’s dead weight out of the seat when the vehicle was rocking felt next to impossible. “Help me.”

Charlie acted immediately, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling.

Together they got Will cleared from the cruiser and lying on the snowy ground. Both sat down next to him. They watched as the vehicle teetered back and forth for a moment, then tipped sideways and finally plunged out of sight. The sound of branches and tree trunks cracking created a terrifying moment. A heartbeat later, an explosion rocked the world below.

Ryan blew out a shaky breath and checked Will’s pulse. “He’s still with us. Let’s get him to the SUV and back to the cabin so that I can assess his injuries.”

With Charlie taking his feet, Ryan wrapped his arms around Will’s upper torso, and they carried him to the SUV. Ryan managed to open the back door and eased Will inside. “I’ll go around to the other side and pull him the rest of the way in.”

Charlie nodded without answering. He hurried around the passenger side and climbed in enough to pull Will safely across the seat. “Let’s get out of here.”

She rushed back to her seat while he got behind the wheel. Getting the SUV turned around on such a narrow road was next to impossible. Ryan kept seeing Will’s vehicle slide off themountain. Kept hearing it tumbling down. Then the explosion happened.

No way Will would’ve survived that.

Once Ryan straightened the vehicle and they started back to the cabin he spared Will a glance. “That gash looks serious. As soon as we reach the cabin and have a look, I’m going to contact Boone again. Will needs medical attention.”

Charlie leaned over her seat. “I don’t see any other injuries except for the head wound.”

So why wasn’t Will waking up?

Getting back to the cabin seemed to take forever. Ryan pulled the SUV up close to the cabin and got out. With Charlie’s help, they were able to get Will inside.

“Let’s put him in the bedroom.”

They gently placed him on the bed.

“I’ll get some water and something to clean the wound with.” Charlie disappeared. Will clicked on the bedside lamp and sat down beside Will. He examined the wound that didn’t appear too deep.

Ryan shook his friend. “Buddy, wake up.” It took a couple of tries before Will opened his eyes and glanced around the room in confusion.

“Where am I?” Will whispered, his voice weak.

“The old gold mining cabin. You crashed.”

Charlie returned with a bowl of water and a handcloth. She sat it on the table near the lamp and dampened the cloth before gently cleaning the injury. Will winced and then focused on Ryan. “I didn’t.”

Ryan leaned closer. “Didn’t what?”

“Didn’t crash. Someone shot at me.”

The world tilted on its axis. The accident had been anything but. Someone had tried to kill Will.