Page 102 of One Last Shot

She reached for Hannah, but the girl pushed her away.

“What?”

“It’s going to hurt!”

“Maybe. Probably. But we need to splint it before we get you up the cliff.” She knelt next to her and slid the splint under her leg. Velcroed it shut. “I just need to stabilize it?—”

Hannah’s scream lifted, broke through the night.

Oh, yes, she could feel that.

“Okay, Hannah. It’s okay.” She pulled the girl to herself, holding on as she cried. “I know you’re scared. But you’re safe now.”

“He’s out there. That man—he was big. And... he chased us?—”

“Listen.” Boo held her away and met her eyes. “I brought my own big man, and he’s up on top of the cliff and he’s not going to let anything happen to you, okay?”

“Or you?”

She smiled. “Or me.”

“What about Grace?”

She drew in a breath. “We haven’t found Grace. Or maybe the rest of my team has, I don’t know, but I promise we’ll keep looking. We need to take care of you first, okay?”

Hannah nodded.

Boo stood up and started taking off her harness, stepping out of it. “We need to get you up the cliff and back to the lodge, okay?”

Hannah’s eyes filled.

Boo reached out to get the harness on her. Hannah cried out, pushed away from her. “No! No!”

“Okay, okay.” Boo gripped her hands. “Take a breath.”Now what?

She tromped back over to where she could see Oaken. “I have some pain meds in my bag I can give her, but even with that, getting the harness on is still going to hurt her.”

“Can you get the harness around her shoulders? I can maybe pull her up that way?”

Not a terrible idea. She headed back to Hannah. “Honey. We really need to move you. What if I put the harness around your shoulders and waist?”

Hannah started to cry, but the trooper she was, she nodded.

Boo put the harness around her shoulders, then worked the waist strap around her and tightened it down.

“I need to move you over to the rope so my friend Oaken can pull you up.”

“But what about you?”

“I’ll come right behind you.” Although her brilliant plan seemed not so brilliant after her descent. She’d need crampons and ice axesto climb that wall.

She’d cross that bridge after Hannah was up and out.

“Ready to move?”

Hannah nodded and Boo stood up and lifted her by her harness straps. But when she began to pull, Hannah started to thrash, moving down to grab her leg. “Stop, stop?—”

And then she jerked right out of Boo’s hands.