He had the impression that she was an attractive woman, but he could see very little of her features through the mud and grime. Not that it mattered. Getting her out of the canyon and to a hospital was his only concern at the moment.
She tried to stand but couldnt quite manage it even when he helped her. Her knees collapsed and he eased her back onto the ledge.
Okay, no problem. Well do this another way.
He turned and said into the radio, Powell? Ive got the woman, but shes in pretty bad shape. Im going to get her into a harness, and then youll have to hoist us out.
Copy that. Make it quick, Campbell. If we get caught in a down draft, were all dead meat.
As quickly as he could, Aidan slipped leg rings over the womans thighs and tightened the harness belt around her waist. Grabbing the cable, he used another figure eight to fasten her harness to his, then he radioed Powell.
All set! Take us up! To the woman, he said, Put your arms around my neck. Dont worry. Ive done this before, he assured her when they lifted off the ground and she gasped.
The first moment of dangling in midair was always the worst. Dont look down, he advised.
To answer, she tightened her arms around his neck.
He could feel her muscles tense even beneath her layers of clothing. She was very light in his arms, but he had a feeling she was a lot stronger that she looked. She would have to be, to survive what shed been through.
They were about thirty feet from the mouth of the canyon when a gust of wind buffeted the chopper, knocking it forward. The hoist cable shrieked and went taut as it lashed against the JetRangers hull.
The woman screamed. The hoist moaned. And Aidan swore.
Its okay! he yelled above the roar of the blades. Ive got you! Just hold on tight!
Overhead, Powell forced down the helicopters nose to stabilize the aircraft, but the maneuver caused the cable to swing away from the hull, and all of a sudden, Aidan saw the wall of the canyon rushing to meet them.
He tried to twist around so that he would take the brunt of the collision. His left shoulder smashed into the rock, and as pain shot down his arm, he momentarily released his hold on the woman and they were jerked apart by the impact.
To Aidans horror, he heard the figure eight snap, and the woman screamed again as she began to slip free. For a moment, her arms clutched at him wildly, and then Aidan grabbed her. As their eyes met, he recognized the terror in her eyes. Hed seen it before, in another womans eyes, a split second before she slipped from his fingers and fell to her death.
He blinked, willing away the memory as he clung to the womans arm. Elena had struggled blindly in her terror. Shed twisted and flailed and begged him not to let her fall.
I dont want to die. Please, Aidan
That same plea was in this womans eyes, but amazingly, she didnt panic, which would have made Aidans job that much more difficult. When he shouted for her to grab his other hand, she had the presence of mind to do exactly that.
Just hold on, okay?
She nodded, her focus never leaving his.
They dangled over the canyon for what seemed an eternity, but she never once lost her cool. She had to be in pain, not just from the fall, but from the way he clutched her arm. She didnt so much as flinch.
When they were finally hoisted up to the chopper, Aidan hauled her onto the ski and then boosted her through the jump door. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
He climbed in behind her, slid the door closed and turned. Shed collapsed on the floor and gone into convulsions. Throwing off the harness, he knelt beside her.
Get us out of here! he shouted up to Powell.
Id love to do just that, Powell shouted back. Unfortunately, weve got a little problem.
They were trapped in a wind shear that kept dragging the helicopter downward. As the tail slewed about, it came dangerously close to the wall.
Come on, Aidan said under his breath. Come on!
Powell practically yanked the joystick out of the floor to give them lift power. For a moment, he was forced to ride the wind backward, getting closer and closer to the wall until he could maneuver the chopper around and fly with a tailwind out of the canyon.
While Powell battled the wind, Aidan cut off the womans wet clothing. Beneath all those soggy layers, her skin was like ice. He rubbed her arms and legs, trying to create enough friction to warm her up.
Rousing, she clung to him for a moment, as if she didnt yet realize that she was safe.
Youll be okay, he assured her. We just have to get you warmed up.
Dont let me go, she whispered.
I wont. I promise.
She was tiny, but surprisingly curvy, and her muscles were rock hard. At the moment, though, Aidan was more interested in the temperature of her body than in its shape.
F-freezing, she gasped.
When he had her clothes off, he wrapped her in a blanket, then pulled her into his arms and held her close to his own warm body. She still couldnt stop shaking.
Is she going to be okay? Powell shouted.
Shed better be, Aidan thought grimly as he held her tight. He couldnt afford to lose another one.