Time
is running out…
McKinley Baker’s job is simple—fly her
client to the remote research station an hour north, at the edge of the Arctic
Circle, before the lack of available daylight and extreme weather conditions
isolate the facility for the foreseeable future. Just her luck, the guy's late.
One
day of complete darkness…
Beckett Foster hadn't planned on
running into McKinley when he’d agreed to take the job. But he has to admit—the
possibility of getting trapped at the station with the woman he’s been crazy
about since the day they met, just made the Arctic conditions a little less
harsh. And if he has to share his body heat to help keep her warm, he’s willing
to man up.
There’s no escape…
But the fire sizzling between them in
the cockpit might not be enough to keep them alive when an unexpected encounter
turns deadly. And if the sub-zero temperatures don't kill them, their new enemy
just might as the sun finally sets on this year's darkest night.
PURCHASE LINKS
Resplendence Publishing: http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/666-978-1-60735-767-4--darkest-night-by-kris-norris.html
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/darkest-night-by-kris-norris-kris-norris/1119577529?ean=2940149354443
McKinley slapped his
shoulder, drawing his attention. She snapped her fingers in front of his face.
“You back from wherever you zoned out to?”
“Sorry. I was…just thinking.”
Her gaze fell to his groin before jerking
back to his face. A hint of worry crossed her features as she motioned ahead of
the aircraft. “I can’t raise the station on the radio. I’ve double checked
everything on my end, but it all seems to be working.”
He frowned, looking toward the horizon.
Though the setting sun cast long shadows across the snow-covered landscape, he
could just make out the outline of the complex ahead. A series of dark spots
against the pristine white. “Maybe they’re all outside or something. Securing
the bunkers for the storm.”
“Maybe, but…” She tilted her head to the
side, scanning the area on either side of the chopper as if keeping her options
open. “I specifically told Josh to turn the helipad lights on. The fading light
makes it hard to distinguish the ground from the sky. And I’d rather not plow
this baby in, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Hey, I’m with you.” He tapped a finger
against his chin. “Maybe give them another minute then try again. It’s not like
they left or anything. They’ve got to be there.”
She nodded, but he could see her
reservations in the tight press of her lips.
He reached for her hand, brushing his
fingers over hers. “I know that look. What’s really going on here, McKinley?”
She frowned, a delectable pout gracing her
lips. “Nothing’s going on, it’s just…” She huffed. “When I called the station
earlier, Josh seemed…”
“He seemed what?”
“Reluctant.”
“I’ll need a bit more than that.
Reluctant about what?”
“Having us come out today. He said they
were in the middle of a sensitive experiment. Went so far as to suggest I wait
the storm out back at Norman Wells and bring you up after it passed.”
“Can’t fault the guy for looking out for
you. It actually sounds kind of sweet.”
She snorted, giving
him a firm look. “It wasn’t that kind of concern. He seemed edgy.”
Beckett glanced at the complex again.
Still too far away to see any details, but something about the collection of
black shapes made the hairs on his neck prickle. “What’s your gut telling you?”
She glanced out the
bubble then back to him. “Something’s…wrong.”
“Then I trust your instincts. There’s
just one problem. We don’t really have anywhere else to go.”
“I know. Damn storm’s already moved
through our alternate airport. And it’d be crazy to land out in the open with
it bearing down on us.” She scanned the surrounding area again. “I’ll do a
flyby. Hopefully it’s just a lack of sleep and sunshine making me paranoid.”
He nodded, wanting to laugh it off, but
he wasn’t convinced he’d be able to come across at all convincing. There was
just something about the way she’d described Josh’s behavior. He’d known the
guy for nearly two years. And it didn’t sound like the man he’d spent more than
a few months rooming with.
The air inside the cabin seemed colder as
McKinley angled the helicopter off to the right, slowing their speed. She
didn’t talk, just kept her attention concentrated on the compound as it slowly
wavered into focus. Beckett squinted, trying to decipher a collection of dark
objects lined up to one side.
He pointed at the
station. “What the hell are those black specks off to the right?”
“Not sure. They kind
of look like some sort of vehicle. But that doesn’t make sense.” She banked the
machine over, giving him a slightly better view. “Are those snowcats?”
“They sure as hell look like cats. But
that’s crazy. Who would bring a convoy of snowcats all the way up here? I’m
pretty damn sure we’d know about this if the company had ordered it.”
“Bugger. I knew something didn’t feel
right. I’ll do a low pass. See if we can get a better look before we commit to
anything. But I swear—Josh is going to have a lot of explaining to do once I
get my hands on the man.”
Beckett winked at her. “Not sure that’s
really a threat but…”
He grunted when she hit him in the
shoulder, some of the tension dissipating. He gave her a smile as she
maneuvered the helicopter in line with the vehicles, losing enough altitude
they’d be close enough to get a good look as they passed overhead. Movement by
the machines caught his attention.
He cocked his head, trying to get a
better bead on the object moving across the snow, but the damn shadows blurred
the form into nothing more than a black blob. “Is that a person? What’s he
holding?”
“I’m not…shit—”
Her voice cut off as the Plexiglas on the
bubble cracked, a sharp metal ping sounding close to his head. McKinley
reacted, shoving the cyclic forward, nearly throwing him against the front
console as his stomach hit the back of his throat then plummeted into his
boots. The straps from the belt cut into his shoulders and waist, knocking the
air out of his lungs.
He braced his arm against the doorframe
as another series of pings echoed outside. “What the hell?”
“They’re fucking shooting at us.” She
banked hard one way, then the other, aiming straight for the ground as the
chopper picked up speed. “Hold on. Let’s see if those bastards can matrix their
asses out of the way when I’ve got her pegged at full throttle.”
Beckett fisted the frame as the
helicopter all but dropped out the sky, losing what little altitude they’d had
in a matter of seconds. The nauseating maneuvers blurred the surrounding
landscape as it rushed past the windows, reducing the scenery into a wash of
white and gray. More shots hit the fuselage as she bore down on the men holding
what looked like assault rifles before they dove for cover, blasted by the
downwash from the blades as she soared over top, missing them and the machines
by a few feet. Vortices of snow followed the helicopter’s path as McKinley
sailed across the surface, covering everything in the aircraft’s wake with a
blast of whirling powder.
“God damn, McKinley. You’re going to fly
this thing into the ground.”
“Not quite. But I bet my ass they’ll have
a hard time pinpointing us when we disappear behind the bunkers.”
“The bunkers? Shit, they’re only fifteen
feet high.”
“I know.”
She banked hard again, pelting the sides
of the bunkers with a blast of icy snow as the helicopter skimmed across the
surface, following the line of buildings before angling toward a copse of trees
to the north. Beckett twisted in his seat, trying to look out the back when one
of the snowcats appeared amidst the swirling flakes. Something moved along the
back of the machine before a long arm pointed toward them.
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