Asadi wrapped his arms around Savanah and hugged her tight. He’d love to pretend it was so he could keep her warm, but it was growing nearly impossible to fight off the deep chill that had settled into his own bones. On top of that, he wasn’t putting off much more body heat than she was. And with the lack of movement inside their little den, it was only getting worse.
Wincing as he readjusted, Asadi looked out the far end of his cave where his legs were hanging out in the open just below the knee. He did his best to wriggle his legs, and pound his boots, which were caked with snow, but the icy powder was fixed to the denim and leather. With those efforts a bust, there was not much else to do but lie there and freeze.
Asadi contemplated several options that could lead to their rescue, but every idea that he had seemed to come up short. There was no chance of lighting a signal fire, which meant his only other choice would be to create some other form of SOS. So, once the storm did pass, then helicopters would at least be able to spot them. There was a momentary thought that this option was better suited for body recovery than search and rescue, and it troubled him that subconsciously, he was already giving up.
Battling the urge to give in to defeat, Asadi rocked forward to give the rescue signal idea a try but Savanah gripped his arm and pulled him back.
“Don’t leave me, Asadi.” Her voice was just above a whisper. “Please don’t go.”
Asadi felt a deep-seated sadness at the thought of Savanah worrying that he might leave her behind. First, he’d left her after the crash, and then Duke had abandoned her when she couldn’t keep up. It was only natural she’d fear that it could happen again.
“Not going anywhere.” Asadi brushed the back of his hand against her forehead. “Just going to see if I can make a signal somehow.”
Savanah pulled him closer. “I don’t want to be alone.”
Asadi untensed and leaned back, not really knowing what to say other than, “I’m sorry.”
Although her voice was weak, it was rich with sincerity. “Sorry for what?”
Asadi shook his head and sighed. “Where do I even begin?”
He was sorry for stealing Butch’s truck and going out to the Mescalero Ranch when he knew it was wrong. He was sorry for crashing Duke’s UTV. Most of all he was sorry for failing to get her out of this situation. And now he was just plain sorry for giving up.
Somehow though, none of that mattered at the moment. But something else did.
Asadi turned to her and spoke about what was really in his heart and had been for a while. “Savanah, more than anything, I’m just sorry we’re not friends anymore.”
His words hung awkwardly for a few seconds and the pause in her response seemed to be intensified by the howling wind. “But we are friends.” Savanah added with a touch of playfulness in her voice, “Just in a fight, that’s all.”
Asadi shot her a wink. “Then do you think we could at least stop fighting until we’re rescued? Or you know—dead?”
He wouldn’t have made such a grim comment with just anyone else, but jokes like that had always been their thing. Fortunately, it got a genuine laugh.
“Okay, but not a second longer.” Savanah labored to smile. “Then we’re back at war.”
Asadi let out his own laugh, a more robust one than he thought he could give after all his exertion of the last few hours. “What can I do? How can I make you more comfortable?”
Another pause came from Savanah. It seemed as if she had to really muster the strength to speak. “You gave me your coat. Now, how about your pants?”
Asadi laughed again. The fact that she still had a sense of humor was a very good sign. “Don’t think you’d want them. They’re frozen stiff. And stuck to my legs, I think.”
Savanah’s brow furrowed as she gave her order: “You need to move then. Get up and walk.”
He knew she was right. But honestly, he wasn’t sure if he could. Aside from that, he wanted to relay something important. “If I never get the chance, I wanted to tell you about Faraz.”
“Faraz?” she asked groggily. “What about him?”
Asadi could hear the genuine interest in her voice. “Well, he’s alive.”
A couple of seconds passed as Savanah seemed to be processing the news. “You’re sure about this?” She looked at him skeptically. “Because we’ve been told that before and—”
“I know, Savanah. I know. But not this time. I actually spoke to him.”
Asadi was tempted to be frustrated with her disbelief, but Savanah was just trying to protect him. She knew all too well the sorrow of false hope.
Savanah shot him another doubtful look. “And you’re positive it’s him and not some weird scammer or something?”
“He sounded a little different,” Asadi admitted. “Older. But he used the word Badih. That’s what he always called me. Nobody would know that but him.”
Savanah’s face brightened, as if nothing in their world was wrong, and he was her only concern. “If Faraz is alive, then you have to make it through this, Asadi. You have to live.”
“We have to live,” he corrected. “I’m not doing anything without you. Not again.”
Savanah removed a glove and took his hand into hers. “But this is what you’ve been waiting for since you got to Texas. This is your dream.”
“In the dream, you’re right there with me.”
Savanah squeezed his hand. “You can’t just stay here. You have to get up and go.”
Her skin was ice-cold. And the fact she was no longer shivering was a bad sign. It was clear that her body was shutting down. Asadi propped himself up and focused on his legs, willing them to move.
“Well, if I go, then you’re coming with me.” He turned to her and offered his hand. “We do this together or not at all.”
Leaving was a risk, Asadi knew, but staying and doing nothing was an even bigger gamble. And if they waited any longer, there was a good chance that the cave would be their tomb.