The Breaking Point Read Online Free

she needed more room to maneuver. She nudged Bo with her foot. “C’mon, boy, into the backseat.” He resisted for a moment, then hopped across the wide console between the seats and moved to his blanket. He circled twice, three times, and then plopped down with a long-suffering grunt.
    Renee inched her hand along the seat belt and fingered the catch, trying to stir up as little pain as possible. She let out a relieved breath when she pressed the release, and the seat belt snapped free. She pushed it aside and leaned toward Gabe, grimacing at the ugly gash on the side of his forehead. Blood trickled down his pale, still face.
    Jesus … Jesus …
    Even as the prayer escaped her frantic heart and flew skyward, her shaking increased. Blinding panic sparked to life somewhere deep in her gut, jumping and growing like flames in a stack of tinder-dry wood. Suddenly the cab felt as if it were closing in on her, and a chilling, wailing scream was filling her mind. She sat back, pressing her spine into the seatback, forcing herself to take deep, even breaths. With each puff of white as she exhaled, she repeated one fierce word: “Calm … calm … calm …”
    She wasn’t sure how long it took until her pulse resumed a more or less normal beat, but when it finally happened she sighed. If only she could stop shaking. It was partly nerves, partly the aching cold that seemed imbedded in her very bones.
    And shock … it could be shock …
    She pushed the grim thought aside, then swiveled to kneel on the seat and reach to the floor of the backseat. Amazingly, though he never took his eyes off her, Bo stayed where he was. She grabbed the strap of the canvas duffel bag with their clothes and supplies for their winter search-and-rescue training exercises. They’d joined the organization a few years ago, and though she enjoyed all she learned, Gabe had embraced it with unbridled enthusiasm. Search and Rescue was the perfect setting for his think-through-all-the-angles mindset.
    As Renee tugged the bag toward her, she remembered her reaction when Gabe insisted they always needed to keep the search-and-rescue bag with them when they traveled in the winter. She had cast her gaze to the ceiling, making no effort to hide her disdain. He was, as usual, being overly cautious, hyper-vigilant. Why on earth couldn’t the man just relax and have a good time?
    Now …
    She glanced at her unmoving husband and her throat caught. She swallowed back the wave of panic struggling to take over.
Steady, Renee. Don’t fall apart now.
She looked at Bo. “Thank heaven he ignored me and listened to his instincts, eh, boy? He sure was right about this.”
    Bo’s steady stare never wavered.
    “I know, I know; it’s too bad he isn’t awake to hear me say that.” She turned back to the bag. “Wouldn’t he just love to hear me admit I was wrong.”
    Heaven knew he seldom heard those words from her. In fact, Renee thought, allowing herself a small smile, hearing her admit she was wrong might even make their nosedive down a mountain worthwhile. For Gabe, anyway.
    She reached out to stroke the back of her husband’s hand where it lay, so very still, on the console. “I’ll tell you when you’re conscious, Gabe. I promise.”
    Returning to her task, she tugged the bag until it landed in her lap. The increasing tremor in her hands made it a challenge to jerk the zipper open, but she finally succeeded. She pulled out gloves, a scarf, a hat, snowpants, each item making her feel like a giddy child on Christmas morning.
    At the bottom of the bag were a blanket, an assortment of imperishables—chocolate bars, protein bars, dried fruit, nuts, water—and a large baggie with a dozen or so pocket heat packs. She cast another look at Gabe’s still form. She’d told him those packs were probably just a way for the sporting goods stores to make money on people. But he pulled one out of the package and shook it, then handed it back to her. Amazingly, the tiny