Justice Read Free Page B

being such a little guy, huh, Maddock?”
    Maddock scowled. Bones was six and a half feet of muscled Native American, with a wingspan that would make a condor feel inadequate. Maddock could claim six feet only if he let his hair grow for a few months and used a lot of gel.
    They had gone through SEAL training together, and at first, Maddock had despised the big man. Bones was forever making light of serious situations and bucking authority. They’d even come to blows in one memorable incident. But they’d shared a number of harrowing adventures recently, and Maddock now appreciated the skill and courage which accompanied the levity. There was no better man to have at your side when things got hairy.
    After discovering a mutual interest in climbing, they’d planned this trip to Virginia to explore some of the challenging routes in the area. This was actually the first time they’d climbed together, and the trash talking before the climb had escalated to playground basketball levels. Maddock was ten feet above Bones; if he could just get six feet to his right, he would have a pretty clear path for the final twenty feet. Bones was clearly trying to slow him down.
    “Seems to me that this little guy is already out of your reach.”
    “It just looks that way, dude. There’s only one direction you can go, and it ain’t toward the sky.”
    Maddock gritted his teeth. He could grab the tiny hold with a finger, release his other limbs and swing...and he’d still only be halfway there. He had an anchor planted fifteen feet down, but falling thirty feet before it caught and bounced him off the cliff was not high on his bucket list. The thing was, any other option except trying this move would mean Bones overtaking him.
    Maddock was not going to let that happen. He flexed his right index finger, took a deep breath, and curled the finger around the minuscule hold.
    As he unweighted his left side, the grip felt solid. His full weight was not on the finger yet, and before that could happen he whipped his left hand across. Then he made the second-hardest move of the sequence, removing his right finger so he was floating free for a fraction of a second before his left finger took its place. That’s where he made his first mistake.
    Instead of his left index finger supporting him, his left middle finger was doing the job. A small wave of panic shot through him, but the part of him which had survived SEAL training took over and smashed the panic into submission. With hardly any sense of actually holding onto the face, he thrust his right hand and foot toward solid holds he had spied before beginning the move.
    Both hand and foot successfully found their targets, but his left finger slipped before his right side was fully secure. His left side swung out into the air, like a door opening on its hinges. As he struggled to strengthen his remaining holds, Maddock began to brace himself for the inevitable fall.
    The fall never came. Somehow he stabilized himself and wound up hugging the face again. His breathing took the better part of a minute to return to normal, whether from the panic or the exertion he couldn’t be sure. He glanced down at Bones.
    “No smartass remarks this time?”
    Bones’ grin was easily visible below him. “Maddock, that was one of the dumbest moves I have ever seen. I told you hanging around with me was going to rub off on you.”
    “I won’t be hanging around much longer. I’ll see you at the top.”
    Five minutes later he gained the ledge at the summit, the route relatively easy compared to what had come before. He sat taking in the beauty of the forested Blue Ridge Mountains. When Bones made his way onto the ledge, Maddock looked at his watch.
    “What kept you?”
    “I took my time. Didn’t want to make you feel bad about your climbing skills after what I just saw. But seriously, Dude, whose ass did you pull that move out of? Admit it, you only did it because it allowed you to give me the finger when I