by Kelly Moore
“There are two more bodies a few hundred feet out.”
I make a mental note. Eight left. “Do you see anything else?”
“Tracks and a wooden path that runs the length of the mountain directly across from us.”
“Don’t move until we reach you.”
One by one, we make it to the top. “Take five minutes to hydrate, and then we’re going again,” I tell the team.
Thorn holds up his tracker. “There’s something over that mountain. I’m picking up faint signals.”
I radio back to base camp and update the commander on what we’ve found. I pull out the badges of the people I found on the plane and read the names to him. “There are two more. When we reach them, I’ll identify them.” I don’t really need their badges. I committed their faces to memory. “One other thing, sir. If they are out for blood, you need to secure the president’s wife and daughter.”
“They’ve already been taken underground,” he responds
Mad Dog and Remington are peering through their binoculars. “That footbridge is narrow. I don’t know how they crossed it,” Mad Dog says.
“These men, whoever they are, obviously trained for this,” Tate chimes in. “This place didn’t just happen. They know the terrain and probably every inch of that thing.”
“Enough chitchat. Let’s move.” I stuff my canteen back in my bag. “When we get to the footbridge, change out of your snowshoes, and replace them with your spikes. Make every step cautious, and Remington, you keep watch for explosives.”
“Yes, sir.”
As we make our way down, I recognize one of the bodies as the secretary of state. The other is one of the president’s council. I tell Honor so she can keep a record.
Chapter 3
Rebel
“Damn, these slates are narrow,” Thorn grumbles.
“I’ll take lead, you bring up the rear.” I inch out on the footbridge clinging to the side of the snowy mountain. It’s fastened into the rock on one side, evenly spaced apart, and then rope hangs from the other. It ascends high on the mountain, and I can’t see how far it wraps around.
Tate falls in behind me, then the rest of the team. The boards creak with every step, and the wind causes it to sway. We space ourselves out to not put too much weight on any one area.
I hear a crack and then a scream. I turn to see Tate dangling by a boot from the bridge. I rush back to her. “I’ve got you.” I lie flat on the wood slats and grab onto her leg.
She’s upside down, and her pack is dead weight on her back. “Get your bag off and let it fall,” I tell her.
Theo lies flat on the side and reaches down, trying to help her up.
“Please don’t let me die out here,” she cries.
“You’re not dying on my watch, Tate.” I grasp her by the belt and pull her up enough for her to take Theo’s hand and get her back up.
She clings to the side of the mountain. “Thank you.” Her face is red from the cold, and she visibly shivers.
“When we reach the top, we’ll give you weapons.” She stands and nods.
We slow our pace, each team member reaching back to help the next through the gaping hole. It takes us hours to make it to the top. The sun is already starting to dip down, and the air is bitter cold.
“Sir, with the fog we can’t see out, but according to my tracker, ten miles north of here, there is heat. It has to be their compound. Nothing else would survive up here.” Thorn steps up beside me.
“Neither will we if we don’t stop and make camp for the night. The winds are picking up, and those beasts are snow clouds.” I point into the darkness moving toward us. We pull out our subzero weather tents and place them close together. I hear Mad Dog tell Tate she can use his tent because he’s taking first watch.
I crawl inside mine and radio back to camp. “We’re down for the count for tonight. We can’t see but a few feet in front of us as the snow lets down,” I tell Commander Lukas.
“Our chopper won’t be there until morning. The weather made him land.”
“Any demands being made that you know of?”
“No. But they did take down a couple of men they believed to be part of the group that broke into the president’s residence. All they found was our men waiting for them.”
“Chances of him or any of his people making it out of here alive is slim, sir.”
“I don’t believe they will kill him until they think they’ve killed his family. They want to make him suffer.”
“We’ll head out as soon as the weather clears, and we have some daylight.”
Theo’s head pokes through my tent. “This is not the honeymoon suite,” I joke.
It doesn’t stop him from coming inside and sitting. “I can make it down to the compound tonight and scope it out, so we know what we’re dealing with.”
“Out of the question. I’m not letting you risk your life to give us a possible edge.”
“What are the chances we’re all going to make it out of here alive?”
“I don’t know, but my goal is to keep all of us this side of the snow. Fiona doesn’t need to be a widow.”
A smile covers his face at the mention of her name. “I’m not going anywhere. My life has just begun.”
“I’m happy for you, man.” I clap my hand on his shoulder. “Sorry to ruin your honeymoon.”
“You didn’t, only postponed it. Fiona understands how the team operates. She’s been completely supportive.”
Lawson opens the tent, and a cold breeze rushes through it. “What’s going on in here?”
“Nothing. Both of you get the fuck out of here and get some shut-eye. Mad Dog is taking first watch. I’ll take the second.” They scramble out, and I zip the opening shut. I curl into my sleeping bag and listen to the wind slice through the air.
“Fallon,” I whisper her name. “God, I miss you.” When she first disappeared, I was so angry at her and the fact that she took Sean with her. But my heart knows her. She did it to keep us all safe. I’m angry at myself that she didn’t trust me to do that, but who could blame her? Nina outsmarted all of us. She’s cunning and very resourceful. I want to say that I wish I’d never met her, but in a strange way, she led me to Fallon, and I will never regret our paths crossing. My men and I have searched for her. Nina taught her how to be a ghost, and she’s damn good at it.
I think about her until I finally doze off to sleep.
“Sir, who’s on second shift?” I hear in my ear. Mad Dog sounds tired.
I hop off the ground. “I am. Leave Tate asleep and take my tent to rest.” I pull on extra layers of clothes and grab my weapon.
“Damn, I didn’t think it could get much colder,” I say as I pass Mad Dog.
“I’d say you get used to it, but you don’t.” He crawls into my tent.
The freezing fog hides all light. It’s pitch-black, and I can only see a few feet out. I couldn’t see anything coming our direction even if I wanted to. I perch on a rock and just listen to my surroundings. Nothing but the wind can be heard.
A dull gray fills the air as the morning eases in. “It’s time,” I say into the radio. Each team member makes their way out of the tents and packs up their gear.
Thorn walks to the edge with his tracker. “More heat coming from the same direction. It’s going to take us half a day to get there in this weather.” Large flakes are hitting us in the face.
I finish packing my gear. “We’re the only chance they have, so we need to move as fast as we can.”
Theo takes the lead again, and it doesn’t take long for him to be out of sight. At least four more inches of snow has fallen, and it’s not slowing down. The fog has cleared, but gray clouds still hang heavy, making it hard to move more than inches at a time. Hours have passed before I hear Theo.
“Sir, Thorn was right. I found the compound. It has a large concrete wall surrounding it, and it’s well guarded on all sides. They’re expecting a battle.”
“That’s what happens
when you kidnap the POTUS. Do you see anyway inside?”
“No, I’m still looking.”
“Theo, there has to be underground tunneling. These are intelligent men. They would have an escape plan. If nothing else, there has to be a sewer system to crawl through,” Thorn chimes into the conversation.
“I’m not liking the sounds of that.” I can’t see his face, but I’m envisioning the look Theo is making.
“Unless you plan on taking all the guards out, I don’t see any other way.”
“I’m a good shot, but I can’t take all of them out at once,” he responds.
“Then start searching for an opening,” Thorn adds.
“Why don’t you get your ass here and start digging.” Theo harshly chuckles.
“Don’t be such a pretty boy,” Thorn jabs back.
“Sir, he’ll need to be cautious. If they’re smart, they booby-trapped the area with explosives,” Remington says from behind me.
“Watch out for mines,” I tell Theo. “You go out ahead and help him.” I wave off Remington, and he leaves in a trot that has him lifting his knees high to run in the snow. We can’t all expend our energy reserves. Slow and steady has to be our pace.
“We should make it to him in the next hour.” Williams adds his two cents.
I update Honor on our location to see how far we are to our pickup point from the chopper. It’s another five miles in the opposite direction, and it’s been delayed again.
“Where are you?” I ask as we come into sight of the compound.
Theo responds. “We’re on the south side. We found a tunnel. It took several feet of digging, but we have it open. And Remington was right. There are land mines. He’s marked them with wire and wrapped them with orange tape. The opening of the tunnel is lined with explosives ready to go off if we enter.”
“Get Remington disarming them. How far out are you from the compound?”
“Quarter mile. The tunnel runs through a large rock to flatter ground. It must have taken them months to dig this thing.”
We reach the top of a ledge, and I motion for everyone to get on the ground. The weight of my body buries in the snow. I crawl a few feet to get my head above it and pull out my binoculars. “I see the compound. Six armed men line the wall on the front. Two in a tower.”
“There are six in the back and two on each side,” Theo adds.
“Eighteen men. No telling how many are on the inside.”
“You’re going to have to crawl your way toward us now that it’s light outside. The snow will help and hurt you. It will hide you, but if they see tracks, they’ll know you’re coming.”
“I’m going to send Mad Dog, Tate, Lawson, and Williams your way. Thorn and I are going to cause a distraction. When we do, you make your way inside with the team. And, Remington, those explosives better be dead by the time I give the signal.”
“Roger that,” he responds.
“Tate, you lead the way. Mad Dog, you follow in behind her, and Williams, you take the tail and cover your tracks.”
“Yes, sir.”
Thorn and I watch them make their way to Theo and Remington. “What’s the plan?” Thorn asks.
“See the mountain to the left of the compound?”
“Yes.”
“We’re going to cause an avalanche.”
“That might bury everyone inside.”
“That’s a chance we’re going to have to take. As soon as it’s set in motion, our team will move in.”
“How are we going to get out of the way of it and not die ourselves?”
“Run fast.” I get down from the ledge and start heading toward the mountain.
“You’re kidding, right?” Thorn trots behind me.
“Do you have any suggestions?” I don’t slow down.
“I saw a snowmobile parked on the side. Have Remington set off one of the mines for the first distraction, and I’ll get the snowmobile while they’re preoccupied.”
“I’m not risking them being caught.”
“Okay, then I’ll pick off the two guards. I have a silencer, and I can take them out simultaneously.”
“Go get set up. Don’t shoot until I tell you to. I’ll set the dynamite and give myself a five-minute lead. Your ass better be good, or you’ll be taking over as captain.”
I keep moving but look behind me to see Thorn remove a white one-piece suit and pulling it over his clothes. Snow is starting to fall again along with the temperature. I pick up my pace to generate more heat. I make it to the mountain without being seen and pull out my explosives.
“Remington, how much dynamite do I need to cause an avalanche?”
The radio cracks in my ear. “Did I hear you right? You’re going to bring the snow down on us?”
“I need to bring down just enough to cause the guards to leave their posts.”
“There’s no way to calculate how much snow is on that mountain.”
“Give me a number,” I growl.
“You’ll need a strand of eight, evenly spaced.” I hear him swallow hard.
“When you hear the second explosion, get into the tunnel and make your way into the compound. I’ll meet you inside.”
“But, sir…”
“I don’t have time for buts. Just do as you're ordered.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How are you getting out of the way of the wall of snow?” Theo asks.
“With a lot of luck and Thorn being good at his job.”
I quickly work on laying out the explosives. I separate each one with a rope as far apart as I can. I attach the timer to the end.
“Thorn. Are you in place?”
“Yes, but I have to say this is fucking crazy, sir.”
I don’t want to admit it, but he’s right. The chances of him getting to me are slim. This is what I signed up to do. To serve and protect with my life. “You have two seconds to give me another way out.”
His end is silent.
“The timer is set. You have five minutes to get to me. As soon as I see the guards fall, I’ll take off straight in your direction.”
I watch through the binoculars, and as the guards fall to the snowy ground, I start the timer and take off through the thick ground of powdery white. The snow falls in sheets, making it harder to see anything or move very fast. I hear the first explosion behind me, followed by the second.
“Get in the tunnel!” I yell into my radio at Theo.
Snow flies high into the air, and then I hear the engine of the snowmobile. Thorn corners to a stop and I jump on. I glance behind us, and the explosions continue. A wall of white is headed our way.
“Go, go, go!” I yell, and the snowmobile jerks then stalls.
“Shit!” Thorn tries to restart it.
I stare behind us to see death looming over me. Fallon’s face flashes before my eyes. “We’re not going to make it.” Just as the words come out, the wall of white flows over us in sheets, throwing us in different directions, tossing us as if we were as light as feathers. A heavy cold surrounding every inch of my body slams into me. The weight of it gets heavier and heavier to the point of suffocation, like a wave drowning me in the ocean. I don’t try to fight until there is complete stillness. Am I dead? I spew snow from my mouth and nostrils. I move each limb, making sure nothing is broken.
“Thorn.” Silence. I touch my ear, and my radio is gone. I can’t tell which way is up. Using my hands, I scoop out the snow around me and then lie still, scraping some off to see which way it falls. It doesn’t, so I’m facing downward. It takes all my strength to fight the massive blanket of the snow and roll over. I rake my hands through the white powder, and it falls in my face. Brushing it off, I frantically continue through the bitter cold, trying to inch myself upward. I don’t stop. If I don’t get out of here, I’ll die. There are parts of me that are so cold I’m not sure they’ll work again. I keep going for what seems like hours. I’m completely exhausted when I finally see a burst of light. Once my hand is free, I claw
my way out. I immediately start looking for Thorn.
“Thorn, can you hear me?” I yell.
A gloved hand protrudes from the snow fifteen feet from me. I try to get up but fall back down. I crawl over to him and start dragging him out. “I’ve got you,” I say to him as his head makes it above the snow.”
“Ahhh!” he yells. “Remind me never to go along with your dumb-ass plans again!” he grumbles.
“Are you injured? Do you still have your radio? I lost mine,” I say, all in one breath.
He bends his knees and pats his torso and winces when he pats his ribs. “I’m fine.” He touches his ear. “Shit.”
I run my hand over my clothes to make sure I still have weapons on me, and Thorn does the same, then I stand to look in the direction of the compound. Half of it is buried in the snow.
“Are you able to get up?”
He does but holds his side. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s go!” I bark. We attempt a run, but each step finds us sinking waist deep.
Chapter 4
Theo
“Rebel, can you hear me?” Static.
“I can’t believe he created an avalanche,” Lawson says as we step further into the tunnel.
“We lost contact with Captain Rebel and Thorn,” Honor says into the radio.
“Keep trying to get them,” I tell her.
“We have to go back.” Lawson is pulling on my elbow to try to stop me.
I spin in his direction. “We have a mission regardless of what happens to them.”
“How can you say that? They’re family.” Lawson bows out his chest.
“Do you not think that Rebel and Thorn put their lives in danger every time we go out? We do what we set out to do, then we find them.” My boots splash in the dirty water draining in the tunnel as I move again.
“I can’t do this! I have to go!” He starts to storm out, and Mad Dog grabs him by the shirt collar.
“You wanted to come with us. You’re here, and you’ll act according to Captain Rebel’s orders, or I’ll shoot you myself. You going off half-cocked is going to get us all killed.” He’s in Lawson’s face.
