Page 11 of Mountain Impact

Drake shrugged lightly. “It was just luck that those trees stopped the cabin’s fall.”

Alain Blanchard’s look suddenly went sharp. “I am not altogether a stupid man. You stepped inside that cabin, knowing it could keep sliding any moment, and you got my brother Martin out. Then you went back for Nico and did the same.”

A cold sweat broke out on Isolde’s forehead. She was being foolish―she’d known perfectly well that Drake had risked his life to get those men out of the wreck. But to picture what would have happened if the cabin had slid while Drake was inside … it made Isolde’s heart ache in a way she wasn’t willing to examine right now.

“Are you okay, Isolde?” asked a solicitous Dr. Matthieu. “Do you need anything?”

Clearly observant, the doctor.

“I’m fine, thank you. It’s just a bit warm in here,” she excused.

Drake’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her, but it was Blanchard who strode up to the window and cracked it open, letting in some fresh air.

“I’m glad your brothers are okay,” Drake said awkwardly.

Alain Blanchard looked like he was going to jump into Drake’s arms, but thought better at the last minute. “Your superiors will get a letter from me, Monsieur Jacobs. What you did for my family will not be forgotten.”

Drake nodded tightly. He seemed to be begging Isolde with his eyes to get him out of here, so she said their goodbyes, leaving the doctor alone with Alain Blanchard.

“God. Please don’t ever make me do that again,” Drake said when they were back out in the corridor, the door closed behind them.

Isolde laughed. “You saved his family, Drake. He has a right to be grateful.”

“All I did was my job, Isolde. I don’t need his gratitude―though I’m glad to hear the two will make a full recovery. Moving a rescue is always a hard choice―there’s a chance you’ll hurt them worse by moving then, but in this case, it was―”

“A necessity,” she completed for him.

Drake nodded.

A large figure ran towards them. Before Isolde could wrap her head around what was happening, Drake had placed himself in front of her. She felt the tension in his large frame as he faced the potential threat. A moment later, he relaxed and stood back sheepishly as a uniformed policeman stopped beside them.

“Sorry, Drake, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay, Hugo,“ Drake said. Both men clearly knew each other. “Dr. Isolde Durant, meet Gendarme Hugo Morant, from the Compagnie d’Annecy. Hugo and I sometimes train in the gym together,” Drake added, for her benefit.

Hugo let out a sharp laugh. “Is that what you call it when I kick your ass?”

“Don’t get cocky, Hugo, or we’ll have to meet again soon,” Drake said, his expression relaxed for the first time all day. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m part of the team in charge of investigating the crash. Thanks to you, we actually have some witnesses.”

Drake nodded, his expression serious now. “Was it a technical malfunction?”

“If it was, we can’t find any trace of it. I was going to come see you this afternoon, but, since you’re here already, I’ll ask you now. Did you see or hear anything before it happened, Drake?”

Drake shook his head―then stopped. “Maybe a hissing sound. Yes, there was a loud hissing sound―that’s why I looked up above the trees, and that’s when I saw the cable car fall.”

Hugo nodded and wrote something down on his pad. “We’ll check it out. I have to go, Drake. Glad to see you in one piece, man.”

Isolde and Drake watched the man leave. Finally, Drake turned towards her.

“Now―is it okay if I go over and see my team?”

Isolde nodded. She didn’t want Drake to leave, but that had nothing to do with his psychological readiness to get back to his work.

“I can drop you off at the office again,” she said.

Drake’s lips curled up in a slight smile. She loved how his eyes wrinkled at the corner and all iciness seemed to flow out of them.