Page 84 of Mountain Void

“I’m okay,” she said.

Don’t slow them down.

Whatever else happened, she couldn’t slow them down. They had to find Théo.

Fear filled her—the mountains were no place for a little boy, particularly as the temperature fell. But, even worse, was her fear of what his father intended.

“We’re going to find him, Charlie,” Lorenz said. His gaze held hers for a long instant.

“Am I that transparent?” she asked, her voice thin.

A crackle broke through the air.

“Ry, Lorenz, status,” Beau’s voice came through the two radios at once.

Lorenz lifted it to his mouth. “We’re pushing toward the ridge line. The terrain is opening up.”

A pause, then Beau again. “Hugo and I are sweeping west of your position. Tristan will circle two more times, then leave to refuel. Kat’s on her way with Damien’s team. They’re ten minutes out.”

Relief flickered through Charlie. More people, more eyes.

Above them, the distant thud of rotor blades echoed faintly.

“Let’s keep going,” Lorenz said, taking the lead this time. She followed, with Ry closing the line.

The slope beneath their feet steepened, trees giving way to rock and low brush. That had to be good—it meant they could see further. But it was hard going. Charlie’s steps shortened, and she felt herself slow down.

Ahead of her, Lorenz shortened his stride.

Matching my pace.

Guilt struck her, hard.

“You can both go ahead,” she said, not bothering with unnecessary words. “I’ll follow.”

“We stay together,” Lorenz said, without looking back, his tone implying that was non-negotiable.

She glanced back at Ry, who offered a quick half-smile. “You’re doing great, Charlie. Running faster doesn’t mean searching better.”

Charlie swallowed the ball in her throat.

Suddenly, Ry looked down at his phone.

“The mother’s been brought into the gendarmerie,” he said. “She hasn’t heard from her husband since she left their home last night.”

Charlie wrapped her arms tighter around herself. Her fingers were starting to go numb. As if he could read her mind, Lorenz approached with a hat and a pair of gloves.

“I can’t take those.”

“Sure you can. I’m not cold, and you are,” he reasoned. He pulled the hat on first, then took her hands and tugged first one glove, then the other on. They were too big, swallowing her fingers, but the warmth trapped inside them was almost shocking.

Charlie flexed her fingers, feeling the stiffness release slightly.

“You’re cold,” Lorenz stated.

“So are you,” she muttered. But she pulled the gloves tighter around her wrists, holding on to the warmth he’d given her.

The comms device on his waist crackled again. This time, it was a voice Charlie didn’t recognize. “We found Pelletier’s car, half-hidden behind some trees, two kilometers away from the Parc de Merlet rest area.”