Page 82 of Mountain Target

Nobody asked if it was safe to rappel down into an earthquake zone.

They all knew the answer to that.

They split up, as they’d done countless times in their trainings. Lorenz and Hugo went together. Then Ry and Alex. Beau went last, alone.

Nobody said anything as they picked up their leather gloves, stepped into their harnesses, and performed a check on each other’s equipment.

When it was his turn, Beau sat down and swung his legs to the outside of the helicopter, bracing himself for the jump.

Heights didn’t bother him. He didn’t suffer from vertigo. He’d done this dozens of times before. There was no reason for his heart to be beating like this. No reason at all, except for the fact that Valentina and Ren were below, in the middle of an earthquake zone.

So get to them.

He gave himself the command, saying it out loud for Tristan, and jumped, allowing the rope to pass through his brake hand and his guide hand.

The wind slapped him in the face. Rappelling out of a helicopter was like nothing else in life.

And then, before his feet hit the ground, he heard the shouting. People were shouting—shouts of pain, but also desperate shouts for loved ones.

He caught the ashen, distraught expression on his teammates’ faces.

Beau hesitated. On their left, the town. On the right, the river. And there, in the water, were two figures. He recognized Valentina’s red hair—blinked twice in case he was seeing things.

“That’s Ren and Valentina. In the water,” he said in anguish.

“We split up, Beau,” Alex said, taking the decision from him. “You and I head to the river. We’ll get Valentina and Ren, and anybody else we see, then join Lorenz and Hugo in town.”

Beau nodded, feeling more like himself again.

“Lorenz, Hugo, see if you can find a place for Tristan to land.”

Beau’s boots pounded heavily across the snow and mud. He and Alex cleared a fallen tree and ran on. And as he ran, Beau kept his eyes on the water.

For a moment, he couldn’t see Valentina or Ren. Then he saw them, and his heart restarted.

Why aren’t they swimming to the edge?

Ignoring the warning throbs in his knee, he pushed himself harder—only to be stopped by a pained moan.

An older woman jumped in front of them. Her clothes were torn, her face frozen in a frightened rictus.

“Aidez-Moi! Mon mari est coincé dans la voiture.”

My husband’s trapped in the car.

“Shit,” Alex said.

This time, Beau didn’t hesitate. “Go with her. I’ll get Valentina and Ren.”

Beau dove into the water, resurfacing cleanly.

And, though he’d been expecting it, the icy cold shocked him, went right through his system, into his system, until the cold was inside his very bones, threatening to sink him.

Then his training kicked in, and he became an observer of his body’s reactions.

Heightened rate of breathing.

Check.