I heard a gasp and saw that Zoe had joined the crowd. Her face was pale, her eyes wide.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself, shoving another blanket into the pack. “Why the fuck don’t we have better equipment?”
These weren’t the Rockies, but people could still get hurt up on the mountain. And if they did, that was on me. Shit, why didn’t we have a rescue sled I could pull? If I found one or both of them hurt, what was I supposed to do—sling them over my shoulders? There was a stretcher, but I couldn’t carry it by myself. A sled would be better. The kind that could drag behind me and carry someone on.
I should have pushed management harder. The resort in Aspen had been so well-stocked. State-of-the-art equipment, a full patrol team, backup systems foreverything. I should have insisted we do better here. Should have made it non-negotiable.
But I hadn’t. And now a father and son were out there somewhere, cold, maybe hurt—and the sun was going down.
Zoe was pale as she came toward me. “Is there anything I can?—”
“No.”
I said it brusquely, though I didn’t mean to snap at her. I just didn’t have time.
“There is something you could do,” came a new voice.
Asher. He jerked his head toward the lobby. “The mom and the sister. They’re out there, and they’re really scared.”
Zoe nodded, understanding. But she gave me one long look before she left. “Good luck. Be careful out there.”
I didn’t need luck.
I needed help. I needed a partner.
I neededJohn.
We’d worked together so damn well. Anticipated each other’s moves without having to say a word. We’d rescued countless people—tourists who’d wandered off, skiers who’d broken a limb, a kid who’d gotten separated from his family in a whiteout. We’d saved every single one of them.
And then I couldn’t save him.
I’d missed him every day since. But today I felt his loss even harder. Because I didn’t just miss him—I fucking needed him. I needed backup. Someone who knew what they were doing. Someone I could trust.
The weight of it settled on my shoulders like a physical thing. It was just me. One man against the uncaring elements that had already taken someone I cared about. What if I couldn’t find them? What if I was too late this time, too? What if?—
My hands stilled on the pack.
No. I couldn’t think like that. Henry was just a kid. Excited about his new skis, about skiing with his dad. The man was a good dad, a seemingly regular guy who loved his son and wanted to make memories with him.
They were counting on me to find them, and so I would. Somehow.
I grabbed flashlights, checked the batteries. It would be dark soon. The temperature would drop. Hypothermia was a real risk, especially for a kid Henry’s size.
I was zipping up the pack when I heard boots behind me.
“I’m coming with you.”
Kai.
He was dressed for it—heavy jacket, gloves, goggles pushed up on his head. Ready to go.
For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. My throat felt tight.
All I knew was that I wasn’t alone anymore. And that the father and son’s odds had just increased.
I tossed a pack to him. “I grabbed flashlights.”
Kai caught it easily, slinging it over his shoulder. He didn’t joke. Didn’t smile. He knew this was serious.
