A collective groan went up from the group in the Ops Room.
Hawke’s voice rose above the rest. “That’s bullshit!”
“What the hell?” That was Herrera.
Conrad ran back to the Ops Room, the last bite of burrito sticking in his throat. “What’s going on?”
Megs stood, turned to face him. “SWAT is calling off the search until the snow lets up. They say they’ve got whiteout conditions up there. They’re just not equipped to handle it.”
“Goddamn it!” Conrad set out for the bays where the Team’s gear was stored and began throwing together a backpack.
He wasn’t going to let Kenzie freeze to death out there.
Crampons. Snowshoes. Ice axes. Two fifty-foot lengths of rope. Rack of climbing gear. Advanced first-aid kit. Hand-warmers. Fire starters. Emergency blankets. Two sleeping bags. Propane stove kit. Summit pants.
Megs followed him. “If you go up there, you could end up in trouble, too.”
“You think I don’t know that?” He’d done his share of climbing in bad conditions, but usually, he hunkered down and rode out the storm. “She’ll die if someone doesn’t get to her.”
Megs nodded. “If I can’t stop you…”
“You can’t.”
Hawke strode in from the Ops Room. “Are you heading out in this blizzard on some insane rescue mission? Because if you are, I’m going with you. You’ll need a paramedic.”
“Count me in.” Moretti hurried out the bay doors toward his vehicle, calling to them over his shoulder. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab my rifle and ammo and winter gear. You’re going to need someone who can shoot.”
Conrad started to say that he was a good shot—but he wasn’t a combat veteran. He’d be grateful to have Moretti with him
“I’m going.” Belcourt, too? “Everyone needs an engineer.”
“Well, if you’re all going, then I’m going, too.” Megs took a backpack down from the wall. “Someone has to make sure you know what you’re doing.”
It seemed to take an eternity to gear up. In the process, they came up with a plan. They would park behind Kenzie’s vehicle and go in hard and fast, double-timing it up the mountain. Ahearn would stay in touch via sat phone to let them know the GPS coordinates of Kenzie’s phone. If they encountered live fire, Moretti would take control of the operation until the threat was neutralized. When Kenzie was freed, they would get her down and off the mountain—alive.
There were a thousand things that could go wrong, but, damn, it felt good to be taking action and not just sitting around.
When everyone was geared up, they stowed their packs in Rescue 1, Belcourt sliding behind the wheel.
“Good luck, everyone.” For once, Sasha wasn’t smiling. “We’ll be listening in.”
Herrera pushed the button that opened the big bay door, snow swirling in. “We’ll have a backup team ready if you need us.”
Ahearn drew Megs into a hug. “Be careful up there.”
A wool hat on her head, Megs kissed him. “You know I will be.”
Belcourt nosed the vehicle out the bay door and into the blizzard.
Conrad had only one thought in his mind.
I’m coming for you, honey. Stay alive.
* * *
Exhausted,out of breath, and colder than she’d ever been, Kenzie struggled for every step, the wind threatening to blow her onto her face. Gizmo had led them far above timberline now, nothing around them but swirling white. There was no shelter here, nowhere to get out of the frigid wind or biting snow.
Don, the evil bastard, had taken her spare pair of gloves, her extra hat, and her hand warmers, leaving her nothing. He’d eaten most of the food and drunk her water, too, sparing only the dog treats.
