Page 60 of Mountain Struggle

“Make sure Dr. Durant gets a copy of these as well, please. I’d like to get her opinion.”

“I’ll go ask her now,” Drake said, nodding tightly. Then, in a lower voice, he added, “We’re going to find him, Damien.”

Damien nodded. There was no other choice—he needed to find this man in order to keep his family safe.

Chapter 19

Tess

Two hundred and forty eight.

That was the sum total of words Tess had written, after spending all day at her desk.

At this rate, I’ll finish the novel sometime in the next decade.

She gave up in the early afternoon and went to find Jamie and John in the main house.

Coming in through the sliding door, she started as she saw a large man by the kitchen sink—then relaxed when she saw it was Jens, Damien’s colleague. The glass he was holding looked small in his huge hands.

She didn’t know the man well, beyond the fact that he was the team’s doctor as well as a rescue specialist.

“Hi Jens,” she said, hating the way her voice shook.

He nodded in her direction, his large body relaxed against the kitchen counter. Jens’s face was made up of strong, elegant lines, from his aquiline nose to his strong jaw, but his brown eyes were warm and kind—he seemed to understand that his presence here was a reminder that she wasn’t safe.

I’m afraid.

The admission was accompanied by relief. She’d fought against it all night and all morning—trying to write as if nothing were going on—but maybe it was okay for her to be afraid, for her to find herself unable to string two words together or even think about work. Somebody had tried to kill her.

Tess went over to the sink and stood beside him, filling her own glass of water. One thing she loved about living in Chamonix was how the water from the tap was always cold and fresh, regardless of the time of year. She drank a couple tentative sips—then, when her stomach didn’t clench, downed the glass.

She felt Jens watching her.

“How are you holding up? Would you like me to change the bandages on your arm?” he asked.

So he’s also heard about what happened.

“Damien changed them for me this morning. It was looking okay. But thank you.”

He nodded.

“I can’t go outside, right?” she asked him.

Jens shook his head apologetically. “Sorry, not unless somebody goes with you, and I can’t be in two places at the same time.”

“I understand. It’s okay.”

Except it wasn’t. It wasn’t something Tess could explain—she was a writer, she’d gone days without leaving her room in the past. But in recent months she’d made a point of going out for a hike, a swim or a run every morning, and not being able to leave the house felt—constricting.

“We can talk to Damien when he’s back. He called a few minutes ago to say he was leaving the office. He should be here soon.”

She nodded.

“You must be looking forward to that. No more babysitting.”

Jens frowned. “Keeping you and Jamie safe is not babysitting.”

Why did I say that?