Page 74 of Mountain Struggle

“Drake?” Tess asked hesitantly.

Drake nodded. “You can let go now, Tess.” His gray eyes narrowed, and she knew he was looking at the blood dripping down her injured arm.

Tess forced herself to let go of the rope she was holding, watching it fall.

“Tess, where’s Damien? Is he okay?” Drake asked, his voice clipped. He seemed to be pondering his next move. “I can climb up and—"

Tess looked back and saw Damien grappling with the madman towards the back of the terrace. It wasn’t safe.

“It’s not safe. Take Jamie away from here, please,” she begged.

Drake nodded and began loosening the rope that held him, effectively lowering both him and the boy.

“Have you ever been abseiling before, buddy?” Drake asked Jamie in a soft voice. “It’ll be fun, you’ll see.”

Tess turned around—she needed to help Damien.

#

Damien

Jamie was gone—he’d failed his son. For a moment Damien couldn’t find it in him to move—even breathing seemed too much of a chore. He imagined the fear in the last seconds of his son’s life—the pain of knowing his father, the man who should have protected him, had failed him.

So Damien, who’d always told rescues never to give up, who’d always firmly believed that while there was life there was hope, just gave up and waited for Dubois’s next blow.

It never came.

The madman seemed enraptured by Damien’s pain, and in no rush to end his life.

Damien’s head throbbed. He could feel his heart beating thickly in his head—a sure sign of a concussion, not that he cared. His hand bled onto the ground.

A feminine cry had him raising his head.

Tess.

She was crawling awkwardly towards him, a bloody hand on her shoulder. She mouthed something, but her voice was too weak for him to hear her words, or maybe it was his hearing that was gone.

Behind him, Dubois moved and roared his displeasure.

“Why are you still alive?” he asked Tess.

Help her.

Damien knew there’d be plenty of time to wallow in self-pity later on. But he couldn’t fail Tess as well.

Ignoring the fiery agony behind his eyes, Damien shifted his head to find Dubois searching the surrounding ground, looking for something.

His gun—he’s looking for his gun.

Damien stumbled to his feet.

Must protect her.

Can’t let him get his hands on the gun.

Standing between her and the madman, Damien aimed a solid kick at Dubois’s kneecap. The big man thumped to the ground, but was up in an instant. With his good hand, Damien threw an uppercut punch that would have felled a tree—it did nothing to Dubois except make him stagger backwards. Then Dubois pushed him and Damien found himself sprawled on his ass.

He’s stronger than me.