Chapter 5
Jess
I woke to chaos.
Voices shouting. Movement in the pre-dawn darkness. And Sam's voice cutting through it all with sharp authority.
"Everyone up. We're evacuating now. Storm's clearing faster than expected, and we've got a narrow window to get everyone back safely."
I stumbled out of my bunk, adrenaline cutting through sleep fog. Around me, lawyers were scrambling for gear in various states of panic and disorientation.
"What's happening?" I asked, finding Sam in the dim light.
"Weather window. We move now or we risk being stuck another two days." His hands found my shoulders, and even in the chaos, his touch steadied me. "Stay with the main group. My brothers will lead. I'll be right behind you."
"Okay."
He kissed me quickly, thoroughly. "Don't do anything heroic, counselor. Just stay safe and stay close. In a few hours, you'll be at my cabin where I can finally do all those things I've been promising."
The image sent heat through me despite the chaos. "I'll be careful."
"I know you will." His thumb traced my cheekbone. "Because you're mine, and I take care of what's mine. Which means you take care of yourself for me. Deal?"
"Deal," I said.
We assembled quickly, everyone groggy and disoriented but motivated by the promise of getting back to civilization. Kevin took point, with Neil and Shane managing the middle of the pack. Sam brought up the rear, his eyes constantly scanning the group, counting heads.
I saw him count once, twice, his expression focused. Making sure everyone was accounted for before we moved.
The sky was lightening, and the storm had calmed to occasional flurries. We started down the trail in a ragged line, moving as quickly as the terrain and our exhaustion allowed.
I stayed near the middle of the pack, Kevin's broad shoulders visible ahead, the sound of Sam's voice behind me directing the stragglers. The air was crisp and cold, but the wind had died down enough that visibility was decent.
I'd been hiking for about an hour when I heard someone behind me.
"Wait," Amanda said, panting. "I forgot something."
I turned to see her face pale with panic. "What?"
"My inhaler. I left it at the lodge. I need it. My asthma gets worse in cold weather, and I can already feel my chest getting tight."
I looked ahead. The group was pulling away from us, focused on keeping pace with Kevin's lead. Looked back. Sam was with a couple of stragglers at the very rear, too far to hear us over the wind and the crunch of boots on snow.
"Tell Sam," I said immediately, remembering his words: don't do anything heroic.
"He'll make the whole group stop and wait. It'll take hours to go back." Amanda's breathing was getting more labored. "I’ll be okay."
"No." I caught her arm. "We’ll tell Sam."
But even as I said it, I saw the main group pulling further ahead. Saw the window of clear weather that might close at any moment. Heard Belinda's voice carrying back, complaining about the pace.
"Please," Amanda wheezed as she limped along. "If we slow the group down, Belinda will make both our lives hell. You know she will."
She was right about that. But I also knew what Sam would say. Knew what he'd want me to do.
"Come on," I said, keeping hold of her arm and steering her forward. "We're going to walk faster and catch up to Sam. Tell him what happened. Let him decide."
"But—"
"No buts. Sam's the expert. Sam makes the call." I raised my voice, calling ahead: "Sam! We need you!"
It took him a minute to work his way through the stragglers, but when he reached us, his eyes immediately went to Amanda's labored breathing.
"What's wrong?"
"Inhaler," Amanda gasped. "Left it at the lodge."
Sam's jaw clenched as he looked back the way we'd come, then ahead at the group pulling away. I could see him calculating distances, weather conditions, and assessing the risk.
"How bad?" he asked Amanda.
"Getting worse. Cold air—triggers it."
He pulled out his radio, calling to Kevin: "Hold up. Got a situation. Need a few minutes."
"Amanda, I'm going back for your inhaler. You're going to continue with the group, slow and steady. Jess—"
"I'll come with you," I said.
"No." His voice was firm. "You go too.”
"Sam—"
"Not up for debate." But his hand found mine, squeezed. "I'll be an hour behind you, max. Then we'll get everyone back to base camp, and I'm taking you to my cabin like I promised. But right now, I need you down the mountain. Can you do that for me?"
I wanted to argue, but I saw the concern in his eyes. Besides, he could probably move faster without me.
"Okay," I said.
He got back on the radio and explained to his brothers what was going on. “Continue on down once Amanda and Jess catch up to you. Standard pace, no stopping. I'll take the ATV back down."
He kissed me hard as Amanda goggled at us. Then, I watched Sam trudge back up the trail and watched until he disappeared into the swirling snow. I tried to ignore the knot of anxiety in my chest. He'd be fine. He knew these mountains. Knew what he was doing. He'd be fine.
"Come on," I said to Amanda, taking her arm. "Let's get back to the group. Nice and slow, okay?"
We walked together, Amanda's breathing labored but steady. The group had slowed to wait for us, and Shane dropped back to check on Amanda.
"You guys work really well together," I said, watching how he monitored Amanda's breathing, while Neil helped one of the slower hikers, and Kevin scanned the tree line like he expected threats.
"We're brothers," Shane said simply. "We take care of each other. Always have. And now that includes you."
"I just met you yesterday."
"Doesn't matter. Sam claimed you. That makes you family." He smiled at my expression. "That's how it works with us. We don't do things halfway. When we commit, we commit. Sam's decided you're his, which means you're ours to protect too."
The easy acceptance made my throat tight.
"Thank you," I managed.
"Don't thank me yet," Kevin said with a grin. "Wait until you see what a pain in the ass we all are."
We continued down the trail, the pace steady but manageable. I kept looking back, watching for Sam.
"He'll catch up," Neil said, noticing my backward glances. "Probably already has the inhaler and is on his way back."
I nodded, trying to believe it. Trying to ignore the anxiety coiling in my chest every time I looked back and didn't see him. Ahead, I could see the trail widening, the trees thinning. The parking lot and the base camp wasn't far now. Maybe another fifteen minutes at this pace.
We were going to make it.
That's when the sky changed.
Not gradually. Not with warning. One moment we were walking through light snow, and the next, the world disappeared.
A wall of white slammed into us. Wind, snow, and chaos came from nowhere. The temperature dropped so fast I could feel it through my layers.
"What's happening?" someone shouted.
"Secondary system," Shane yelled back. "Weather service missed it. We need to hustle.”
"What about Sam?" I shouted, looking back toward where he should have been. But there was nothing. Just white chaos and howling wind.
"He'll find shelter." Kevin grabbed my shoulder, his face close to mine so I could hear. "Sam knows what to do. But we need to get to shelter at the bottom as fast as we can."
The group stumbled forward, Kevin and Neil practically dragging some people. The visibility wasworse than yesterday, worse than anything I'd experienced. Every step was treacherous, every direction looked the same.
I held onto Amanda with one hand, held onto the person in front of me with the other, and tried not to think about Sam somewhere behind us in this nightmare.
He'd be okay. He had to be okay. He knew these mountains, knew how to survive.
We'd been moving for maybe five minutes—though time had lost all meaning in the chaos—when I felt Amanda stumble beside me.
"Are you okay?" I shouted.
"Can't—can't breathe—" Her voice was barely audible over the wind.
I stopped, trying to help her, but the group was still moving. In the whiteout conditions, stopping for even a second meant losing sight of everyone else.
"Shane!" I shouted. "Amanda's in trouble!"
But my voice was swallowed by the storm. The group was pulling away, shadows disappearing into white.
"Go," Amanda gasped. "Go—catch up—"
"I'm not leaving you—"
"Please—I just need—need a second—"
I looked ahead. The group was disappearing. Looked at Amanda, whose face was gray with lack of oxygen, whose legs were shaking.
She needed help. Needed someone to stay with her.
But if I stayed, we'd both be lost.
"Shane!”
For a heart-stopping moment, I thought no one had heard. The shadows ahead kept moving, kept disappearing into the storm.
Then I saw Shane’s massive form turn back, saw him coming toward us.
"She can't breathe!" I shouted when he reached us.
Shane scooped Amanda up without hesitation, carrying her like she weighed nothing. "Stay right behind me," he ordered. "Don't lose sight of me for even a second."
I nodded and grabbed onto his pack, determined not to let go.
We moved forward, following the path the group had taken. But in the chaos of the storm, with visibility at zero, I couldn't tell if we were still on the trail or if we'd veered off.
Shane was focused entirely on Amanda, checking her breathing, moving as fast as he could while carrying her weight.
I held onto his pack and tried not to panic.
Then my boot caught on something hidden under the snow—a root, a rock, something—and I went down hard. My hands lost their grip on Shane's pack. Pain shot through my knee where I'd landed on something solid.
"Shane!" I shouted, scrambling to get up.
But he was already gone. Disappeared into the white chaos ahead, focused on getting Amanda to safety.
I was alone in a whiteout blizzard on a mountain I didn't know.
"Shane, Neil!" I screamed. "Kevin! Anyone!"