25. Chapter 25
Charlie
The weather turned on them fast.
One moment, the light filtering through the trees had been thin but steady—the kind that made one think there was still a lot of daylight left. But, as they climbed, and the forest around them became thicker, the clouds swallowed the sun, dragging the temperature down with it.
Charlie felt it immediately—the cold, slipping through the seams of her jacket, tightening around her chest as she struggled to get air into her lungs.
“Storm front’s moving quicker than forecast,” Ry said beside her, glancing up through the branches. “We’ll lose light early if that thickens.”
His tone stayed even, but he adjusted his pack higher on his shoulders. Charlie prayed he didn’t intend for them to speed up. She didn’t think she could move any faster than this.
Lorenz didn’t answer. He was a few steps ahead, scanning the ground, the slope, the gaps between the trees, with a rhythm that never seemed to break.
She was so focused on keeping up, she lost sight of the ground beneath her.
Her boots slipped on a damp patch of leaves, her weight pitching sideways before she could correct.
For a split second, the world tilted. Then instinct kicked in.
She dropped her center of gravity, one hand shooting out to catch the closest tree trunk, boots scrambling for purchase.
She stayed there a moment, braced against the bark.
“Charlie?” Lorenz asked, coming back for her. “Do you need a minute?”
“I’m okay,” she said.
Don’t slow them down.
Whatever else happened, she couldn’t slow them down. They had to find Théo.
Fear filled her—the mountains were no place for a little boy, particularly as the temperature fell. But, even worse, was her fear of what his father intended.
“We’re going to find him, Charlie,” Lorenz said. His gaze held hers for a long instant.
“Am I that transparent?” she asked, her voice thin.
A crackle broke through the air.
“Ry, Lorenz, status,” Beau’s voice came through the two radios at once.
Lorenz lifted it to his mouth. “We’re pushing toward the ridge line. The terrain is opening up.”
A pause, then Beau again. “Hugo and I are sweeping west of your position. Tristan will circle two more times, then leave to refuel. Kat’s on her way with Damien’s team. They’re ten minutes out.”
Relief flickered through Charlie. More people, more eyes.
Above them, the distant thud of rotor blades echoed faintly.
“Let’s keep going,” Lorenz said, taking the lead this time. She followed, with Ry closing the line.
The slope beneath their feet steepened, trees giving way to rock and low brush. That had to be good—it meant they could see further. But it was hard going. Charlie’s steps shortened, and she felt herself slow down.
Ahead of her, Lorenz shortened his stride.
Matching my pace.
Guilt struck her, hard.
“You can both go ahead,” she said, not bothering with unnecessary words. “I’ll follow.”
“We stay together,” Lorenz said, without looking back, his tone implying that was non-negotiable.
She glanced back at Ry, who offered a quick half-smile. “You’re doing great, Charlie. Running faster doesn’t mean searching better.”
Charlie swallowed the ball in her throat.
Suddenly, Ry looked down at his phone.
“The mother’s been brought into the gendarmerie,” he said. “She hasn’t heard from her husband since she left their home last night.”
Charlie wrapped her arms tighter around herself. Her fingers were starting to go numb. As if he could read her mind, Lorenz approached with a hat and a pair of gloves.
“I can’t take those.”
“Sure you can. I’m not cold, and you are,” he reasoned. He pulled the hat on first, then took her hands and tugged first one glove, then the other on. They were too big, swallowing her fingers, but the warmth trapped inside them was almost shocking.
Charlie flexed her fingers, feeling the stiffness release slightly.
“You’re cold,” Lorenz stated.
“So are you,” she muttered. But she pulled the gloves tighter around her wrists, holding on to the warmth he’d given her.
The comms device on his waist crackled again. This time, it was a voice Charlie didn’t recognize. “We found Pelletier’s car, half-hidden behind some trees, two kilometers away from the Parc de Merlet rest area.”
Two kilometers.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
Lorenz and Ry exchanged a grim look.
The voice on the radio continued. “We forced the trunk open—“ Nausea rose, climbing up Charlie’s throat. Her vision narrowed to the sound of her own pulse, roaring in her ears. She felt Lorenz move a step closer to her, his arm coming to rest on her shoulder. “No sign of the child. It’s empty, except for a baseball bat and a box of painting materials.”
The air rose back into her lungs. Charlie’s whole body shook with relief.
Beau was the first to reply. “Stay with the car, Vincent.”
“Copy. He won’t see us if he comes back.”
If he comes back. The words were like shards of glass.
Charlie’s gaze dropped to the ground for a second, struggling for control.
Beside her, Lorenz’s hand remained steady on her shoulder.
“We keep moving,” he said, already reaching for the radio. “Beau, we’re approaching the upper ridge. We’ll continue this way. There’s a chance he could have pushed higher, meaning to return to the car later.”
“Agreed,” Beau replied. “Hugo and I are angling toward the northern slope. Damien’s team will cover the lower access points.”
“What if he’s not planning on coming back to the car?” The words slipped out of her before she could stop them. “What if—”
Lorenz
It was the fear in her voice that he couldn’t stand.
It was raw—as if her brain had been working full-time to keep the panic at bay, but now she couldn’t help but see the worst possible outcome.
“He hid his car for a reason. We just need to find them,” Lorenz said, looking to ease Charlie’s mind, but not willing to lie to her.
He forced his focus back to the terrain. The wind came in sharper bursts now, funneling along the ridge. Lorenz shifted so his body protected Charlie from the worst of the wind.
Then it started to snow—not the soft, drifting kind, but the hard, needling kind that hurt as it hit exposed skin.
And every minute, the sky got darker. Beside him, Charlie’s body shook with cold.
“The storm’s almost upon us,” Ry said softly.
Lorenz nodded. For the hundredth time, he wished Charlie had gone back to school with the others.
He adjusted his route slightly, angling toward a rocky outcrop that he knew would mark the ridge line. Soon, they’d have to head back down. Soon—
There was a small structure down there. Low, squat, half-hidden against the mountain. So well-camouflaged that they might have missed it if they hadn’t been staring straight at it.
“A hut,” Charlie gasped, her breaths coming in little puffs.
“That’s an abri d’été,” Ry confirmed. “A backup shelter for summer hikers.”
Charlie’s gaze fell. “This time of year, there won’t be anyone there we can talk to.”
Behind him, Ry said nothing. But when Lorenz glanced back briefly, and their eyes met, Lorenz knew they were both thinking the same thing. They could wait out the storm inside the hut.
Charlie needed to get warm.
If they were lucky, there would be some dry wood inside.
“We’ll stop here for a while,” Lorenz said in what he hoped was a neutral tone. “We need a break.”
Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “You mean I need a break,” she said, shaking her head stubbornly. “No. I know what you’re doing, but we can’t afford to stop.”
Lorenz looked at Ry for support, but the other man wasn’t looking at them. His attention was on the mountain hut, his expression sharp.
“There’s smoke.”
Lorenz followed his gaze.
A thin ribbon of grey curled from the chimney, almost invisible against the darkening sky.
Shit.
How could he have missed this?
“You think they’re in there?” Charlie asked in a shaky voice.
“They might be,” Lorenz said carefully. Then, “Call it in.”
Ry was already reaching for the radio, but only static answered him.
He adjusted the frequency and tried again.
Nothing.
“There’s interference,” Ry said, frowning. “It could be the weather.”
Lorenz brought out his own radio, but the outcome was the same.
The wind howled louder, as if to remind them of its power. Snow pelted their exposed skin.
“What do we do?” Charlie said, looking between them.
Lorenz didn’t hesitate. “You two go back down. Get help. Call in a hostage negotiator, just in case. I’ll keep an eye on the hut.”
Ry’s head snapped toward him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“We need backup,” Lorenz said. “And if it is Pelletier in there, we can’t risk him leaving with the boy without knowing where he goes.”
There was a long instant of silence.
“Shit,” Ry muttered.
“I’m staying,” Charlie said.
Lorenz turned sharply. “No.”
“Ry will be faster on his own,” she said firmly. “You said it yourself—we need backup.”
No.
He didn’t want her here.
Not if Pelletier was in the hut. Not with the light fading and the storm about to land right on their heads.
But the alternative—sending her down with Ry—was a problem, too. Because she would slow Ry down.
“I promise I’ll do everything you say, Lorenz. Please.”
As much as he hated it, she was right. It was the right call.
“Fine,” Lorenz said, the word clipped.
Ry hesitated, then nodded once. “I’ll be back as fast as I can.” He turned and took off, already moving fast down the slope, disappearing in the semi-darkness within seconds.
Lorenz exhaled, eyes fixed on the hut below them. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Charlie’s eyes grew round. “You’re going down there?” she whispered.
“If Pelletier is there, we need to know if the boy’s with him.”
Charlie nodded. “Please don’t leave me alone.”
Lorenz hesitated. Staying here was safer for her—probably. But the thought of leaving her alone, exposed, out here—
No, he couldn’t risk it.
“We move together,” he said, his voice low.
They moved carefully, keeping low, using the terrain for cover.
Smoke continued to curl from the chimney. It looked as if someone had just added another log.