27. Chapter 27
Charlie
The cold air felt heavenly on her face.
Charlie allowed herself a full breath, the first in what felt like hours. Smoke still coated the back of her throat and nose, but out here, finally, she could think again.
Behind them, flames climbed the walls—hungry orange demons spiraling upward into the darkening sky.
We were in there.
We could have died inside.
Théo stumbled beside her, and she held onto him, pulling him tighter against her body.
“It’s okay,” she whispered to the boy, though her own pulse still hammered violently in her ears. “We’re going to be okay.”
Lorenz moved ahead of them in the snow, creating tracks for them to follow, his movements low and fast despite the injuries that should have made such movement impossible.
The crackling got louder, followed by a loud bang. The roof of the hut was beginning to collapse.
Charlie’s knees wobbled.
“We need to keep moving,” Lorenz murmured, coming back towards them, his arm providing the support she needed.
“Lorenz—“
A gunshot exploded behind them.
Charlie turned towards Théo.
Behind them, snow sprayed as the bullet hit.
“You thought you could get away?” Pelletier spat out. “Take my son from me? My son.”
Lorenz raised his hands in the air. “Calm down, Monsieur Pelletier. Nobody is taking your son away.”
Charlie’s stomach clenched so hard it hurt.
The fire painted Pelletier in shades of violent orange and black. He looked … crazed, his eyes wild and unfocused, his face slick with sweat despite the freezing cold.
He’s crossed a line.
And we’re the only thing standing between him and Théo.
“Let my son go,” Pelletier threatened.
Charlie’s blood ran cold. This man had set a burning trap around his son. A trap that could have killed him. Did he even realize what he’d done?
The boy huddled tighter against her side, as if trying to disappear in her embrace. She could feel his fear—the dreadful trembling in his small body.
“Lower the weapon, Monsieur Pelletier,” Lorenz said calmly.
“Non. Viens, Théodore,” Pelletier boomed.
Théo looked up at her through tearful eyes.
“Papa, please don’t hurt them.”
Charlie tightened her hold on the boy to stop him from doing as his father asked.
“Stay here,” Charlie murmured. “Stay with us.”
Lorenz took another deliberate step forward.
“You’re upset,” he said, sounding almost relaxed. “Let’s talk about this.”
Charlie stared at his back in disbelief.
Upset?
But she understood what Lorenz was doing. This was crisis-management Lorenz. The man who spoke to terrified people trapped in avalanches, and kept them calm when calm seemed impossible. The man who ensured people left the mountains alive.
For a moment, her heart soared.
Then she caught sight of Pelletier’s crazed expression.
Pelletier’s weapon shifted from Lorenz to her. Charlie’s pulse spiked, but she didn’t dare move.
Lorenz subtly shifted sideways, forcing Pelletier’s attention back to him—drawing the danger away from her and the boy.
Charlie became suddenly, horribly aware of how tired Lorenz looked. Of the blood running down the side of his face. Of the way his shoulders had begun to sag.
He was reaching his limit.
It was at that moment that she heard it. The sound of a helicopter.
Pelletier heard it, too. His head jerked upwards sharply for a moment. Something flashed in his eyes.
Fear of losing control.
That’s what really scares him.
The weapon came up higher. Charlie pushed the boy further behind her. She saw, in slow motion, as Pelletier’s finger tightened on the trigger.
“No!”
Lorenz moved fast. Far too fast for someone with his injuries. And the terrifying part was, he wasn’t aiming for Pelletier.
He was aiming at her.
The gunshot exploded just a Lorenz’s body crashed into her and Théo, throwing them backward into the snow with enough force to leave them breathless.
Above her, Lorenz’s body jerked.
No.
Anger tore through her, finally overcoming her fear.
This couldn’t be happening. She wouldn’t let it happen.
Charlie pushed against Lorenz’s body, looking to dislodge him, but it was like pushing against a mountain.
Then the forest erupted around them, suddenly alive with voices, lights, and shouted commands.
Bullets pinged, but Charlie couldn’t tell who was firing anymore.
All she knew was Lorenz was on top of her, heavy and terrifyingly still.
“Lorenz—“
He lifted his head a fraction.
“Stay down,” he whispered.
Alive.
He’s alive.
Relief hit so hard it was almost painful.
Then he was moving, shoving himself upright with obvious effort. He offered her a hand, which Charlie ignored as she and Théo stood up.
“Are you okay?” Lorenz asked Théo. His voice was laced with pain.
The boy nodded bravely.
Charlie caught sight of Pelletier, lying facedown on the snow. A gendarme had his knee on the man’s back, and was pulling on some handcuffs.
“My father …”
“You’re safe now. Your father’s going to get the help he needs.”
No longer a threat.
Charlie sagged, but this was no time to sag. She had to stay strong, for Théo.
“I want to see my mom,” the boy said.
“I’ll stay with you until we find her,” Charlie promised.
Her gaze went back to Lorenz. He swayed against the orange glow of the burning hut. She saw the dark stain on his upper back. No exit wound. The bullet was still inside.
Charlie hurried towards him, but someone else reached him first.
“Jesus,” Ry said, grabbing Lorenz before he could fall. “You look terrible.”
Lorenz made a low sound. “You took your sweet time. Stopped for dinner on the way?”
Ry laughed.
The relief that hit Charlie was overwhelming.
“Careful with him,” she begged.
“She and the boy need to go to the hospital,” Lorenz said. “They breathed in a lot of smoke.”
“You’re all going to the hospital.”
Lorenz looked around him. “Thanks for bringing in the cavalry.”
“And Adrian’s team. That was some foresight on my part, huh,” Ry said. A group of firefighters decked out in their bright orange uniform rushed around them. One of them stopped to speak to Lorenz.
“Glad to see you in one piece, Van der Berg.”
“Careful in there, Moreau,” Lorenz rasped. “It went up in flames fast, even before the roof collapsed.”
The big man nodded. “We’ve got this.” He moved off, barking orders towards the others.
Beau approached, moving easily through the snow. “Have you ever flown in a helicopter, Théo? Tristan is the best pilot there is. He might let you sit in front with him and help him.”
Théo’s face lit up. “Really?”
“Really,” Beau said, taking the boy by the hand. “Come with me, I’ll introduce you to him.”
Ry guided Lorenz toward a fallen log, but Lorenz resisted half-way down.
“Make sure Pelletier goes in a different helicopter,” Lorenz said, looking at Beau and Théo’s retreating forms.
“Of course,” Ry said, easing Lorenz down the rest of the way. “Wait for me here. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Lorenz patted the empty space next to him.
“Charlie,” he said. “Sit with me.”
Her knees were still shaking violently. Maybe sitting down was a good idea.
“Are you hurt?”
The question almost undid her.
She rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve, willing the tears away.
“Charlie. You’re scaring me.” He took her hand gently in his. “Are you okay?”
Charlie turned to look at him. His head wasn’t bleeding anymore, but dry blood streaked the entire side of his face, disappearing into the collar of his shirt. His lips had gone pale beneath the light stubble on his jaw.
“I’m scaring you?” she asked, gritting her teeth. “You’ve been beaten up, shot, and you’re … you’re worried about me?”
“I’m always going to worry about you, Charlie. You’re the most important thing in my life.”
“You’d better not be about to die on me,” Charlie muttered, sliding closer to him. When his body sagged, she did her best to hold him up.
Within moments, Ry was back. “Okay. Let’s get you on that helicopter. Unless you want me to go find the stretcher?”
“No stretcher,” Lorenz said, but he leaned heavily on Ry, all the way to the helicopter.
“Charlie. How are you feeling?” Tristan asked. He lowered his voice. “The boy’s already inside. I’ll keep him with me during the flight so Ry can take care of Lorenz.”
Charlie nodded, looking around for Lorenz. He was sitting back on one of the side benches. Ry was beside him, pressing something against his back. Lorenz hissed quietly through his teeth, but otherwise didn’t react.
Before she could think better of it, she was crouching in front of him. Her gloves—his gloves, really—had disappeared. Her fingers were numb with cold.
“Lorenz. Stay with me, please.”
His eyes opened again.
“Don’t worry, Charlie,” he said. “This is nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing, but he was feeling well enough to lie, so she was going to consider that a good thing.
Ry pointed to the seat next to Lorenz. “Buckle up, Charlie. Put that headset on, and I’ll be right there to check on your oxygen levels.”