His Mountain, Her Frozen Grave

Garrett took a step closer, looming over me with a look of pure disgust.

"How come everyone else is fine, but you're the one with frostbite? You just love to show off, don't you? Wearing light gear, always insisting on being out front. Now that something's happened, you're blaming us?"

I wanted to argue—that I was wearing top-of-the-line gear, that it was the loss of my sleeping bag that sent my temperature plummeting. But the cold had sapped all my strength.

My body was shutting down. The world spun, my vision blurring at the edges.

If I hadn't called Cole, I would have died right here, silently becoming an ice sculpture on the side of a mountain.

I thought Garrett would have everyone fortify the tent and wait out the storm.

Instead, he roared, "Everyone, pack your gear! We're heading down now! We have to be clear of this area before the rescue team shows up. We can't let them find us like this, and we can't have a rescue on our record."

I staggered to my feet, propping myself up against the tent pole in disbelief. "Are you insane? Descending in a whiteout? Now?"

That cold smirk crawled back onto his face. "I'm the team leader. I call the shots. I won't let one selfish climber tank my future."

His eyes held a fanatical gleam. There was no reasoning with him.

"If you all want to march to your deaths, be my guest. But I'm frostbitten. I can't move. I'm waiting for rescue."

Before he could retort, Jenna shrieked, "No!"

She shot me a venomous glare, then turned to the others, her words spilling out in a rush. "If we leave her, the moment the rescue team arrives, she'll tell them everything. If we want to get away with this, we have to drag her down with us. If she starts talking crazy, we'll just say she has altitude sickness and is hallucinating."

I stared at Garrett's cold, calculating expression, my heart sinking with each passing second. I had to try one last time. "Garrett, remember Denali last year? You took that stupid shortcut and fell into a crevasse. I pulled you out. I bandaged you up and stayed with you through a blizzard for two days and nights until help came. You cried, Garrett. You clutched my hand and called me your savior. You swore you would never betray me."

"I know I mean nothing to you now, but please... for the sake of the life I saved, don't make me walk in this storm."

For a fleeting second, a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.

But then Jenna leaned in, hissing in his ear like a viper. "Don't go soft, Garrett. If my uncle finds out you abandoned a teammate or stole gear on the mountain, your promotion is toast."

Any flicker of guilt in his eyes vanished, replaced by cold resolve.

"Don't play the sympathy card, Cassidy. People move on." He glared at me. "Only you know the safe route down. Without you leading the way, we'll all get lost. You have to walk."

Jenna chimed in. "That's right. And don't even think about playing dead."

Watching their pathetic act, I knew appealing to the past was useless. It was time for my last card.

"Don't push me. The captain of the Avalanche Apex rescue team, Cole Reed, is my brother. You've heard the stories about how he operates. If you dare lay a finger on me, he will make you regret it."

Jenna let out a shrill laugh. "Oh, please. You're going to invent a famous brother to get out of walking? You're just some low-rent mountain guide, Cassidy. Get real."