“Zach is brilliant. He needed money to get started, that’s all. Wealthy people aren’t going to miss two million dollars.”
Two million dollars? Heidi held her breath. Did Rhea realize she’d just shared that information? Zach wouldn’t be happy to hear that, but Heidi wouldn’t be the one to tell him so it probably didn’t matter that she knew.
But...two million dollars. Oh, God in heaven, help us out of this.
“Now that I told you about the money, don’t think you can steal Zach away from me. I’d kill you first.”
Heidi frowned. What kind of person thought like that? Had Rhea been institutionalized at some point? She sounded like some sort of female Praetorian Guard, an elite bodyguard for her emperor, Zach, whom she worshipped. Besides looking and acting crazy, she sounded crazy, which meant Heidi was in even more danger. They all were.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I have no interest in Zach. I’ve learned the hard way that people can’t be trusted when it comes to relationships. I don’t want to love anyone.”
First, Isaiah had distanced himself. Then Lon... Pain knifed through her heart—he’d been a married man, for crying out loud. She could never get over the fact that she’d been romantic with a married man. How his wife must feel about her. She turned in the sleeping bag, not caring if she made Rhea mad. A hot tear slid down the side of her face and right over the bridge of her nose. It dropped to the bedding below. Then she’d learned that her own father, whom she’d loved and adored and admired, had cheated on her mother.
She swiped at the tear then thrust her hands back in the bag.
Rhea didn’t say anything to Heidi’s comment about relationships, so she added, “Be careful, Rhea. Zach could break your heart.”
Heidi should be more concerned about living through this than whether or not Zach would break Rhea’s heart, which he would undoubtedly do. She didn’t want to trust or love again or feel that pain, but every time she looked at Isaiah, she wished she could feel a different way. Wished he hadn’t hurt her.
What had happened between them?
Earlier tonight, he’d been right there, helping her through her panic as if he’d never left her side—physically or emotionally.
“You’re a liar,” Rhea said.
“What have I lied about?”
“There is someone you want to love.”
Heidi held her breath. What had she done or said to give Rhea that impression? “You’re wrong.”
Rhea’s laugh was deep and raspy, a sick, mocking sound. Where had Zach found her? Heidi’s pulse ratcheted up, although it was already near racing. Would Rhea tell Zach, causing him to use Isaiah or Cade—both of whom meant everything—against her?
Wait. Isaiah meant everything? “I don’t love anyone. And I don’t want anyone. But I’ll make you a deal.”
“What’s that?”
“Remember when Zach punched Jason in the nose because he almost told us how much money you stole?”
Rhea was silent, but Heidi knew she remembered. They all did.
“Zach doesn’t want anyone to know how much, but you just told me that he stole two million dollars. That can be our little secret. So I’ll keep your secret, if you’ll keep mine. Do we have a deal?”
“Yes.” Rhea’s voice cracked. Was the woman that scared? “Zach will kill me if he finds out.”
Tension crept back into Heidi’s body. She wouldn’t fall back asleep now. Heidi had some power over Rhea, but she could never use it because then Rhea could tell Heidi’s secret. Not that she’d admitted to anything.
But the images of what Zach could do tormented her like the howling wind outside.
* * *
The radio squawked. Funny the places those things would pick up, and then sometimes when you needed them the most, they failed. But that’s why the SAR teams carried a couple of different kinds as well as a SAT phone. Isaiah also took his cell on rescues, which would give off a ping if kept on. Zach had commandeered all their communications equipment except, well, the avalanche beacons, but those weren’t exactly communication devices unless you were buried in the snow. Isaiah had turned on his beacon to transmit, anyway, but where they were, nobody was near enough to pick up that signal. No one even knew to look.
Snuggled inside the sleeping bag with his hands tied, he bolted up, oriented himself to his surroundings and spotted the radio on the floor next to Zach’s sleeping bag. Didn’t the guy hear that? Admittedly, the noise had to burrow into Isaiah’s head to get him to wake up.
David was calling to check on his team. Isaiah figured it might be better if he didn’t answer, let them start worrying sooner, except there was no getting them out of this place with the inclement weather and gale-force winds still screaming outside. At least morning had broken. That was an advantage they hadn’t had last night, and yet somehow they had survived.
He’d give God the credit.
David sounded agitated. Maybe...maybe Isaiah could somehow let David in on what was happening. Give him a clue, if nothing else, but only if Zach and Liam slept through this.
Isaiah worked his way free of the bag and scrambled over to pick up the radio with his hands tied. “I’m here, David!”
The next thing he knew, Zach sprang from where he slept and pressed his gun against Isaiah’s temple. Tension corded around his throat and tightened. He couldn’t speak.
“Isaiah! Finally. I thought you ran into trouble.”
He found his voice. “You could say that.”
Zach shoved Isaiah’s head with the gun. A clear warning.
Isaiah quickly added, “We’re still weathering the storm. But you can be sure we’re going to deliver the climbers down the mountain into the right hands.”
He wasn’t sure why he added those last words, but he had every intention of doing just that. However that played out. Whatever Zach thought he would pull off here, wasn’t going to happen if Isaiah—and he knew Cade and Heidi would be with him on this—had anything to do with it. He’d think of something before this was all over. Something before Zach killed them.
“How’s Adam? Did his team make it back yet?” Isaiah knew that Cade and Heidi would want to know about their younger brother.
“Yeah. Last night. Found a little boy who’d gotten lost hiking with his parents.”
“That’s good to hear.” At least someone had found success.
“I need your updates more frequently.”
“Sure, every hour?”
Zach snatched the radio from him. “If you do that again, you can say goodbye to the woman.”
When Zach put the radio to Isaiah’s mouth, his eyes narrowed.
