He stopped his climb. The sounds were growing louder, but he still couldn’t see the chopper. Far above him on the ridge, Brynn and Ryan stood up, looking in all directions. They couldn’t see it either.

Damn, it had to be close. The sucker was loud, and Alex felt like he was standing outside a rocking nightclub. Any second it should break through the haze. Alex trudged to the center of the slope and started to wave his arms in anticipation of flagging down the helicopter. In his bright blue coat, he should be easy to see against the snow.

Against the background of the rhythmic thumps, he heard faint yelling. Glancing behind him, he saw Jim and Thomas awkwardly running from the plane to the trees. Have they spotted the chopper? He glanced up the slope at Brynn and Ryan. More yelling and hands waving, but they were facing him. He scanned again for the helicopter. The chopper sounds were now a roar, the sound as intense as a freight train.

His gaze shot back to Brynn and Ryan, his stomach curdling. They were waving at him. Ryan was pointing over and up the slope at the white cloud that was rolling and pounding down the hill.

Avalanche.

His blood hammering in his brain, Alex ran for the closest trees, knowing he’d never make it in time. The sounds of the savior helicopter had triggered a death trap that was rushing directly at him.

They’d heard it at the same time. On top of the ridge, Ryan turned his head in unison with Brynn’s, searching through the curtain of the snowfall for the helicopter.

“No fucking way,” Ryan exclaimed. He pushed out of his snowy seat and spun in all directions, eyes wide. “Who’s stupid enough to fly in this shit?”

Brynn’s chest had shrunk in on itself. No, Liam. Even you can’t be this dense. But she couldn’t stop her eyes from searching as eagerly as Ryan’s. The wind whipped her hair into her mouth, and she brushed it away with an impatient hand.

“Where is it?”

The beating sounds of the blades came closer. Any second she expected to see the outline of a chopper through the snow. Would it be the Pave Hawk of the air force rescue squadron? Or a local? Someone who donated his time and gas to help the SAR team?

The vibrations rattled in her brain, and she knew the chopper was close. So close.

“He’s gotta be right over the far ridge,” Ryan shouted over the racket.

She nodded and focused her gaze in that direction. Next to her, Kiana started to bark, backing away from the sounds. Brynn ran a gloved hand over her fur. The barking sounded more upset than excited.

Abruptly the thumping volume started to decrease.

“No!” Both shrieked and frantically waved their arms, spinning in all directions, even though no chopper was in sight. It can’t leave.

“Holy shit!” Ryan froze, pointing.

Brynn whirled his way, heart sprinting, expecting to see a helicopter rising over the ridge. Instead she saw a cloud sliding down the mountain. Kiana lunged at the moving sea of snow as Brynn grabbed at her collar.

“The chopper set it off.”

She clutched Ryan’s arm, holding him tight like Kiana. He’d tried to move in the direction of the smashed plane below as if he could beat the avalanche and get the other three men away in time. “No!”

The avalanche would miss her and Ryan. It would sweep by, eating everything in its path. She stared down the mountain and spotted two red parkas tearing toward the tree line at their right. Jim tripped and went down. As she watched, Thomas bent over and dragged him back to his feet without breaking stride. Her gaze flew back to the thundering snow to measure the distance before it reached the men. But her eye was caught by a royal blue figure striding up the hill.

Alex.

Brynn’s heart stopped.

Shrieking, she waved her arms, gesturing him to the right as if she could physically move him. Alex froze, looking behind him then back at Brynn. He broke to the right and tried to run through the fluff. He was moving too slowly.

“Aw, fuck.” Through the roar of the avalanche and fading sounds of the helicopter she heard Ryan’s curse.

Brynn couldn’t breathe; she’d never felt so utterly powerless. She dropped to her knees and watched as the cloud overtook Alex, swept past the large piece of plane, and then buried the cockpit.

“Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.”

Brynn squeezed her eyes shut and dug her knuckles into her eyelids, but it didn’t hide the image burned on her retinas. Alex vanishing under that snow.

It was quiet on the hill, but her ears were still ringing from the roar of the avalanche. She slowly lowered her hands, hoping to see Alex climbing up the hill. The unseen helicopter had flown away, and a tank brigade of snow had ripped down the mountain, leaving a jumbled wake of white fluff. Ryan pulled on her arm.

“Let’s go.”

She hated the determination in his voice. In her gut she knew all was lost. No one could live through that. Ryan yanked harder.

“Brynn. Get moving. We’ve got to hurry.” Her feet started to follow, concrete weights tied to her ankles. He’s dead. Alex is dead.

No. No. No! Silent words hammered her brain. I don’t believe it.

She couldn’t give up without trying. She couldn’t give up on Alex.

She wrenched her arm out of Ryan’s grasp and started to run down the side of the slope. Kiana raced ahead, while far below Thomas and Jim dashed from the trees. Thomas was pointing in one direction, but Jim was shaking his head.

“Where is he? Did you see where he went?” she screamed at the two men.

Jim pointed to a spot twenty yards away from a spot Thomas was indicating.