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challenged, especially in front of his friends. He stepped toward Isaiah, waving his weapons around, his thick gloves raising the threat of him accidentally putting too much pressure on a trigger guard. Isaiah didn’t think Zach had the safety locked on either weapon.
    An image of a woman covered in blood suffused his mind. He shook the memory. A vise gripped Isaiah’s chest. He wanted to grab the guns and stop this insanity.
    “Didn’t I already warn you that if you slow me down, I’ll get rid of you?” Zach aimed both guns at Isaiah, point-blank.
    “No!” Heidi screamed.
    Zach made a mistake, standing too close. Isaiah could grab him, disarm him, but with Cade and Heidi so near and Jason holding the other weapon, that would gain Isaiah nothing. He couldn’t risk someone else’s life, but then again, if he didn’t take the chance now he was risking all their lives.
    To Isaiah’s regret, Heidi put herself in the line of fire and pulled on Zach’s arm. “Please, don’t.”
    “Get back, Heidi.” Isaiah skewered her with his gaze. He didn’t need her risking her life for him.
    “To get out of these mountains, you need all three of us,” she said again.
    Zach’s gaze slid to Heidi. It was all Isaiah could do to keep from wiping that leer off his face. But he didn’t have to worry about it for long. Zach slammed his weapon into the side of Isaiah’s head, just under his helmet. He fell back into the snow, dizziness engulfing him.
    “Isaiah!” Heidi’s scream sounded as if it was coming from the other end of a tunnel.
    She appeared by his side. “Isaiah,” she whispered. “Talk to me.”
    He tugged off the helmet and grabbed his head. “These things don’t protect against raving lunatics.”
    What had he expected from Zach, anyway?
    “Heidi’s right,” Cade said to Zach. “We can help you climb out tonight, but it’s going to take all three of us.”
    Ignoring his pounding head, Isaiah focused his vision. He had to stay with it. Heidi scrambled over to the medical kit a few feet away.
    “I’m not convinced,” Rhea said. She looked at Heidi.
    What? That woman expected Zach to do away with Heidi?
    Cade’s tension was palpable. “In addition to our equipment and expertise, you’ll need us to physically assist you down. There are four of you. You need all of us.”
    Something ran down Isaiah’s neck. He pressed his gloved hand against the side of his head where he felt a knot and drew it back. Blood. Zach had given him a gash.
    This was an absolute nightmare.
    “That settles it, then,” Zach said. “Now that we’re all in agreement, let’s get this stuff put away and get geared up.”
    Heidi dropped next to Isaiah. She examined his head and swabbed it, then looked him in the eyes. He wished she wouldn’t do that. Give him that look that showed him how much she cared, and yet how much she couldn’t care. How much he’d hurt her, on top of everything else that had happened.
    “You shouldn’t challenge him like that,” she whispered. “Just do as they ask. We’ll make it out of this. We have to.”
    She moved to stand, but he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t put yourself between me and anyone like that again.”
    Shaking her head, she tried to stand, but he kept his grip on her. “Do you hear me?”
    “You’d do the same for me,” she said.
    Yes. Yes he would, and more. But he couldn’t have her risking her life for the likes of him. He didn’t deserve the sacrifice.
    Heidi stood and offered her hand. Of course, Isaiah could stand without her help, but he took her hand anyway. Felt the strong, sturdy grip beneath her gloves. Maybe Cade had been right. Heidi needed to get back into climbing and helping people. Search and rescue. Only Isaiah was certain she didn’t need it to come at her like this, with crazy people waving guns around.
    The moon finally dipped behind the north summit, and the silhouette of thick clouds edged into the sky from the west. Isaiah put his helmet back