Beacon, probe and shovel. She knew what a shovel was at least. Tyler had better be a quick teacher. Though she hoped she wouldn’t have to use any of it.

“Don’t worry. It’s not brain surgery,” Tyler said with a small smile. “If kids can learn this stuff quickly, you’ll have no problem. Just stay close and I’ll explain everything.”

She nodded.

“Quietly, we move. No unnecessary talking. No noise. Silent steps,” Reed said, checking his watch. “Mandatory breaks at every two hours.”

Everyone nodded.

He glanced at her, and the silent worry in his eyes was stronger than she’d ever seen it before. This rescue had personal stakes.

She sent him her best reassuring nod, but the twisting in her gut grew stronger by the second. They hadn’t had time to smooth over the abrupt, awkward way they’d left things that morning.

But there would be time to talk, to figure things out. This mission would be successful.

It had to be.

Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

FOUR HOURS LATER, they’d arrived at the end of the south trails, the road at the edge of the forest was coming into view and there had been no sign of Cassie or any of the campers along the way. Reed wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or even more nervous. Maybe they had taken the north trails out. Maybe they were back at the village by now. Safe. It beat thinking about the alternative—that they’d somehow gotten off trail and were stranded in avalanche territory now that the warning had reached critical. As they’d hiked, three snowslides had occurred on mountains in the distance and each one had brought a new sense of urgency.

He brushed the snow off his jacket and, reaching for his radio, called Tiffany. “Any news?” They hadn’t heard from the other team in hours.

“No. We reached the trail’s end ten minutes ago. No sign of them. No recent tracks to suggest they’d gone this way either...but the snow is falling so fast, it would be hard to see footprints...”

His stomach fell. They weren’t safe. Despite Tiffany’s attempt to make him feel better, his gut told them Cass wasn’t waiting back at the station. Brother’s intuition told him finding his sister wasn’t going to be that easy.

“How would you like us to proceed?” she asked.

“Try the West Loop trail.”

“That would have added hours to the trip... I don’t think...”

“Just do it.” The harshness in his voice wasn’t intended. “Sorry, just...try it, okay.” If they weren’t on the north trails and they weren’t on the south, where the hell were they?

Which way did you go, Cass?