“He’s not clipped in,” she said.

Dodge looked at her, something of horror in his gaze.

“Climbing!” Colt yelled, and the line went taut, probably Colt testing it. Then she felt the tug as he used the rope to balance his weight, climbing up with the axe and his crampons.

She wanted to weep when his head, then body, lipped the edge. He crawled toward them, digging his axe in, as if he didn’t quite want to let go of that safety.

Maybe she didn’t either. Oh, she was so very tired of being brave. Of surviving. Sorry. Like she said, she wasn’t in the military like her father.

Wasn’t a hero. Not even close.

She put her head down in the crook of her arm, just breathing.

“Tae?”

Echo had gotten up and now came over to her. “You okay?”

Tae lifted her head, looked at Echo, nodded. But behind Echo, Tae spotted Colt, still on the ice, Dodge over him, his fingers at his brother’s neck.

Tae pushed herself up. “What’s going on?”

Echo turned. “I don’t know.”

Tae hit her knees beside Colt. Dodge rolled him over. Colt was gasping for breath.

“You okay, bro?” Dodge asked.

Tae picked up his wrist. Counted the beats. “His pulse is racing.”

“I . . . just need . . . a . . . minute . . .” Colt stared up at the sky.

“Sit him up,” she said. “Colt, are you having any chest pains?”

Dodge pushed him up.

He looked at her, his jaw tight.

“I’m taking that as a yes.” Maybe a by-product of his still-healing organs. “Okay, breathe with me.” She put her hand on his chest. “In . . . out . . .” She met his eyes. So brown. They fixed on her.

In . . . out . . . in . . . out.

He slowed his breathing, then finally leaned back and blew out a final, long breath. “Wow. That’s never happened before.”

“You’ve never scared people to death?” Tae snapped. “What was that? You could have fallen.”

He lay back on the ice, his eyes closed. “At least I wouldn’t have taken you with me.”

She just stared at him, then at Dodge. “Seriously?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Now you know why the terrorists beat him within an inch of his life.” He held out a hand to Colt. “You can stop being a show-off anytime.”

Colt managed a small grin as Dodge helped him up. Then, Colt turned to her. “You all right?”

Wow, just . . . wow. “Me? You’re the one who can’t breathe!”

“Yeah, well, I blame my near heart attack on watching you nearly take us all down with the plane.” His smile vanished and just like that, he was back—the guy in the cabin two weeks ago, who’d put his face in hers and practically ordered the truth out of her.

“I needed my backpack.”

“Why? What was so important?”

“My journal. All my notes.”

“Notes for what?”

She closed her mouth, looked away.