Garrett took a step closer, looming over me with a look of pure disgust.

"How come everyone else is fine, but you're the one with frostbite? You just love to show off, don't you? Wearing light gear, always insisting on being out front. Now that something's happened, you're blaming us?"

I wanted to argue—that I was wearing top-of-the-line gear, that it was the loss of my sleeping bag that sent my temperature plummeting. But the cold had sapped all my strength.

My body was shutting down. The world spun, my vision blurring at the edges.

If I hadn't called Cole, I would have died right here, silently becoming an ice sculpture on the side of a mountain.

I thought Garrett would have everyone fortify the tent and wait out the storm.

Instead, he roared, "Everyone, pack your gear! We're heading down now! We have to be clear of this area before the rescue team shows up. We can't let them find us like this, and we can't have a rescue on our record."

I staggered to my feet, propping myself up against the tent pole in disbelief. "Are you insane? Descending in a whiteout? Now?"

That cold smirk crawled back onto his face. "I'm the team leader. I call the shots. I won't let one selfish climber tank my future."

His eyes held a fanatical gleam. There was no reasoning with him.

"If you all want to march to your deaths, be my guest. But I'm frostbitten. I can't move. I'm waiting for rescue."

Before he could retort, Jenna shrieked, "No!"

She shot me a venomous glare, then turned to the others, her words spilling out in a rush. "If we leave her, the moment the rescue team arrives, she'll tell them everything. If we want to get away with this, we have to drag her down with us. If she starts talking crazy, we'll just say she has altitude sickness and is hallucinating."

I stared at Garrett's cold, calculating expression, my heart sinking with each passing second. I had to try one last time. "Garrett, remember Denali last year? You took that stupid shortcut and fell into a crevasse. I pulled you out. I bandaged you up and stayed with you through a blizzard for two days and nights until help came. You cried, Garrett. You clutched my hand and called me your savior. You swore you would never betray me."

"I know I mean nothing to you now, but please... for the sake of the life I saved, don't make me walk in this storm."

For a fleeting second, a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.

But then Jenna leaned in, hissing in his ear like a viper. "Don't go soft, Garrett. If my uncle finds out you abandoned a teammate or stole gear on the mountain, your promotion is toast."

Any flicker of guilt in his eyes vanished, replaced by cold resolve.

"Don't play the sympathy card, Cassidy. People move on." He glared at me. "Only you know the safe route down. Without you leading the way, we'll all get lost. You have to walk."

Jenna chimed in. "That's right. And don't even think about playing dead."

Watching their pathetic act, I knew appealing to the past was useless. It was time for my last card.

"Don't push me. The captain of the Avalanche Apex rescue team, Cole Reed, is my brother. You've heard the stories about how he operates. If you dare lay a finger on me, he will make you regret it."

Jenna let out a shrill laugh. "Oh, please. You're going to invent a famous brother to get out of walking? You're just some low-rent mountain guide, Cassidy. Get real."

The others joined in the jeering.

"Yeah, right. Captain Reed is your brother? A man like that could never have a spoiled sister like you."

Then, Garrett grabbed my arm, yanking me violently to my feet.

"You're a disgrace," he snarled. "Don't you feel pathetic telling a lie like that? Say one more word, and I'll throw you out of this tent myself."

I knew they wouldn't back down. They were determined to squeeze every last drop of value from me by forcing me to lead the way. Fine. I stopped arguing and made one final request.

"I'll walk. But I need my sleeping bag back. My foot is frostbitten. I can't move without warm gear."

"Shut up," Garrett roared, stuffing my sleeping bag into Jenna's pack. "You're a liability with that frostbite. Why should the best gear be wasted on you? Jenna's a novice. She needs it more."

The smug self-righteousness in his tone was nauseating.

I never imagined the man who had once sworn to protect me would trade my life for another's without a second thought.

Ever since Jenna had been parachuted into his department, Garrett had been different, constantly talking about "Jenna this" and "Jenna that."

I had told myself he was just being polite to a partner's niece. After all, we were engaged. We had been through so much together. I was a fool.

Seeing that I wasn't moving, Garrett stormed over and hauled me to my feet.

"Don't test me. Get up and lead the way."

Left with no other choice, I grabbed an ice axe and forced my numb body to stand.

Jenna came over, her face a mask of false sympathy. "Let me help you, Cassidy."

Before I could refuse, she feigned a stumble and brought her crampon-fitted boot down hard on my injured ankle. The sharp spikes tore through my outer pants.

A searing pain exploded through my body, and my vision went black.

Instinctively, I shoved her away. "Get off me!"

She let out an exaggerated shriek and tumbled into the snow, her eyes instantly welling with tears.

Garrett didn't even hesitate. He shoved me so hard I nearly tumbled down the steep slope. "What is wrong with you? She was trying to help! Why did you push her?"

Jenna cut in, her voice choked with sobs. "Don't blame Cassidy, Garrett. She's just upset that I'm using her sleeping bag. I don't mind. As long as she can get us down the mountain safely, that's all that matters."

Her words were gasoline on the fire. Garrett glared at me, his eyes burning with a warning.

"Don't think you can push Jenna around just because she's nice. You touch her again, and you'll see what happens."

My ankle throbbed with a white-hot pain.

But the searing pain in my ankle was nothing compared to the feeling of my heart shattering into a million icy fragments.

I gave up trying to explain. I didn't even have the energy to want to.

"I can walk. I don't need her help."

Jenna shot me a look of mock innocence and lowered her voice so only I could hear. "It's not that you don't need help. You're just waiting for a chance to sneak away, aren't you?"

Garrett overheard her, and his face hardened. "Don't try any tricks, Cassidy. If you slow us down, I'll make you pay."

He turned to one of the other men. "Kyle, keep an eye on her. If she tries anything, tie her to you. In a blizzard this bad, if something were to happen to her, we can just blame it on the weather."