Part 3The Debt of the Blizzard

At 1:00 AM, the heavy metal door of the base was violently hammered open.

When Cole rushed in, all the blood had drained from his face. The zipper of his down jacket wasn't even pulled up.

"Boss, something happened."

I shot up from the cot. My first instinct was to check the radar.

"Did the mountain signal drop?"

"Not the mountain. It's my sister."

He shoved his phone toward me, his hands shaking violently.

The screen displayed a text message from his younger sister, Maya.

[Cole, the company suddenly transferred me to the North Face supply station as a temporary comms operator. They said it is an emergency corporate project and I had to report immediately. The wind out here is terrifying. It is just me and two guys I don't know at the station. Don't worry about me, I will call you in the morning.]

The message was sent forty minutes ago.

Reading it, my stomach completely dropped.

Maya was fresh out of college, working an administrative desk job at a resort hotel owned by the Rauch Group.

She had zero alpine certifications and absolutely no experience operating high-altitude comms at night.

The North Face supply station was situated dangerously close to the Black Wind Gap. Once the whiteout hit, that station would be an isolated death trap.

Cole's eyes were bloodshot.

"I tried calling her, but it won't connect. Boss, it's Arthur, isn't it? He found out I'm your second-in-command, and he is using my sister to force your hand."

I grabbed my heavy parka.

"Don't panic yet."

"How can I not panic?" Cole's voice cracked. "She is the only family I have left. My mom told me to protect her before she died. Maya doesn't even know what snow blindness is! They sent her to that station, they are basically killing her!"

He suddenly dropped to his knees, slamming against the concrete floor with a heavy thud that struck me right in the chest.

"Boss, I know you hate Arthur, and I know I shouldn't be asking you this. But Maya is innocent. I will do whatever you want. If you want me to save Oliver for you, or if you want me to go in your place, I will go. Please, save my sister."

I crouched down and hauled him back to his feet with all my strength.

"Cole, look at me."

He looked up, tears mixing with the melting snow on his face.

"Your sister is going to be fine."

"But..."

"Arthur wants to force me to bow my head. He doesn't actually want Maya dead." I stared into his eyes. "I will bring her back, but I am still not taking the contract for Oliver."

Cole stared at me blankly, looking as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Right at that moment, the deafening roar of helicopter rotors ripped through the air outside the base. The snow was violently whipped into a cyclone, and the blinding white glare of searchlights swept across our windows.

Cole snapped his head around.

A sleek black helicopter touched down on our landing pad, its fuselage emblazoned with the silver mountain crest of the Rauch Group. The cabin door slid open, and Arthur stepped out. He wore a heavy tactical winter coat over a black windbreaker, flanked by two bodyguards.

Trailing closely behind him was Chloe.

Arthur held her arm to steady her. As her snow boots hit the ground, she stumbled slightly, looking fragile enough to be blown away by the wind. Seven years had passed, but she still perfected that delicate, helpless aura. Her eyes were rimmed red, as if the entire world owed her its pity.

I stood in the doorway, watching them walk toward my base.

Arthur's eyes swept over my face, pausing for less than a second.

He didn't recognize me.

Makes sense.

The Kia Ziskie from seven years ago was Mrs. Rauch, the woman who wore elegant gowns to accompany him to galas. The woman standing here now had half her face windburned, a jagged avalanche scar cutting through her left eyebrow, and a voice ground down to gravel by years of shouting over sub-zero blizzards.

Of course he didn't recognize me.

Because he never truly looked at me in the first place.

Arthur stopped in front of the door. His gaze flicked over to Cole, and he spoke with freezing authority.

"You must be Cole."

Cole's fists instantly clenched tight.

Arthur let out a faint smile.

"Your sister is currently in my supply station. She is safe for now. As for how long she remains safe, that entirely depends on the choice your captain makes."