Untraceable by Elizabeth Goddard Page A

her hand against his heart. “Please, I couldn’t bear it if something happened to either you or Cade. Keep your head down and do what Zach asks us to do. Get them through the mountains so we can go home.”
    Remorse burned in his eyes. He pressed both hands over hers on his chest. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You’re right.” He grinned. “You always are. I shouldn’t cause any trouble that could get you hurt.”
    Heidi returned his smile, wishing they were anywhere but here. She had so much to say. So many questions. But the side of her heart that had gone dark over the past few months rebuffed her for giving a possible romantic relationship with Isaiah another thought.
    He inched closer. “As much as I hate scaring you, I need to say this. You know they’re not going to let us go home. They can’t let us go.”
    Tears burned at the back of her eyes. She hated them. “But they can . All we have to do is convince them!”
    “That could be a tall order, Heidi, even for you.” Isaiah reached up and ran his thumb down her cheek. “You have always been full of hope and life, and able to persuade others to do the impossible. It’s what I’ve always admired about you.”
    He admires me? How could that be when she’d lost her hope, her love of life? More than anything Heidi wanted to deserve his admiration. She wanted to get back what she’d lost, but how?
    Her questions faded with the sear of his touch. She couldn’t breathe, but this kind of panic was something much different than her anxiety attacks.
    One side of the tent collapsed in on them, jerking her back to reality.
    “Hey!” Isaiah yelled.
    “What’s going on in there?” Cade peeked inside. “Get the bags and get out. You’re wasting time.”
    Heidi didn’t recall ever seeing Cade that haggard, well, except after Dad had died in an avalanche. That had been tough on all of them. But Cade had been through something terrifying before when Leah, who had since become his wife, had been stalked by a police detective.
    Exiting the tent, Heidi realized everyone had already packed up—and they were waiting on her and Isaiah. Had everyone been listening in on them? Isaiah’s words of admiration still burned inside her heart—he was talking about the old Heidi. That person was long dead.
    Still, Isaiah made Heidi want that person back. She wanted her old self to live again.
    She wanted to survive this and somehow, someway, she had to convince Zach to let them go. He watched her, an uncanny look in his eyes as if he knew what she was thinking.
    An arctic gust rippled across her, reminding her that she would only get the chance to convince Zach to let them live if they survived nature’s worst.
    * * *
    Isaiah’s gut churned. The deep snow became an obstacle course even with snowshoes. A person had to be in great shape to negotiate this terrain and the journey was quickly wearing on their so-called climbers as they all tried to keep up with Cade. They’d descended the ridge without incident and now hiked through a snow-filled gap. At least they were heading into the lower elevations, but not fast enough.
    Isaiah expected the weather to worsen again before it got better. Jason followed Cade, then came Liam and Rhea. Heidi hiked behind them, and Isaiah was right behind her.
    Zach followed them all, never letting them forget that he was looking for a reason to shoot someone. Anyone. Isaiah tried to keep his head down and simply follow through with the task, but he was constantly formulating escape plans. He bet that Cade and Heidi were, too. If only they could get the chance to strategize together. He’d bet that was why Zach kept them apart.
    In front of them, Rhea stumbled and sank several feet into the deep snow, letting out a yelp.
    “Cade!” Isaiah called for him to stop and come back to assist. That far ahead, he wouldn’t be aware of Rhea’s stumble.
    When he saw Rhea, Cade scrambled back to help Isaiah pull her out.
    “Get back.” Zach