Page 98 of Mountain Security

The wall was high, but not so high that Alex couldn’t pull himself onto it. He spoke quietly into Yvette’s ear, his voice lower than a whisper would have been.

“We’re going up the wall,” he said. “Step into my hands. I’ll push you up.”

He crouched and made a cradle with his hands.

To her credit, Yvette didn’t hesitate. She stepped into his hands as if they’d done this a thousand times earlier.

He saw her grip the top of the wall. Then one of her hands slipped. She made no sound other than a sharp intake of breath.

“I’ve got you, Yvette. Take your time. I’m not letting go.”

Eventually, she found her grip again, and soon her entire body was on the top of the wall.

Alex didn’t hesitate. He jumped up, only just able to reach the top of the wall. He grabbed on, pulling his entire weight on his fingertips. It was a fucking monster of a pull-up, but adrenaline coursed through his body. Failure wasn’t an option.

Come on.

He got one leg up, hooking his ankle, then his whole body, over the top of the wall.

Okay.

“What now?” she whispered.

Alex looked behind them. There was nobody there, but that didn’t mean Gaultier wasn’t just a few steps behind.

“Now we jump,” he said. Without waiting, he jumped, landing on the balls of his feet, his knees nice and loose. He absorbed the impact and tucked into a loose roll, using the continued momentum to get back on his feet.

He looked back at Yvette, holding his arms up towards her.

“Jump,” he said.

“No. I’ll squash you.”

Fuck.

We don’t have time for this.

“Trust me, Yvette. Please. On three. One. Two.”

Onthree,she jumped. Alex shifted to catch her, opening his arms wide and letting the impact of her body drive him backwards into the soft snow.

“You okay?”

Yvette raised her head. Her eyes were round as saucers.

“I’m not hurt.”

Alex noticed she was careful not to say she was okay.

There was nothingokayabout this situation.

“You’re doing amazing, Yvette.”

On the other side of the wall, Gaultier had caught up with them. They could hear him shouting obscenities. Yvette shivered.

“He’s going to come after us, isn’t he?”

“We’re going to find the road, then hide until help arrives.”

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