Page 93 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

His heart skipped a beat as he followed the direction of her gaze. When he spotted what had elicited her heartsick statement, his heart stopped, his breath catching in his throat. “Oh my God.”

Several feet down the almost sheer rocky face of the mountain, Sierra desperately clung to two small fir trees that had managed to grow out of the jagged rocks. The wind howled, whipping around her, threatening to rip her from her fragile perch.

A surge of primal fear coursed through him, his heart pounding against his chest as the realization hit him–one slip, and they could lose her forever.

Soaked through, she stared up at them with pinched features. “Help.”

CHAPTER 20

JULIA

Julia’s heart pounded against her ribs as she stared down at her rain-soaked stepdaughter precariously clinging to the small but sturdy fir trees sticking from the rocks. “Sierra, don’t move.”

“Please, help me,” Sierra cried.

“I’m going to help you. But I need you to stay as still as you can until I can get you, okay?”

“Okay,” Sierra answered. “But please hurry.”

“I’m going to.” She leaned back when Sierra’s shrill cry drew her attention back, her stomach clenching as she worried something had happened.

“Please don’t leave!”

“I’m just going to call for help. I’m not leaving.” She leaned back again as rain continued to pelt her and slid her hand onto Grant’s shoulder. Her wet fingers slid across the plastic of the radio strapped to her waistband.

She bobbled it as she pulled it free and pressed the button to speak. “Ally, come in. We found her, but we need help.”

Static crackled as she let off the button. Her heart thudded, waiting for a response that never came.

“Ally?” she tried again before she shook her head. “It’s no use. The storm is squashing any signal. I’m going to have to go on foot.”

“But–” Grant began when she clamped her hands onto his shoulders.

“Stay with her, but don’t get too close to the edge, okay? I don’t want to have to rescue two of you.”

“Julia…” He started, his eyes wide with fear.

“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get her. I just need to get help.”

His features still registered raw panic as he stared at her.

She cupped his face in her hands. “Grant, we’re going to get her. Stay with her, keep her calm. Keep reminding her to stay as still as she can. Don’t get too close to the edge, though, okay?”

He wrapped a hand around hers as he slowly nodded.

“It’s going to be okay. We know where she is. We just need to get to her. I won’t be long.”

He gave her a firmer nod. “Keep her still and calm.”

“Yes, still and calm. Whatever you do…donottry to reach for her. She’s too far down and the edge could crumble and take you with it, okay? Promise me.”

“I promise. But Julia…what if…”

She shook her head before he could finish. “That’s not going to happen. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She climbed to her feet and scrambled across the slick rocks back to the cover of the trees. She tried the radio several more times as she made her way back to the trail. The fastest place she could get to would be the east ridge. Someone must be there. She prayed they had climbing gear with them.

The rain fell harder, each drop like a cold whisper against her skin. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a foreboding soundtrack to their desperate mission. The ground beneath her feet turned into a treacherous mix of mud and slippery leaves, making each step a battle against the elements.