Zero Visibility. Sharon Dunn

extra pair of snowshoes. I don’t have another coat, so you will have to wear the one you have. Let’s see if we can find all the winter gear we can.”

      In twenty minutes, Nathan gathered together everything he thought they might need and filled their backpacks with food and water. When he looked out the window, the storm seemed to be breaking up. There was less snow and wind.

      Merci followed Nathan out onto the porch. Darkness still covered the sky, but the wind had stopped blowing. He took a moment to show her how to strap the snowshoes on. “Step lightly. Don’t waste energy pulling yourself out of the snow.”

      She nodded, her face filled with trust. “Is that it?”

      He picked up a silk balaclava that had been his

      brother’s. “Wear this under your hat. It’ll keep your face warm.” He slipped it over her head.

      “And it makes me look like a ninja.”

      He smiled, grateful for the moment of humorous relief.

      “Stay close. The wind isn’t bad now, but it’s important that we always be able to see each other. I’ll slow down if I need to. Are you sure about this?”

      The trusting green eyes gazed up at him. “I couldn’t live with myself if something bad happened to her, knowing that I didn’t at least try to help her.”

      “Me, either,” He said before taking in a prayer-filled breath. “Let’s do this.”

      Nathan clicked on his flashlight and took the lead. Merci followed in his tracks. Snow swirled out of the sky. When he looked over his shoulder, she was keeping up, but the distance between them had increased.

      The snowmobile tracks were easy enough to follow, making clear grooves as the snow got deeper and deeper. They were only about half a mile from the cabin when they found the abandoned snowmobile stuck in the snow.

      Nathan lifted his head and shone the light. “Footprints lead off this way.”

      Merci came up beside him, breathing heavily. “Do you suppose the other two thieves were waiting for them somewhere?”

      “Maybe.” He studied the two sets of prints partially drifted over from snow. “I can tell you one thing. He’s not taking her back to the cabin.”

      Merci came up beside him and shone her flashlight. “There’s not any blood. No sign of struggle. She must still be okay. Where are they going?”

      “These footprints point toward the camp.” He took off his gloves and tightened the drawstring around his hood. The temperature had to be below zero, but at least the wind wasn’t blowing too bad.

      “How would they even know about the camp?”

      Nathan shrugged. “Maybe they saw the signs when they drove in and remembered it.”

      “How far is it to the camp?” She clamped her gloved hand on his forearm.

      He turned and shone his light on the cluster of trees and the trail behind him. “It’s only a little farther to go to the camp than it is to go back to the cabin.” He remembered something that lifted his spirits. “My father used to keep a rifle in the camp office to use in case of bear attacks. Only the stuff that varmints will damage gets taken out of the camp in the off-season. I think the rifle is left there.”

      “If we had a gun, it would be easier to get Lorelei back.” Hope tinged Merci’s voice.

      The decision was not a hard one to make. He knew the layout of the camp like the back of his hand, had keys to all the buildings and a rifle meant they could defend themselves if they had to. The odds had shifted a little. “Let’s keep going.”

      They trudged forward in the dark. The flashlight beam illuminated a small path in front of them. Merci fell a few paces behind him. After about thirty minutes, the wind picked up again. The break in the storm had been short-lived as the snowfall became heavier again.

      He felt a tug on his coat. “It’s getting worse. I think I need to stay closer.”

      Nathan draped an arm over Merci’s shoulder as both of them put their heads down and leaned into the wind. He only hoped they had not made a mistake. They had taken a gamble that the weather would hold. Conditions were hazardous at best. A little more wind, a few degrees’ drop in temperature and they would be fighting for their lives.