COLD RECKONING

The Burning Mountain

The drive to the mountains took four hours.

Rice pushed the BMW harder than was safe, the tires gripping the icy roads with desperate urgency. The call from Danny had come forty minutes ago—Meridian operatives had been spotted near Charlotte's safehouse. The line had gone dead before Danny could say more.

Eliana sat beside him, her phone pressed to her ear, trying repeatedly to reach Charlotte. No answer. No signal. Just silence.

Olivia was in the back seat, her injuries from Prague bandaged but still raw. She'd refused to stay behind. "I owe Charlotte," she'd said simply. "She got me out of Tangier when Meridian was closing in. I don't leave debts unpaid."

Voss was no longer with them. They'd transferred her to Willem's custody in Rotterdam before leaving—a secure location, guarded by Interpol officers. It was a risk, but Rice couldn't bring her into the mountains. Not with Sophie's life at stake.

The roads grew narrower as they climbed, the snow falling harder. Rice's hands were white on the wheel, his jaw clenched so tight it ached. Sophie's face floated in his mind—her smile, her laugh, the way she'd called him a hero.

Please, he thought. Please be alive.

The turnoff appeared ahead, barely visible through the snow. Rice took it too fast, the BMW fishtailing. He corrected, pressing on through the drifts. The safehouse was still two kilometers away.

Then he saw the smoke.

A thin column rising above the treeline, gray against the white sky. Rice's heart lurched. He pressed the accelerator harder, the car bouncing over ruts and rocks.

They rounded the final bend, and the cabin came into view.

It was burning.

Flames licked from every window, consuming the wooden walls. The roof had partially collapsed, sending sparks spiraling into the cold air. The clearing was littered with bodies—men in dark tactical gear, their weapons scattered in the snow. A black SUV sat near the treeline, its doors open, bullet holes riddling its frame.

Rice slammed the car to a stop and ran.

The heat was intense, pushing him back. He raised an arm against it, his eyes scanning desperately. "Sophie!" he shouted. "Charlotte!"

No answer. Just the roar of the flames.

Eliana grabbed his arm. "Rice, don't—"

He shook her off, moving closer. The bodies on the ground were Meridian operatives—at least six of them. But there was no sign of Sophie. No sign of Charlotte.

"Over here!" Olivia's voice, sharp and urgent.

Rice turned. She was standing at the edge of the clearing, pointing toward a trail that led into the forest. Fresh footprints in the snow. Small ones.

Sophie's.

Rice ran.

The trail wound through the trees, steep and treacherous. Rice slipped on the ice, caught himself, kept going. The footprints continued—Sophie's small prints, Charlotte's larger ones. They were running. Fleeing.

Then he saw them.

Charlotte was slumped against a tree, her leg bent at an unnatural angle, blood soaking through her pants. Her pistol was still in her hand, aimed at the forest behind her. Sophie was crouched beside her, small and frightened, but alive.

"Daddy!" Sophie scrambled to her feet and ran toward him.

Rice caught her, pulling her into his arms, feeling her warmth against his chest. She was shaking, crying, but she was whole. She was safe.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice choked.

"No. Charlotte protected me." Sophie pulled back, her eyes wide. "But she's hurt bad, Daddy. The men came, and she fought them, and then we ran—"

"It's okay. You're safe now." Rice looked at Charlotte, who was watching him with pain-glazed eyes.

"They came two hours ago," Charlotte said, her voice strained. "A hit squad. Six men. I held them off as long as I could."

Rice moved to her side, kneeling. The wound was bad—a gunshot to the thigh, the bone visible through the torn flesh. She'd lost a lot of blood.

"We need to get you out of here," he said.

Charlotte shook her head. "I can't walk. And there might be more of them." She grabbed his arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "Take Sophie. Go. I'll hold them off if they come."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Rice—"

"I'm not leaving you." He stood, turning to Eliana and Olivia, who had followed him up the trail. "We carry her. Back to the car. Then we find somewhere safe."

Eliana nodded, already moving to Charlotte's other side. Together, they lifted her, supporting her weight between them. Sophie stayed close to Rice, her small hand gripping his jacket.

They moved back down the trail, slow and careful. The cabin was still burning, the flames now reaching toward the sky. The bodies of the Meridian operatives lay where they'd fallen, their blood staining the snow crimson.

Rice's mind was cold, calculating. Meridian had found them. Despite everything—the deaths, the data leaks, the destruction of their leadership—they were still hunting. Still killing. Still determined to destroy everything he loved.

But they'd failed. Sophie was alive. Charlotte was alive. And Rice was more determined than ever to end this.

They reached the car. Rice helped Charlotte into the back seat, then turned to Sophie.

"Get in the front," he said. "Stay low."

Sophie nodded, her face pale but composed. She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled herself in.

Rice slid behind the wheel, Eliana beside him. The engine roared to life, and the BMW pulled away from the burning cabin, heading back toward the main road.

Behind them, the smoke rose into the gray sky, a dark pillar against the snow.

Sophie leaned against the seat, her small body finally relaxing. "I knew you'd come," she whispered.

Rice reached over and took her hand. "Always."

They drove through the mountains, the snow falling steadily. The roads were empty, the world silent and white. Rice's mind was already working, planning their next move.

Danny's cabin. That was the only option left. The Alpine fortress where Danny had spent years preparing for the end of the world.

Rice pulled out the burner phone and dialed Danny's number.

"It's me. We have Sophie. We have Charlotte. We're coming to you."

Danny's voice was heavy with relief. "Thank God. I've been trying to reach you for hours."

"What happened? How did they find the safehouse?"

"I don't know. Maybe they tracked Charlotte's communications. Maybe they got lucky." Danny paused. "But Rice, this wasn't the only attack. There were coordinated strikes in Berlin, Madrid, and London. Meridian's hitting everyone who helped you."

Rice's blood ran cold. "Joao? Xavi?"

"Joao is safe. He's in hiding. Xavi too. But several others are dead. Meridian's sending a message."

"They're sending a message," Rice repeated. "And we need to send one back."

He ended the call and pressed the accelerator harder. The BMW surged forward, the tires gripping the snow-covered road.

Sophie was asleep now, her head resting against the window. Rice glanced at her, his heart aching with love and fear.

He'd promised to protect her. He'd promised to keep her safe. And he'd failed—again and again, the enemy had found them.

But he was still alive. She was still alive. And as long as he had breath in his body, he would keep fighting.

The mountains rose around them, dark and imposing. Somewhere in the distance, Danny's cabin waited—a fortress of steel and electronics, built for exactly this moment.

The final battle was coming.

And this time, Rice would be ready.

---

The attack had failed, but the war was far from over. With Meridian's forces mobilizing across Europe and every ally in danger, could Rice reach Danny's Alpine fortress before the enemy struck again?