Lucy Gordon - Italian Tycoon, Secret Son

‘It’s a pity we can’t shout,’ Joan observed. ‘I’ve got plenty of names I’d like to call him.’

‘Don’t,’ Renzo said firmly. ‘If there’s any name-calling to be done I’ll do it, at close quarters.’

But the day moved on without any sight of their quarry. Mandy hoped fervently that he was safe, but only for Renzo’s sake. If one of his party came to harm he would get the blame, however wrongly. She felt a powerful surge of anger towards Henry.

It grew colder and bleaker as they climbed. Now there was no sun and the world was grey. Peter, whose courage was fast deserting him, was the first to express doubts.

‘I wouldn’t mind finding a hut right now.’

‘What about that one over there?’ Joan said, pointing in the distance.

‘It’s deserted,’ Renzo said. ‘Can you see that it’s on the edge of a precipice? It wasn’t on the edge when it was built, but the ground has fallen away ever since, until it’s no longer safe.’

They moved on up, anxiety growing on them, until suddenly Renzo said, ‘I can see him.’

Henry was up ahead on a ridge, turning to watch them, waving like a victor.

‘Damned fool!’ Renzo snapped. ‘He’s actually pleased with himself.’

Henry was dancing up and down, a mad manikin in the growing shadows. ‘Come on,’ he called. ‘It’s great up here.’

‘You come down,’ Joan called back.

‘Hush,’ Renzo said frantically. ‘Don’t you know better than to shout in these mountains? Do you want to start an avalanche?’

‘Hi!’ bawled Henry from the ridge. ‘Come on up.’

‘Stay here,’ Renzo said. ‘I’m going to get him. Don’t make any loud noises.’

He disconnected the rope that linked him to Mandy and began to head up the slope, while Henry danced and shouted.

‘He really is going to cause trouble,’ Peter said.

As if to confirm it, there was a soft rumble from the distance. Although little more than a sigh, it had a threatening sound in this place where silence was normal.

‘I’m getting out of here,’ said Peter. ‘Let’s go, Joan. Mandy?’

‘We can’t just abandon Renzo,’ she objected. ‘He knows what he’s doing.’

‘He might, but Henry doesn’t. Joan-’

‘Yes, I think I’ll go too.’

‘Mandy?’

‘I’m staying here,’ she insisted. For her, there was no real decision to be made.

‘OK. See you around.’

In moments the others had uncoupled themselves from her and hurried away. Up ahead, Mandy could see Henry beginning to ski down until he reached Renzo. Even at this distance she could tell that he was on a ‘high’.

She began to move up to join them, arriving just in time to hear Henry say, ‘You’ve got no sense of fun, man.’

‘The thing about fun is that you need to be alive to enjoy it,’ Renzo said, quietly firm. ‘Now shut up and come down with us.’

Henry made a face behind his back, looking to Mandy for silent support. But she shook her head. He glared and when Renzo tried to hook him up to the rope that would connect them he backed off hurriedly.

‘No way. I’ll go down but I’m damned if I’m going to be tied to you.’

‘Stop fooling about,’ Renzo demanded.

‘I mean it. Just keep away from me.’ He said the last words on a shout, skiing away fast.

‘Let’s go,’ Renzo muttered.

He connected her to the rope and they began the descent. Mandy heard the swift rushing noise of the skis on the snow. The sound seemed to build up in her ears, growing more ominous until she realized that she was listening to something different-something terrifying. The snow was moving.

Suddenly the movement was everywhere-behind her, beside her, around her, growing louder.

‘Renzo!’ she shrieked.

‘We must get ahead of it,’ he shouted. ‘Quick as you can! Don’t do that !’

The shout was jerked from him as she glanced over her shoulder and saw the snow sweeping down on them, faster every moment, thundering, threatening. She knew in that instant that they would never escape it, but she skied on, still roped to Renzo, feeling him draw her forwards in a frantic attempt to outrun the danger.

Then thought stopped, sensations ceased to be separate and blended into one storm of fear and horror. The whole world was white, above and below her, behind and in front. Nothing but white existed. Nothing ever had or ever would again.

She didn’t see the wall that loomed up behind the white, didn’t know it was there until she slammed into it. Her skis hit first, saving her from some of the impact. Even so, she was left breathless and half stunned. A scream of fear and dread broke from her and she looked around frantically.

‘Renzo! Renzo! Where are you ?’

‘Here.’ His voice reached her from a few inches away but she couldn’t see him underneath the snow.

‘Where are you? Oh, God!’

To her desperate relief, she felt his hand groping out of the snow to touch hers, seize it firmly.

‘It’s all right,’ he said hoarsely. ‘Don’t panic, we’re at the hut I showed you. If we can get inside, we’ll be safe. Try to move towards me.’

It was hard to move with her skis impeding her but, with him drawing her towards him, she finally managed it, parting the snow until she could just see him.

‘The door’s just to my left,’ he said. ‘Let’s hope it isn’t locked.’

For once, luck was with them. After rattling the door for a moment, Renzo managed to get it open, but at once snow began to pour in through the gap.

‘We have to get in fast,’ he said, almost dragging her sideways and through the door. ‘Push!’ he yelled.

Together they shoved hard, pushing the door closed with agonizing slowness, forcing the threatening snow back and back until they had defeated it, at least for the moment.

‘Thank God!’ he gasped. ‘It’s a heavy door. It should hold.’

‘Does that mean we’re safe?’

‘Of course we are. We can hole up here until they find us, which shouldn’t be long.’

As he spoke he gave her a bright smile, and its very cheerfulness told her that he didn’t believe a word he was saying. They were trapped, perhaps for days, perhaps for ever.

But this wasn’t the time for talk. There was too much to be done.

‘Let’s get these awkward things off,’ he said, beginning to pull at his skis. ‘Mandy? What’s the matter?’

‘Just a minute,’ she choked. ‘I just-’

‘Here, sit down,’ he said, guiding her to a sofa, making her sit down and kneeling to remove her skis. Then he sat beside her and put his arm around her. ‘All right, give yourself time.’

She was shaking violently, tears pouring down her face.

‘They’re dead,’ she cried. ‘They must be dead-Joan and Peter, Henry-they’re out in the open-they must be swept away-’

‘We don’t know that,’ he tried to soothe her. ‘Mandy, Mandy-’

Renzo pulled her against himself in a big hug, then rocked back and forth, murmuring soothing words and stroking her hair. But nothing could stop the tears. Submerged in agony, she flailed her arms, thumping him fiercely.

‘They’re dead-they’re dead-’ she screamed. ‘Let me go.’

Mandy was struggling to free herself, taking him by surprise so that she was out of his arms before he could stop her. Now she was running here and there in an agony of grief and guilt, colliding with walls, recoiling, running again she knew not where, anywhere if only she could flee the horror inside her head.

He reached for her but she evaded him, heading for a door that led she knew not where. In her blind urgency to escape, she flung it open, not hearing Renzo’s hoarse cry of, ‘No!’ and was halfway across the floor of the room before she realized that the far wall had completely vanished.