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"Is he okay?" Penny asked, all serious now

"Yes, but he thinks they’re looking for Lily and I’ve got her right here"

"I can read between the lines on that one," she said "You’re worried his head isn’t in the ga too Go take care of our boy, I’ll handle things here"

On scene at the top, Aidan and Mitch peered over the edge and found the victim curled into the fetal position as the wind beat at her, her head and face covered by the hood of her thigh-length sweatshirt

Aidan’s gut tightened "Don’t move!" he yelled down, not at all sure she could hear the! Keep your head covered!"

There was some discussion with Incident Co for a rappel and rescue If so, they would have to pull back and wait out the stor with iaze "I’ down there either way," Aidan told hiave the go-ahead for the rescue--with the stipulation that they would be called back at a n of lightning Lightning would stop everything cold, as the guys up on the top, out in the open with the gear, would be in the direct line of danger

Not that it would stop Aidan, if it ca Lily off the face

Froood forty feet And down to the river was a hundred feet e boulders at the river’s shore, but they’d stick around in the event anyone hit the water

With the crew setting up the rigging, Aidan and Mitch pulled on their full-body harnesses in preparation to go over They checked each other’s gear and checked the rigging setup to make sure the anchor points--in this case three tall, sturdy cedars--were strong enough for the three ropes they needed

Aidan was in a huge hurry to get down there, but he still took the extra minute to double-and triple-check that all of the knots were properly tied and everything was correctly attached and tightened Then he peered over the edge again, unable to take his sights off the all-too-still figure curled forty feet below, not h to not be able to see clearly enough to identify or even catalog injuries, and that was the worst part His heart kicked hard, and though he was trained to stay calo out the

Given the go-ahead, Aidan and Mitch went over the edge together, Mitch on the left of the cliht Theywind trying to tear them from the mountain

They each landed lithely on their feet in the very small space on either side of their stuck climber, as still curled up on her side Aidan immediately crouched low, put a hand on her shoulder and she rolled to her back and opened her eyes

Only it wasn’t a she at all He was a kid, maybe twenty years old, lean and lanky

Mitch, crouched on the other side of the kid, aze

Not Lily Not even close

"Easy," Aidan said when the kid jerked in shock in the very tight space "We’ve got you, but no sudden movements What’s your name?"