I glare at Lincoln. “What the fuck is she doing here?”
Lincoln glares back from the rearview mirror and cuts his eyes to Charlie, who gives him a defiant look.
“Told you he’d be pissed,” Trey singsongs from the passenger seat.
“You try reasoning with her then,” Lincoln bites out. “Because I couldn’t make her stubborn ass stay put short of locking her up.”
“I’m right here, assholes,” Charlie snarks. “My best friend is missing. I amnotsitting this out.” She folds her arms over her chest. “Take your alpha male bullshit somewhere else.”
Link and Trey exchange a look, and I sigh. “Fine. Whatever.”
“Where to?” Link asks.
“We were just talking about that. I think she’s trying to draw Dennis out.”
Charlie fidgets next to me, and I take her hand. I don’t want her here, but I can’t ignore her anxiety either. She’s my sister.
“So somewhere secluded?” Link surmises, and I nod. “How would Dennis know where she is?”
I glance at Michaels, and he looks away. “It’s a long story, but we know she’s being tracked,” I say. Michaels grimaces. “And I think she went back to the cabin.”
Link gives a tight nod. As he pulls away from the curb, the sky opens up and thick snowflakes drift down into the glow of the streetlights. A sense of foreboding settles in my stomach. I squeeze Charlie’s hand tightly, and I place my other hand on Michaels’s knee to stop it from bouncing.
It’s going to be a long drive.
Fiona
Brantley’s truckis a lot bigger than my little red BMW, and I have to adjust the seat to even reach the pedals properly. To make matters worse, it started snowing so hard that the white flakes streaking through the headlights are making me dizzy. So here I am, driving through a fucking blizzard, white knuckling the steering wheel, and trying not to have a full-blown panic attack.
Despite being relatively new, B’s truck has a CD player, and the only CD I could find was a compilation of REO Speedwagon’s greatest hits, which I would have found hilarious under different circumstances. Now, I’m kind of grateful for their breathy voices filling the cab. I’m wearing B’s leather jacket.
Yeah, I stole it, and it smells delicious.
I stole his phone too.
I texted Detective Lin this morning and told her I was meeting Dennis at the cabin. She promised to get in touch with her contacts in the US and coordinate an arrest, especially now that they can nail him for more than attempted assault.
Flurry’s streetlights appear ahead on the road, and I slow to a crawl as I drive through the sleepy town.
I know Dennis knows where I am. I can feel it. He’s probably already following me, so I just have to distract him long enough for the authorities to arrive, which shouldn’t be too hard considering this is about more than paying off his debts. I’m the object of his obsession.
I continue up the winding road, entering the Mount Baker wilderness again. Sadness aches in my chest when I think about coming back here without the guys. They’re going to be so angry when they wake up, but I can’t bring myself to care. I’m not letting them get hurt. I’m not worth it. If something happens to me, Seb and B can be together and run the Vancouver pub and live happily ever after. That’s all I want for them despite the bitterness that coats the back of my throat at the thought.
I know it’s not ideal, but being the selfless friend is my weird comfort play; it’s given me strength my whole life. I took care of my mom when she was too drunk to take care of herself, and I submitted to my creep of a stepfather so that she wouldn’t get hurt. I was Charlie’s support when her relationship with Link and Trey was rocky at best. And despite wanting every part of B, I always knew that half his heart would belong to hockey, and I accepted that. And Seb? Well, just showing him that he’s worth loving has consumed me. So this feels right—giving Dennis what he wants will protect everyone I love. I can admit that now. I do love them, wholeheartedly.
I turn into the driveway, the wheels crunching through inches of new snow, and come to a stop. I stare at the cabin, so quaint and quiet in the winter wilderness, this perfect place frozen in time that was just ours.
I climb out of the truck, my boots sinking into the soft white powder. It comes up above my ankles, and I give it a little kick with a gentle smile. Snow is a bit of a rarity in the Pacific Northwest, so I still get a little thrill when I see it coating the ground and trees like icing on a cake.
As I walk around the truck, I hear a clucking noise and am surprised to see Captain Jack bob his head out of the shed. He gives me an indignant squawk when I laugh.
“Hey, little guy,” I say quietly as I approach him, crouching low. He cocks his head, his beady black eyes judging me. “Don’t look at me like that. I can’t let them get hurt,” I say solemnly.
A chunk of snow falls next to him, and he flutters his wings and wanders back inside.
I stand back up and start to move toward the cabin but stop when I reach the steps, realizing that I can’t do this here. I can’t bring myself to taint this place, so instead, I turn around and trudge up the path toward the barn. Dawn is just starting to brighten the cloudy sky with bluish-gray light when I reach theclearing, but the structure’s silhouette is still dark in the shadow of the mountain.
When I open the door, it creaks ominously. I don’t bother to turn on any lights. I just breathe in the musty hay and pine permeating the air. I scan the space as my eyes adjust, and I notice the blankets that we left from our last visit. I walk over to the pile and grab one. Then, I sit down in front of the old heater and flick it on. The black coils flare to bright orange and a burning smell assaults my nostrils, but I let the heat soak into my body while I wait for the inevitable.
