Nick hated to think Brooke could be behind this, but he couldn’t deny the nagging feeling that her insisting bear spray was enough and he should leave his gun behind might mean something.
Bear spray. Each of them carried a canister, and Gina had mentioned she even had two. Nick had left his in the truck when he went out for the gear, figuring it wasn’t needed inside the abandoned hotel. Now he knew he was wrong. He stifled a sigh at the mistake.
“I’ll do what is necessary to keep my identity safe,” George admitted. “But right now, I’m still hoping my contact shows up—or steps up and admits who they are.” His gaze swept the room, resting on each person in turn. “That happens and this all works out cleanly. Maybe we can work something out.”
“What kind of something?”
George smiled. “Depends on what you’re willing to offer.”
Nick felt sick. The guy was enjoying this—the power of having five people completely at his mercy.
“We need water,” Gina said suddenly, standing up. “Nick, help me get some snow to melt.”
It was obviously an excuse to move around, but George just nodded. “Probably a good idea. Let’s all go outside and get some snow. Kelsey can get that fresh air she said she needed.”
“I don’t want to go outside.” Joe shook his head.
“Too bad.” George shrugged. “Bundle up, buttercup. Everyone goes outside, or no one goes outside. That’s how it’s going to be.” He touched the butt of the gun, still in the underarm holster.
Nick considered whether he could take the guy, pounce on him before he had a chance to react. George was shorter by aninch or two but weighed about the same as Nick did, though his pounds looked less like muscle and more like flab.
If he were alone, he’d do it. He’d take the risk and take the man down. But with the others there, he wasn’t sure. George might be a quick draw, and someone could get hurt.
His best option was to look for a better opportunity. Maybe bring Brooke and Gina into the fold and somehow tell them what he was planning.
Even with his cousin acting so strangely, he didn’t want to think she could be involved with this criminal. This killer. He wanted to believe the same thing about Gina, believe she was innocent.
A little voice nagged at him. Joe and Kelsey needed to know, too, but he wasn’t entirely sure he could trust them. Joe had been squirrelly all day, maybe because of the altitude sickness, but Nick couldn’t be certain. What if that was just an act and Joe was really the one George had come to meet?
And Kelsey wasn’t any less odd than Joe. She didn’t even have the excuse of the elevation, at least not with any symptoms Nick could see.
There was grumbling as everyone prepared to go outside. “Put your lighter layers back on,” Gina said, “the ones from the run. Keep the heavier coats inside to stay dry. We’ll need them when we come back in.”
George moved into his yellow raincoat but left the wet blanket behind.
Nick distributed the lighter jackets, his hand brushing Gina’s. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second.
He wanted it to be more. He needed a way to let her know what he was thinking. To tell her he intended to keep her safe. Keep Brooke safe. Kelsey and Joe, too, if possible.
But Brooke and Gina would be his primary focus. He had to believe his cousin wasn’t involved with this loser and that Ginawas innocent too. How could she not be? Whatever this guy wanted, it had nothing to do with them.
They stepped out of the front door, Nick holding it open as the others passed through. The wind still gusted, making things miserable, but the falling snow had stopped. Maybe the storm was finally blowing itself out. Maybe they could figure out a way to get out of this mess.
“He plans to kill us,” Gina said quietly as they walked toward the cars.
“Sounds like it.” Nick kept his voice low. “The question is when.”
“Probably as soon as he decides his contact isn’t coming.”
“Or as soon as the storm clears enough for him to leave.” Nick glanced back at George, who was watching them as they used the various containers to scrape snow from the hoods of the vehicles. “We need to do something, come up with a plan.”
“Like what?”
His bear spray was in his SUV. With the way George kept his coat unbuttoned so he could easily get to the pistol under his arm, he didn’t see any way to get the spray and deploy it without putting them all in danger. “I don’t know yet. But we can’t just wait for him to decide it’s time.”
Gina nodded, her jaw set with determination. “What do you need me to do?”
The question hit Nick harder than it should have. Here they were, facing a psychopath who was planning to murder them all, and Gina was asking what he needed her to do. Like she trusted him to come up with a plan. Like she believed he could actually protect her.
