“What happens now?” Joe finally asked.
“We wait for the storm to pass,” Nick said. “Then we get down the mountain.”
“What about . . . ” Brooke gestured toward the door. “Him.”
“We report it when we get back to town,” Gina said. “Tell them exactly what happened. It was self-defense, and then an accident.”
Kelsey let out a shaky laugh. “Self-defense. Right. We were forced to defend ourselves from a situation I created.”
“You saved our lives,” Nick said firmly. “Don’t forget that part.”
“Did I? Or did I just make everything worse?” Kelsey’s voice was getting higher, more unstable. “If I hadn’t been stealing files in the first place, none of this would’ve happened. I used Brooke’s training run as cover for my drop. I turned your legitimate trip into something dangerous.”
Gina wanted to be furious, wanted to scream at her for the lies and the danger. But all she saw was a woman shaking apart under the weight of her own bad choices.
“Kelsey,” Gina said gently. “Take a breath. You’re going into shock.”
“I’m fine,” Kelsey snapped, then immediately crumpled. “No, I’m not fine. I’m not fine at all. I’ve been lying to all of you for months, putting you all in danger because I was too scared to face the consequences of some stupid photos.”
“What exactly are those photos?” Brooke asked.
Kelsey wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Pictures I took in law school. Private pictures. I was dating this guy who said he loved me, and I trusted him. After we broke up, he kept them.”
Brooke shook her head. “A few romantic pictures? Who cares?”
“Not just that...other things. We did some stuff that was illegal. Things that could get me disbarred, maybe even arrested. Those were what I was most concerned about. Somehow, he connected with some people who decided they could use the photos to get me to do things for them. My guess is he sold the photos to them, and they took it from there.”
“That’s blackmail,” Joe said.
“I know what it is,” Kelsey said bitterly. “But I thought I could handle it. I thought if I just gave them what they wanted, they’d leave me alone. But after the first time, they just kept coming back, threatening me and telling me one more time and I’d be free. But I wasn’t.”
Gina studied her friend’s face. “What did they want you to steal?”
“Client files at first. Information about real estate deals, mineral rights, development projects. Nothing that seemed too important. But then the demands got bigger. More files, moresensitive information. And when I tried to stop, they threatened me.”
“You could have come to us,” Brooke said. “We would’ve helped you figure something out.”
“How? What could any of you have done? I’m a lawyer. My reputation is everything. If those photos got out, I’d lose everything I’ve worked for since I was eighteen. And now...” Her shoulders dropped.
The pain in Kelsey’s voice was raw. Gina felt a stab of sympathy for her friend, even though Kelsey’s choices had nearly gotten them all killed.
“So, you decided to steal from your clients instead,” Nick said. His tone wasn’t judgmental, just factual.
“I decided to protect my career the only way I knew how. And I told myself it wasn’t really hurting anyone. Just corporate information, big companies that would never even notice.”
“But it did hurt people,” Gina pointed out. “It hurt us.”
Kelsey nodded miserably. “I know. And I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life. Assuming we survive this storm.”
The wind gusted against the building, reminding them all that they weren’t safe yet. They were still miles from civilization, in a building that was partially damaged, with no way to communicate with the outside world.
“The storm has to pass eventually,” Joe said. “And then we can drive out.”
“Eventually,” Nick said. “When that is depends on how much snow we get and whether that road is passable.”
“What do you mean?” Brooke asked.
“I mean we might be stuck here for a while. I doubt the tree out there is the only one that the wind took out. Could be days before the road crews can get up here to clear the way.”
