Page 22 of Abdominal Snowman

Dipping his head at her, Soren hummed. “I suppose that’s true. What’s your first question?”

“It remains the same. What are you?” she asked, heart pounding.

Soren arched a brow and stuck a hand in his back pocket. “If I answer, what are you going to do with the information?”

“What do you mean?” she countered, playing dumb.

“I mean, when are you going to call the cops and try to tell them I’m a monster?”

Sage crossed her arms. She’d already decided against that. “Doing that would make me the monster.”

Sure, Sage was a reporter and this was a great story.

Too bad she didn’t have a job at a newspaper to print the great story.

Suck it, Dick.

“I want these answers for myself,” she answered honestly. “I’m a reporter.”

His lips tightened at that information.

“So I’m naturally curious. But… I would rather discover the information myself, from you. I want answers, and there’s nothing more rewarding than finding them myself.” She shrugged and turned her face away to hide her flushing cheeks. “Besides, I have a feeling you’d be long gone by the time they got here.”

“Well, at least you’re just nosy and not conniving,” he drawled.

Lifting his hand from his back pocket, Soren revealed her phone and slid it across the countertop.

“Someone named Gabi has been blowing you up. I think you should give her a call back. I will still have answers later.” He coughed into his hand, a faint blush rising on his cheeks. “And you should stay here. At least until the storm blows over.” The affronting storm rattled the windows at that exact moment, driving his point home.

Sage nodded, her heart racing as she left her post by the door to retrieve her phone. As she did so, Soren tried to walk past her, but she grabbed his arm.

She almost gasped aloud at how warm he was, and he seemed just as shocked at her touch as she was at her bravery. “You promise to answer my questions later, right?”

Her heart pounded and her breath was shallow as she waited for his answer. Sage didn’t remove her hand, and she watched him swallow, study her some more, and finally, nod. “My word,” he vowed. “Over dinner?”

“Like a date?” she blurted, and then dropped her hand from his arm to cover her mouth. She hadn’t meant it like that, her brain-to-mouth filter had just lapsed for a split second.

Red stained his cheeks, and Sage imagined hers were a similar color.

“Never mind,” she said quickly, talking over any response Soren could have had. “Just a joke. Ha-ha tourist dating the local mountain… monster.” She cleared her throat. “I’m going to call Gabi.”

Shaking her head, Sage turned and left the kitchen as quickly as possible. Soren didn’t call out to her or try to stop her, and she didn’t pause until she was upstairs in the loft bedroom like it was her own man cave to hide in.

Sage heard the kitchen door shut and raced to the window on the far wall. Sure enough, Soren’s tall figure left footprints in the snow as he walked to the garage and shut himself inside.

Sage sighed and turned, letting her back hit the wall and sliding down below the window to… process.

Sage was seconds away from spiraling when a buzz vibrated the floor next to her feet. Popping her head up, Sage saw her phone glowing and grabbed the device.

“Gabi!” she greeted a little too enthusiastically. Her friend was quiet for a split second before her voice came through the line.

“Are you okay?”

Gabi’s tone was more serious than she’d ever heard it, and Sage paused. “I’m okay.”

Physically? Sure. Mentally? She’d check in later.

“Good. Now where the hell have you been for the last thirty-six hours?” Gabi snapped. “I have been calling and texting and imagining the worst. What the hell?”