“No.” What if he was at the wrong place? There was a chance he wasn’t even near her. If she’d entered the more forested part, there were so many trees to choose from. The panic was building in her chest again.
Trust God. He has a plan. You’ve done everything you can. Now it’s time to put yourself in God’s hands.
Ellie took a deep breath.
“Thank you, Michael,” she whispered.
He gave a humorless laugh. “Don’t thank me yet.”
“Thank you for being here for—”
Thump. Something hit her boot.
“That’s it,” she cried. “You hit my foot.”
“Oh, thank you, God,” whispered Michael. His voice held so much relief that she could hear how scared he’d been. He had been holding it in for her, protecting her. A rush of warmth spread through her.
The pressure of the snow on her body was easing. She could feel the weight lifting as he dug out her legs and then her torso, searching for the outline of her body. He found her arm and then...
Michael’s voice came through the intercom. “What—”
And then he went silent.
“What—” The touch startled Michael, but he knew exactly who it was before he turned around. In his despair to locate Ellie, Aidan had fallen from the top of his mind. But their trail was too clear for the man not to find them, and Michael had felt the desperation, the determination in the way Aidan had fought him on the road at the scene of the crash. Ellie’s brother-in-law was going to do whatever it took to get his way. His initial assessment had been right: this was a man who wouldn’t hesitate to harm or kill someone. And right now, that someone was Michael.
He turned to face his attacker. Aidan had tossed his helmet off to the side, and his snarl of anger was mixed with a hint of smug satisfaction. It was the look of someone whose long-awaited victory had just arrived. Michael glanced down and saw where his confidence was coming from. Aidan’s gun was pointed straight at him.
“This is perfect,” the man gloated. “I couldn’t have planned this better myself. It would’ve been a risk to kill you back at the house or on the road, but here?”
A gust of wind found its way down the back of Michael’s neck. He had to get Aidan away from Ellie.
“Some animal will find you long before anyone else does and, by spring, there won’t be anything left. Even if Ellie survives and finds her way back here, she won’t stand a chance of convincing everyone that I had anything to do with your death. It’ll be my word against hers. And who do you think people will believe? The businessman who has brought tax dollars to the area for the last twenty years, or the hysterical claims of a widow who barely sets foot in this county? I think I’ll take those odds.”
His words sent a chill through Michael. This man had thought it all through, and he didn’t show any hesitancy to kill. They were right next to Ellie, still buried in the snow. Ellie, whom Aidan was planning to manipulate for the rest of her life—or until he found a way to take control of her share of the business. Michael wasn’t going to let that happen. He needed a plan. In the meantime, he needed to keep this man talking and distance him from Ellie. He could just barely hear Aidan through his helmet, but there was no way he was going to take it off while the man was waving a gun around.
Michael put his hands up and took a step back, shuffling a bit to the side. The gun followed him.
“You are going to kill me and destroy your sister-in-law’s life for your business?” he called to be heard through the helmet. Michael shifted again.
“Our whole life will collapse if we don’t go forward,” he said desperately. “The payments are piling up from the last project, and if we don’t start with a new investment soon, we’ll default on our loans. We’ll lose everything, and that includes Elizabeth’s Tahoe house, mine, my parents’. She’s going to take us all down.”
Another sharp gust of wind blew from the side and Michael pretended to stumble from its strength, moving farther away from Ellie. Out of the corner of his eye he caught her struggling out from under the snow.
“And if Elizabeth agrees to your terms, how can you assure her that she’ll be safe in the future?” Michael asked.
“I have no reason to harm her if she complies,” he said. Michael didn’t know if he was telling the truth. “Unless she decides to go to the police. I’ll hear about it right away.”
That idea sent another chill through Michael. Ellie had been right when she’d said Aidan had friends on the force, people who would be loyal to him. If Aidan was willing to take such a risk, there must be some truth in it.
Michael saw Ellie tug her helmet off and gasp for breath. Relief coursed through him. She was free, and Michael had led Aidan away, step by step, so they were now a few yards from her. All she had to do was to grab the sheet of Plexiglas and start down the mountain. Chances were good that Aidan wouldn’t hear her over the wind—not when the man was focused on Michael.
Get out of here, he silently begged her.
She didn’t. Instead, she turned in his direction. Michael’s stomach clenched and he saw her mouth set in a grim line of determination. She was going to get involved in this. Michael gritted his teeth, biting back the strong urge to warn her to flee.
“She’ll need more than just your word as a guarantee,” he said, keeping his eyes on Aidan.
“She’s not in a position to negotiate. And neither are you.”
Ellie was on her feet quicker than he would have guessed. As she stepped up behind Aidan, all of Michael’s fears jumped to life.
“I’m right here, Aidan,” she said.
As Aidan turned, Michael veered to the side. This was his chance. He grabbed the man’s hand, pulling it toward the sky, but his glove made it impossible to wrench the weapon out of Aidan’s grip. From behind, Ellie kicked Aidan in the knees and he collapsed forward. The gun went off, a deafening boom masking the howl of the wind.
“Are you hit?” Ellie yelled.
“No. You?”
“No.”
“Grab your sled and let’s get out of here,” she shouted.
Michael glanced one more time at Aidan, struggling facedown in the snow. The gun was still somewhere with him, but Ellie was waiting. She held out the front piece of the snowmobile and, from the look on her face, she wasn’t leaving without him this time. Did he struggle with Aidan for the gun, knowing Ellie would wait for him, risking another shot?
No. Not again.
He took the makeshift sled from her hand, hopped on it, and started down the mountain into the dark forest. As they descended, he heard a shot. Another one. Then a burning sensation pierced his side.
