No, there was more to it.
He wanted to help Ellie because he couldn’t bear the idea of her coming to harm, and the intensity of that want made the uneasy feeling worse.
Michael unzipped his jacket. The cold air burst in as he glanced at his left side. There was a hole in the fabric of his shirt and blood seeped through, bright and messy, an inch or two below his ribs. It seemed like the bullet had just grazed his side, but he couldn’t do too much investigating here, out in the cold. Living on a ranch meant he’d seen his fair share of blood, enough that he guessed he wasn’t in danger yet, despite the sharp pain that radiated from the wound. If he had any hope of finding Ellie, he needed to slow the bleeding as best he could. The hospital would have to come later.
He hadn’t had the time to grab the backpack from under the seat of the snowmobile, so he was stuck without the first-aid kit. Maybe his neck gaiter? It would definitely be tight enough to apply some pressure to his side...if he could fit it over his shoulders. He shrugged off the coat and steeled himself against the oncoming pain it would take to get his gaiter onto the wound.
Michael grabbed the stretchy material with his right hand, trying to keep his left side as still as possible, and stretched the fabric as far as it would go. He tugged it over his left shoulder farther, farther, until it trapped his left arm against his side. He wedged his left hand under the bottom of the gaiter and pushed it up. He ignored the new slice of pain as he strained against the material. Was he stuck? Finally, he freed his arm, and the gaiter hugged the side of his chest.
Now he needed to get the gaiter over his other shoulder. He gritted his teeth and used his left arm to pull it down. Each move tugged at his wound, but he pulled and shimmied it down and pulled again until, finally, he slipped his right arm out, leaving the material stretched across his chest. Michael moved experimentally. It helped a little. And that had to be enough for now. It was the best he could do.
A branch snapped and he whipped around, wincing at the sudden movement. The noise had come from the right, close by, but a sizeable boulder blocked his view. Michael took off his helmet and strained to see farther, but the forest was silent.
“Ellie?” he said warily.
No answer. He had to keep moving.
Michael slipped his arms back into his coat and zipped it, trying not to use his left arm, then climbed back onto the front plate from the snowmobile and pushed off.
The mountain was steep enough that he picked up speed right away. Each bump from the buried landscape was a jolt, and each jolt shot a new spike of pain through his side. His vision grew dark around the edges. Michael tried to absorb the pain, tried to keep going, but the farther he went, the harder it was to sit up. Maybe he’d underestimated his injury.
Still, he clung to the plastic edges of his makeshift sled, continuing down the mountain, trying to watch for trees and rocks by the light of the moon and snow, farther and farther, until he came to a stop on a trail. Michael looked up and down the open path. He knew this trail. He and Aman had used it as a launching point for backcountry skiing. It started at the ski resort and ended at a parking lot by the side of the road that led to town.
Michael looked up the gentle slope, the path that led toward the parking lot, then down in the direction of the ski resort. The blanket of snow was marred by meandering tracks, and they didn’t look human. There was no sign of Ellie...or of Aidan. That thought sent his heart pounding.
How far was he from the resort? He was getting weaker. Maybe his best chance was to get help from the resort...if he could make it that far.
“I won’t fail you, Ellie,” he said into the darkness of the night, as if speaking the words aloud would mean that God would hear him more clearly. As if it meant He would listen this time.
Michael turned his sled and pointed it toward the path. It was slow going compared to the mountain, but the smooth trail was a relief to his side.
But that relief was short-lived as the hairs on the back of Michael’s neck rose. He wasn’t alone—this time he was certain. He sensed someone. Something.
Michael turned, his torso complaining as he searched for movement. He saw nothing but snow. He thrust with his hands, gaining speed, peering into the darkness around him. His senses were on high alert. From below him, he heard a rustle, but the slope was too steep for him to go over the side of it. He pushed himself faster, searching the path in front of him for the glow of lights, but there was nothing. He was still miles from the ski resort.
A branch cracked somewhere below him, this time closer. Then he heard it: a low snort. It definitely wasn’t a person. This was something else, and it sounded like it was close. Like it was following him. Michael searched his surroundings for something to protect himself with, but all he saw above him were tall trees and endless layers of snow.
Please help me find a way out of this.
Another snort came from behind him. Michael whipped around and his heart jumped. In his wake was an enormous black bear, and it was heading straight for him. The animal’s head was low, its eyes fixed on Michael. It was stalking him.
TWELVE
“Where is Michael?” The question came out as her heart skittered in her chest. It was probably a tactical error, but Ellie didn’t care. She needed to know where he was.
“I shot him,” said Aidan so plainly and coldly. He stood above her on the snowbank, towering, his helmet under his arm. His cheeks were ruddy from exertion and the cold, and his hair was a slick, matted mess. There was no remorse in his voice, like he felt justified. Like Michael didn’t matter.
“You shot a man,” she said incredulously. “A person.”
“Self-defense. And if he doesn’t survive that?” Aidan shrugged, like it wasn’t his problem. Like he had already thought this through and forgiven himself.
“Is he still alive?” she asked. Her voice shook as she tried to tamp down the panic that was rising inside her. Please, not Michael, Lord, she silently begged. Not another senseless death. Not the man who had stayed by her side throughout the most frightening events she’d ever faced. Not the man who had opened up to her about his own loss. Not the person she could understand, connect with. The idea of losing him so soon after he’d entered her life was too much to process.
“I’m more curious to hear who Michael is,” Aidan said with a snarl. “You two seem quite close. Especially for such a recent widow.”
The sneer on his face was filled with anger and scorn. This man was even more dangerous and impulsive than she’d thought. Earlier, he’d had reasons to keep her alive, but those could flip at any minute. The more he found ways to fault her for his position, the less resistance he’d have to harming her. Ellie refused to tremble before this man, but she wasn’t stupid. He had a gun. He had been pursuing her all day and, in his own words, he would never stop.
Right now, she had a choice between a man who was threatening her and the police, who very well might not believe her. The flashing lights weren’t too far away, and the snow on the road could be measured in inches not feet. Ellie shuddered from the cold. If nothing else, the police had a warm, dry car. Maybe there was a chance that they’d send out a search and rescue team for Michael. This thought sparked a little burst of hope inside her. She had to find a way to talk Aidan down long enough to reach help. It was Michael’s only chance.
“I met Michael today,” she said. “He’s no one. Just a stranger that stepped in when I needed help.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Could he see on her face that this was both the truth and yet somehow a lie? There was something between them, something she had felt when he’d sat next to her at the fire tower. The connection felt nothing like friendship. She quickly pushed that dangerous thought away as she started down the road. Aidan quickly caught up with her.
He had pulled out his weapon. “I’ve been watching you,” he added. “But you already know that.”
Ellie stumbled as a sliver of a memory came back from the car ride home from the New Generation Construction meeting. Her phone. He had been using the location-sharing app on Sean’s old phone to track her, which she’d understood as he’d crept closer in her rearview mirror. Moments after that realization, she’d lost control of the car. That was why she’d left her phone in the vehicle when she’d run. But it hadn’t made a difference.
“I figured out why you ran down the mountain after you crashed your car,” he continued. “You were trying to get to this man. You have him wrapped around your finger, just like Sean.”
Ran down the mountain. The words rattled inside her, shaking out the memory of those moments after the car crash returned. Running through the snow, searching for someone who could help her, panic and confusion clouding her thoughts. She’d looked for a place to hide on the snow-covered mountainside, but Aidan had found her first and backed her into a cave. He’d yelled and lunged for her and then...everything was blank. She must have fallen, hit her head.
Ellie stared at him, stunned. Aidan had made her question her own mental state. Some part of her had wondered if his concern that she’d cause harm could be legitimate. But now that those last pieces of her memory had surfaced, she knew for sure that he had lied. What else would he do to get his way?
She forced herself to focus on what he’d just said to her. He was accusing her of manipulating both Michael and Sean—not good. He was going to jump to the worst possible conclusion no matter what she said. Aidan walked next to her, too close for comfort. She searched for a way to refocus him.
“What do you want from me?” she asked, trying to make herself sound conciliatory. “How do we end this?”
