“What is she talking about?” Garrett asked Aidan.
Frustration bubbled inside her. How could this man turn to Aidan for an explanation instead of her?
Aidan tilted his head a little, giving her a patronizing smile, then turned to Garrett. “Can I have a word with you in private?”
“Of course.”
Of course? Ellie’s heart rate kicked up even further as she watched them both turn their backs on her. She could see how effective Aidan’s strategy was, hinging on the trust of a personal relationship and probably the man’s subtle instinct that she was less reliable. He was going to distract and mislead, and bury this long enough for Michael not to survive. It was so unjust that her growing frustration threatened to overwhelm her. The only thing stopping her from yelling was that it would almost certainly be one step backward from saving Michael. Ellie tamped down her anger and focused on getting both officers’ attention.
“Officer Garrett, Officer Renee, Aidan is going to tell you that I’m delusional, that the death of my husband is making me unstable. He’s been pursuing me all day long, and he’s trying to silence me.”
Even as she spoke, she could hear she was losing ground with the officers, not gaining. Especially since she’d approached them with Aidan at her side. To their ears, this might sound like their definition of crazy. Even yesterday, she never would have thought all that had taken place today was possible.
“Please, Officers,” she said, trying to calm her voice. “I’m speaking the truth, but you don’t even have to believe me. All I’m asking is for you to send a team into the mountains. There’s a man up there who needs a rescue team. Please. Send someone to help him.”
Garrett gave her a patronizing smile. “Of course we’ll investigate this. Right now, we need to direct traffic, but when the storms over, we’ll—”
“He doesn’t have that kind of time,” she snapped and then turned to the woman. “Please, Officer. Just call this in. Send someone up there.”
The woman looked uncertainly from Ellie to Aidan to Garrett, as if she wasn’t sure what to do next.
“She’s a little out of sorts, but that’s understandable,” said Aidan, giving her a smile masked as kindness. “It’s been a rough day. Perhaps if she warms up a little, that will help things?”
Ellie felt as though she were sinking in quicksand. The more she struggled, the more entangled she became in this quagmire Aidan had set for her. That was why he’d so confidently walked toward the police, despite the fact that he’d just shot a man. He’d known he could do this. Had he done something similar before? That thought sent yet another chill through her. She couldn’t give up.
“Why don’t we call another squad car to take you back to the station?” said Garrett.
The man put his hand on her shoulder to lead her to the police car. She had the strong urge to shake off his arm, get away from him, but that would only mire her even deeper into the quicksand. She fought against the feeling of helplessness.
As Garrett opened the door, Aidan’s voice came from behind her. “Thank you for understanding. I’ll call my foreman to pick me up.”
Ellie froze, her hand on the door. He was calling his foreman, one of the men who had come to Tang Ranch for her. Aidan wasn’t calling for a ride; he was calling for backup. Would they return to the mountain to find Michael? Ellie shivered and forced herself to climb into the car. The female police officer came to the door.
“Would you like some hot chocolate?” she asked quietly.
Ellie nodded. “Thank you.”
The woman unscrewed the cap of a thermos and gave her a sympathetic look, though it didn’t change the situation. Even if this woman believed her and wanted to help, she would be overruled by the guy who was in charge. Aidan’s friend.
The woman poured the steaming drink into the plastic mug, handed it to Ellie and walked away. Ellie sat in the police car, gulping the hot chocolate and trying to figure out what to do. Her fears had come true. No one had believed her—no one except Michael. And now Michael was somewhere on the mountain. Was he injured...or worse? Ellie didn’t want to consider that possibility. Especially since she was stuck there, waiting for Aidan’s henchman to come and the squad car Garrett had called to arrive—with officers who would take her back to the station while Michael was out somewhere on the mountain. No. She couldn’t sit and let this happen. She had gotten him into this mess and it was her responsibility to get him out.
The police car was parked at the T in the road. To the left was the road to town, the road the squad car would use to arrive and then take her back into town. It was where the two officers now stood, talking to Aidan. Straight ahead was the road that followed the mountainside. It wove back and forth, and eventually came up...somewhere. She didn’t know where, so that wasn’t a good option. The only direction that held any hope was behind her, the road to the resort. If Michael had somehow made it off the mountain, then maybe their original plan could work: connect there, lose Aidan in the anonymity of the hotel, and then, with the help of Michael’s friend, escape. And if Michael hadn’t made it? The image of him shivering in the cold was a punch in the gut. The pain was physical, and her whole body grew weak under her.
“You just met him this morning,” she whispered to herself. “You barely know him.”
But those last words didn’t feel right. She cared about him, much more than she would have thought possible after just one day... Wariness took over as these thoughts ran through her, thoughts she didn’t know what to do with. Because she wasn’t going to fall for Michael. She wasn’t capable of falling for anyone.
So Ellie pushed the thoughts out of her mind and refocused on her current situation. There must be a search and rescue team somewhere, or at least a snowmobile she could rent to search the place herself. The only hope of finding him was to follow the road. The problem was to leave the police car without anyone seeing her.
Ellie stared out the window at Aidan and the two officers, the three figures lit by the flashes of red and blue from the light bar on their car. They stood with their backs to her, about twenty feet away, talking in low voices. When Aidan turned to make a comment, she could see glimpses of that smile of his—confident and yet asking for sympathy. How many times had he done this, covered up his bad behavior with this friendly polish? She was not going to let him do it to her again.
The trick was to slip off quietly when they were turned away. She hadn’t been arrested, so there was no reason she couldn’t leave... Ellie took one more gulp of the hot chocolate, letting the liquid warm her insides and gathering her energy, then screwed on the lid.
She slid over to the driver’s seat on the far side of the car and reached for the door handle. Ducking down, she cracked open the door and slipped out into the night, staying low. Their voices were still quiet, and she hoped that meant they hadn’t seen the light from inside the vehicle. Gently, she closed the door and then ran as fast as she could for the curve in the road. Her boots clomped on the snow-covered pavement, and she tried to swallow back her gasping breaths.
“Elizabeth.” Aidan’s voice carried over the snowy road, but she didn’t turn around. Would the police follow her? She couldn’t rule it out. All she could do was look ahead and run.
Her legs felt heavy and clumsy as she made her way through the snow, and her boots slid under her feet, but she didn’t stop. She headed for the curve. Still no sound above her gasping for breath.
“Elizabeth. Come back here.”
As she rounded the first curve, Aidan’s voice grew quieter. She turned around for a last glimpse at the scene behind her. The two officers stood in the intersection, watching her. But halfway between the police car and her, Aidan was following on her heels.
Ellie’s heart stuttered in her chest. He was pursuing her, and all that stood between them was her endurance, which was already stretched thin. How far was the ski resort? Did she have the strength to make it to there on foot?
She would if there was any hope to help Michael. And the police weren’t following her, so she still had a chance. That thought gave her a little push as she ran into the night, along the empty stretch of road, trying not to look back again. As she passed the spot where she and Aidan had emerged from the mountain, a new thought occurred to her. Would he shoot her? So far, he had wanted her alive, but maybe he would do it and call it self-defense? It was hard to do that when you put a bullet through someone’s back, but sadly, it wouldn’t be the first time people bought that argument. Also, the police had just seen them together. Ellie hoped that would be enough to make Aidan think twice about shooting her.
The glow of the police lights faded, but ahead, in the distance, she heard the heavy hum of an engine. She came to another curve and, as she rounded it, white lights flashed in front of her. There was a mound of snow in the middle of the road, taller than she was, and two bulldozers slowly working to shovel it. The avalanche.
She ran toward it. One worker stood to the side of the frozen stream of snow, directing people through a walkie-talkie. As she approached, the man flagged her down.
“Hey. No crossing here until we clear the road.”
Ellie ignored him and started up the mound of chunky snow.
“Hey!” The man’s voice was sharper this time. “You’re not supposed to...”
The rest of his sentence, faded, drowned out by the bulldozer coming at her.
