Michael blew out a breath. He did understand. He had a family, too. A family he’d been taught from birth he needed to care for, to honor. A family that would give up everything for him. Parents who had made sacrifices for him. Michael bowed his head. He didn’t want this woman to get hurt. Michael searched for another solution, but his mind was hazy.
“Will you take me to the resort hotel?”
The woman hesitated then nodded.
Maybe he could find Aman. At least he could leave a message at the desk and borrow a snowmobile. Or send out some sort of search party.
“I’m Michael, by the way,” he said. “I’d shake your hand, but I’m trying not to move.”
“Cassie,” said the woman. “Still debating whether it’s nice to meet you.”
“Thank you for coming,” he said then quirked up the corners of his mouth. “It’s definitely nice to meet you.”
As Cassie smiled back, the conversation echoed in his mind, not so different from the one he’d had with Ellie this morning. How quickly he had gone from rescuing someone to needing rescue himself.
Cassie put on her helmet, gunned the engine and then started down the hill. They drove along the mountain through the snow, skirting the edge of the trail the avalanche had left behind.
As Michael clung to his rescuer, his mind drifted again to Ellie. It felt impossible that they had met this morning. Then again, today, the two of them had been through enough that he... Finishing that thought scared him. It would be disloyal to the woman he loved. His wife. The woman he had planned to spend the rest of his life with. The woman who was gone now. What would she say?
He knew what Sunny would say. She had told him her biggest hope was for him to live a full life, to work hard, to make his parents proud, and maybe even fall in love again. She’d wanted him to have all the things that they had wanted together. She’d said those words, but at the time he hadn’t been able to ever imagine life without Sunny, let alone wanting to spend it with someone else. But something had shifted in him today. He could feel new possibilities open inside him, though these feelings were too new for him to process.
Why now? Maybe he already knew the answer. He had lost so much. Every decision he’d made these last two years was to protect himself from more loss. Now here he was, facing danger after danger. But he didn’t have the urge to retreat the way he had for the last two years.
Snow whipped at his face as they drove down the mountain, skirting the edge of the avalanche trail. They passed downed trees and boulders that stuck out like icebergs until, finally, they reached the road. It was covered with the same coarse chunks of snow, which a large bulldozer was slowly moving off the road, down the hill.
They continued to descend, finding the last of the avalanche’s path, then turned uphill toward the resort. Michael could feel the exhaustion of the tumultuous day in his whole body as he held on to Cassie. How much longer could he stay upright? As long as it takes to make sure Ellie is safe.
The road was smoother and they zipped along as the lights from the resort came into sight. Finally. Cassie pulled the snowmobile up through a familiar circular driveway and, when she came to a stop, Michael climbed off and pulled off his helmet, wincing at the pain in his side.
She gave him a wary look. “You sure you don’t need help?”
“No, but thanks for everything you did for me. You saved my life.” People didn’t survive bear attacks. He had been blessed with her presence.
She smiled. “I guess I am glad I met you.”
Cassie waved and continued around the circular drive, down the road. Michael made his way to the building. The front doors slid open, letting out a tantalizingly warm burst of air. A faint hint of music played in the background. Michael raced toward the concierge desk. A woman wearing a long braid and a welcoming smile greeted him. But her smile faded as she took him in. Michael followed her gaze downward and registered what she was looking at. His white T-shirt was sticking out from under his coat and it was stained with blood. Quickly, he tried to tuck it into his pants, but it was too painful to move his torso.
“May I call our medical team for you?” she asked.
“Not now.” He waved off her comment. “My name is Michael. Did someone named Ellie leave a message for me? Striking red hair, freckles...”
The woman stared at him like she was debating whether to ignore his dismissal and call for help. She frowned and turned back to her computer. She tapped at the keys then opened the desk’s top drawer and sifted through papers as Michael’s heart pounded.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t see anything,” she said. “Do you have a room number? I can check there.”
Michael shook his head. Ellie was still out. He had to try to find her. “Is Aman Gupta working here tonight?”
“He usually gets off at seven, but he might still be here because of the road closure,” she said, “Let me check.”
The woman picked up the phone and Michael unzipped his jacket for a look at his wound, burning at his side. He cringed as he peered at the blood-soaked material. Not good. But he’d take care of it after he knew Ellie was safe. As he zipped up his jacket, the walkie-talkie on the desk crackled to life.
“Staff, we have a code 119 in the kitchen of La Cucina. I repeat, we have code 119 in the kitchen of La Cucina.”
Michael stared at the device on the desk. He had a bad, bad feeling about this.
“Where is La Cucina?” he asked.
The woman gave him skeptical look but, after a pause, she answered. “It’s straight back through the lodge, on the pedestrian walkway.”
“Thank you,” he said. “And if you find Aman, tell him Michael Tang is looking for him. It’s an emergency.”
The woman’s eyebrows shot up. “Sir?”
But Michael was already running for the back of the lobby. A tiny dog barked at him as he passed a couple sitting on the plush leather sofa in front of the fireplace. He raced across the carpet, down the steps and through the hallway, and then burst out the back doors of the lodge. The night was alive with the swirl of wind and snow. His side throbbed, and he was afraid to look at how much blood had leaked from his wound. He crossed a little plaza and then scanned the stores alongside the walkway in front of him, searching for the restaurant. Finally, he saw the La Cucina sign hanging from a storefront.
Michael dashed through the door and into the dining area. The room was still and quiet except for the accordion music playing in the background. No one was eating, and everyone was staring at him. Michael turned to the hostess.
“The 119. Where is it?” he asked.
The woman pointed to the double doors in back, which were flanked by two men and three women in chefs’ whites. One glanced through the window on one of the doors then turned back to him. Michael ran through the dining hall toward the doors.
“Get away from me.” The voice filtered through entry to the kitchen, and Michael’s heart stuttered in his chest. Ellie. She was here. She’s alive. And she was in trouble.
He ran through the doors and froze. Ellie and Aidan were in the rear of the space, and two staff members dressed in kitchen whites stood at a distance, behind one of the stainless steel counters, like they were unsure of the next move. They fled out the doors when Michael stepped in. Aidan had his back to Michael, and Ellie was swinging a frying pan at him. Michael ignored the searing in his side and sprinted across the room.
As Aidan turned around, Michael jumped on him. Aidan rammed him into the stainless-steel counter, sending a large bowl of lettuce skidding over the surface. It hit the floor and together they fell on top of it.
Michael’s side screamed with pain. He couldn’t take on this man like he had back in Ellie’s house. Not in this state. He was going to let her down, but he couldn’t bear that. He had made it this far—he couldn’t let his body give up now. The only hope was to distract Aidan long enough for her to escape.
