by Katie Cross
“The mountain getaway continues to be wonderful,” I said, “and it's so lovely up here. I wish you could see it. I'll snap some pictures. There's a storm blowing in and it's just starting to snow.”
“Sounds magical. Is it that boyfriend of yours?”
Shock rendered me momentarily surprised. Had I mentioned Mark to her? Yes, but not with that word.
“Boyfriend?” I asked.
“The one that brought me the flowers a while ago. Oh, what's his name?” She tutted under her breath while my heart turned to ice. “Something with a J. He called to tell me happy birthday this morning. Wasn't that kind of him? Joe, was it?”
“Flowers?” I repeated needlessly.
“Jonathon?” she mused. “No, that's not quite it . . .”
“Joshua?”
“That's the one! Nice guy. Bit . . . unusual though. He said you met at work. Why haven't you mentioned him? Seemed pretty odd that he was all the way down in Florida, but I do appreciate the thought.”
My spine straightened with a snap. Joshua had visited my grandma. When? How? What . . . The questions filled my mind like a snowglobe. I had to force them to settle by taking a deep breath.
Was he trying to frighten me? Threaten me? What was his game? Why fly all the way to Florida from Cincinnati to talk to my grandma?
Unless that was how he found me.
My latest number with Mark hadn't received any calls or texts from Joshua or an unknown number, but that didn't mean he didn't have it. Could he track just a phone number? Locate me that way? Probably somehow . . .
“Grandma, Joshua is . . . he's not my boyfriend. He's . . . a delusional man that I used to work with.”
“What?”
The confusion in her voice cut at me. This is exactly what I wanted to spare her from. Following me was one thing, but my grandma? I licked my lips and fought for control.
“What did he say to you while he was there?” I asked instead.
Flustered now, she fumbled around. “Oh, we talked about you and your job and how much you love numbers and how you were taking a little sabbatical to be in the mountains for a bit. He helped me program your new number into my phone.”
My eyes closed. The sneaky, nasty devil. He must have been there days ago, got my number, and somehow tracked me here. He clearly had access to my clients' information. Had he known I was at Mark's? Made a wild guess, then confirmed it?
“I see,” I murmured.
“Stella Marie, is something wrong? Is he not your boyfriend?”
“No, grandma. Joshua is a sick man that's following me. I left my job to get away from him, in fact. It's why I'm in the mountains.”
“Oh, dear.” Horror filled her tone. “And he was here. I talked about you. Was that wrong? I didn't know, I—”
“Grandma, you did nothing wrong.”
“Are you safe, Stella Marie? Have you called the cops or—”
“Yes. Very safe. Mark, my real boyfriend, is here with me all the time. Where I am is safe and you don't have to worry about that. Has Joshua called or come back since his first visit?”
Dismissing the fact that I easily called Mark my boyfriend—and felt about ten years old for it—was easy. Mark was a natural part of my life now. Horrifying circumstances aside, I couldn't wait for him to meet grandma.
“No. I'm sorry I forgot to mention it to you,” Grandma said. “He came a week or so ago. Maybe more? It just . . . it slipped my mind. You know how things are slippery these days and—”
“You did great,” I said firmly. “Thank you for telling me now.”
“I'm worried about you, my girl.”
“No need!” I forced a bright tone. “I'm quite happy and safe, grandma. But thank you. How is the Bunco club?”
We moved onto safer topics while Atticus roamed the reeds along the lake edge at my back, caught a scent, and nosed his way into the trees. Grandma didn't recover her usual vivacity. I could feel the burden in her responses.
Silently, I cursed Joshua over and over again in my head. How dare he?
How dare he?
For the first time, I wanted to get my hands on his neck and have my own revenge. He'd intentionally frightened me both at work and here. He'd stalked me. Made my work life miserable, my home life frightening, and tried to get me to commit fraud. Now he wanted to clutch at whatever happiness I'd created without him.
My fingers were tight on the phone. My heart raced in my chest. We spoke for longer than usual as I tried to change topics and get the relief back in grandma's voice. By the end of our conversation, she sounded more reassured, but wary.
“You're really okay?” she asked.
“Really okay,” I murmured. Heat warmed my cheeks. “I love Mark, grandma. Really love him, like Mom and Dad loved each other.”
The truth thickened my throat, but not with fear this time. Mark had brought life back to my world. Light. Intensity. He splashed a palette of colors into a gray storybook. This was real life.
This was love.
The sound of a little yelp from Atticus drew me back to the present. I glanced behind me to see a quiet, tree-lined bank but nothing more. He often nosed himself into a bone he couldn't reach or something sharp.
“Well, I better get going,” I said as I tried to find Atty's dark coat amongst the shadows of the trees. The sound of Mark talking to Benjamin in the distance gave me a modicum of comfort, even though the quiet had become oddly quiet. Still, I couldn't wait for the day when all of this wasn't necessary. When I could just live and breathe and run without fear.
“Okay, Stella Marie.” Grandma sighed. “Well, send me a picture of this hunky Mark, please? And I'll let you know if I hear anything else from this Jonathon character.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too, grandma.”
Once the call ended, I pushed the phone back into my pocket. The cold seemed to drive into my bones as snow thickened in the air, falling in fat flakes that obscured the other side of the lake. A warm fire would feel most welcome right now. I couldn't wait to get back inside.
But first, I had to find Atticus again.
“She was a lovely woman, you know,” drawled a quiet voice just behind me.
My spine froze into icicles as I slowly spun around. Joshua stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets. A little wind stirred the golden hair on top of his head.
The past few weeks hadn't been kind to him. Stress had ravaged his face into gaunt lines and sallow skin. With no news from the company and no friends I could really poach updates from, I had no visibility into what had happened to him. Did the CEO find out about the federal investigation and fire him?
Had Joshua realized what I'd done and run away before things got ugly?
His brow furrowed into the same dark intensity that captured my attention at the grocery store. For some undeniable reason, I had the feeling that he expected me to pay for his sins, and I couldn't fathom why.
“You've been a most inconvenient woman for some time now,” he murmured. “I think it's time to stop playing chase.”
Too startled to respond, I could only stare as he closed the distance between us with a single step. He leaned forward, eyes alight with something sinister when he whispered. “So good to see you again, my love.”
Just as I gathered a scream, he grabbed my throat and shoved me down. My legs gave way under his bent knees as he pushed me into the lake. Cold water washed over my skin and through my hair. My chest bucked. My scalp prickled with the pain of such cold water sloshing all the way over my head. The freezing lake encompassed me with a belly-jerking shock.
I surfaced with a desperate gasp.
Then all went black.
26
Mark
A tingle had started in my neck.
While I toured Benjamin around the rental cabin, we discussed his use of it as an office to watch videos of his opponent. There were other cabins littered throughout the area that could
easily house him, but they'd need repair. The cobwebs didn't seem to bother him on first inspection, even though we'd get rid of those easily. Still, it highlighted the fact that we had improvements to do.
These were details I should have paid attention to before I toured him around.
My mind silently tallied the costs of updating the place. Justin would do the work in exchange for free rent, and the honor of dating my sister, but the supplies would cost. I shoved that aside. Investments, all of this. I'd figure it out if Benjamin did a down payment.
Snow collected rapidly in the air now when we started back to the kitchen, like sheets of fake snow in a globe. My breath frosted in front of me, collecting on a cloud before I walked through it. With a little shiver, I thought of snuggling Stella in front of the fire tonight. Suddenly, cold winter nights sounded like a dream.
“It has potential,” Benjamin said as he twisted around to look at the main camp area. “But I'm not really looking for a Rocky thing, you know? The benefits of altitude could be gained in Pineville just as easily, and without the drive or isolation.”
“The isolation is a problem?” I asked.
He frowned. “Only for one reason,” he muttered, but it didn't seem to be aimed at me, so I let it slide.
Something stopped me on the stoop of the kitchen. Mountain air was almost always calm during a snowstorm, but this felt markedly different. Deep in my gut, an unsettled feeling shook me up. I stopped to listen.
Benjamin paused behind me, one eyebrow cocked.
“You hear anything?” I asked.
He shook his head, hands stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans, but I felt his attention rise. No Atticus snuffling around. No sounds near the lake where Stella had gone. Trees obscured my view of the water, but I should be able to hear something. Besides, it was cold and getting colder. She wouldn't stay at the lake long.
“Just a sec,” I murmured, and took off toward the lake at a jog.
“Need any help?” he called.
“Stay there for just a second.”
The empty pier came into view less than a minute later and my stomach twisted with it. “Atticus? Stell?”
A quiet, wintry world replied. The lake was a clouded sheet of glass that reflected the low, tumultuous ceiling overhead. Snow collected in a ring at the edge of the lake. No tracks returned down the path to indicate she'd gone back to the cabin.
Something wasn't right.
“Hey, Ben!” I called.
“Yeah?”
“Check for Stella at the cabin?”
“Sure.”
While he took off, I stepped over to the bank. The rapidly gathering snow revealed two slight indentations of shoes, definitely too large to be Stella's, but with no clear destination. They stood there, facing the lake. Amidst them were several dog prints, tracks that meandered back and forth. Some slightly smudged, muddy dog paw prints decorated the planks on the pier, as if Atticus had been dorking around as usual. He certainly hadn't been barking at all.
I straightened.
“Atticus?”
A growl, then a bark, came from the ring of forest around the edge of the lake. With a muttered curse, I slipped into the trees, calling his name. Less than a minute later, I found him tied to a tree. He stumbled over a rope, his bark plaintive. The snow around him had been trampled in a circle. On the ground was a massive bone, like a cow joint. He alternately sniffed at it and tried to chew on the rope. A foul smell came from the greasy bone as I approached. Poison?
Whatever it was, Atticus didn't seem to have tried it.
“Bastard,” I hissed and kicked the bone out of Atticus's reach. We'd have to come get it later and destroy it, just in case.
If there had been any doubt whether Joshua had shown up, it was just erased. He'd probably lured Atticus with poisoned food and tied him up with the hopes he'd take it. Atticus whined as I untied him from the tree, but kept him on the rope. He wasn't trained for search-and-rescue, and would probably just mar any footprints I could track. Still, he had his uses. Together, we headed back to the bank.
By then, Benjamin jogged up. He shook his head.
“Not there.”
I yanked my phone out of my pocket and dialed Justin as I crouched next to Atticus. The strange smell emanating from the bone wasn't on Atticus's breath. He appeared normal as he pushed against me with a low whine.
Justin answered with a quick, “Hey Mark.”
“Joshua's here, and he's got Stell. I think he tried to poison Atticus, but I don't think Atticus took it. Get my dad and whatever officers you can and get up here now.”
“Where's Stella?”
My voice sounded grim when I muttered, “I don't know.” My gaze darted to Ben. “We're going to go find her now.”
Benjamin immediately nodded.
“On our way,” Justin said.
Justin hung up and I straightened. Something didn't look right here. It wasn't until a splash of out-of-place color caught my eye that I realized it.
“Son of a—”
Benjamin pointed across the lake, his eyes landing on the exact same thing as mine. “That canoe supposed to be there?”
“Definitely not,” I muttered. “You going to help me take this bastard down?”
Benjamin spread his arms. “Say when.”
Benjamin, Atticus, and I jogged along the perimeter of the lake. Snow fell in sheets now, occluding the view of the other side. Skirting some marshy areas, an arena where we did campfires in the summer, and thick bracken along the banks slowed us down. By the time I reached the canoe, at least twenty minutes had passed. Sweat ran down my back, staving off the cold.
The haunting silence of the mountains taunted me.
You're too late.
Joshua maybe had a twenty-minute head start at most. Benjamin and I could easily close that gap. He'd kept up with me so far. MMA fighter or not, living up here conditioned me far better for speed than he would be right now, but at least he wasn't a liability.
Carefully, I worked my way to the canoe through the reeds. Benjamin followed, not surprisingly agile amongst the slippery snow and bracken. The snow fell fast enough that any tracks were faint, but it was clear that two people had clambered out of the canoe. What appeared to be water droplets dotted some parts of the snow. Was Stella wet? Surely Joshua wouldn't be stupid enough to get in the lake.
Or would he?
No, that didn't make sense, but my dread tripled anyway.
“What's up?” Ben asked, puffing.
“I think he pushed her in the lake,” I murmured.
“What?”
I pointed to the water droplets. “This is water. See how the snow is gone? The holes in the snow, but not by the lake edge? Doesn't make sense. The paddle is in the canoe, so it's not splashing.”
“But why?”
“Silence her, probably. You didn't hear anything, did you?”
“Nope.”
“He got her out right under my nose somehow. She’d be too shocked from the cold to scream if he pushed her in, and it could happen quietly.”
Benjamin's expression darkened. If Joshua was dragging her into the forest after a plunge in the lake, she'd drop temperature fast. But if they moved quick enough to get away, it would hold off anything but mild hypothermia. Still, Stella wouldn't be comfortable. If she stayed out in this all night or they stopped too long?
This would get ugly.
I cleared those thoughts, blood soaring past my ears as I strained to hear any sort of struggle. Atticus waited with an impatient whine. I kept him on the rope at my side so he'd stay quiet and ready for when I needed him.
“C'mon,” I murmured quietly to Benjamin. “I see where their tracks are going.”
With Stella's life on the line, my thoughts slowed into an oddly even pace. Steady instead of wild. I thought clearly because at least Joshua had given me the advantage of home turf.
While I followed what I could see of a trail into the woods, my thoughts ran to
the forest behind the lake. Eventually, if Joshua cut to the northwest sharply enough, they'd run into the main road within a mile. But there was thick forest to work through, and gullies that wouldn't be easy in this snow. Visibility was obscured already, and if Stella was cold, she'd stumble. They wouldn't move as quickly as we could.
The likeliest scenario was that Joshua would get lost and they'd stumble around the woods until they both froze to death in the middle of the night. Unless he knew enough to head straight west or north. They'd eventually encounter the road or the river and the highway.
The urge to call out to Stella, let her know we were coming, came every five seconds. Instead, I kept quiet, prowling along their primitive trail. Enough snow had collected that they left clear tracks. Stella was still struggling.
“Struggle on, girl,” I murmured as we dove deeper into the forest.
27
Stella
My teeth chattered so hard against my gag I thought they would crack. There wasn't a lot I knew about hypothermia, but at least I knew that was a good sign. Despite being so cold I thought my bones would break in two, my mind was clear.
Joshua's grip on my upper arm was so tight it ached. The bandana he'd tied around my mouth was soaked now. The driving snow froze parts of it, so when my teeth crashed into it, it cracked with ice. My head throbbed. He'd walloped me across the face and stunned me into silence while he'd hauled me onto the pier, then into that wretched canoe beneath the dock. Should have sunk it while I sat there, talking to Grandma.
Had he just been lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to appear? Or was it sheer luck that that canoe was there? There was no way to tell.
Now, prickling pins moved all the way through my body. The wet water had already dried my hair into heavy chunks that were painful against my scalp. They felt like medusa snakes, crunchy and cold. Joshua dragged me behind him, my hands tied in front of me. My fingers were exposed to the air. I could only feel their painful edges now.
Maybe thirty minutes had passed since he hauled me out of the water, tied me into silence, and shoved me into that hidden canoe. Wisely, he'd already locked my hands before I got in the boat, so attempting to tip us over would have been my death. But that didn't mean I went quietly, attempting to leave as obvious a trail as possible as we flailed around the forest.