by K. L. Donn
“I’d appreciate that.”
“What happened to her, Sheriff?” Jess asked, worry obvious in her tone.
Gazing back down at his phone, he explained her situation. “You can’t tell anyone about this, Jess. And you stay away from this man until I know more about him. Understand?”
“You got it.” With that promise, she left. He was hopeful they’d know who Snow/Pepper was in a few days.
“Thanks for the help, John. I really appreciate it.”
“Sure. Anytime. We’ll give you a call when Jess finds him. Let me know if we can do anything else to help in the meantime.”
Shaking the man’s hand, Nick walked out the way he came. Seeing Jess back at the receptionist desk, she smiled, he nodded.
Taking one last look through the lobby, he tried memorizing as many faces as he could. Again, contemplating John’s decision to go global with his website and tourism and the impact it might have on their town given the types of crazies it brought around.
The pain etched on her face as Nick dismissed her pissed Ace right the fuck off. The man obviously had some manners to learn. The change in his cousin’s attitude was immediate, and without warning, he went from hot to cold.
Ace had a feeling that given Snow’s idea, Nick was worried about her leaving. About what she might already have versus what they wanted to give her. It wasn’t as though they’d talked about the three of them being anything more than friends. They’d rescued her; she felt grateful. The likelihood of a romantic relationship being born from their circumstances was slim to none.
While he might wish for more, pray she felt half of what he did, it was highly unlikely. Then again, he hadn’t given her the chance. They hadn’t done much of anything to show her that even if she had family, she also had them. So long as she wasn’t married or committed to another man, he didn’t think there was anything he wouldn’t do to convince her to stay. To give them a shot to prove she was everything they would ever need in the world. That she could trust them to be her everything.
After Nick had left, she’d gone to lay down while he combed the NCIC databases for more leads. Even though he’d searched throughout the country, there was always the possibility that she was from the United States. A stretch, maybe, but one worth exploring.
The sheer amount of missing and exploited women was mind boggling. Worrying. Humanity obviously had a whole in its midst. He had a hard time clicking on images that resembled her. Reading their stories of heartache and betrayal was disheartening.
Needing a break, he decided to check the forecast. They were supposed to get another major snow storm any day now. An estimated two feet of snow was to fall, and with a record-setting wind-chill headed their way, Ace decided to start chopping more wood even though Nick put a pretty decent dent in the stockpile. While he was at it, he checked the gas in the four-wheelers that were in the shed and then the generators. The very last thing they needed was to be caught with their pants down in a storm of that projected magnitude.
“Ace?” Her soft voice soothed his erratic heart.
Turning as he was about to head out the door, he responded, “Yeah, doll?” A worried look haunted her eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Big storm headed our way, just gonna make sure we’ve got wood and that everything’s in working order.” He smiled in the hopes of calming her.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” She stepped forward with eagerness.
Thinking about it, the dog’s whine from her feet rang a bell. “Could you check the cupboards? Make sure there are enough canned goods for a few days just in case the storm knocks out the generator. And double check Roxie’s food in the pantry?”
Smiling back at him, she seemed happy to do as he asked. “Sure. Anything else?”
“That’s it for now,” he told her, heading outside, Roxie darting through the door before he shut it. Taking off for the treeline, he could hear her yipping in excitement as she probably found a rabbit or squirrel to chase.
There was no doubt that with how severe the storm was going to be, that they would lose power, and the generator could only be used for so much time before it ran out of gas. They would have to close off part of the house and share the space in the living room with the large fireplace to stay warm.
He probably should have told her that. Prepared her. He wasn’t completely sure why he hadn’t. She and Nick had some talking to do it seemed, and he figured he’d leave it up to the other man. They had to start somewhere. If sleeping together didn’t open any doors, he didn’t think anything would.
Lifting the tarp off the wood, he was surprised at how little there was left. They went for a truckload only two weeks ago, and while they had the fire in Snow’s room going almost non-stop since she arrived, he didn’t think they’d used that much.
Pushing it out of his mind for now, he began chopping as much timber as he could. The work was tedious, and soon he found his mind wandering to another place. Another time.
“Ace,” Callia whispered my name like a promise. How I wanted to be her every promise. Except I couldn’t. She was but a dream; a wish in a sweet nightmare.
“Yeah, Cal?” I remember the pain in her eyes like a shimmer in a pond. There one second, gone the next.
“You’ll tell him, won’t you?” she begged, not for the first time.
I stared into her glazed eyes for what felt like forever. I could see the life dimming from her light blue orbs as her breathing became shallow.
“You’ll tell him yourself.” My tone was harsh. I wanted her to deal with him herself. He needed to hear the words from her, not me. I was her partner; it should be me in her place. I had nothing; she had everything.
“No,” she said softly, “I won’t. You know that. Please, Ace of base?” That fucking nickname. I hate it, have from the minute I met her. Now, though? I’d kill to hear it every day for the rest of my life.
“Fuck!” Her eyes narrowed at my use of the word. “Yeah, Cal, I’ll tell him.” I hated making that fucking promise.
“Thank you,” she whispered. A happy smile lighted her face as I watched her slowly give up the fight. Her chest had heaved in one last breath before she went slack in my arms.
“Your welcome, Cal.”
If I could kill that son of a bitch over again, I fucking would. Callia was young, married only six months before that day, and had found out she was pregnant a month ago. That promise she was begging me to keep was to tell her husband that she loved him, that she loved their child—a child he didn’t even know about yet—but she wouldn’t change a thing. She would come barging into this dilapidated hut again, as dumb as ever, and would save the little Afghani girl from her fate of being raped by a man three times her age.
The girl’s screams still echoed in his own head while they watched helplessly as she was dragged through her village and sold to a Taliban soldier by her father so his sons wouldn’t be recruited.
It was one thing I was never able to understand about these people. Their insistence that men were somehow superior to women.
If only they didn’t believe that, if only that man had treated his little girl like the treasure she was. If only… So many ifs… So many problems that I no longer cared to try and fix.
I gazed down at Callia’s lifeless body, a woman I’d trained with all through sniper school, through boot camp. They’d gone on more missions together than any other sniper team in the last ten years combined. She gave up her life to a culture that intrinsically believed she didn’t belong.
The decision to leave the Army after that hadn’t been easy on Ace. Seeing the knowing look in Callia’s husband’s eyes before a word had left his mouth broke something in him. He was never able to go back. He hadn’t healed.
Watching her husband break down in tears at the loss of not only his wife, but of his unexpected unborn child had cracked his heart in half. It wasn’t long after that, that he’d met Creed Black. The man had forced Ace to g
ive a damn again, to save the un-savable, to right his wrong.
Ace had missed Nick more than ever during that time and was tempted to go home more than once. Having to explain what had happened held him back. There were days where he still wasn’t sure he had made the right decision.
With so many variables and not enough good outcomes, he was always left feeling like half a man. Watching his friends find love over the last couple years caused him to begin wishing for more again.
After a lot of internal debate, he finally came home when Nick needed him most, even though the stubborn bastard would never admit it. His cousin loved being the sheriff of a small town, but after his father had fallen sick, Ace knew he had to step in and help the only family he had left.
Finally, he felt like he was in a place in life where things would come together. Fall into place if he had his way. Snow was part of that plan. All he had to do was get her keen on the idea of sticking around.
Chapter Four
“James!” she screamed over and over. He had to help her. To help them. “Hang on, Daddy, James is coming.” Her father was barely conscious. Her mother had been knocked out as soon as the truck hit her side of their small car.
“S’okay, Pepper,” her dad slurred, his eyes closing.
“Daddy?” With no answer, panic consumed Pepper’s veins. “Daddy, please don’t leave me,” she begged him.
They’d been on their way home from her first high school talent show. She was the youngest in the entire show at fourteen and had won. James couldn’t be there, he was a beat cop and worked the third shift, so she’d been talking to him as they drove home.
It was then that an out of control truck t-boned their small Honda Civic, hitting her mother in the passenger side. Glass flew everywhere, she screamed, and the blood…so much blood.
Now they were laying on the driver’s side, hanging by their seat belts, waiting for help to come. She had no idea what happened to the other driver or where he was. Sirens could be heard in the distance, but it made no difference, she feared her mother was gone, and her father might be soon behind.
“Daddy?” she called again quietly. Unable to move, her legs were trapped between the seats. His lack of answer scared her more than the pain she was feeling.
A rustling noise drew her attention towards the back window as a light shown in the dark vehicle. “Miss?” a voice called.
“I’m here!” she yelled back. “Please, you have to help my parents.”
“Pepper!” Finally, James was here. She just knew he would make everything fine again.
“Daddy, do you hear that? James is here.” Happy tears flowed down her face.
The quiet from the front seat was deafening.
Jolting awake as a loud crash sounded, she was out of breath and sweating. Tears streamed down her cheeks in rivulets as parts of her dream clashed for attention.
For a split moment, everything was clear. Then like smoke in the wind, it was gone.
Only one thought lingered.
Death.
She could see the accident as if she were back there. The pain of losing her parents took hold again. The pain from breaking both of her legs; it was there. A memory as fresh as if it had happened the day before. All the feelings she felt at fourteen, but nothing else. Her name, her parents’ names. It was all distorted as if she’d watched from afar.
Needing fresh air to deal with the new information she’d been given, she slipped from bed quietly. Sunlight streaming through the window told her she hadn’t been asleep for too long.
Ace and Nick were nowhere to be found as she made her way through the cabin. Hearing Roxie’s yipping from outside, she slipped on a pair of boots and a jacket Nick had found for her and followed the sound of wood being chopped.
The cold air blasted her face as soon as she stepped outside. It was breathtaking—literally—but nonetheless refreshing. With every invigorating inhale she took, she felt her body relax. Breathing in the mountain freshness did something for her. She felt alive. Maybe it was the higher altitude making her light-headed or having so much nature at her fingertips, but she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in the world.
As soon as the dog spotted her, she ran over, jumping around in excitement. Covered in snow, the animal danced at her feet.
Loud cursing drew their attention away from each other as Ace came walking around the front porch, carrying a large bundle of wood. With no shirt on. Sweat glistened on his skin, reflected by the sunshine. He glowed.
Before he noticed her, she drank in as much of his muscled and tattooed form as she could. His left arm was covered in a sleeve of multiple tattoos, crosses, rose petals, and brothers-in-arms. They showed that he was a man of passion. The constant flexing and rippling of muscles had an involuntary moan passing her lips before she could stop it.
Ace stopped in his tracks, slowly looking up towards her. She was sure he saw the heat in her eyes. The craving to feel something. Her body did funny things when she was around him and his cousin. She craved their searing touch. Their heat melting her into oblivion.
His eyes spoke of the same want. While his entire body was frozen, his erratic heartbeat could not be faked as she watched it pound against his chest.
“Hi,” she finally whispered, giving him a little wave.
Clearing his throat, he began to slowly walk forward again, not taking his eyes off of her. Once up the porch steps, he lay the wood in his arms in a pile by the door. Stalking towards her like a predator on the move, she back-stepped until her shoulders hit the wall. His chest nearly rubbing against her own made her wish she were as naked as he was. The need to feel his skin on her own was so strong.
“Hi,” he grunted, sounding animalistic. “What are you doing out here?” His voice projected an angry vibe, but the look in his eyes spoke of his controlled hunger.
For her.
“I had a dream,” she rushed out.
His big body moved closer. “About what?”
She felt…protected.
“My parents.” Breathless, she tried to concentrate. “I think.”
She watched in fascination as his eyes hooded and a bubble of lust surrounded them. What she had to say shouldn’t bring out this need in either of them, yet neither had any control.
“Tell me about it,” he demanded in a low voice, once again moving more carefully into her space.
She was completely boxed in by his body as she told him, “There was an accident. They died.” Her words were blunt as she muttered them.
When his hands came up to frame her face, she hadn’t realized tears began flowing as soon as she said the words. The constriction in her chest spoke of the pain she was feeling at having lost them all over again. She may not remember the accident itself, or the events leading up to it, but the anguish was no less real.
The floodgates opened as soon as he pulled her to his chest. She didn’t want this memory back, she wanted a good one. One that made her happy. One that would help her remember who she was.
“I don’t want this,” she sobbed into Ace’s chest.
“I know, baby.” He kissed her head lightly and neither said anything after that. Words weren’t needed for the agony as it ran in rivulets through her body, leaving scars. Making the pain even more magnified.
She wasn’t sure how long he stood there holding her as the tears flowed when she was shifted into another set of arms that easily lifted her shivering form into them. Warmth exuded from Nick as he carried her inside.
Sitting on the couch, he shifted slightly, so she was sitting fully in his lap. “Talk to me,” he commanded in a soft tone.
His woodsy scent wrapped around her in a comforting embrace as she told him about what she remembered from her dream. Her parents dying in front of her, the pain that emulated like it had just occurred.
All the while, he held her, soothed her tears. He absorbed as much of her suffering as he could through simple touches as he helped her remove her coat and Ace slipped o
ff her boots.
“Would you like to know what I found out at the lodge?” Nick asked her, eagerness in his eyes. After nodding her head, he told them, “First off, you need to know this lodge comfortably accommodates about three hundred guests at a time.”
“Okay,” she said, confused about where he was going with it.
“It’s not much, but,” the look he gave Ace said it might be more than that, “your name is Pepper.”
She waited for the punch line. The name meant nothing to her. It should. And he obviously thought it would.
“Okay.” What was she supposed to say?
“No memory of it?” he asked her, sincerely hoping it would trigger something.
“Nothing.”
“They didn’t know her last name?” Ace finally spoke up.
“Jess remembered her; they had talked a couple times. But no, nothing else. She’s searching through every guest’s name now, as well as going through the camera feeds. She couldn’t remember the man’s name that Pepper was with, only that they checked in under his name.”
“That’s something, I guess.” Ace was clearly contemplating the lack of information.
Pepper.
Pepper.
Pepper.
She kept repeating the name in her head in the hopes of remembering who she was. Why she was there, and most importantly, who she was with.
Nothing came.
It meant nothing to her other than: “I was named after a spice?”
Both men looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. She should be focused on the fact they had, at least, gotten some information, but instead, they understood focusing on something trivial was keeping her from falling apart.
They had a big, fat zero where their info was concerned. To Snow, she was still no one. A nameless face in the big bad world. How was she supposed to be happy about that? What if she never remembered who she was or where she was from?
“I need air,” she choked out, climbing from Nick’s lap. His warmth and comfort escaped her immediately as she was once again assaulted by the fresh mountain air. Only this time, she couldn’t enjoy it as she had before. She was so lost. Alone, yet not. Her biggest fear was never knowing who she was.