At Any Cost

by Mandy Baxter

  The bastard had the good sense to pull back on his cocky attitude. He flicked the butt of his cigarette to the ground. “It’s not me that’s talkin’,” Sawyer said with a nervous wobble to the words. “It’s not even anyone in the MC. Some cocky shit who slings for one of Mendoza’s distributors said he heard you were lookin’ for your old lady. That maybe she has something you want. Maybe something she took. You know how rumors spread.”

  Joel did know how rumors spread. He’d counted on word of mouth to find Kari. What he hadn’t counted on was the speculation that hit too close to home for his peace of fucking mind. Which meant that someone in his own club might have been flapping their lips when they shouldn’t have. When Joel figured out who the sorry bastard was, he’d kill him with his bare hands. “Well, whoever the hell he is, he’s wrong.”

  “She must be some piece of ass for you to go to so much trouble to get her back,” Sawyer pointed out. “Plenty of pussy around that you don’t have to chase after if you know what I mean.”

  Joel fixed Sawyer with a caustic stare. He took a nervous step backward, and then another. Joel’s temper got the better of him more times than not. And violence went hand in hand with his hotheaded nature. Sawyer was wise to keep his distance. One more word, and Joel was going to beat the ever-living fuck out of him.

  “Who I want and why I want her is none of your—or anyone else’s—fucking business,” Joel barked. “So unless you know where she is and are looking for that five-k reward, keep your goddamned mouth shut about her. Feel me?”

  Sawyer gave a stiff nod of his head. He raked his fingers through his graying hair and let out a slow breath. “It’s not me you’ve gotta worry about, man. It’s Mendoza.”

  And didn’t he fucking know it.

  “As soon as the heat from the feds is off of me, I’m outta here,” Joel said. “I’ll be across the border and taking care of Mendoza’s operation from the other side.”

  Sawyer didn’t miss the inflection in Joel’s tone. That’s right, motherfucker, as soon as I’m set up in Mexico, you won’t be shit with the cartel. “No one’s trying to step on your toes,” he replied. “We’re all the same club. What’s good for one charter is good for another.”

  Sawyer could take all of that brotherhood bullshit and shove it up his ass. Joel was in it for the money, plain and simple. And he wanted as much of it as he could get his hands on.

  “Let Mendoza know that we’re ready for the shipment,” Joel said. “And tell him I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Sawyer took the cue that their conversation was over. He straddled his bike and the engine roared to life. “I’ll let him know,” Sawyer called over the rumble of the pipes. “In the meantime, if anyone gets a bead on your old lady, we’ll let you know.”

  He gave Joel a knowing look as he pulled out of the turnout and back onto the highway. Cowardly piece of shit. He wouldn’t have dared to bring Kari up again if he hadn’t been about to drive off.

  “He’s bound to cause trouble if he doesn’t shut his mouth,” Shorty said from behind him.

  For the most part, the VP had kept quiet during their meeting. One of the reasons he was Joel’s right hand. “He thinks he can run Mendoza’s distribution operation,” Joel replied without turning to face the other man. “Heat’s on me, so he’s tryin’ to move in.”

  “Won’t be for long, though.” Shorty’s bike creaked with his weight.

  Joel sure as hell hoped so. He’d been looking for Kari for a long damned time. She was the key to reclaiming his freedom. Finding her would secure his future. Without her, his life would be shit and he wasn’t willing to live another day like he had over the past four years.

  “Maybe.” Joel wasn’t as optimistic as Shorty. Especially since the bitch had become a ghost. Not a damned trace of her anywhere. And the bounty he’d put on her wasn’t a small one. Five thousand dollars was a lot of money just for information. If anybody connected to any of the MCs on the West Coast had seen her, he’d know about it by now. Had she moved to Siberia or some shit? The South fucking Pole? With every passing day, Joel grew more anxious about finding her. As the weeks turned to months, his temper mounted. The longer she stayed in hiding, the worse it would be for her.

  When Joel found her, she was going to pay for every single day of it.

  * * *

  The drive to Brundage Mountain Ski Area was a harrowing one. The narrow, winding, snow-covered road went on for about ten endless miles before dumping Nick at the base of the mountain and a gaping parking lot. After last night, his surveillance of Livy made Nick feel dirty. As though he was no longer keeping tabs on her in a professional capacity. After you’ve shared a pizza and casual conversation with a lead, it felt more like stalking than surveillance. Especially when the lead was drop-dead gorgeous, quirky, funny, and made his stomach tie up into an unyielding knot.

  Something didn’t add up. He’d known it from the moment he laid eyes on her. Joel Meecum was forty-eight and about as rough as a backcountry dirt road. The man was a violent sociopath and likewise, he associated with the sort of people who fit the bill. Livy didn’t strike Nick as the type of woman who’d be caught in the same room with a bunch of violent bikers, let alone one who’d date one.

  Could their intel have been wrong?

  So far, Livy had given away nothing that might indicate she had anything to hide. She followed a strict routine, though. Left for work and came home at almost the exact same time every day. She’d spent her days off at her house. In fact, aside from work and the grocery store, Nick had yet to see her venture out. He’d been in her house three more times in the past week and her cell hadn’t rung once. Not even a text message. Her guarded behavior and lack of any friends, family, or other personal interactions threw up a red flag.

  She had secrets and Nick wouldn’t stop digging until he uncovered them.

  He drove past the lower parking lot at the base of the mountain and headed farther up the road to park closer to the lodge. He killed the engine of the Tacoma and stuffed his cell in his pocket before he pulled a knit beanie over his head. He might not be packing skis around, but at least he looked the part. Besides, he wasn’t planning to be anywhere near the slopes—where he assumed Livy would be—he just wanted to get a bead on her.

  The mountain seemed pretty busy for a Friday. Nick figured that when you lived in a resort community, there was always an influx of vacationers no matter the day of the week or time of year, though. He made his way up the flights of stairs, past the first and second levels, to the third floor of the lodge. Nick took stock of the people around him, decked out in ski gear that had to cost upward of a thousand dollars and that didn’t even include the actual skis.

  Joel or any of his crew would stand out in this crowd. And with the ground being covered in snow for four months out of the year, the chances of the town gaining the attention of an MC would be slim. Really, Livy had chosen the perfect place to hide out.

  Nick found a quiet table in the lodge next to a large picture window that faced the ski lifts and several steep runs. From his vantage point, he could watch the skiers and snowboarders speed down the hill on their way to the lifts as well as the people filtering out of the lodge. This far away, it would be tough to discern Livy in the group, especially with all of her snow gear on. But that’s not why he was there. He wanted to know if she kept to herself at work as much as she did at home.

  The question that burned like a cinder in Nick’s gut was more than likely the one he wouldn’t find an answer to, however. What in the hell had Livy’s relationship with Joel been and why was she hiding out in a small Idaho town?

  A single fugitive was harder to track than a pair. If she’d still been with Joel when he went on the run, he would’ve instructed Livy to take off and he would have met up with her later. The informant’s story had painted a very different picture of Livy and Joel’s relationship.

  Joel wants her back. Bad. She took off on him a few years back and he never got over it. Bee
n looking for her ever since. Put the word out that he’d pay five large to whoever found her.

  Livy was gorgeous enough to prompt any man to do whatever it took to keep her. Nick’s heart rate kicked into gear just thinking about her warm complexion, long golden hair, and bright smile. There had to be more to it than unrequited love. Guys like Joel Meecum didn’t pine over women. Especially when they were busy dodging a federal warrant.

  “Mind if I sit?”

  Nick looked up to find a woman smiling down at him. She wore the same black ski pants and blue coat with the Brundage Mountain logo that Livy wore along with an employee badge dangling from the zipper. The lodge had gotten busy since Nick had sat down and he was surprised to see that his was one of the only tables with a free chair left. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. He smiled and held out a welcoming hand. “Go ahead.”

  The woman shucked her coat and hung it from the back of the chair. She set down a steaming paper cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin. “Spectating this morning? You should get out there, the powder is killer.”

  “Oh, I’m not skiing,” Nick said with a laugh. “I’m waiting. My daughter has a lesson this morning. With um . . .” He paused as though trying to remember. “Livy, I think.”

  “Great,” the woman—Nick checked her badge, Cori—said. “She’s getting ready to take her group down the run one last time before they’re done for the day. If you look over there”—she pointed to a smaller chair lift to the south—“you can see them getting off the lift for Easy Street.”

  “Easy Street,” he said. “That’s cute.”

  “There’s not much of a slope,” Cori said. “It’s perfect for the little guys. And Livy is great with beginners.”

  “Yeah,” Nick said. “She seems really nice. I guess she hasn’t lived here long?”

  “I’m not sure,” Cori said. “She’s worked here longer than I have, though.”

  “You guys probably see a lot of turnaround.” So far, Nick wasn’t having much luck. If he could keep the conversation rolling though, he might glean some small bit of insight into Livy from her coworker.

  “Oh yeah,” Cori replied. “I think the only person who’s been here longer than Livy is Jane down in customer service. Not a lot of people have what it takes to get through one of our winters.” She laughed. “Are you here on vacation or do you live here?”

  “Vacation,” Nick said. “My wife stayed in town and I volunteered to drive our daughter up.”

  Cori turned her attention to the mountain as she sipped from her cup and broke off a chunk from her muffin. Nick erred on the side of caution and didn’t push for conversation. After a few more minutes, she dug her phone out of her coat pocket and checked the time. “I have a private lesson in ten minutes so I’d better get going. It was nice talking to you.”

  “You too,” Nick said. “Have a good one.”

  Cori might have been a dead end but she’d given Nick a good lead. He waited until he saw Cori emerge from the lodge. She retrieved a pair of skis from a rack and locked her boots into the bindings and took off toward a small building near the lift. Nick pushed out from the table and headed out of the lodge to the ground floor and the customer service office.

  He took the stairs slowly as he thought of a cover story. Under any other circumstances, he would have simply flashed his badge and gotten right down to business. He couldn’t be so forthright now. He couldn’t let Livy know he was investigating her. If she happened to be tipped off that someone was asking around about her, she could get spooked and run again. If that happened, Nick would be back at square one and no closer to bringing Meecum in.

  The customer service office was tucked away at the back end of the ground floor behind the ticket windows. Nick held open the door before going inside for a trio of kids who examined their shiny new season passes as they exited. A long counter spanned the small office space and a woman with short blond hair and bright blue eyes greeted him with a smile.

  “Hi! What can I help you with?”

  “Hi, I was wondering if I could get some information on a youth lesson package. I was told to ask for Jane.”

  “I’m Jane,” she said with a wide grin. “What would you like to know?”

  Everything you know about Livy, for starters. “A friend of mine said his daughter took lessons from Livy last year and loved her. Does she still work here?”

  “Oh sure,” Jane replied. “Livy’s great. The kids really respond to her and she’s super patient.”

  “That’s great,” Nick said. “Is she local?” Jane gave him a strange look and he added, “I heard you guys have a high turnaround and I just want to make sure she’ll still be here at the end of February.”

  “Livy’s been here for about four years,” Jane said. “I doubt she’ll be leaving anytime soon.”

  “That’s good to know.” So far, he hadn’t learned anything more than what Cori had told him. Damn it, getting information was so much easier when he showed up with a gun on his hip and his badge on his belt. “Do you mind if I ask what her level of experience is?”

  “Not at all.” Apparently Jane regularly dealt with parents concerned for their child’s ski instructor’s credentials. “She’s an expert-level skier. Raced at the junior level, if I remember correctly.”

  Finally, something Nick could use. There was a chance she’d fabricated her ski experience in order to get a job but there was always a little bit of truth to every lie. “That’s impressive.”

  “She trained in Tahoe when she was younger, I’m pretty sure. Anyway, you won’t have to worry about her on the slopes. Your . . . ?” Jane trailed off.

  “Uh, daughter,” Nick said.

  Jane smiled. “Your daughter will be in good hands.”

  “Great.”

  She reached under the counter and produced a brochure that she slid toward him. “Would you like to book the lessons today?”

  “I’ll let you know after I show this to my wife. Thanks for the information, though.”

  “Anytime,” Jane said. “Just give us a call when you’re ready to schedule.”

  It might have been a tiny kernel of insight into Livy’s life, but even a tiny kernel could produce a plant. Nick headed out of the office and down a long boardwalk toward the stairs, a hell of a lot more confident than he’d been this morning.

  “Nick?” He turned to find Livy heading toward him, her steps awkward and clunky from her ski boots. “What are you doing up here?”

  Shit.

  Chapter Six

  Nick looked a little like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar, but he recovered his calm resolve quickly enough to make Livy hope she’d imagined it. Fear trickled into her bloodstream but she forced the sensation away. Nick had every right in the world to be up here and it didn’t mean that it had anything to do with her. She needed to cut the paranoia and try to act like a normal human being for a change. The problem was, Livy had been looking over her shoulder for so long, she had no idea how to do that anymore.

  “Hey.” His easy smile as he walked toward her relaxed the unwelcome tension that pulled her muscles taut. “I was looking for you, actually.”

  “Me?” He’d only been her neighbor for a week but in that time, Livy felt like she’d gotten to know him a little bit. He wasn’t a skier, so if he was looking for her it wasn’t because he wanted a lesson. “Why?”

  He gave a sheepish grin that did traitorous things to Livy’s body. Did Nick have any idea how good-looking he was? He seemed to wield his charm like a weapon. At least, it felt that way to Livy. A simple grin stabbed her through the heart. “Honestly?” He looked away as though embarrassed. “I’m going stir-crazy in the house. I drove around town but that took all of about ten minutes. You talk about the ski hill so much, I got curious. So I went for a drive. I figured since I was up here, I’d see if you wanted to get some lunch.”

  His story wasn’t too farfetched. She still couldn’t understand what in the hell he was doing on vacation i
n a place that had nothing to offer him, free house or not. That familiar suspicion crept up on Livy. Her equal measure of comfort and discomfort in Nick’s presence was another reminder that she needed to pull up camp and move on. He’s only here for a few more weeks. What would it hurt to let yourself enjoy a little human contact? “I’ve got about forty-five minutes until my next lesson. I could grab a bite.”

  Nick smiled and she swore if her ski boots weren’t holding her up, her legs would’ve given out. The fear that had kept her going for the past four years scratched at the back of Livy’s mind, warning her that getting close to anyone—even a guy who wouldn’t be around for much longer—was a bad idea.

  “This is your wheelhouse,” he said. “Lead the way.”

  Her stomach leaped into her throat and floated back down in a not altogether unpleasant way. Yep. Letting Nick get close was definitely a bad idea.

  Livy paused and hiked up the legs of her ski pants to unbuckle her boots before they headed up the stairs to the third floor of the lodge and the restaurant. She usually didn’t mind walking around in her cumbersome ski gear but she suddenly felt like an elephant walking beside a sleek tiger.

  “Try to ignore the fact that I look like a goose waddling around on land,” she remarked as they climbed the stairs.

  Nick chuckled. The deep timbre rippled through her like rings on a pond and she suppressed a shiver. “I bet when you’re on the slopes you’re as graceful as one in the water.”

  The compliment, whether intentional or not, caused a rush of heat to flood Livy’s body. Thank God the telltale signs of a blush were hidden beneath the chill that painted her cheeks and nose. “I try,” she said with a laugh.

  “How long have you been skiing?”

  Nick held open the door and followed Livy inside the crowded lodge. Finding a table might be problematic, but they’d squeeze in somewhere. She contemplated his question as she headed for the cafeteria area. She’d made the mistake of answering personal questions when she’d first moved here. Livy Gallagher didn’t have a history and it needed to stay that way. “Oh, you know, a while,” she said. She pointed toward the end of the food line where a stack of plastic trays rested on the counter and smiled. Smiles always put people at ease. Curt responses, frowns, those made people suspicious. “Grab a tray and follow me.”