Dead of Winter_Aspen Falls Novel

by Melissa Pearl

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  Nate gave her a closed-mouth smile and slapped her on the arm. “Go get ’em, Sweet.”

  His firm slap jostled her. Blaine caught her against him, rolling his eyes at his brother before looking back down at her. “Remember, you’re stronger than you think you are. After this, it’s over.”

  She swallowed and stepped away from him, gripping the bag and walking toward the rink.

  33

  Sunday, February 25th

  11:55pm

  Rosie disappeared into the shadows, and Blaine walked to the driver’s door and slowly drove around to an inconspicuous spot where they could watch her. He parked the van in a pre-approved driveway across the road from the rink and ran around to the back, stepping in with a heavy sigh.

  He hated this. Felt uneasy about the fact that he couldn’t be closer. What if the guy tried to grab her? How fast could he run to get to her?

  “Stop frowning. She’s going to be fine,” Nate muttered, holding up the binoculars and looking out the window. “I can see the edge of her face. Look.”

  Blaine took the binoculars and could just make out the tip of Rosie’s nose past the pillar. The lights across the street cast enough light to dimly illuminate the scene.

  The old rink had been there for years and had slowly fallen into disrepair. Some brave souls still came out for a skate in the winter, but since the new indoor rink had been built, this one had become less popular. Whoever maintained it did a pretty poor job, which wasn’t doing the rink any favors.

  Blaine used to skate there all the time when he was a kid, speeding around the ice pretending to be a world-class hockey player…until he got completely slammed by Nate or Silas.

  Blaine clenched his jaw and kept his eyes on Rosie’s nose. He wished she’d step forward so he could see her better. He wished she had an earpiece so he could talk to her, reassure her that everything was going to be fine.

  “You’re going to snap those things if you’re not careful.” Nate pulled the binoculars out of Blaine’s hand and passed them to Kellan.

  The police chief smiled. “So, your high school sweetheart, huh?”

  Blaine snickered. “More like high school obsession. She didn’t even know I existed.”

  Until she appeared one day to save my life.

  He swallowed, honored he could finally repay the favor, even though she told him he didn’t have to. Those words would ring in his heart for all eternity.

  “I did the world a favor that day.”

  No one had ever thought so highly of him.

  “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?” Kellan asked.

  “Maybe. I don’t know. It’s changed. She was something to admire from a distance in high school. Now she’s real and yeah, I want to get to know her all over again. And knowing me, I’ll fall pretty damn hard while I’m doing it.”

  Nate stopped fiddling with the sound equipment to look at him. “What about Erin?”

  “We broke up.” Blaine gave him a sad smile. “It wasn’t right anymore. And I’m not just saying that because of Rosie. We should’ve broken up a while ago, but neither of us wanted to hurt the other. We were both just too afraid to let go.”

  “I’m sorry, man.” Nate slapped his shoulder. “I don’t know what I’d do if Sally broke up with me.”

  Blaine snorted. “Your life probably wouldn’t be any different. You barely see her.”

  “That is not true.” Nate punched him in the arm. “Yes, I work hard, but when we’re home together it’s…it’s perfect. She is perfect.”

  The soft way he said it made Blaine realize just how much Nate cared. He wanted to tell his brother to get his priorities straight. If Sally was so perfect, then he should be spending more time with her.

  But it wasn’t the time.

  “A car’s coming.” Kellan was looking through the binoculars.

  Blaine tensed and quickly put the headphones back on.

  “It’s a police cruiser,” Rosie whispered, sounding confused as she shifted out of view and moved closer to the rink. She came back into sight around the pillar, but Blaine could only just make her out in the shadows.

  “The police?” Nate’s eyebrows bunched with confusion as he looked at Kellan. “What the hell? I thought we were keeping this quiet.”

  Kellan lifted his hands. “I told every car to stay out of this area tonight.”

  “Who the hell is it, then?” Nate slapped the inside wall of the van. “They’re going to screw up this whole op. She needs to get rid of him, and fast.”

  34

  Monday, February 26th

  12:00am

  The cruiser slowed to a stop, its lights flashing red and blue as a cop leaned out the window with a smile. She kind of recognized his face and was scrambling to place him. Had she seen him at the station?

  What was he doing out here?

  They’d chosen one of the most isolated spots in town for a reason.

  “Hi there.” The cop sounded friendly enough, so Rosie stopped inching back and went for casual, leaning against the wall of the rink.

  “Evening, Officer.”

  “It’s kind of late to be hanging out around here, don’t you think?”

  She let out a nervous laugh, dropping the bag and tucking it under her foot. “I’m just meeting a friend.”

  “Really?” The officer’s bright blue eyes narrowed, and then he did the worst thing possible. He got out of the car.

  Shit! Go away before you completely screw things up!

  “You know, I’m fine. There’s no one around. I’m completely safe. You don’t need to worry…Officer Billings.”

  She read his nameplate aloud, hoping to clue the others in. They’d no doubt be wondering all the same things as her.

  Why was he here?

  Why hadn’t he gotten the memo to stay out of this area?

  His gear belt clinked as he walked toward her.

  Rosie’s heart raced, her mind scrambling.

  “Oh, hey, I remember you now.” She pointed at him. “I served you lunch, at uh…Lulu’s. Do you remember?”

  “Yeah. That’s right.” He grinned, his high cheekbones protruding as he looked her up and down.

  Maybe if she came across as trustworthy enough he wouldn’t suspect anything.

  “What was your name again?”

  “Rosie.”

  “That’s it. The girl who likes to live in lots of different cities.”

  She forced a laugh. “That’s the one.”

  His blue gaze was unrelenting, and she couldn’t hold it. Looking to the ground, she felt the awkwardness increase and didn’t know what to say.

  Nate would no doubt be shouting in the van, “Get rid of him!”

  “So, thanks for checking on me, but really, I’m fine.”

  “What’s in the bag?” He pointed to her feet and her heart hitched so badly she thought she might puke it out of her mouth. “Rosie. What are you really doing out here?”

  “I told you, meeting a friend.”

  “It seems an odd place to meet someone.”

  “Well, I’m an odd girl.” She scratched her beanie and glanced away from him.

  “I’m going to need to see the contents of that bag.”

  She suddenly felt like choking. Her windpipe turned into a straw while her heart hammered so fast she could feel it in her head. Biting her lips together, she fought for calm and tried to keep her voice from shaking. “Actually, that’s my personal stuff, and I don’t want you going through it.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, but you are acting suspiciously, and it is my right as an officer of the law to ask to see the contents of your bag. With all the drug problems we’ve been having lately, I’d be remiss not to.”

  Was that right?

  Rosie didn’t think the police were allowed to do that, but she wasn’t knowledgeable enough about the law to know better.

  Rosie licked her lips and couldn’t help a quick glance
over her shoulder.

  She couldn’t see the surveillance van from where she was, but she had to trust it was there and that one of them would put a stop to this before Officer Billings screwed up this whole thing.

  35

  Monday, February 26th

  12:05am

  “What the hell is he doing? Stupid rookie cop!” Nate cursed and scrubbed a hand over his mouth.

  “Where’s Higgs?” Kellan muttered, pulling out his phone. “Where the hell is Higgs?”

  “Exactly,” Blaine whispered, totally confused.

  Matt should not have been in a cruiser on his own. He was still a rookie, which meant he should never be on patrol without supervision.

  “If he sees all the money in that bag, he’s going to call it in. Shit, he’ll probably arrest her,” Nate snapped. “We have to get him out of there. Get him on the radio. Make up an excuse. Tell him he’s needed somewhere else. We’ll call in a fake emergency.”

  Kellan reached for his radio.

  “Yeah, that’s gonna go down great,” Blaine quipped. “Not only will it give away the fact that we’re running an unauthorized operation, but it’ll implicate you too, Chief.”

  “I really don’t want you going through my bag.” Rosie’s voice shook.

  Blaine’s stomach pitched. He so badly wanted to jump out of the van and run down to support her. This was not going as planned, and he dreaded the implications of that.

  The guy she was supposed to be meeting could show up at any second.

  “We’ve got to pull the plug on this thing,” Blaine muttered. “If they show up and a cop is searching through the bag, they’re going to split and then we’ll have no idea where they are. They could pounce on Rosie when we’re not watching her. It’s too dangerous. We need to abort and set up a new meet.”

  Nate closed his eyes with a sigh, which meant he knew Blaine was right.

  Reaching for his headphones, Blaine was about to take them off when Matt said something that made his blood freeze.

  “There’s not enough here.”

  Everyone in the van went still.

  “What the hell did he just say?”

  36

  Monday, February 26th

  12:10am

  Rosie’s eyes bulged and she jerked to look down at the cop who was going through her bag.

  “Excuse me?”

  His blue eyes took on a hard edge as he jumped to his feet and got in her face. “I said there’s not enough here. We asked for interest. Where’s the rest of the money?”

  “Damien said ten grand,” she whispered, her shocked brain scrambling to register that Officer Billings was not who she thought he was.

  “Where are the drugs, Rosie?”

  “You… you’re dirty?”

  He scoffed and grabbed her arm. “Tell me where they are.”

  “I don’t have them.”

  “Where are they!” he thundered.

  “I flushed them down the toilet!” She kicked the bag between their feet. “And there’s your stupid money. Damien said that was all I had to give you guys.”

  “Damien’s an idiot.” His upper lip curled. “A very dead one.”

  The blood in her veins turned to ice. “You killed him?”

  “Of course I didn’t kill him. He killed himself by being incompetent.”

  “So Chester did it, then.”

  He smirked. “We don’t carry dead weight.”

  “Who’s we?”

  Snatching her arm, he dug his fingers in, pinching her bicep until she couldn’t hide the pain. “Enough talking. Now, I’ve been told that if you didn’t meet the demands, I could take you in.”

  “You’re going to arrest me?”

  He laughed. It was a hard, gut-seizing sound. “Oh, we’ve got much better plans for a pretty thing like you.”

  Damien’s warning screamed through her head.

  “You think I’m bad? This is a fucking tea party compared to what they’ll do to you.”

  “No.” Rosie pulled against him, straining free of his grasp. “I’m not going with you!”

  37

  Monday, February 26th

  12:15am

  "He's going to take her.” Blaine yanked off the headphones and made a move to get out of the van.

  Nate grabbed his jacket, pulling him back before he could open the door.

  Blaine struggled against his brother. “Let go of me!”

  “Sit tight.” Nate’s voice was calm. “She might still get something out of him.”

  “Are you out of your fucking mind?” Blaine wrenched free of Nate’s grasp and looked to Kellan for support.

  The chief had an uneasy look on his face but muttered, “He’s not going to kill her.”

  “You guys don’t know that! And we can’t risk a civilian life this way!”

  “I’m not going to let you screw up this opportunity!” Nate snapped. “This is our chance. He obviously doesn't want to kill her. He wants to take her to that club, and we can follow him."

  “This recording is enough evidence to arrest Billings right now.”

  “Yeah, and do you think he’s going to talk? I want his boss, Blaine! We need the main supplier! Stop acting like a lovesick idiot. We can't waste this chance!"

  “Where are you taking me?” Rosie yelled.

  Blaine heard it through the headphones and felt like a fist was wrapped around his heart, squeezing it so tight he couldn’t breathe.

  “I’m not getting in that car until you tell me something.”

  Blaine put the headphones back on and grimaced as he heard her struggle. Kellan was still watching through the binoculars, his jaw clenched tight.

  “Who’s your boss?” Rosie tried again, desperation clear in her tone. “I’m not getting in this car until you tell me.”

  Billings scoffed. “You’ll find out when we get there.”

  “In Brookvale? Is that where you’re taking me?”

  “Stop with all the questions,” he shouted.

  Blaine heard a gasp and wondered if he’d slapped her or something.

  Oh, he was going to kill that rookie.

  He clenched his fists, his nostrils flaring as he glared at his brother.

  Nate wouldn’t look at him, still too intent on listening in.

  “Who are you working for? Is it another cop? Your father? An uncle?”

  “Like I’m going to tell you that shit. Just get in the car and you’ll find out soon enough.”

  “Shit, I can’t get a decent view.” Kellan lowered the binoculars with a frown. “He parked right behind the pillar.”

  “Let me sneak out and find a good position.” Blaine was already reaching for the door. “If things get too rough, we have to step in.”

  Nate didn’t like Blaine’s urgency, but he didn’t argue it either.

  “Okay, but just—” He went silent as Rosie started talking again.

  “Wait. Holy shit,” she whispered.

  It was almost too hard to hear.

  “Speak louder, honey,” Kellan muttered.

  “You look like him, you know. It’s the eyes. They’re just the same.”

  Blaine held his breath, trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about.

  “That detective who came to search Damien’s apartment. He’s dirty too, isn’t he? He was looking for the drugs. But he wasn’t going to arrest me or Damien, was he? He wanted the drugs back and then I got rid of them, so you guys want your money instead.”

  Billings didn’t respond.

  “Is he your dad? Your uncle? I’m right, aren’t I? You’re working for a dirty detective in Brookvale.”

  The only response was a hard slap and a gasp.

  Blaine couldn’t take it anymore. Ripping off his headphones, he threw them on the floor of the van. “That’s enough. He may not have admitted to anything, but we’ve got enough to get warrants and start an investigation on this Detective Monroe guy.”

  “Matt must be his connection in Aspen
Falls, bringing in or supervising the supply. Making sure the guys who work for them on the street and on campus have an in at the department. It could be any or all of those things.” Nate’s expression was dark.

  “Billy.” Blaine clicked his fingers. “The mysterious boyfriend that everyone’s afraid of. That’s why Bianca doesn’t trust the police. Those girls must have figured out that Billy is actually a cop.”

  “Shit!” Kellan closed his eyes, obviously lamenting the fact that he didn’t catch it sooner.

  Nate stood, taking off his headphones and getting ready to move. “Let’s get this asshole.”

  38

  Monday, February 26th

  12:20am

  “Admit it. I’m right, aren’t I?” Rosie couldn’t help feeling just a little triumphant that she’d figured it out.

  She hoped the guys in the van had enough to come in and rescue her. But maybe they needed more.

  So she kept pressing.

  In spite of the sharp slap to her cheek and the fact that Billings was still dragging her toward his car, she strained against him and shouted, “Tell me the truth! Who are you working for?”

  Billings jerked to a stop, wrenching her around so hard that her neck snapped back.

  Pain radiated in her head as he glared at her. “I told you! You’ll find out…” His voice trailed off, his blue eyes rounding as a look of realization dawned on his face. “Are you…wired?”

  She didn’t respond, knowing that as soon as Blaine heard those words, he’d be out of the van and coming for her.

  Grabbing the edge of her coat, Billings tried to rip it apart, screaming at her. “Damien said you wouldn’t have the balls to go to the police!”

  She struggled against the exposure. “Like you said, Damien’s an idiot.”