Devney sniffled. “Thanks, Hayden. I needed to hear that.” She stood. “I’ll let you spend some time with Kory.”
I hoped to hell I hadn’t just fucked up my friend’s relationship.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Kory
“When is she going to wake up? I’d like to talk to her before I leave.”
There was a very irritated someone talking near me. At least the beeping was gone. I took a second to remember what Hayden and Hollis had told me before I opened my eyes.
Hollis sounded tired. “I’m not sure. Ms. Reynolds has been through a terrible ordeal. Please show her some respect and wait in the lobby.”
I opened my eyes. A man with aviators tipped back on his head stood just outside the door. Who’s he? I called out, “Hayden?”
“Right here, sweetheart.” Hayden’s thumb rubbed soothing circles on my hand.
The stranger in the doorway looked toward me. “Am I cleared to ask her some questions, Dr. Fritz? The patient is clearly awake now.”
Hollis grabbed the handle of the door. “You’ll need to wait out here while I examine my patient.”
The man looked none too pleased as Hollis closed the door in his face.
“What’s going on?” My voice definitely sounded stronger. Hayden held up the straw to my lips, and I took a small sip.
Hollis checked the machines and then looked to me. “Special Agent Stenton is here. He wants to ask you some questions. He’s been persistent. Are you feeling up to it?”
I wasn’t sure what I would add since I had no memory of what happened, but I figured it was better to get this over with. “Sure.”
“If at any time you get too tired, let me know, and I’ll have him leave.”
“Thanks, Hollis.”
Hollis left the room and came back a moment later with the irritated, unfriendly stranger.
“Ms. Reynolds, I’m Special Agent Stenton.”
There was something familiar about him. Where have I seen him? “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I wanted to ask you a few questions. Is that all right?” He paused and waited for me to answer.
I was still trying to place where I had seen the man before. “Yes.” He took out a notepad. His face was angular and harsh. I cleared my throat. “Do I know you?”
Everyone looked at me, and I wondered what I’d said wrong. “Do you remember me from two days ago?”
Two days ago? Was he there? I shook my head. “No, I don’t remember anything from that. But I remember seeing you… somewhere else.” And then it came to me. “You always sat at the corner table at Roasted Beans. I used to see you there when I walked past in the mornings back in Washington.”
When I knew things were going to be hectic with my parents on any given day, which was more often than not, I took an early morning walk to clear my head for the day. It helped keep me grounded. This man would be there almost every morning, reading his paper and sipping coffee. I remember wondering what he did.
“Yes, that was me.”
I knew I recognized him. Normally I could place people fairly quickly. “Why are you here?”
“Most of it is classified, but I’ve spent years conducting an undercover investigation of Landon Masterson. He’s become one of the largest drug traffickers in the Northwest. He was expanding distribution to Anchorage.”
“What? He’s a drug dealer?” That was news to me.
Special Agent Stenton squared his shoulders. “Yes, but I’m not allowed to comment any further on the subject, ma’am. But I want you to know that where Mr. Masterson is going, he won’t be seeing the sun for the rest of his life.”
That was a relief. I hoped I never saw him again.
“What can you tell me about Mr. Masterson, ma’am?”
I paused for a second as I tried to organize my thoughts. “Our families were friends. They’d hoped we would get married, but things fizzled out. Because of that, I don’t have any communication with them anymore.”
He made a few notes. “And what about Mr. Masterson’s trip here. Do you know why he came to Alaska?”
It was strange how these memories were crystal clear, yet there was nothing from the moment he actually arrived. “To reconcile. But I had no plans to. I hoped we could be friends.”
“Anything else you can remember?”
I wasn’t going to go into anything about the Fraternity. My parents had warned us to never mention it to anyone else. “I have no memory of Landon arriving in town. I’ve been told what happened, but I don’t remember any of it. I would never have suspected Landon of trafficking drugs or being capable of drugging me. I guess sometimes if people want to hide who they are, they find a way.”
“That’s true. I appreciate your time, Ms. Reynolds. If anything else comes up, I’ll be in touch.”
Stenton turned to the door, but I had one last question. “What if he gets out?” My voice broke on the last word.
He turned around. “You’ll be the first to know. I promise you he’ll never be able to hurt anyone again. But if he somehow escapes, I’ll make sure you are notified. But I really wouldn’t worry about that.”
That was a relief. He left with Hollis following behind him. I turned to Hayden. “He was dealing drugs? Did you know this?”
“Yes, your parents gave us that information the night before he arrived. That’s the leverage we were going to use against him.”
They’d come through. My parents had put me first. Knowing they cared for me helped ease the ache I knew would come when they weren’t able to be part of my life. “So it’s really over?” I asked, afraid it might not be true.
“Yeah, it is, sweetheart.”
My eyes filled with tears, and they began to slip down my cheeks. I was finally free to live my life.
Chapter Forty
Hayden
I pulled the omelet off the stove and added it to the tray. It felt so fucking good to be home. There had been some tough moments, but overall, things were progressing well. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have no memory of a particular day. But Hollis’s words stayed with me, and I hoped—for Kory’s sake—they never returned. So far it had been four days since she woke up with no memory in sight.
Thanksgiving had been low key. Kory had been a little disappointed at not being able to go all out with my mother this year. But we always had next year.
So far, her parents hadn’t reached out to us. But we knew they were safe. I’d asked my private investigator to check on them. They went to work like normal, went home, had dinner, and went to bed. It was crazy that they hadn’t checked on their daughter. But then again, they’d also been questioned by the FBI, according to my contact. Hopefully, they’d stay away until it was safe to resume communication.
As for Landon, there had been nothing in the media. It was like the whole thing hadn’t happened. Maybe where he was going, there was no trial process. Maybe he was a small piece of a bigger picture. Whatever it was, I hoped it stayed far away from us. The FBI had taken Landon’s plane and disappeared. The Twiner Tellings newsletter ran rampant with conspiracies. From the latest newsletter, the story was that Kory’s friend had fallen in love with her and fallen off the deep end. And the Twiner sisters had launched their new matchmaking services they talked about.
There hadn’t been any sex since we’d gotten home. I wanted Kory. I wanted her bad. But I had to restrain myself, regardless of the fact that it had been too long. Hollis had advised that sex should wait for at least six to seven days. We were on day five since she woke. Hell, I hoped we could make it through the day, but it wasn’t looking very likely.
So far, Kory hadn’t experienced any other concussion-related symptoms. So maybe if we took it easy, we could have sex. Fuck. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. But she’d been trying to tempt me since we got home. And a man only has so much willpower.
I added a cup of orange juice to the tray I’d been preparing and headed upstairs. In our bedroom, Kor
y stretched and scooted up on the bed. She had a mischievous smile on her face.
“What are you smiling at?”
She was the picture of wide-eyed innocence. “I don’t know what you mean.”
I smirked. I was on to her game and clearly wanted to play. This woman was my life. I would do anything for her. When I thought I may have lost her, it made everything clear. I wanted Kory to be my wife. I was no longer scared of that word. I just needed to find the right time and make sure she was ready.
She took a bite of her omelet. “Mmm, this is so good. You’ve been spoiling me.”
“Anything for my girl.”
The bruises on her body where that asshole, Ray, had dropped her had begun to fade. The thought of his hands on her still made me see red. “How are you feeling today?”
“Better. Maybe later we could take a walk around the pond. I could use some fresh air.”
Kory would be cleared for normal activity tomorrow. This mess was almost behind us. It was going to be hard to let her out of my sight, but I knew at some point I would have to.
I sat on the edge of the bed. Kory’s eyes roamed over my bare torso. “That sounds good to me. I’d like that.” I nodded toward the window. “It looks like it snowed last night.”
“Oh, maybe we can build a fire and watch a movie, too.”
I smiled. “Anything you want. And I’ll watch anything you want to watch, too. You just can’t mention it to my brother.”
Kory pretended to zip her mouth shut. “Consider it done.”
My phone vibrated, and I checked the display. It was one of my buddies I’d met while flying. He’d been helping me set up the cabin for Kory right before her parents arrived. I hated canceling on the guy, but he understood.
Arthur: Temperatures have been colder than normal. If you guys want to fly up here in a day or two for ice fishing, the cabin is yours.
I’d mentioned some time ago about Hollis going ice fishing with me and my brothers.
“Who’s that?” Kory asked.
“My buddy was offering his cabin for ice fishing in a day or two. I’m going to tell him no.” He had a gorgeous place, but it wasn’t the right time. His cabin was where I’d wanted to make love to Kory for the first time after she’d come to live in Skagway.
Perplexed, Kory asked, “Why?”
I cocked my head, surprised at her question. “You can’t be serious.”
“Because of me?”
“Yeah, Kory, I nearly lost you. I’m not flying anywhere and leaving you right now. I need to have you close. I get that we’ll have to return to our normal lives sooner or later, but I’m not ready.”
Her face softened, and she gave me one of those smiles that brought me to my knees. “Is this for the fishing trip Hollis has been talking about?”
“Yes.”
She thought about that for a second. “Would it be out of the question to bring me, Alexa, and Devney? We could all go. The girls could stay together in the cabin while you guys are fishing. Win-win. I know Hollis has been looking forward to ice fishing. And he’s done so much for us.”
I considered her idea. This might work. Maybe. “Let me text the guys and see what they think.”
Me: Arthur texted me. It’s been colder than normal. If we want the cabin we can go up there in two days. But if we go, I want to bring Kory. I don’t want to leave her here alone. Let me know if you’re in.
Hollis: Does a bear shit in the woods? Yes, yes it does. And in town. And everywhere here in Alaska. You know I’m in. And my new poles just arrived. I’ll check with Devney.
Drake: I checked with Alexa. We’re in.
Ike: Your mom and I have to help Jim Hathaway. But you guys go ahead and go. It’ll be fun for everyone to get away. We’ll catch you the next time.
Kane: Is Mom on here?
Me: No, just us guys.
Kane: I’m in as long as you guys don’t act like pussies around your girls.
Me: No promises.
Hollis: I have an Alaskan certificate to prove I’m not a pussy.
Drake: You afraid it might be contagious, Kane?
Kane: Fuck off. I’ll see you at the hangar.
Me: Once I check the weather, I’ll let everyone know the departure time.
Hollis: Sounds good. Devney is in.
Ike: You guys have fun and don’t get into too much trouble.
With all that had happened, we hadn’t heard any updates on what Devney had decided regarding her move. I hoped my words helped her make the right decision. She and Hollis seemed good for each other. If she left… I was afraid she’d be making a monumental mistake. Hollis was a gift to this town, so I hoped she decided to stay.
I opened up the text to my buddy.
Me: Thanks, man. I’ll take you up on it. There’ll be seven of us total. The plan is two days from now.
Arthur: You guys can use the main house. I’ll be out of town. That’ll give people their own rooms.
Me: Perfect. I appreciate it. Let me know if I can ever give you a lift somewhere.
Arthur: I will.
It felt good to have a plan to focus on. Hanging out here at the house was nice, but we needed something to move toward and think about besides the perpetual black cloud known as Landon. “Hollis, Devney, Drake, Alexa, and Kane are in. Dad and Mom are helping a friend and can’t come.”
“That’s too bad, but I’m glad we’re going somewhere. It’ll be nice to focus on something else and have a mini vacation before the madness of the holidays.”
I knew Kory also meant from the situation with Landon as well, but I didn’t press. She’d done remarkably well.
She set her tray aside. “That was delicious.”
“Do you need anything else?”
“I do.”
She bit her lip, and I knew what was coming. “No way. No way. Hollis’s orders.”
“Come on. It’s been so long.” She reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.
Fuck me.
Her tits were perfect. I leaned down and sucked one of her nipples into my mouth. “We have to be careful, Kory.”
“We will be. I promise. Please, Hayden, I need you.”
In two seconds, I had my pants off and was trailing my fingers up her legs. “You are so beautiful. And you’re mine.”
“Forever.”
Chapter Forty-One
Hayden
We arrived in Fairbanks at the cabin two days later. When I had arranged to bring Kory up here initially, I’d planned to use the floatplane. Now with the lakes frozen over, I brought the King Air and landed it at the local airport instead. The guys there let us use the courtesy van, too. The friends I’d made through my years of flying really were something else. To drive up here it would take over thirteen hours in the summer. In the winter, it was near impossible.
The girls had decided to take naps. Kory was still not back to a hundred percent and tired a little more easily than normal, but she was getting stronger every day. The sex was out of this world. Nearly losing her made being together more special. This morning before leaving, she’d joined me in the shower for round two after having woken me up in the early morning hours for round one.
And no, I wasn’t complaining.
Things were definitely getting back on track.
Kane was exploring the woods, probably setting up surveillance or tracking a moose or something. Who knows what he does at times? I’d asked him how the talk with Special Agent Stenton had gone, and he’d blown off the question with a shrug and called him some names. I couldn’t read the situation completely, but it seemed like he wasn’t getting involved. Something about city fuckers not knowing their asses from a hole in the ground.
Kane had said two words on the ride from the airport. Cranky bastard.
Drake was in the cabin’s office, working on a few things for the city council. Hollis had been about to jump out of his skin with excitement to go fishing. He’d nearly hooked himself messing with his fishing
poles.
So I decided to take Hollis fishing for a little bit. I looked around the fishing hut at all his stuff. Shit, he had more paraphernalia than any person I’d ever known. Normally all I brought was a pole and bait. But the extra chair was more comfy than the buckets we typically sat on. Maybe there was something to Hollis’s thinking. Kane was going to have a field day when he joined us. This was the opposite of minimalism.
It hadn’t taken long to get the hole in the ice cleared for us to fish. Arthur had everything already in the hut. We’d baited our hooks, and now it was time to wait. Sometimes it took a while. Hollis watched the hole his fishing line disappeared into with an intensity that was almost comical. He adjusted his so-called Paul Bunyan hat. “How long do you wait before they bite?”
“Just depends.”
He kept staring at the line. “I bought premium bait. It’s guaranteed to work.”
Of course it is. I wondered if the website had swampland to sell people, as well. In the next second, Hollis’s reel started to move.
“Yes! True Alaskan here!”
He grabbed it and reeled it in. Man, the fish was giving him a fight. Finally, he pulled out a large-ass rainbow trout. It had to be one of the biggest ones I’d seen in a long time.
“What the fuck?” I said.
He kept fighting with the fish, unsure what to do with it as it flopped around. “What?”
“That is one large fish.” I leaned over to show him how to hold it while taking the hook out. “Just like that.”
Hollis studied my movements. “So you grab him behind the pelvic fins and keep your hands away from the operculum.”
“What language are you speaking?”
Shrugging, Hollis said, “Fish anatomy. I studied it before we came. I figure it would help me pick up the proper technique quicker.”
I sometimes had no words for this guy. “Do you want to keep him?”
“Nah, I’ll catch more.”
“Hollis, this is a huge fish.”
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