Trapped on Vail Mountain

by Desiree L. Scott

  Trapped on

  Vail Mountain

  Vail Mountain Trilogy #2

  Desiree L. Scott

  Lavish Publishing, LLC. ~ Midland

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  TRAPPED ON VAIL MOUNTAIN Copyright 2017 © Desiree L. Scott

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Lavish Publishing, LLC.

  First Edition

  Vails Mountain Trilogy #2

  All Rights Reserved

  Published in the United States by Lavish Publishing, LLC, Midland, Texas

  ebook edition

  ISBN-13: 978-1-944985-38-7

  ISBN: 1-944985-38-7

  Cover Design by: Wycked Ink

  Cover Images: Adobe Stock

  www.LavishPublishing.com

  Acknowledgements

  I would love to thank a few ladies for everything they have done for me, as this story has taken shape in such a short amount of time! They not only stuck by me but kicked my ass on multiple occasions and kept me writing, kept me moving forward regardless of the doubt I may have expressed. They are the reason that this book is written, and I want the world to know that I absolutely could NOT have done this without them!!!!

  Sandra Leblanc, for always being there and telling me how much she loved the story and being an awesome beta reader. If there were plot holes, inconsistencies, or characterization issues, plus any errors, she always caught them, as well as helped me with my sentence structure. I couldn’t have written this book without her!

  Liz Stephenson, for being a constant source of entertainment and giving me round the clock suggestions and help as I cranked out over 20k words in less than two weeks and finished this story. She helped me in more ways than one every time I was stuck and often stayed up past 1 am to help me!

  Michelle Rodriquez, for being an awesome beta reader and giving me her opinion on the storyline, letting me know of any plot holes or inconsistencies that there were. She was amazing!

  Omayra Marrero Comas, for constantly kicking my ass and shins and knowing just the right words to say to get me motivated and not give up!

  Thank you, ladies, so much!!

  I would also love to thank my fiancé for being so supportive, my family, my additional beta readers, and my publisher because without them, this book wouldn’t exist. So thank you all and much love coming from my small corner of the world!!!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Author Bio

  Chapter 1

  Nina Williams heard the worry in her father’s voice and sighed as she restocked the shelves of his small general store as he handed her each item from her right.

  “Dad, please don’t worry. Emily and I will be fine,” she said quietly, trying to reassure him. She could tell it didn’t work. It never did when he was worried about his child and granddaughter. Even at twenty-four, Nina knew she would always be his baby.

  Her mother had died in a car accident when she was two, leaving her father, Tommy Williams, suddenly raising a small child by himself with no clue on what to do. It had been complete chaos from the beginning, from what Nina could remember, but in a good way. They were close, and she was thankful for that. Then when her boyfriend had left her when she was seventeen and pregnant, her father had been there, the one man in her life who was constant.

  “Joan’s getting married next month, and I haven’t seen her in years. I promise everything will be fine. We'll only be gone for two weeks. She said the snow is melting, and I can just imagine the blooms on the trees!”

  The excitement in her voice brought a smile to Tommy’s lips, and some of the worry left the tight lines of his tanned face.

  “And what about Jacob?” he asked suggestively, wiggling his gray eyebrows up and down.

  Nina rolled her eyes and reached for another item in his hands. “We’re just friends, Dad.”

  Jacob Tanner was a detective she had met five years ago when he had moved to the city and just happened to move into her apartment building. They had hit it off, but for the past three years, he had hinted at more with her. Nina just didn’t feel that way about him.

  “Hmmm,” he hummed, chuckling. “Jacob wants to be more,” he said, hinting at her own thoughts just then.

  She shook her head and sighed as she put another can on the shelf. For a small store, her dad sure had a large inventory. “I’m not interested in him like that. He’s an awesome friend and sweet, but nothing’s there, okay? Now please stop pushing.”

  He was silent with no rebuttal or sarcastic remark. Nina turned to reach for another item in his hands, but the look on his face stopped her cold.

  “Dad, what is it?”

  “Grab Emily, and get to the back, now,” he ordered, his voice low as he stared out the large window in the front.

  Her heart hammering against her ribs, she climbed down from the ladder, her eyes glued to his pale face.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” she demanded.

  “Do what I say, Nina. Now. Get to the back with Emily, and don’t come out. I mean it.”

  Nina hesitated for a split second, but something in her father’s voice had her moving to where her daughter sat at a table in the corner of the store coloring, her dark head bent to the side.

  She quickly walked over to her, keeping her eyes on her father standing perfectly still by the shelves. He hadn’t moved yet and just stood there, staring out the window. “Come on, baby. Let’s go to the back.”

  “What’s wrong, Mommy?” Emily asked, frowning as she lifted her head and looked up. Her daughter had always been smart and could tell when something was wrong.

  And something was seriously wrong. Nina just didn’t know what.

  “Don’t talk. Come on. Let’s get to the back.” Without stopping to consider anything but her daughter’s safety and her father’s worrisome expression, Nina made her way to the back office and closed the door. Without thinking, she opened it a crack so she could see the front of the store.

  Barely able to make out her father’s tall form, she watched as he glanced over to where she was and then walked over to the counter. Standing with his back to her, she saw his left hand inch toward the small emergency button beneath the counter, and her heart sank. If he was reaching for help, it was worse than she had feared. Before he could push it, his body jerked, sliding down the side of the glass case as he left a trail of blood behind him.

  A shot. Her father had been shot, she realized in horror, her hand flying to her mouth.

  A scream built in her throat, threatening to choke her, and Nina quickly took her other hand and covered her daughter’s mouth before the little girl could make the anguished cry that fought to escape her.

  Tears streamed down their cheeks as they watched, struggling for silence a
gainst their sobs. Two men pushed the shattered door open and walked inside, shards of glass crunching beneath their boots.

  They had a silencer.

  It was after nine p.m., and the store wasn’t in a good part of town. There were a few boarded-up buildings across the street that were hidden in the darkness of the poorly lit street, the lamplights busted. Headlights of loud, sputtering, run-down cars often drove past, the glare of the occupants often giving her the creeps. In fact, the whole south side gave her the creeps, and Nina had begged her father to relocate the store, but he had refused, liking the low rent and his ability to help those in need.

  But this… Why…?

  One of the guys, a young kid who couldn’t have been more than nineteen, stood back next to the door, looking over his shoulder nervously. Even in the dim light, Nina could see the sweat glisten on his forehead.

  "Come on. Let’s go, damn it."

  "Just give me a fucking second," the other man growled, walking over to her father's still body on the ground. Using his foot, he pushed Tommy onto his back, and Nina heard a soft groan.

  Her heart in her throat, she hugged her trembling daughter close to her chest as she watched her father slowly bleed to death, the little girl's face buried against her neck.

  "I warned ya, Tommy. I warned ya what would happen if ya didn't do it. But noooooo. Ya had to be a fucking moral idiot and reject my boss's proposition. And that fucking brat of yours? The same thing will happen to her if she doesn't agree, so let's hope she can be reasoned with."

  With that, the man shook his head and turned, heading back toward the door and the kid.

  "Let's go. That was a fucking clean shot. He's dead soon."

  The kid turned, but just then, his eyes met hers, and Nina froze, bile rising as she saw his eyes widen. He looked from the retreating back of the other man to her, and Nina never prayed so hard in her life.

  Please, God no…

  Seconds flew, but it felt like years as their gazes locked, a silent battle of pleading coming from her.

  "Come on, kid. Let's go!" The other man's harsh orders snapped the kid out of it, and he took one more long look at her before giving her a small nod. Her breath held, she watched as the two men disappeared out the door.

  She didn't dare breathe as she waited to see if they would return, if the kid would say anything to the other man.

  Minutes passed as the two sat on the floor by the door, clutching each other tightly.

  "Mommy," her daughter whimpered. "Grandpa..."

  Nina slowly drew away and sat Emily behind her, trying to block her view.

  "Stay here," she choked, barely able to breathe. Their shattered world blurred her vision as her father lay on his back, motionless. His still form brought a sob bursting forth, and staying low, she crawled over to her father.

  "Daddy… Oh, Daddy."

  She put her shaking hand on his white face, and his faded blue eyes opened, startling her. Blood dripped from the side of his mouth, and he coughed, more blood spurting from his lips.

  "Don't talk, Daddy. I'm going to get help. Please don't leave me."

  Nina tried to jump up, but her father grabbed her arm, his grip weak, but the motion froze her.

  "Too… late… for… me," he wheezed, his chest barely moving.

  So much blood…

  "Run…"

  "What?"

  She could barely hear his whispered words and lowered her head, her ear next to his mouth.

  "Run, please. Protect…Emily. Run. Get out. Should have…listened… Nin… Love… you… more… than… life…"

  His eyes closed, his chest stilled, and her father was gone.

  She felt the scream of denial, of horror building, and the tears fell, streaming down her cheeks as she stared down at her father.

  “Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Don’t leave me, Daddy. Oh God. Please come back. I can’t do this without you.”

  Choked sobs nearly strangled her, and she heard the door. Swirling, her daughter's tear-stained face broke her heart even more.

  She gathered up her daughter in her arms and picked her up, the seven-year-old’s thin legs wrapping around her waist. Making sure the view of her father was blocked, she quickly left the store, the chill of early spring bringing goosebumps to their bare skin.

  Once in her SUV, Nina buckled her daughter in and fired up the vehicle, her tires squealing out of the parking lot on the side of the store.

  As she drove to her apartment, Nina took no notice of the boarded-up windows of the empty buildings that surrounded the suburbs of New York City or the doors that hung from the hinges.

  Trash littered the streets, and when night hit, the creepy crawlers came out, walking the streets for drugs. She had always been afraid for her dad at night, afraid of something like what had just happened. She had begged him to move, to move somewhere safe, but he had grown up there, grown up in New York. He hadn't wanted to move and had accused Nina of being a worrywart.

  Tears clogged her throat, and she glanced over at her daughter huddled against the door, her arms wrapped around herself.

  Barely braked in front of her first-floor apartment on the other side of town, Nina quickly grabbed her daughter and made a beeline for her door. Seconds later, they were inside with the door locked, and she sat Emily down on the couch in the living room. On her knees, she grabbed the little girl's pale face in her shaking hands and made her look at her. "Em, listen to me. I want you to go in your room and get your suitcase. Finish packing for Mommy. Can you do that?"

  Emily nodded, her lashes wet with tears, breaking her heart even further.

  "Y-yes," she whispered.

  "Good girl. I'm going to load the SUV with all of our stuff, and we're leaving, okay?"

  Emily nodded her dark head, and together, mother and daughter stood up and went in different directions. Nina was going to call Joan on their way to let her know they were coming a week early, and hopefully that didn't pose a problem. Otherwise, Nina was going to be up shit creek.

  She made short order of loading their vehicle with everything they could fit, their lives coming down to a few clothes and her baby’s stuffed animals that she couldn’t say no to because Nina didn't plan on coming back. She had always hated New York anyway. The drugs, the crime, the lowlifes of the city. The only reason she hadn't moved was because of her dad, and with him gone, there was nothing tying her to the drags of the city. She was going to take the full two weeks on the mountain to figure out their next steps, where to move, and what she was going to do.

  Nina walked to her vehicle with the last load of their possessions but stopped cold at the sight before her. Heart in her throat, she stayed frozen as she took in the slashed tires.

  She swirled around, but the sight behind her was even worse, and she struggled to breathe as her eyes met those of the man who had the knife to her daughter's throat.

  "I would advise ya to come in real slow like," he growled, his voice low as he stared at her. He stood in the doorway of her apartment building, and the terror gleaming in Emily's wide eyes nearly broke her.

  Without a word, she walked forward slowly, and the man moved to the side to let her through. She entered her apartment and sat the suitcase down by the couch and turned around, her throat tight.

  "Please," she croaked. "She's only a little girl."

  She saw Emily swallow hard, but she stayed silent, staring at her mother with wide eyes, her lips trembling.

  "Now where would ya'll be going so fast and with so much stuff?" he asked with a dark smile. "Now let me guess. Vacation?"

  Nina swallowed hard, her eyes still on her daughter and the blade of the knife.

  "Don't bother to answer. This is what's going to happen. Ya'll is going to unload ya car because obviously it can't be driven." He chuckled at his words before continuing. "Then ya'll are going to stay here without saying a word about what ya'll saw and heard. Is that clear?"

  Nina nodded quickly, and she almost
felt dizzy with relief when the man withdrew the knife from her daughter's neck.

  Emily ran over to her mother, and she bent down and hugged her tightly, Emily's small body shaking in her arms.

  "If ya say anything or leave, I'll kill you and your daughter."

  He didn't wait around for a response but disappeared out the door as quickly as he had arrived.

  "Mommy," Emily whimpered, "I'm so scared."

  "I know, baby. I know. Me too. Come on. Let's go to my room."

  She knew they were watching outside. She could feel the threat through the walls.

  As they walked down the hall, Nina knew neither of them would be sleeping that night, and she was right. Both stared at the white ceiling until light began to brighten the room, and traffic moved outside. Horns honked, and life started again for the new day, but for them, the terror hadn't left their stiff bodies.

  "What are we going to do?" Emily whispered, still lying beside her, hugging Nina's side.

  "I don't know. I have to make a call, baby."

  With that, she jumped up and grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand.

  She dialed Jacob's number, but after six rings, it went to voicemail. She wanted to cry. He was her only hope. She glanced up toward the ceiling, her thoughts racing. Her friend lived on the top floor of the three-story apartment building. They had met five years ago when he had moved to town, and she did have a key to his apartment.

  Mind made up, she bundled up her daughter, and they quickly made their way up the stairs, Nina looking over her shoulder and scanning the flickering shadows of the hallway. Once on his floor, she walked to 4C and used her key. Inside, she locked the door behind her, and the two walked over to his couch and sat down.

  "Why are we at Jacob's place, Mommy?" Emily asked, looking around at the sparse furnishings of a bachelor. But even for a bachelor, it was clean and neat. In the living room stood an entertainment center in the corner with a large sixty inch flat-screen TV and a couch. The walls were painted a light gray, and very few pictures hung on the walls. The kitchen nook held a small scarred table, and if they would have been hungry, his fridge was usually empty because her friend was rarely home except to sleep. He worked all the time and was even a volunteer fireman for the city.