Saved by the Blizzard: A romantic winter thriller (Tellure Hollow Book 2)

by Adele Huxley

  “Alright, fair enough,” she said, her voice returning to a whisper. “You’re right. It’s just...after seeing him today, thinking that I might actually lose him—” her voice choked.

  “Aw sweetie, I’m sorry.” I could hear Kayla’s heels click along the tile floor to Liz’s side. For some reason, that annoyed me more than anything. “I didn’t think. I was just so worried about you. Once I saw the crash, I came straight over here to make sure everything was alright.”

  I shifted slightly, stretching as far as I dared without hurting myself. With a few dramatic blinks, I opened my eyes feeling much clearer than before, the heavy-lidded sensation gone. I smiled at Liz and then looked at Kayla, hopefully conveying the right amount of confusion.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” Liz said as she touched my shoulder.

  “Much better, thanks. Hey Kayla, thanks for stopping by. I apologize for not getting up.” I gave her a weak smile, really hamming up the charm.

  “I’m just glad you’re alright,” she replied. For some reason, a shiver ran down my spine and I remembered her threat from the day before. “You don’t know half of what you think you know.” She turned to Liz and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll give you a ride back to the cabin if you want.”

  “Well, maybe. How would you get back?” she asked me.

  “I could call Walt, I suppose. The shop’s been closed because of that break in, so I know he’ll be around.”

  “The shop’s closed? God, I didn’t hear about that.” Liz thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, it’s alright. They said he’ll be discharged in a couple hours. The doctors want to take one last look at him. I think I’m gonna go spend the night at Bryan’s tonight, make sure he’s okay.”

  “Ah.” Because she was standing behind, Liz didn’t see Kayla’s expression contort. A distinct flash of hatred crossed her face, the smile turning into a snarl for a fraction of a second. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone. It could’ve been a trick of the light or the drugs messing with me, but I was sure of what I’d seen. “Well, alright then. If you want, I can pack you an overnight bag and bring it by his house after work.”

  Liz looked up, touching her hand, and smiled. “That would be awesome, actually. Thanks, babe.”

  ____________

  About an hour after Kayla left, my phone started ringing. Liz had fallen asleep with her head on the mattress, so I gently nudged her. “Liz, hon, my clothes are buzzing.” By the time she reached them and dug through the right pocket to get it, the call had stopped.

  She handed me the phone, the glass surprisingly intact even after the impact. “Sorry. I’m sure they’ll call back.” What she didn’t know was the only person who had this number was my mother. Before I could swipe to her number to return the call, a voice mail popped up.

  The panic in her voice brought a metallic taste of fear in my mouth. “Bryan, where are you? Oh Jesus, I can’t believe—if you get this in the next half hour, please call me back. I’m going to try not to overreact but I’m pretty sure the video is real and I don’t want to start calling hospitals—just, call me. Bryan, please.”

  My eyes went wide as the phone dropped from my ear. Liz looked at me with concern. “What’s the matter?”

  “It was my mom. I have to call her right back, but I think—no, let me just call her.”

  My heart thumped like crazy as I pressed send. She picked up on the first ring.

  “Bry? Are you alright?”

  “Mom, I’m here. I’m fine.”

  Her breath came out quick and loud against the receiver, like she’d been holding it for hours. “Oh thank God. Are you hurt? Your Aunt Jess sent me a video that a friend sent her of a guy—was it you? Or was it another fake? Are you okay?”

  “I’m perfectly fine, just a few bumps and bruises but nothing serious apparently.”

  She gasped. “So it’s real? Bry, where are you? I’m coming straight out.” I could hear her throwing things around in the background, panic packing.

  I sat up on my elbow and did my best to calm her down from a couple thousand miles away. “Mom, I’m genuinely fine,” I looked at Liz and grimaced. “Can you do me a favor? Can you send me that video?”

  Liz scrunched her face as we locked eyes. “What video?” she mouthed to me. I shook my head. “What video?” she repeated harshly. The one your best friend leaked on the Internet, I thought.

  “How do you—are you sure you’re okay?” I could hear the tension draining from my mom’s voice. I hated that she’d gotten such a scare but at least I could reassure her straight away.

  “I had a little bit of a slip, but really. I wouldn’t lie to you. I can’t really talk very much right now, but I’ll call you later and explain everything, okay? Just please, send me that video right now, okay?”

  She sighed and I heard the faint clicking of the keyboard as she typed. “On one condition,” she said.

  “Anything.”

  “Tell me who the girl is.” I could hear the grin in her voice. I glanced at Liz and couldn’t resist smiling myself. I had a vague recollection of Liz talking to me as I slipped in and out of consciousness. Leave it to my mom to pick that out, once she’d made sure I was still in one piece.

  “Her name is Liz,” I chuckled. Her eyebrows shot straight up in surprise. “I’ll tell you all about her later, okay? I gotta go. I love you, Ma.”

  “I love you too, Bry. I’m glad you’re safe. I just forwarded you the email, by the way.” She ended her call the same way she always did, with kissing noises.

  Liz cocked her head at me and blinked slowly. “Umm, you feel like telling me what that was all about?”

  I pulled up my email and pressed play on the attached video. I didn’t want to see it. I’d seen the first crash enough times to last a lifetime. By showing her and watching her reaction, I’d learn everything I’d need to.

  “What the—how did your...I don’t understand,” she said looking from the screen back to me. Liz’s tinny voice echoed from the phone. She panted as she climbed the hill to get to me, praying, swearing, calling my name. When I heard her shout out to get help, I nodded and switched off the phone.

  It was obvious that Kayla had leaked the video but, for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why. The sinking feeling in my stomach didn’t stop, made worse by the fact I had no idea what it all meant. “My aunt sent the video to my mom, worried that it was real. I can guarantee it’s all over the Internet right now.”

  “But why?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe it’s a mistake, but—and can I say this about your friend without you getting upset?” She nodded. “She is the sort of person who’s always looking for a way to get ahead. Is it possible she posted it to get more traffic to the Angel Vista website? Make a name for herself over there?”

  Liz pressed her lips together and watched the video again, thankfully on mute. “It was uploaded by some other user. Maybe she got hacked?”

  I took the weight off my elbow and rested on the pillows, my thoughts slow to knit together. Somehow, it all made sense, I only had to find the pattern. “It’s pretty convenient, don’t you think? She’s the only person with access to that video.” A pregnant silence filled the space between us. I wasn’t even sure what I was accusing her friend of. Another thought dawned on me. “Wait, she does all the social media there, right?”

  “Yeah...”

  “Check the mountain’s Twitter, Facebook, whatever. See what’s on there.” I had a hunch but I didn’t want to say it out loud unless it was true.

  “What am I looking for?” she asked as she thumbed through my phone.

  “You’ll know it when you see it.”

  “Alright...wait, this? ‘Angel Vista Resort and Hotel would like to extend our thoughts and prayers with the Marsh family at this difficult time.’ What the hell?”

  “When was it posted?”

  “Like, four hours ago,” she said, her blue eyes flicking up to mine. “What the fuck? Why would Kayla do t
his? This means that she—”

  “Posted it pretty much right after it happened, yeah. Maybe she’s just doing her job, avoiding bad publicity or something but—”

  “No, screw that,” Liz declared jumping to her feet. “She has to explain this. I know she has her problems with us, but this is just flat out exploitative.” She tossed my phone down and pulled hers out, pacing around the room as she waited for it to connect. After a moment, she grunted and redialed. Suddenly, she stopped short. “Wait a second. How did she get here?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I have the Jeep. I took it this morning and followed the ambulance over. It’s parked outside, so how did she get here?”

  “Maybe Noah?”

  “Maybe...” she tried calling her again, flopping down on the seat in frustration after she couldn’t get through. For a few moments, I watched her chew on her lower lip, her nails, a piece of her ponytail. God, I loved how she did that. I almost made a joke about her probably being terrible at poker when she spoke up. “We should run away.” She didn’t look at me when she said it, almost as though she wasn’t even aware she’d said anything in the first place.

  “You’ve mentioned that idea a couple times. Run away where?”

  “I don’t care, anywhere. Call it my birthday present.” Her eyes jumped to mine, a knowing look passed between us and a tangible relief spread through my body. He hasn’t touched her. “Like we talked about in the cabin. Go to Vegas, go wherever. We both have the money to do it.”

  “Alright,” I replied quickly, making her laugh at the speed. “What? I would’ve run away with you the first time`, I’ll definitely do it now.”

  “Seriously? I can get my stuff packed and drive down to your house,” she said, her full lips curling into a hopeful smile.

  “What about the Jeep?”

  “Forget the Jeep. If I leave now, I might be able to catch her at the house still and I’ll tell her where I’m leaving it.” She leaned forward on her elbows, taking my hand in both of hers. “I know this all sounds crazy, especially after how the day started, but something is telling me we should get out of town for a little while. You know what I’m saying?”

  I studied her face. She was trying to look excited, trying to seem spontaneous and fun, but I could tell she saw it as her exit strategy. Any other time, I wouldn’t have cared except I wasn’t exactly feeling up to fending off a bully like Rick. Even Noah might’ve had a shot with my broken arm and sore body. Still, if we ran far and fast enough, it’d give me a couple days before anyone could catch up. With as headstrong as this girl was, I don’t think I’d ever get a more plain call for help.

  “Alright, I’ll take your word for it. We’ll hop on the quickest flight out of Denver, go wherever we want. I’ll call Walt right after you leave and get him to come pick me up.”

  For the first time in weeks, I saw a light in her eyes I’d feared had been extinguished. “Best birthday ever.” She jumped to her feet and kissed me quickly on the lips. I hadn’t been prepared for it, the sensation zinging through me like electricity. She pulled away and looked at me with surprise, apparently feeling it too. Eyes darting to my lips once more, she bent and kissed me again, slowly, gently. Our tongues met tentatively as her hand toyed with my hair. I’d been so afraid I’d never get to kiss her again.

  “I uh...I should go,” she said with her forehead pressed to mine. I loved the wicked little smile on her wet lips. The heat between us was something else.

  “Okay.” I tugged her hand as she went to leave. “Be careful, okay? In and out and try not to let anyone see you.”

  She nodded solemnly. “I’ll see you soon.”

  I slammed the door of the Jeep shut and let the engine warm up. What a fucking day, I thought as I leaned back in the seat. I’d followed the ambulance to the closest clinic, a town down the road from Tellure Hollow. The parking lot was mostly empty, ringed by tall snow covered pine trees. The beautiful dusky sky calmed my temper for a moment, serving as a good distraction. A few pink and orange clouds reflected the sunset just beyond the mountain range. It’d be completely dark by the time I reached the cabin, which was just as well. Even though I’d promised Bryan I’d be in and out, I half wanted to run into Kayla while up there. It probably was best to avoid confrontation, make for a faster escape. Holding my hands to the vents to see if the engine was running hot yet, I decided to try Kayla again. If she answered, I’d make up some excuse for calling but find out if she was still home.

  “Where the hell are you?” I mumbled to the phone, frown lines creasing my face. I tried not to show it in the hospital room, but I was absolutely livid. Short of the NSA breaking into her computer and publishing her content, she had no valid excuse for that video making it online, especially that quickly. Not only that, but I hadn’t told Bryan about the Twitter and Instagram feeds. The Angel Vista Facebook had been updated less than an hour after the accident, but the other social media had been much faster than that. Perhaps it was coincidence, but she’d moved with such speed it was almost as if she’d anticipated the accident...

  When she didn’t pick up her phone, I hesitated before trying Noah. At the very least, I figured I’d be able to figure out if he was home or not. When he didn’t answer, my finger instinctively moved down the list to Rick’s number. He said he was leaving for California this morning, though. The screen went dark as I stared at my contact list. It wasn’t totally out of the ordinary for Kayla to ignore or miss calls, but under the circumstances, it felt off. Maybe they’re having a party? Not another one, not after last night...

  So much had happened with Bryan, I’d completely forgotten about the party. The night I’d spent with Rick, how close I’d come to— “Ugh,” I groaned, shaking my head. I suddenly felt filthy and wanted to scrub myself clean. Between my little tryst the night before, skiing in the morning, and horrible stress sweat from the accident, I needed a good, long shower. Who knows when the next chance might be? I could’ve had a fourteen-hour flight ahead of me. Maybe if I sneak in the back way, I’ll be able to get in and out without anyone seeing? I liked the idea of primping for Bryan, looking like real hot shit when I turned up to whisk him away.

  With the Jeep finally pumping out hot air, I backed out of the parking lot. It felt strange leaving Bryan behind, but if I moved quickly, I wouldn’t have to leave his side for a long time. After heading down the road for ten minutes or so, the large familiar mountain came into view. It loomed like a giant in the sky before me, watching over the entire town like an eternal guard. The lights of the resort flickered on, bathing the base in a warm orange glow. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost him, I thought as I looked at the lit trails. Morbid thoughts like that kept cropping up uninvited.

  “Doesn’t matter now,” I said to the quiet cab. He’s alive, he’s fine. I have a chance to make things right and that’s all that matters. A wave of giddiness spread over me. We were actually running away! Where could we go? I dreamed of Vegas, of a warm California beach, maybe even New York City. We could disappear into nature or blend into a sea of people. As I made my way up the mountain, I allowed myself to fantasize about the adventure ahead. I knew we wouldn’t be able to outrun Rick forever, but with the money we had between the two of us, we could put some real distance in before he caught up. I didn’t think we were star-crossed lovers or anything. To simply have the chance to get to know each other without all this craziness sounded like perfection.

  I slowed to a stop as I took the last turn onto our road. Our cabin was one of the last in the tiny cul-de-sac, the furthest up the hill. The windows were all dark, I realized with a prickle of suspicion. At the last second, I decided to park the Jeep on the side of the road and walk up to the cabin, hopefully sneaking in without anyone noticing. Despite the growing anxiety in my gut, I wanted to look fresh and beautiful for our escape. In and out.

  The garage door was wide open and both of Noah’s trucks were gone. He’d occasionally let Rick drive his pickup
, but after the blow up they’d had the night before, it seemed odd they’d already be on good terms again. Regardless, it at least assured me the house was probably empty. Dark and deserted. I quietly made my way up the stairs and around the left side of the house, sliding the door to my room open.

  Shutting it behind me with a faint click, the scene before me was so unfamiliar, I briefly thought I’d walked into the wrong room. I scanned the area and recognized bits and pieces of my stuff, my breath coming quick and shallow. It was completely trashed. The sheets had been torn from the bed and thrown across the room. Most of my clothes had been scattered around on the floor like someone had grabbed huge armfuls and just thrown them in a fury. The door of my room was wide open, a trail of clothes disappearing around the corner and into the hall. My eyes fell to the blazing fire.

  A choked cry emerged from my throat as I saw the frame melted and warped in the flames. I fell to my knees before the fireplace and switched it off, my hand hovering inches above the twisted hot metal wanting to grab it. The photo of my mother was unrecognizable. The glass had shattered from the heat, the ink from the Polaroid bubbled and blackened beyond any saving.

  “Goddamn Rick,” I said through the tears. He’d obviously been furious when he woke up without me and had gone on a rampage. “It’s too much...” I whispered. The attack felt so personal, so vindictive. I’d never told him about my mother. He had no way of knowing the meaning I’d assigned to that photo, but burning it symbolized everything he’d done to me, the past few years and the past couple months. In that moment, I went from fearing him to loathing him.

  I rolled back onto my feet and stood on shaky legs, trying my best to figure out what I should do next. Blinking back the tears, I bent under my bed and grabbed the smallest suitcase. No sense dwelling on what I couldn’t change. Setting my jaw, I gave myself a mental pep talk. I had to move forward. Bryan would be waiting for me.

  I picked through the clothes and dumped them into the suitcase in a heap, not bothering to fold them. Tiptoeing towards the hall, grabbing a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans along the way, I still couldn’t shake that sense of wrongness. It was like a subconscious throbbing that made the hair on my neck stand on end. As I looked down the hall, I tried to tell myself it was because most of the lights in the house were off. It was the first time in the entire time I’d stayed there I’d ever seen that many shadows. You’re just freaking yourself out, I tried to convince myself. Even so...something was off. A sharp metallic smell hit my nose, tickling the back of my throat and making me want to cough.