“Is…is that yours?” she asked, her mouth agape.
“The house is, not the land, though. My father used to say that this land never really belongs to anybody, so I guess I’m just looking after it until another generation comes along and takes over,” he replied cryptically as Spider landed with masterful precision on the grass helipad before cutting back the powerful General Electric turboshaft engines to idle speed.
As soon as they’d exited the helicopter, the engines roared again and blades of loose grass and forest debris flew through the air causing Elle to shield her eyes from the rotorwash. “Where’s he going?” she shouted into Jarrad’s ear.
“Back to base to refuel before he goes on standby for the next call. Hopefully, there won’t be another one tonight.”
“Shouldn’t you be with him?”
Jarrad paused for the chopper to gain some altitude so he could talk without shouting. “No, I’m technically not even on duty. I was doing a training climb when the call came through. I was the nearest Ranger. Your lucky day, hey?” He laughed and put his arm across her shoulder to guide her to the cabin.
The way he held her, so firm and protective, not to mention the fact that his massive frame towered over her, made her feel safe, but she knew it was only temporary. She had to get away as soon as she could, before anyone else got caught up in her mess, no matter how well intentioned they thought they were being. Her only chance of getting through this alive was to move fast and travel alone.
“This big house is just for you?” she asked as a way of sounding him out about a Mrs. Rescue Ranger being in the picture.
Perhaps he’s a hot-as-hell Mountain Ranger with a drop dead gorgeous trophy wife and three perfect kids. Ha! Only if my luck keeps going the way it has been.
“Sure is. When I built it, I thought I might find someone to share it with and start a family. But that didn’t really work out for me and at my age, it’s unlikely to. If I’d known how things were going to work out, I’d have made it a lot smaller. Keeping a place this big clean is a nightmare”
“It’s stunning. When you say you built it…”
Jarrad held up his large hands, “with these. And a few power tools.”
“Soldier, Rescue Ranger and now builder? Any more hidden talents?”
To avoid answering any more of her questions Jarrad scooped Elle up in his arms and began to walk briskly toward the house. Elle was surprised at his strength and the way he moved with grace and agility while holding her in his arms, like she wasn’t even there.
“Why are you running all of a sudden?”
“It’s freezing out here. I don’t want you to catch cold,” he replied.
“You know a cold is a virus, right? You can’t catch one just by being cold.”
“Whatever …”
Great…a know-it-all. I knew she was too good to be true, Jarrad thought. That was something his military training didn’t train him to detect.
Or maybe I’m just clueless when it comes to women. Always have been and unlikely to get any smarter about it now.
Chapter 12
“Wow!” she said as soon as they were through the heavy timber doors of the main entrance and into the largest room of the house.
Jarrad suspected this might be the only time in his life that he might hear a woman say “wow” without it meaning the end of their relationship or the beginning of a massive misunderstanding. He took a second to savor the moment.
The breathtaking, airy room left her speechless. Floor to ceiling windows that she knew would provide stunning mountain views during the day, a colossal stone fireplace dominated the center of the room, dividing the huge space in half. Large, opulent rugs covering much of the stone floor and a perfectly crafted and polished wooden ceiling. It reminded her of a lavish Hamptons home with a mountain retreat twist. Not the kind of bachelor pad she would have imagined her ex-military, mountain man to live in. It oozed class and it was spotless. And tidy.
“Are you sure there’s no Mrs. Ranger in residence?” She had to ask.
Jarrad smiled at her attempts to sound him out. “No. I can assure you that I’m very much alone up here. That’s how I like it, too”, he added.
“No doubt.” Elle tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. As much as she wanted to run, she felt drawn to the robust, powerful man who felt more like a father figure but for the he way he looked at her, like she was something special.
Don’t be a fool. You’ll only be setting yourself up for more heartache, she reminded herself.
Maybe a little diversion, then. No strings and all that. I could be dead tomorrow, after all…
“I said I’ll get a fire started, if you like.” His impassioned, reassuring voice broke through her inner debate.
“Ah…of course. That would be lovely. There’s nothing like an open fire,” she responded lamely, having been caught daydreaming by him. Again.
“Is something wrong? You look…I don’t know…distracted?” he asked.
“I’m alright. I just feel like I need a shower and I don’t even have a change of clothes or anything.” Her nose wrinkled when she looked down at her sweaty blouse and disheveled skirt.
“I’ll try to find something for you to wear. You can shower while I get the fire started and cook you some dinner. Hungry?”
A pang of jealousy stabbed at the pit of her stomach as the thought of him having a pile of women’s clothes on hand. Left overs from his other ‘conquests’, she figured. How could she be so stupid to even think he might be interested in a someone her age? Even if he was, she’d be one of many he’d brought to his ‘fancy-pants’ bachelor lair, and he’d only discard her when he’d had his fun.
Men! They’re all the same. Even out here in the fucking wilderness!
Chapter 13
Freshly showered, her wet hair smelling of the green apple scented hair products she found in the shower stall, Elle emerged tentatively from the bathroom and into the adjoining guest bedroom. She found herself alone and finally began to relax although a small part of her was disappointed Jarrad wasn’t there. She’d heard him fossicking about while she was drying herself.
Emerging in her underwear with only a towel wrapped around her, she saw that her clothes had been whisked away. Lying on the bed, where she had left her clothes was the most enormous sweatshirt and hoodie she had ever seen. Elle had no idea who or what the Montana Grizzlies were, but apparently, they wore clothing fit for some kind of giant.
The sweatshirt had a large grizzly bear on the front and the words “The Last Best Place” stenciled across it. The hoodie was more subtle with the words Montana Grizzlies splashed across it in giant letters and a massive bear paw print.
Elle was beginning to see a theme emerging with the bears.
And the XXXXXL sizing.
OK, maybe not hand-me-downs from other playmates. But bears? Seriously? Hey, does he really think I’m this size? How rude!
After rugging herself in the oversized garments, Elle made her way downstairs, drawn as much by the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen as the need to give Jarrad a piece of her mind for leaving her such ridiculous apparel.
“Ah, there you are,” Jarrad said as she entered the kitchen.
Elle stopped short and simply stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring down at her sleeves nearly dragging on the floor, like a child wearing an adult’s shirt, before fixing a cold stare on Jarrad.
“Yeah, about that…I don’t get many visitors up here and my old college sweats were the only things I had that I thought might do the job. I’ve bulked up a lot since then, so they’re surplus to requirements at the moment.”
She looked from her massive, flapping hoodie to Jarrad and back again, realizing that he was right. His current sizing would have been even more ridiculous. If that were at all possible.
“Thanks. I appreciate the thought. At first, I thought you were trying to tell me you thought I was…you know…a bit overweight.”
�
��What? Are you kidding? You’ve got an awesome figure.” Jarrad quickly turned his attention back to the stove where he’d been working before Elle came in, embarrassed by the openness of his words.
Is he flirting with me?
“Been checking me out, have you? Bet you say that to all the damsels in distress you rescue and bring back to your private mountain hideaway,” she probed.
Jarrad suddenly became fascinated by whatever he had happening on the stove as he stirred one saucepan vigorously while closely examining the contents of another. No matter what he said right now, it would get him into trouble. If he said he loved the curves she had in all the right places, then he was admitting he checked her out. If he pretended he hadn’t checked her out, then he’d look stupid or worse…a liar. Now was a good time for Jarrad to stop talking.
“What smells so good?” Elle asked, breaking the awkward silence and taking in a good whiff of the mouthwatering smell.
“Homemade pasta with Flathead Lake cheese, baby spinach, wild mushrooms and crispy bacon,” Jarrad responded with pride.
Looking at the hulking man with his thin tee taught across his magnificently muscled chest, stirring tiny pots and pans with sinewy arms, thick with bulging muscle and hearing his glowing description of a gourmet dinner, Elle couldn’t help herself.
She burst out laughing.
Chapter 14
Elle was unmistakably famished. Perhaps from having been on the run for so long without a break or from the stress of the rescue. Maybe both, in equal measure. Either way, she scoffed down the best pasta dish she’d ever eaten in her life with such enthusiasm that Jarrad watched her with a look of bewilderment. He’d never seen a girl put away so much food so quickly.
“That was delicious. That would rival some of the best restaurant meals I’ve eaten, I think,” She said, mopping up the last of the sauce with the crust of her bread.
Embarrassed, she pushed her empty plate aside. Jarrad was barely half way through his. “I haven’t eaten in over 24 hours,” she offered, by way of explanation. Being on the run wasn’t ideal for someone with a healthy appetite. There were a few times during the road trip that she wished she was one of the rail thin ‘lettuce leaf and carrot stick for lunch’ girls she went to college with. But that was never going to happen. Elle enjoyed good food and was of the opinion that life was too short not to.
“So, now you’re showered, changed, fed and rehydrated, do you want to tell me what you were doing dodging the cartel on a high mountain road in a car and clothes better suited to a weekend in Vegas?”
She knew it was coming, but she still hadn’t prepared her story well enough and wasn’t sure how much she could trust this stranger. No matter how disarmingly hot he was.
“You could try telling me the truth, if you haven’t come up with a story yet,” he said, as if reading her mind.
“How—”
“When I was in the army, my job and my survival depended on me being able to read people.” He paused and fixed a cold, ruthless stare on her. “And I was damn good at my job.”
Elle not only felt like she was being interrogated, but that Jarrad already knew a lot of the answers. That was probably because he did.
Trooper Ryan had called Jarrad on his cell while Elle was getting cleaned up and changed. It seemed the car and its driver had turned up in a couple of state and federal bulletins relating to the embezzlement of funds from a finance company. According to DMV records, the recently vanished BMW was registered to the chairman of said finance company.
He wasn’t sure why, but when quizzed if he knew the whereabouts of the woman in question, Jarrad told the trooper that he had no idea. They’d been unable to make contact with the helicopter pilot to verify where the rescued woman had been taken and they were hoping Jarrad could fill them in. Jarrad was giving his army intelligence instincts free reign for the moment and they told him in no uncertain terms that the girl was in trouble and that she was a good person.
Biting her bottom lip, Elle considered her situation before deciding, on a whim, to trust the mysterious stranger. As much as she hated to admit it, she had no other choice. No money, no car, no means of disappearing without a trace as all of her personal belongings were in the trunk of her car. Bottom line? She was heavily reliant on this giant mountain man for protection, although she knew next to nothing about him. But that didn’t mean she was ready to tell him the entire story. It was too dangerous. For both of them.
“It’s a long story…” She sucked on her lip, stalling for time.
“Well, then, you’d better get started,” Jarrad commanded, folding his thickset arms and leaning forward attentively.
That’s exactly what she did, too. Right from the very beginning, when everything seemed too good to be true.
Chapter 15
Fresh out of college, Elle was desperate to make her way in the world and escape the controlling, suffocating influence of her socialite mother, whose idea of a bad day was having a nail appointment run five minutes late. So, the opportunity to interview as the executive assistant to the financial controller of a national finance company was a godsend. A prestigious title with a leading firm and a large enough paycheck to escape the clutches of her domineering mother. Win-win.
For three years, Elle worked longer hours, harder and smarter than anybody else in the accounting department, carving out quite a reputation for herself as a hard worker and a savvy accountant. That’s what they needed at Starnet Finance. The problem was Elle was just a little too smart and savvy. Worse, she had an enquiring mind and a pedantic nature. Everything had to balance to the penny and when the accounts didn’t balance, her investigative instincts kicked in. Like a pit bull with a bone, she wouldn’t let it go until she’d solved the problem. She hated to lose a challenge.
“So,” Jarrad interrupted her story to clear up his confusion, “how did you know these bank accounts were actually being used to launder money?”
“I didn’t at first, but after a while, I saw a pattern. I doubt anyone else would have seen it because they weren’t looking too carefully. They weren’t supposed to see the pattern. That was the whole point,” she explained. The blank expression on Jarrad’s face remained unmoved.
“OK,” Elle continued unperturbed, “I had to verify the bank accounts of the various loan applicants, right?” Jarrad nodded. “I’m seeing deposits, all under $10,000 so they avoid the federal identification and reporting requirements, being made into these accounts from branches all over the country. All cash. I mean, who even uses cash these days, right? Not one single online transfer. Only cash deposits.”
She waited for Jarrad to get his head around what she was saying. When she was satisfied, she continued.
“These seemingly random cash deposits from hundreds of different branches were then used to buy luxury cars, precious metals, aircraft, ships … you name it, they bought it.” She waved her hand expansively, to emphasize her point.
“But here’s the kicker.” She stabbed at the dining table with her finger. “Each of the purchases, regardless of the amount or which bank account I looked at was exactly the total sum of all the seemingly random deposits. In each and every case. No exceptions.” She poked the table again to make her point.
“I’m with you so far. A bunch of people all over the country are pumping money into these bank accounts and the account holder then uses the funds to buy something. But how’s that illegal?”
“It’s drug money, from distributors and dealers in every city in every state. Thousands of them. The money doesn’t belong to the account holder…it belongs to the cartel” she clarified.
“What happens to the money? You said they bought stuff with it.” Jarrad was trying hard to impress her by keeping up, but she was losing him. Fast.
“They buy anything online that’s high value and easy to sell. They either buy the goods overseas or have them shipped there, then they sell it at eighty cents on the dollar and have the funds wired by the buyer to their
US based bank accounts. The money has been cleaned and it looks like a legitimate commercial deal.” She leaned back with a satisfied smile on her face, happy with her brief money laundering tutorial.
“I thought these guys used casinos and online gambling to launder their money?”
“They did,” Elle agreed, “until the Fed started monitoring them more closely and tightening the reporting requirements. Online auction sites are the ‘new black’ as far as these money launderers are concerned.”
“And they’re after you because…” Jarrad let the question hang.
“Because I started digging when I noticed the pattern and traced the operation to over a hundred of these ‘clearing’ accounts and each one is washing over a million dollars each month—”
“Wait,” Jarrad raised his hand, “that’s…” He closed his eyes, his lips moving silently as he tried to make the calculation.
He was too slow.
“Over a billion dollars a year,” she interrupted his arithmetic. “And I’ve got the proof. The account codes, routing numbers, transaction histories. Everything. All on a microSD memory card.”
“Where is it? We need to keep it somewhere safe. It’s the only leverage we’ve got if these guys come after you,” Jarrad reasoned.
“Oh, they’re coming after me alright. They’ve got over a billion reasons to come after me. There’s just one problem with your plan.”
“And that is…?”
“The memory card with the data on it is…well, it was hidden in my overnight bag.”
The look of confusion on Jarrad’s face suggested he didn’t quite see where she was going with this.
Bear Mountain Daddy 1 Page 3