by Terri Reed
A stab of guilt pricked her. She’d always had a conscience. She’d just been more afraid of him. And with good reason. But maybe if she’d come forward sooner on her own, Gregor would still be alive.
“Did you kill Gregor?” Her heart twisted with grief at the loss of her friend.
Maksim’s lips thinned. “An unexpected casualty. But he’d outlived his usefulness, anyway.”
Her fist clenched at his callous words. Gregor had been twice the man Sokolov was. “Did you set fire to the restaurant?”
He waved the question away as if swatting at a fly. “I no longer wanted the business,” he said. “The insurance payout will allow me to open a new venture.”
By burning down The Matador, he’d put people out of work and killed a man. Which she doubted bothered him at all. Talk about not having a conscience. “You’re a horrible man,” she said. Deciding she had nothing to lose, she asked, “Why did you kill Detective Peters?”
Maksim sneered, his face twisting in a way that had Ashley’s skin crawling. She pressed her back against the seat, wishing to put more distance between them.
“He betrayed me.” Maksim nearly spit the words. “No one betrays me and lives.”
“How did he betray you?” Ashley pressed. “He was a police officer doing his job.”
“He may have been on the job but he was taking my payoffs until he decided to become greedy and wanted more,” Maksim stated.
“So he was dirty,” she murmured, disappointed that the officer had sold out his honor and integrity to Sokolov. What could have enticed Peters to turn against his oath to protect and serve? She guessed they’d never know.
“Everyone has dirt on their hands,” Maksim said.
Once again Ashley turned her gaze to Sarah, who stared out the window with tears rolling down her cheeks. Reaching across the seat, Ashley gripped the other woman’s hand.
Sarah startled, her head swiveling as her watery gaze met Ashley’s.
“Tell me why you’re doing this. Is it for money?”
Sarah shook off Ashley’s hand. Her terrified gaze darted to Maksim before bouncing back to the side window. Sarah curled away from Ashley, keeping her hands out of Ashley’s reach. Whatever hold Sokolov had on Sarah was strong. Ashley wasn’t sure how to help her.
They finally reached the plateau at the top of the mountain. In the distance she could see Eagle Crest Resort. Ashley had never ventured to the resort but from what she could see of the large four-story structure with its peaked roofline, she understood the draw.
The hotel sat strategically on the tip of Eagle Crest Mountain and provided a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. Though there was scant snow on the ground this late in April, there were people riding the lifts up and down the ski runs on the north side of the mountain. The other sides of the mountain were crisscrossed with hiking trails, which was a big draw for Bristle Township in the sunny months.
Why were they taking her to the resort?
The vehicle veered in an arc away from the main road leading to the resort and headed toward a private airstrip a football field length away from the main building. A small white jet with three round windows along its side stood on the tarmac. The jet’s door was open and a set of stairs extended to the ground.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
Maksim’s lips stretched in a smile that reminded Ashley of an evil clown. “Somewhere no one will ever find your remains.”
Ashley’s mouth dried at the blatant threat. She had to find a way to escape, but there was nowhere for her to go even if she managed to run off. She doubted she’d make it to the resort for help before they shot her. And taking off into the woods, well, the mountain had its own set of dangers.
The town car came to a halt. The driver jumped out and opened the back door, reaching inside to clamp a hard hand around her biceps. He yanked her out of the car. Maksim and Sarah followed.
Ashley had to do something to delay them. That is if Chase managed to figure out where she’d been taken. But she had no idea how he would know. She could only pray that God would give him the right knowledge.
Digging in her heels, she forced the driver to drag her. She wasn’t going to make this easy for them. She kicked and punched at the behemoth man but her attempts to hurt him bounced off his hard muscles. She screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping somebody at the resort might hear.
Maksim smacked her across the face. Pain exploded in her head and she tasted blood in her mouth. She lunged at him with her fists raised.
He darted out of the way. “This one’s a wildcat,” he said. “When we get on the plane, restrain her.”
Sarah stopped walking. “What about me? We’re square now, right? You’ll let my son go?”
Ashley’s heart sank. No wonder Sarah was helping him. Her child’s life was in danger. Ashley asked the woman, “You destroyed the video deposition, didn’t you?”
Sarah ignored her. “Please, Maksim, you promised me.”
“Indeed, I did.” Sokolov held the gun that Sarah had used to force Ashley from the courthouse and aimed it at Sarah. “I’m done with you. You’re nothing but a loose end.”
There was no doubt about his intent. He was going to shoot Sarah. “You can’t kill her,” Ashley yelled. “She has a child. Don’t you have any sense of decency in you?”
Maksim laughed. “No. Any sense of decency I had was beat out of me in prison years ago.”
“There’s no reason for you to harm her,” Ashley pleaded. “Please, don’t hurt her, too.”
“You bleeding heart types,” Maksim muttered and lowered the gun. “Get on the plane, both of you.”
Maksim made a whirling gesture with his finger in the air. Ashley followed his gaze to where a man wearing a navy blue pilot’s uniform appeared in the open doorway of the jet. The pilot disappeared and a few moments later the engine roared to life.
The man holding on to Ashley tugged her toward the jet. At the bottom of the staircase leading to the plane’s door, Ashley grabbed the railing with her free hand and wrapped her legs around the bars. They were going to have to pry her loose and carry her up the stairs.
The squeal of tires on pavement rent the air. Chase’s truck followed by a Sheriff’s Department vehicle screeched to a stop a few feet away. Ashley nearly collapsed in gratitude. God had come through and sent Chase to the rescue.
Moving quicker than she deemed possible, Maksim rushed forward, pushing his man aside to grab Ashley. “Let go or I kill her.” He aimed the weapon at Sarah.
Ashley released the stair railing. Maksim strong-armed her in front of him like a shield.
Then he shot Sarah. Ashley screamed as the other woman crumpled to the ground. The driver and the pilot both disappeared inside the plane, leaving Maksim to fend for himself.
Maksim put the gun to Ashley’s temple. “Climb the stairs. Those cops are going to have to go through you to get me.”
Ashley could only pray that somebody would take the shot, regardless. Maksim Sokolov needed to be stopped.
* * *
Chase jumped out of the truck with his breath trapped in his lungs and his sidearm at the ready. Fear and anguish squeezed his insides at the gut-wrenching sight of Maksim Sokolov hiding behind Ashley. Her eyes were terrified and her face had lost all its color.
Holstering his weapon, Chase put his hands up and moved forward. “Mr. Sokolov, let’s be reasonable here. There’s no way you’re getting off this mountain. If you harm her, you’re going home in a body bag. I don’t think you want that. You can run your operation from inside prison.”
“I’ve been in prison,” Maksim yelled back. “I’m not going back.”
Marshal Hawks parked his vehicle in front of the plane, blocking the aircraft from leaving. Behind him Chase could hear Daniel saying he didn’t have a clean shot.
Chase made a wide circle so that he wouldn’t be in the pathway of the bullet when the opportunity for a shot presented itself.
Seeing that Maksim’s finger wasn’t on the trigger, Chase’s gaze locked on to Ashley’s. He couldn’t let Maksim take her onto that plane. She would be as good as dead. He prayed that Ashley wasn’t too freaked out. He needed her to keep her head and be focused.
“Now!” Chase shouted.
Without hesitation, she reacted. In one swift move, she cupped her fisted left hand with her right while jamming her elbow into Maksim’s rib cage. At the same time she stomped on his instep.
The man let out a yowl of pain. She jerked out of his grasp but he grabbed her by the wrist before she could get away. She used the lessons in self-defense to lean into Maksim, swiftly yanking him off balance as she reversed her hold on his wrist and twisted his arm behind him.
Chase’s breath caught and pride swelled.
But Maksim didn’t go down as planned. He braced his legs apart, clearly understanding the move.
With a sickening laugh, Maksim cackled, “You think you’re so smart.” He brought the gun around and aimed the barrel at Ashley’s face.
“Let her go,” Chase yelled, even as he was running toward her.
Ashley released her hold on Makism. He tried to grab her again, but she dove to the side.
Three shots rang out as the two marshals and Daniel fired on Maksim, hitting him center mass. Blood blossomed in a widening crimson stain across his white shirt. Shock twisted his features as he went to his knees and then fell face first onto the tarmac.
Marshal Hawks and Daniel ran forward and entered the plane to apprehend the pilot and the driver.
Chase caught Ashley as she barreled into him. She clung to him and buried her face into his neck. Her body trembled within his embrace. “Shh. You’re safe now. It’s over.”
She was finally free. She could resume her life, wherever she wanted it to be.
Chase longed to tell her that his love for her was real, that he would follow her to the ends of the earth. She only had to say the word. But he held back. He wanted her to have the choice. She no longer had to live a life looking over her shoulder.
Daniel had Sokolov’s two henchmen cuffed and sitting on the ground.
The two marshals stepped forward, taking Ashley from Chase. “We’ll take our witness with us,” Marshal Grant said.
“Chase?” The confusion in her eyes scored him.
“It’s okay. You go with the marshals for now,” he said. “Daniel and I will take care of this. You still need to give your deposition.”
“But he’s dead,” she said. “He can’t hurt me anymore.”
Marshall Grant cleared his throat. “Maksim Sokolov may be gone, but until we take down his network, you need to stay in our custody.”
Chase’s stomach dropped. He should’ve thought of that. Would Maksim’s men seek revenge against Ashley?
“But I don’t know anything about the rest of his organization,” Ashley said.
“We have another witness,” Marshal Hawks stated. “You can give us the information we need in regard to Detective Peters’s murder. Our other witness will provide the rest.”
Chase frowned, wondering who this other person could be. But he wasn’t given an opportunity to ask as sirens heralded the arrival of the ambulance and the squeal of more tires as Alex, Kaitlyn, the sheriff and the district attorney also arrived.
The sheriff stopped to talk to the marshals. Kaitlyn listened for a moment, then stalked toward Chase. Alex went to help Daniel with the two men. The district attorney rushed to Sarah’s side and helped her to a seated position. One paramedic hustled to stop the bleeding in her shoulder, while the other checked Sokolov’s body, then placed a white plastic sheet over his still form.
Ashley stood apart from everyone with her arms wrapped around her middle. She kept glancing toward Chase.
“Dude, really?” Kaitlyn walked up to him and punched him in the arm. “Are you going to let them take her away? You better fight for her! She loves you and you love her.”
“Ouch!” Chase said, mostly to buy time as he processed her words. “She said she couldn’t love me.”
Kaitlyn slapped a hand to her forehead. “She didn’t mean it. She doesn’t want to make you choose her over your life here.”
Chase’s mind whirled. Did Ashley love him? Had she said she couldn’t love him because she hadn’t wanted to take him from his life in Bristle Township? He did love this town and the community, but he wanted to be with Ashley. And that was what he was going to do, if she’d have him.
He hurried to Ashley’s side. Relief shone bright in her eyes as she gripped his hands.
Marshal Grant frowned. “What is it now, Deputy?”
“I need to tell Ashley something,” Chase said.
“Again?” The marshal shook his head. “Last time didn’t turn out so well.”
Ignoring everyone else, Chase focused on Ashley. He squeezed her hands. “I know you said you can’t love me. But I love you, Ashley Willis.” He swallowed the lump of dread and apprehension forming in his throat. “And I want to spend my life cherishing you, protecting you and loving you.”
Her eyes widened and a mix of doubt and joy filled her gaze. “Are you really willing to give everything up to be with me?”
“Yes,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
Her eyes softened and she beamed at him. Joy spread over her lovely face. “When I told you I couldn’t love you, that was a lie. My last one, I promise.”
“So what is the truth?” he asked, his heart pounding with anticipation.
She cupped his face and looked deep into his eyes. “The truth is, Deputy Chase Fredrick, I love you. And I want to be with you, no matter what, no matter where.”
Elated, he captured her mouth in a toe-curling kiss. He accepted and acknowledged that whatever the Lord had in store for them, for their future, they would face it together, forever.
EPILOGUE
Three months later
Overhead, lights danced in the night sky in a brilliant burst of colors. Ashley sat next to Chase on the park lawn in downtown Bristle Township. Lucinda sat in her wheelchair next to them with a blanket over her legs.
An unfamiliar warmth spread through Ashley as she contemplated the fact that Lucinda’s matchmaking had come to fruition. However, Ashley believed God had brought her and Chase together. No other man could have breached the barricades of her heart. His innate kindness, loyalty and honor had drawn her to him, but his love had captured her heart. Soon they would marry and start a new life together. With children and love. Lucinda would one day get her wish of grandbabies to spoil.
All around them sat families and friends on blankets or in chairs, as they watched the Eagle Crest Mountain Resort’s Fourth of July lights show. “This is actually better than fireworks.”
Chase tucked a chin-length strand of hair behind her ear. She’d gone back to her natural color of walnut brown and was letting it grow out.
“Every year is different,” Chase said. “I enjoy the cartoon characters.”
Ashley laughed. “I’m enjoying the flower display.” A large rose blossoming held her interest.
“You’re more beautiful than any flower,” Chase murmured in her ear as he tightened his arm around her.
“Ashley?” a deep male voice asked.
Her heart skipped a beat. She recognized that voice. She’d never dreamed she’d hear it again. Ashley’s gaze sought the man standing at the edge of their blanket. His hair was whiter than she remembered and his shoulders a bit more stooped. But it was him.
She gave a little gasp and jumped to her feet. “Gregor!”
After everything that had happened on the mountain, the marshals had finally revealed that they had faked Gregor Kominski’s death to keep Maksim Sokol
ov from killing him. In return, Gregor had given them everything they needed to take down what remained of Sokolov’s operation. Even though the mastermind behind the organization was dead, there’d been people who were loyal to him and who had expressed the need for revenge. The police had arrested them all.
The marshals had released both Ashley and Gregor from protective custody. They were given permission to go back to their lives with their own names. She, of course, returned to Chase and Bristle Township. Though she knew Gregor lived, she hadn’t been able to see him and had no idea where Gregor had disappeared. But now he was here in Bristle Township. Her heart swelled with happiness.
His face and hands bore scars from the fire, but his eyes were still so kind. She hugged him tight. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“I wasn’t sure if you would want to see me,” Gregor said, hugging her back.
“Of course I would,” she exclaimed, choking back tears of gratitude. “You are a part of my life. An important part.”
He leaned back to search her face. “I am glad. I never meant for you to be hurt.”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t, thanks to you.”
Chase stood and shook the man’s hand. “Thank you for coming. And for all you did for Ashley.”
Ashley turned to her fiancé. “You invited him here?”
Beaming, Chase slipped his arm around her waist. “I knew you would want to see him.”
Love filled her to overflowing. Chase was the man she would marry and spend the rest of her days loving. And she couldn’t be happier. “You are the best man in the whole wide world.”
Chase laughed and introduced Gregor to Lucinda.
“Pull up a chair, young man,” she said to Gregor. There was no mistaking the curiosity in Lucinda’s eyes.
He smiled and seemed to stand taller. “Oh, I think I’m going to like you.”
Chase somehow found a folding chair and put it next to Lucinda’s wheelchair. Gregor sat and the two became fast friends.
Resuming their seats on the blanket, Ashley leaned back against Chase’s chest and stared up at the beautiful display of lights in the sky.