Junior For The Mountain Man

by Crowne, K. C.

  The road got narrower and narrower, and my heart raced faster and faster. The trees seemed to slink down around me, devouring the road and everything in its path. I continued on.

  “Destination on the left in five hundred feet.”

  I couldn’t see anything. I had to trust it. I was close.

  As I carefully maneuvered, my phone went off again. Leah was calling this time. I hadn’t told Leah anything yet, but I had a feeling Tabby had told her by now. I couldn’t focus on talking to them while I was driving.

  I only took my eyes off the road for a split second, accidentally hitting answer instead of decline. My tires sunk into a ditch; I’d slipped off the side of the road. There was a steep incline going down a hill, and it felt like I was in a rollercoaster ride as the car flipped sideways once, then twice as I screamed.

  “Piper, where the hell are you?” Leah called out on the other end of the line as my world went black.

  Chapter 19

  Grant

  “Fuck this.” I stopped in the middle of the woods, frozen in place.

  “Don’t give up, man,” Cyrus said, patting me on the back. “We’ll find him.”

  “No, I’m not giving up. Fuck walking around in the snow looking for him. He’s not here,” I said. “Whoever has him, has him somewhere secure. The kid didn’t just walk out of the house himself.”

  Cyrus raised his face mask and took a drink from his thermos, cocking an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Sounds like you know something.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.” A thought had been weighing on me for some time. I kept pushing it out of my mind because there was no proof. But I couldn’t stop thinking about how Lars Russo had been watching Piper and Caleb. What would he want with the little boy? Maybe Caleb knew too much, saw something he shouldn’t have? “Do you know anything about a Lars Russo?”

  Cyrus stopped drinking and stared at me. “You mean that asshole who keeps trying to buy everyone’s property?”

  “Yeah, that’s him. I wonder— I mean, Andy’s property is worth a lot,” I surmised. “It’s likely land he wants.”

  “Sounds like a stretch, man,” Cyrus said, shaking his head. He mulled it over for a moment. “Then again, his brother was setting fires and causing mayhem to convince people to sell, so not like they’re good, Christian men or anything like that.”

  “Yeah, and I’m pretty sure he’s behind Andy’s death.”

  Cyrus was really paying attention now. I could tell there was something he wanted to say, but he seemed to be studying me instead.

  “What if I told you assface Russo owns some property outside of town. He doesn’t want anyone to know about it. Bought it under a shell corporation, you know the drill.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I accidentally stumbled on his land one day, thinking it was still abandoned. Man, did I regret that. Men with guns surrounded me in a heartbeat. I thought it was pretty suspicious, the number of guards he had on the land, so I looked into it a bit. Not too hard to find that info when you know the right folks.”

  “Can you give me the address, or at least directions? Something?”

  “What are you doing, Grant? There’s no solid proof he’s behind it.”

  “I just want to check it out, that’s all. It’s probably nothing, but we’re getting nowhere out here. Why not pay old Mr. Russo a visit and see if he knows anything?”

  “Shouldn't you talk to Teddy first?”

  He had a point. I probably should talk to Teddy, but I had nothing to go off of but a hunch. “Maybe I’ll tell him what’s going on, but I doubt they’ll be able to do much without more proof.”

  Cyrus watched me carefully, debating a moment before nodding. “Alright, let’s head over there.”

  I put a hand on his chest, stopping him. “No, I don’t want to get anyone else involved. If he didn’t do this, I’m sure as shit not going to be on his good side, and if he killed Andy, he could kill others too.”

  “I’m not letting you go alone.”

  “Someone needs to keep scouring these woods for clues, and there’s no one I trust more than you.” I’d just met the guy, but we were brothers as far as I was concerned. Different branches of the military, but I respect the hell out of Army rangers - and Cyrus had done nothing but impress me on this search. I already counted him as a friend, and I had few of those.

  He wanted to continue arguing with me, but I stopped it. “If I don’t come back, I need someone to push forward with the search. Someone to make them look into Russo. Especially if Caleb isn’t found.”

  This was a mission I had to go alone.

  Cyrus didn’t want to, but he gave up the address and directions to Russo’s property. I headed back to the house to get in my truck. It would be one hell of a drive, as the snow was coming down thicker than ever.

  “Be careful, Grant.”

  “You too,” I said, looking back. I was unable to see him through the thick blankets of snow.

  It was a long walk back to the house; we’d ventured further away than I’d expected. My leg was hurting like hell. Many people don’t realize that walking with a prosthetic is a lot harder on the body than a regular leg. In this heavy snow? It was exhausting. But I would not give up, no matter how much it hurt. Nothing would stop me from saving Caleb. If anything, the pain was just a reminder of what I’d lost before, and what I could lose again if I fucked up.

  I searched for Piper but didn’t see her anywhere. I stopped Teddy and asked.

  “She went inside last I saw her.”

  I didn’t want Piper to know what I was doing. She would want to join me, and I couldn’t risk her. Luckily, I had my keys in my pocket, so I could avoid going inside. I walked around the side of the house and heard some voices coming from the front. I stopped and listened.

  “She has no chance of getting custody of the boy now,” Grace hissed. “Losing him in his own home, with her and her boy toy there? How careless can you be?”

  She cackled, which took me by surprise. I stayed back and heard John mumbling but couldn’t make out what he was saying. They were moving away from me. I looked around the corner and saw them walking toward their car.

  Piper’s car was gone.

  A million red flags went up, and I reached for my phone. I dialed her number, but it went to voicemail. I tried again. Same.

  “Dammit, Piper. What did you do?”

  It gave me even more reason to check on Russo. I just knew he had to be behind this. I watched as Grace and John got into their car and struggled to pull out of the driveway. Californians, I snickered. They had no idea what they were getting into. They had chains on their tires; someone at the rental car agency likely made sure of that. Next time they visited, if ever, they should look into getting something a bit heavier.

  I hurried to my truck, climbing inside while leaving a voicemail for Piper.

  “I don’t know where you’re at but call me. I’m worried about you.”

  I hung up and entered the address into the GPS. It was about thirty minutes from here in good weather. Not sure how long it would take in the snow, but at least I had a truck meant for these sorts of conditions. Piper’s little car couldn’t go very far. Hopefully she just went into town, but I had a bad feeling she went searching for Caleb too.

  I was just about to the main road when my phone rang. I checked, hoping it was Piper, but it was Leah.

  I answered, putting it on speaker. “I can’t really talk right now Leah, I’m—”

  “Grant, something happened to Piper.”

  My heart stopped. “What do you mean?”

  “I called her a few minutes ago, but all I heard was her screaming in the background and a crash. Tabby told me about Caleb, but what else is going on?”

  “Do you have any idea where she might be?” I asked.

  “No, she didn’t say anything. But she was driving.”

  I slammed my hands onto the steering wheel, cursing out loud.

  “Are you driving, Gran
t?”

  “Yes.”

  “You need to be careful. This storm is serious.”

  “I’m fine. I need to find Piper. Have you called Teddy? Anyone?”

  “Yeah, I called Teddy first. He’s sending guys out to find her. There’s already helicopters looking for Caleb. They’ll look for her as well.”

  I didn’t say anything. My worst fears were coming to light. Everyone I love ended up getting hurt on my watch. I always managed to let them down.

  “Grant? Where are you going?”

  “I can’t talk right now. Need to find Piper and Caleb.”

  I hung up the phone and focused on my driving. Not having any idea where Piper might be, I headed out to Russo’s place. There was a good chance she was out there too, maybe thinking the same thing I was.

  Dammit, Piper. Why didn’t you come find me? Why didn’t you talk to me? You shouldn’t have gone alone.

  I held firmly onto the steering wheel, staring out into the bleak, white landscape. I had to find them. I couldn’t deal with a loss this big again. It would destroy me.

  Ooo000ooo

  I turned down the narrow road the GPS directed to me. The trees were thick and blocking both sides from view, their branches heavy with snow. I’d never been down this way even though I’d lived here my entire life. It was too far out of town, and there’d never been a reason to. There was literally nothing but trees as far as the eye could see.

  The road began to narrow, and I couldn’t see where the road began and the ditches on the side began. Luckily, I had a pretty big truck with tires that could handle almost anything. The trees parted a bit, with steep drops on either side of the road. That made things a tad bit tricky, but I was used to it. Slow and steady.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something down below. At first, I discounted it as a tree, but no, it was not the right size or shape. I pressed down on the brake and stopped, staring out the side window.

  It was a car, and it looked familiar.

  I put my truck into park and climbed down from the cab. I trekked down the hill, careful to avoid sliding. It was steep as hell. The closer I got, the more my heart thundered in my chest. I recognized the mangled car as Piper’s.

  “Piper!” I screamed as I rushed for it. I’d forgotten my phone in the truck, dammit. I couldn’t call for help.

  I ran to the vehicle and found the driver’s side door. I yanked it open. Thankfully, it was the passenger side that had been destroyed. Piper was still in her seat belt. Blood ran down her forehead, but she was still breathing. She probably had a concussion and maybe some broken bones, God willing, but she was alive.

  “Piper, can you hear me?”

  I knew I shouldn't move her without knowing if there was any damage to her spine or neck. She muttered something that kind of sounded like my name.

  “Yes, it’s me, baby,” I said. “Talk to me, please.”

  Her eyes fluttered open and shut, and then stayed open. She stared off into the distance for a moment, then turned her big, brown eyes to me. She seemed a little out of it, but as soon as she woke up and looked around, her eyes got large and she started fighting to get out of the car. She ripped at her seat belt.

  “Calm down, Piper,” I said, trying to stop her. “You’re okay. You’re going to be fine.”

  “Caleb,” she wheezed. “I have to get to Caleb.”

  “You know where he is?”

  “Yes, I have to get there. What time is it?”

  “I don’t know, I—”

  She managed to unlock her seat belt and fell from the car, landing on her hands and knees.

  “You need to take it easy in case—”

  “No,” she spat. “I can’t take it easy. I need to find Caleb.”

  She pushed herself up from the ground. I helped her to stand, and she stumbled a bit. She seemed a bit dizzy, but from the looks of it, she came out pretty unscathed except for the blood running down her face. I tried to inspect her head and found her scalp busted open probably from the impact when the car flipped sideways.

  Piper was trying to walk up the hill despite her obvious pain.

  “Piper, you’re going to get nowhere if you pass out.”

  She didn’t slow down. “I have no choice. You need to let me go alone.”

  “I’m not letting you go anywhere alone.”

  “I have to, or they will—” She didn’t finish that thought. She didn’t have to.

  “It’s Russo.”

  “I don’t know who it is.”

  “It is,” I told her with certainty in my voice. “I was headed to his place when I found you. Looks like we’re both headed there.”

  “Well, he told me I had to go alone.”

  She was struggling to get up the hill, and I knew she wasn’t about to give up. I lifted her in my arms, and she whimpered in pain but let me carry her the rest of the way up. She stared at me, and I could tell she would be okay. God, I was so thankful for that. I couldn’t lose both of them.

  As soon as we were on flat ground, she said, “Put me down please.”

  I carried her to my truck, setting her in the passenger side. She climbed right back down. I blocked her path.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To save Caleb,” she said. “If I remember correctly, it should be close.”

  “Hop in, it’s still a few minutes’ drive.”

  Piper didn’t jump in my truck immediately. She looked off in the distance, seemingly debating what she should do.

  “We’ll talk about the next steps, but there’s no way you’re walking there alone. We should call Teddy and—”

  “No,” she stated firmly. “If we get cops involved, they’ll hurt him.”

  “That’s what they all say. They don’t have to know.”

  “Oh they knew everything, Grant,” Piper stated matter-of-factly. “They either have a mole working for the sheriff’s office or cameras all over that place. He knew where I was in the house, and who I was with. He’s watching that place like a hawk. Hell, he could be watching me now, and I need to do what’s best for Caleb.”

  “Get in the truck, Piper. I’m not going to ask you again.”

  Her mouth dropped open in surprise. I’d never used that tone with her before. She must have known I meant business, because she climbed into the passenger side of my truck and shut the door. I walked over to the driver’s side, trying to formulate a plan on the fly. No cops. If what she said was true and there was a mole, we couldn’t involve them. I scanned the area, trying to determine if anyone was watching us. It was so hard to see, but if I had a hard time seeing anything because of the snow, they likely couldn’t see us very well either. I got into the truck and ran a hand through my hair.

  “I’m going in there alone, Grant. You can’t stop me.”

  I looked at her. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, a defiant look on her face.

  “I can go instead.”

  “No. If they see you, they might kill Caleb.” Her voice cracked and tears slid down her cheeks. Just hearing those words felt like a knife to the gut. She turned her head to stare at me. “He was serious, Grant. You didn’t hear him, I did. He means business. I come alone, or he kills Caleb.”

  “Or he could kill both of you, and I can’t let that happen.”

  I reached for the steering wheel, holding it tightly. Everything in me hurt. Not physically, but emotionally. I hated feeling like this. I felt helpless.

  “I’m willing to risk that,” Piper said.

  “Well, I’m not.” I stared at her, and my heart ached. God, I loved her. In that moment, I realized that I loved her and there was no way I could lose her.

  “It’s not your choice to make.”

  “Piper, I—”

  “Drive, Grant. Take me to Russo’s house and leave. Let me do this.”

  I nodded my head and drove, but that wasn’t my plan.

  We stopped just short of where the GPS had directed me to go.
I couldn’t even see the house from the road. I just had to trust that it was there. Piper unbuckled her seat belt. I grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving the truck.

  “Grant, I’m going—”

  I leaned into her, stopping her words with a kiss. “I love you, Piper. I’ve always loved you. I was just scared to admit it to myself.”

  “I love you too, Grant, but that isn’t going to stop me from doing this.”

  “I know,” I sighed. “I’ve known you for too damn long. I know nothing I say or do will stop you besides physically restraining you, and unfortunately, I have nothing here to do that with. So we’re going to have to work something else out.”

  “There’s nothing to work out,” she said, opening the door and hopping out. “And if you follow me and you’re seen, just know, they’ll probably kill all of us. So please don’t follow me.”

  She hurried away before I could even get out of the truck. I lost sight of her in the snowfall, her words weighing heavily on me. She was right. If they saw me, they might kill her and Caleb both.

  I just had to make sure they didn’t see me.

  Chapter 20

  Piper

  My head was spinning. I wasn’t sure if it was from the adrenaline or from my head injury. Probably both. I was shaking from head to toe, and not just from the cold. I’d never been so scared in my entire life. I wasn’t afraid for my own life; I was scared of what I might find when I got to the house. I was late, and the caller was adamant about me being there in an hour. What if… no, I couldn’t think like that.

  I had to stay strong for Caleb.

  The snow was deep, and each step took so much energy. I thought I might never get there. I finally saw lights ahead, and I followed those until the outline of the house appeared before me. I kept pushing myself further along, my stomach roiling. I hadn’t eaten anything yet that day, but if I had, it would have all come up.

  Just keep trekking, I told myself. You’re almost there.