Raven Falls

by Jill Sanders

Shortly after they both were hauled away, Cade, turned to her.

  “Are you still up for a hike?” he asked her.

  “Even more so now. I have all this…”—she motioned to her chest— “pent up.”

  He smiled and then the two of them and Blue stepped outside and headed up the pathway to the top of the ski runs.

  It had been too long since she’d been outside in nature, spending her day breathing fresh crisp mountain air.

  Halfway up the hillside, she was breathless, her thighs were burning, and she had a stitch in her side. The anger she’d felt towards her family was still burning inside her, but now it was more a slow burn than a raging forest fire. She pushed on with Blue in the lead and Cade directly behind her.

  “I’m not slowing you down, am I?” she asked a little winded.

  He chuckled. “It’s okay. I’m enjoying the view.”

  Since she was completely breathless, she didn’t talk again until they reached the summit.

  The view was simply breathtaking. Or maybe it was the climb that had taken her breath away? Either way, she stood for a few moments, just taking it all in.

  The three massive buildings were like dark shadows on the beautiful countryside. If they weren’t her entire world, she would have thought that they should have never been there in the first place. In a way, they marred the nature surrounding them, darkened the natural beauty.

  Then she remembered all the wonderful times she’d had within those walls. How so many in town counted on the income from the resort. How they relied on her.

  “It’s stunning, isn’t it?” Cade asked, wrapping his arms around her.

  “It looks so small from up here.”

  He chuckled. “I haven’t been up here in years.” He glanced all around. “I’d forgotten you can see the town from here. It’s strange, I never really think about the mountain being almost between the resort and town.”

  “Me neither.” She turned in a compete circle and then her eyes landed on the hillside where they’d found her. Where she’d hidden in a cave and waited out the fire. Where she’d met Reggie that fateful night.

  The last place she’d been happy. Genuinely happy. Carefree. Unhindered by guilt. Sorrow. Loss.

  The once-charred hillside was now completely covered in short, green, lush trees, the last remnants of the damage caused ten years ago long gone.

  “How about some lunch?” Cade asked, breaking into her thoughts.

  Tearing her eyes from the park, she turned towards Cade and nodded.

  “Are you okay?” Cade asked her.

  “Yes,” she smiled, remembering everything she had now. How she’d spent a wonderful night wrapped in Cade’s arms.

  Focusing on the good instead of the bad caused her heart to swell and lift.

  She moved over and sat back to watch Cade pull out a perfect summer picnic. She knew there were a few more weeks before this hillside was covered in fresh snow and flooded with vacationers. The earliest she could remember getting snow was the first day of October back when she was ten.

  “Maybe next summer we can get up here more often,” Cade said, handing her a bottled water.

  “I’d like that. With everything going on this year, it’s been difficult for me to just breathe.”

  “You really have done an amazing job.” He glanced down the hillside towards the resort. “I’m sure you’re going to be packed to the rafters soon enough.”

  “They’ve finished installing the new system in the west building.” She smiled. “I just got word after you left.”

  “That’s good news,” Cade responded.

  “You may have to come in for another inspection,” she suggested. “I rather liked working with you. Seeing you in that sexy uniform.”

  He laughed. “So do I. Like working with you. Everything you wear is sexy,” he added, causing her to smile.

  Sitting on the hillside eating lunch with Cade was easily one of the best days she’d had in years. She’d never laughed or flirted as much as she did with him on the top of the mountain, overlooking everything she’d worked hard for.

  “So, what happens now?” she asked him once the sandwiches, cheese, and fruit he’d packed were all gone.

  “Dessert?” he asked, pulling out a bag of cookies.

  She laughed. “I mean with my uncle and aunt.”

  “Oh.” He sighed and handed her a couple of cookies. “Now they’ll have to post bail. Hopefully, they have learned a lesson to leave you alone.”

  “They wanted some sort of policy.” She remembered her uncle’s words right before Cade and Sean walked in. “I thought they were talking about the insurance policy on the resort that my uncle had taken out. The moment I found out about it, I called the company and cancelled it. Since he technically wasn’t owner, it hadn’t been that hard.”

  “Seriously? He took a policy out on the place?” Cade asked.

  “Yeah, with him and Morgan Roche as beneficiaries.”

  “Seriously?” Cade asked again. “How stupid could the man be?”

  “My aunt wasn’t too pleased to find out about that,” she said with a smile. “I think that was the last nail in the coffin of their marriage.”

  “You would think. Something tells me those two idiots love to be miserable together.” Cade shook his head, and he ate his cookie.

  “So, I’m not sure what policy they were talking about. They kept insisting that there was a different one,” she said.

  “What kind of policy?”

  “I’m not sure.” She shook her head. “But something tells me I need to call and ask around.”

  “I can help if you need,” Cade offered.

  “Thanks.” She relaxed back as he wrapped his arms around her. “This was almost a perfect day,” she said with a sigh.

  “Almost,” he agreed. “We still have to get down the hillside.”

  She laughed. “I have a thought about that.” She glanced over at him. “I’ve arranged to get a ride.”

  “A ride?” he asked, his eyebrows rising slightly.

  “I needed to test out the lifts now that they’re fully functional. They even have these new baskets for pets to get up and down the mountain. We’re going to use them next summer, when we open the hiking and bike paths.”

  He bent his head down and kissed her. “Have I mentioned how much I love you today?”

  She smiled and held onto him and kissed him back.

  Waves and waves of anger washed over them. It was getting harder to separate reality from fiction. There were moments the red haze overcame them, and they disappeared into the smoke and haze that surrounded them.

  The only moments of true coherence were when they killed. The hunger. The desire to make others suffer was so great that sinking into the darkness no longer affected them as much as it had before.

  Why had they waited so long? Now that they had a taste of it, there was no stopping it.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  If you have a tail of straw, then keep away from the fire. ~ Argentine Proverbs

  It took a few days for Cade to come to terms with the fact that his mother and his uncle were going to be married. To his and Raven’s surprise, they decided to host the wedding the week before the grand reopening at the resort.

  Since his mother was officially in charge of coordinating and scheduling the events, it wasn’t that hard. She decided that her wedding would be the perfect event to use as a soft opening as a prequel for the official reopening event.

  Raven seemed excited about it. She thought that it would make for a great dry run for her employees.

  Either way, he had a little over a month to prepare for his mother and uncle’s marriage. So far, he hadn’t had a chance to talk to his uncle alone.

  By the time he got around to stopping by his uncle’s office, he’d come to liking the idea. Partially because of Raven’s influence and partially because he noticed how happy his mother really was.

  “Hey.” He knocked on Sean’s door.


  His uncle looked up and waved him inside while he pulled off a pair of reading glasses.

  “This is a happy surprise,” Sean said as he leaned back. “What can I help you with today?”

  “I meant to stop by earlier. After the incident with Raven’s aunt and uncle.”

  “They posted bail within an hour.” Sean shrugged. “They’re both due in court next week. Most likely they’ll be charged a fine and have community service. Raven has filed a restraining order against both of them.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “She wanted me to ask you to look into whether her aunt and uncle have some sort of policy out on the resort. She thinks there’s something legal you can do to help her find out the truth.”

  “Policy?” Sean asked.

  Cade shrugged. “It’s what they were in her office asking her about that day.”

  “I can’t officially request a subpoena on their finances unless I have cause,” Sean admitted.

  “I figured as much.” Cade sighed.

  Sean narrowed his eyes. “I do have a friend that can look into it though.”

  Cade smiled. “Thanks.” He moved to get up but stopped and sat back down. “So, you and my mom…”

  “I thought we worked through this already?” Sean said with a chuckle.

  “That was before you decided to put a ring on it,” Cade tried to joke.

  Sean nodded. “I should have talked to you before…”

  “You didn’t have to,” Cade admitted.

  “Respect for you and for my brother would have dictated it,” Sean said, setting his hands on the desk. “You know that I love her.”

  “That’s obvious,” Cade admitted. “I think the entire town knows it now.”

  Sean smiled. “We don’t have any real problem, do we?”

  “No, it’s just taken me a while to get used to the idea of having a dad again.”

  Sean’s face changed. “I have no intention of taking the place of Henry. You know that, right?”

  “No more than I had any intention of taking Reggie’s place with Raven,” he agreed. “Love happens.”

  Sean nodded and looked a little more relaxed. “Love happens.”

  “Okay, now that that’s over.” Cade made a move to stand again.

  “There is one more topic of business we need to discuss.” Sean stood with him. “I need a best man, and I was sure hoping you’d fill the vacancy.”

  Cade smiled and held out his hand for Sean’s. “I’d be honored.”

  After leaving his uncle’s office, he headed to the diner to grab a sandwich with the guys. His workdays weren’t too demanding, except for a few days a month when they trained in the tower.

  The tower was a large, state-of-the-art steel building that quite literally was lit on fire. Once a month for three to four days, they filled the tower with fire and smoke, all in the name of training. At this point, since he’d gone through the drill so often, there was a hint of fun to the task.

  Not that he’d let on to the newbies, since they were all sweating bullets whenever he called for drill days.

  Today was the calm before the storm. He’d already given a twenty-four-hour warning that drills started first thing in the morning. Today, his men were calm, relaxed, and enjoying themselves. Tomorrow, they’d be sweating and training as if their lives depended on it. Which they did.

  “Hey, chief.” Tony waved him over to the table where all his men were gathered.

  “Hey.” He grabbed the empty chair and sat next to Tony and Andre. The two men seemed to always be glued to each other’s sides. He knew they were best friends and had grown close now that Tony was officially dating Darby, and Andre and Carrie were… well, that was more complicated. Andre happily told everyone that they were dating, while Carrie adamantly denied it.

  Raven’s opinion on the couple was that Carrie was trying to save Andre from his father’s wrath. After all, when the only black woman in town dated the man whose father was the biggest racist, things tended to get ugly.

  As far as Cade could tell, word about the relationship hadn’t reached Andre’s father yet. At least that was the working theory since Andre’s old man had yet to have one of his famous public drunken scenes. Even though he was one of the wealthiest men in town, the man liked to drink. A lot.

  “Ready for tomorrow?” he asked Andre.

  “As ready as I ever am.” Andre gave a weak smile.

  “This will be your fifth time?” he asked.

  “Seventh,” Andre corrected.

  “Wow, seven? I guess time does fly.” Cade shook his head. The fact was, Cade had lost count of the times he’d hauled his butt through the burning building himself. Within the first year, he’d run the course more than a dozen times. “Are you nervous?”

  “Naw, I lost my nerves after the second time,” Andre told him, then his eyes moved beyond Cade. Without glancing over, he knew instantly that Carrie had walked into the building.

  “You sure look nervous now,” Cade leaned in and whispered, smiling.

  “Why won’t she agree to date me?” Andre ran his hands through his hair.

  “It could be because she’s afraid of your old man,” Kevin broke in. “He does own half the town.”

  “Naw,” Andre replied, his eyes following Carrie as she sat on a barstool near the front. Her eyes landed on the group and locked with Andre for a split second.

  From where Cade sat, there was no denying the fact that Carrie was extremely interested.

  “Maybe it’s nerves?” someone else threw in.

  “Shut up,” Andre hissed. “My love life is none of your business.”

  That statement set off the entire table. Carrie’s name was said loudly several times just so it was totally obvious to everyone in the diner that they were talking about Andre and Carrie.

  Finally, Darby walked over to the table and glared down at him.

  “Can’t you control your men?” Darby narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

  “Me?” He pointed to his chest. “I don’t…” Darby’s eyes got even narrower. He sighed and turned to the table. “Enough,” he said in a steady voice. To his surprise, everyone stopped talking. “Place your orders and leave the teasing to teenage girls.”

  “Thanks.” Darby patted his shoulder as she started making her rounds to collect orders.

  Somehow the talk at the table turned to the murders. Each of his team had speculations about who the murderer was and theories as to why people in Cannon Falls were dying.

  The craziest of the theories was that Kim was Rachelle and Joseph’s love child. Why they had all been murdered wasn’t discussed.

  The only theory that caught his attention was that Kim had been killed because she had overheard Raven’s aunt and uncle discussing stealing money from Raven and murdering Rachelle and Joseph.

  At least some of the townspeople were on Raven’s side.

  After leaving the diner, he had a few more rounds to make. One was his monthly call to old man Dove’s residence. The man was at it again, trying to burn his trash in a pile by the edge of the road.

  Cade made it there before the fire truck this time and easily put the fire out with the extinguisher in his trunk.

  When the crew on shift showed up, they riled him and claimed that with him around, there wasn’t any reason for them to be on duty.

  After his last stop for the day, he headed to the store to pick up a bottle of wine and something to make for dinner. Raven was heading to his place once she was done with work.

  He grabbed a couple of steaks and some fresh salad fixings and was heading towards the wine aisle when he spotted Julia walking towards him. She was pushing a cart full of items, including several bottles of wine.

  “Well, if it isn’t Cade Stone,” Julia said with a slight purr, almost abandoning her cart to stop directly in front of him. “Where have you been hiding yourself?” she said, running a finger down his arm.

  “Not hiding and not interested,” he said clearly as he sidestep
ped her. She moved and blocked him easily. Since he wasn’t a monster, he didn’t push her aside but stood there letting her block his way.

  “Julia, I’m pretty busy,” he warned.

  “Oh, you’ve got time for me.” She pushed his basket to the side and tried to step closer to him.

  In this area, he could defy her without being a jerk. He took a giant step backwards and moved his basket back between them.

  “I’m involved,” he clarified. “You know that.”

  “Oh, I hear people talking in town.” Julia waved her hand. “It’s just talk.”

  “Not this time,” he clarified. “I’m with Raven.”

  “That bitch?” Julia shook her head as if she were disappointed in him. “Everyone in town knows what she did all those years ago.”

  “You’re pushing it.”

  “Well, well, isn’t this a cozy scene,” he heard someone say from a few feet way.

  Shit. He rolled his eyes. That’s all he needed. Another crazed woman to put on a show.

  Heather Craft strolled towards them, a smile plastered on her face.

  He took another giant step away from Julia when he realized just how close they were standing.

  This time when he tried to pass Julia, she let him go to face off with Heather.

  Since he was done with the drama, he grabbed the first bottle of wine he knew the label of and left. He happened to hear a few choice words as the two women squared off in the wine aisle—slut, whore, cheater. As he thought about their tones, he realized that the women weren’t fighting. They were gossiping. He didn’t know what worried him more. That they were friends or that they had decided to pool their evil powers together to face off against one common enemy. An enemy which just happened to be the woman he was in love with.

  When Raven walked in the front door a few hours later, he had the entire dinner laid out on the table.

  The moment she walked over to wrap her arms around him, he could see the weariness in her eyes.

  “Problems?” he asked while holding onto her.

  “We lost a stove today.” She leaned against the counter and took the wine glass he offered her.