The Broken Lake (The Pace Series, Book 2)

by Shelena Shorts

  “I don’t know.”

  I took in a huge, deep breath of cool air. My lungs felt the cold and every muscle in my body tensed. I jerked away as it hit me. “Oh, my gosh. Chase.” I stood up, pacing.

  Wes followed. “Chase doesn’t have the means to—”

  “Wait. I didn’t get a chance to tell you. Danny told me that he overheard Chase talking to two men in suits and they were mad when they found out Chase waited so long to tell them where we were. It was him. I know it. Please, Wes. Something’s not right. Please, don’t leave. I can’t just let you go with these people.”

  I felt like I was sinking into the floor. It was all so insane. How was I supposed to let Wes go with some strangers who wanted God knows what. It was too much. My legs went weak.

  I felt him grip my arms, and we both settled onto the floor.

  “I don’t want to go either, but I can’t let it get cold in here. I can’t let them see me like that, and I can’t let anything happen to you.”

  I felt my body turn to mush. Helpless, weakened, defeated. His voice was turning into distant echoes.

  “We just have to trust that they only want to pick my brain.”

  I cringed at the thought of them doing anything else to him. What if they did know about him? What if they planned to do horrible things to him. I was so sick, so afraid, so angry. And all I could do was wait. I squeezed him tighter and blinked my eyes several times, trying to focus.

  Within a half hour, I felt Wes perk up, listening attentively. He went over to the window, looking at the sky. I knew he heard something and within minutes I heard it too. It sounded like a thousand locusts, homing in on the house. Shortly after, the blackened sky was lit by a large white light that grew closer and brighter.

  “It’s a helicopter,” Wes said, and then he dug his phone out of his pocket. With less than three taps on his screen, his phone was dialing out.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Dr. Lyon,” he whispered. Then, he covered his other ear, trying to block out the increasingly deafening sound. He walked away from the window as the line was ringing.

  “Dr. Lyon, Wes here. There’s something going on, and I need you to take precautions.” He was adding to his layers as he spoke. “I’m in Virginia, and some men are forcing me into going with them. They want information about our research. I need you to lock down all labs and wait for my call. No. I know what I’m doing. Just do as I say, please.”

  Before there was sufficient time for Dr. Lyon to respond, Wes hung up the phone, turning his attention to me. His phone rang again, but he ignored it. “These guys are for real, Sophie.”

  I’m not sure if he thought telling me that would calm me, but it sent me into a frenzy. I grabbed his coat. “No. You can’t go alone. I’m coming with you.”

  The helicopter landed right outside the front window on the unplowed road just beyond Kerry’s driveway. Wes moved away from me and headed downstairs. At that point I heard Kerry’s and Dawn’s doors open and Wes turned to me.

  Grabbing my shoulders tightly, he leaned right into my face. “Sophie, you can’t make a scene in front of them. I promise you, I’ll be okay.”

  “No.”

  “Stop it,” he whispered in a near hiss. “This is serious. You have to help me get my stuff on, so I can make it to the helicopter. If they find out about my vulnerability, we’re in real trouble. Please.”

  “But we can call the police? They can help us before it’s too late?”

  He shook his head quickly. “The police can’t stop people who go to these extremes. And they’d never make it up the mountain in this weather. Besides, it would draw way too much attention to me. You have to trust me.”

  “It doesn’t feel right.”

  “It’ll be fine. Give me some time to settle this, and if you don’t hear from me in forty-eight hours, then you can call the police. Now promise me you will go home, and stay safe. Don’t go anywhere alone.” He was nearly shaking me by my shoulders now. “Do you hear me, Sophie?”

  I blinked away a few more tears and sucked in the rest. I must have nodded, because he pulled me by my hand and I reluctantly followed him down the stairs.

  “What’s going on, guys?” Kerry asked.

  Wes took charge. “I’m sorry, Kerry, but something has happened at one of my labs, and I have to go right now. I’m sorry to leave so unexpectedly.”

  Dawn spoke up. “You’re leaving us here, in the cold. What about us?”

  He turned, losing patience, but still calm. “I looked into it. I was assured that the gas and electric would be on soon. They’re fixing it right now.”

  She sighed then jumped up and down a few times. Her mood completely changed as the sound of the gas furnace reached us. I remained silent and went straight to the garage, afraid that my eyes or voice would give away my emotional state.

  Inside the garage, I helped Wes into several layers, including his heated gear and snow boots. Our time together was cut short by the constant powered-down whine of the chopper engine and Wes’ rushed effort to wrap up.

  I looked at him and pleaded one more time. “Please. At least let me come with you.”

  His gentle smile returned. “I want you to,” he admitted. “But I won’t be able to slip through this if we’re together. I’d be too worried about you and you’d be too worried about me. I have to concentrate on everything I do and say, and I can’t unless I know you’re home and safe.”

  I hated everything he was saying. I wanted to shove him away and pull him to me at the same time. I wanted him to fight to stay with me, to keep from leaving me. All the while, I knew those desires were unrealistic and selfish.

  We couldn’t put on a showdown with a helicopter. We’d be fools to refuse, and although I hated to admit it, he was right. He was better off going with them while he could still hide the one weakness that would give away his secret.

  “Please, please be okay.”

  I felt his cool lips press against me, and he pulled me in for one last hug. “I wouldn’t leave you now if I thought there was another way. And I wouldn’t leave at all if I didn’t think I’d come back to you. You just have to go home and wait for me.”

  Without another word, he reached up and pressed the garage door opener. An instant gush of cold air burst through, and he went out, stepping through the deep snow, toward the sound of our enemy. And, just like that, my joy, my comfort, my everything, disappeared into the windy, bitter, snowy terrain. Unable to bring myself to close the garage door behind him, I walked inside, feeling lifeless.

  Chapter 21

  HOME ALONE

  Dawn cornered me as soon as I got inside. “What the hell is that all about?”

  It took everything I had not to break into sobs. I tried my best to explain, saying that someone had stolen something important and that Wes had to take care of it right away. Before she could respond, I went over to the window to get a view of the chopper. The spotlights were shining bright enough to see Wes trudging his way closer to it. Then he stopped, midway.

  My heart froze when he looked back, almost as if he had changed his mind. What’s he waiting for? What’s wrong with him? I wanted him to hurry, or to turn back, anything but stand there.

  Then the lights came on in the chalet and I watched him turn away, his last condition fulfilled. He approached the helicopter, appearing strong, and was met by two men wearing black jumpsuits.

  By then, Rich and Jackson were also at the window. “Must be something important,” Rich said.

  I turned to him, afraid to speak, for fear of hysterical gibberish coming out.

  Fortunately, Kerry was thinking the same thing I was. “What makes you say that?” she asked.

  “Because that’s a military chopper. No regular helo could land on this terrain.”

  My skin crawled at the revelation. I thought of the possibilities, of everything I remembered Andy telling me about secret government experiments. I thought about everything at once and how much I want
ed to kick and punch the glass.

  Anger escalated within as I watched the chopper leave with my Wes. I was so angry I had let him go, angry because I couldn’t scream. The only thing that kept me from cracking in front of everyone was my trust in Wes’ instincts. He had to have had no choice if it meant leaving me distraught and alone on this mountaintop.

  Even with those thoughts, my rage didn’t go away, because I knew one thing. Every ounce of happiness I felt leading up to this day had just been ripped out of me and was disappearing into the black night.

  “I’m sorry, Sophie.” The comfort in Kerry’s voice began to make me believe she understood my situation, until she added, “This sucks.” Then I knew she had no idea what had just occurred right under her nose.

  It more than sucked. It was beyond words and the farther away the lights in the sky went, the sicker I felt. Without looking anyone in the face, I hid my tear-filled eyes and said as casually as I could, “I’m going upstairs. Excuse me, guys.”

  Leaving the lights off and the fireplace on, I curled into the chaise and wrapped myself in a blanket, like a baby, wondering how this could’ve possibly happened. I had considered so many possibilities before we arrived and what had just happened hadn’t crossed my mind once, yet somehow I couldn’t bring myself to be shocked.

  Angry, upset, afraid? Sure. But shocked? No. It seemed like just a different means to shatter my happiness. Every day I had fought thoughts that fate had something bad in store for me. Even forced in happy visions of the future, all the while wishing something terrible wouldn’t occur and take them away. But, no matter how much I had wished it, hoped it, no matter how much I reveled in our momentary bliss, I always secretly feared it wouldn’t last.

  Fate was cruel to let me experience perfection, only to have someone literally swoop in and take it away. My chest felt heavy and empty.

  Then, adding even more weight, I traced my thumb along my new ring, wondering, Why now? When I knew the future was going to be me and Wes, together. Really together, where I lived with him, took care of him, and loved him. Most of all, I actually believed we had a future, yet here I was, alone in the dark.

  I searched my mind again and again for anything hopeful and each time I came up empty. My first instinct was to cry inconsolably. Instead, something else took over. Building inside was a powerful urge to get back home and find who was responsible for this. The person who had taken away my life and my momentary elation—messed up my vacation.

  Rich had said the helicopter was military, and when I thought military, I thought about Andy and what he told me about their unsuccessful experiments. Then I thought about Andy’s grandson. Although Chase’s picture didn’t fit the one I had seen, he wore dog tags, and that was enough of a connection for me. Whoever Chase was, I was certain he was in on this, and I was going to find out why.

  By the time Kerry came upstairs, I had rubbed my thumb nearly raw from constantly tracing the stones of my ring.

  “Sophie, are you okay?” She made a spot for herself at the foot of the chaise and pulled my blanket’s excess over her.

  I thought about lying and then figured it was useless. “Not really.”

  “What happened? Did you have a fight?”

  That’s a bit extreme. How many couples fight to the point that one is angry enough to take off in a helicopter? “No.” I half laughed.

  “Then what?” she pressed.

  “I can’t really tell you.”

  “What does that mean?” Her face was intense.

  “It means I just can’t say.”

  She moved closer to me, nudging my knee. “Sophie, what’s going on? You can tell me.”

  The look in her eyes didn’t skip a beat from when we used to spend every day together as friends. Best friends. I weighed the appreciation I felt for her against the predicament I was in. No matter how much I wanted to tell her, or anyone else, I just couldn’t.

  Still, I didn’t want to blatantly lie. Plus, I needed someone to help me feel better. So I decided to get as close to the truth as possible without revealing too much.

  “I can only say that the people who came to get Wes want something from him, and I’m not sure he’ll give it to them.”

  She leaned in farther, listening harder. “Like what?”

  I took in a deep breath, still tracing my ring beneath the blanket. “Well, his family’s research labs are getting close to a very big medical breakthrough. Possibly a cure for cancer or AIDS, and some people want to be the first to take credit. He’s forced to live his life around that.”

  She tilted her head back, as if she understood. “I get it. Yikes.” She paused. “So where did he go?”

  I looked out the window. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, why not. Didn’t he say?”

  I shook my head, now holding back tears. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore and turned away from her. My gaze focused on the snowy terrain that I wished I’d never come to see.

  “I don’t think he knows.”

  “Shouldn’t you call someone?”

  I shook my head again. “No. He said he’ll be fine. He’ll meet me back home.”

  I didn’t look at her, but sensed doubt in the air. But, like my mother, Kerry knew how far to press an issue with me, so I trusted her not to nag me further.

  “Okay,” she said, standing up. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. And Kerry?” I called as she stepped away. “Please don’t tell anyone. Wes knows what he’s doing and a lot of this information is confidential.”

  She gave me a long sympathetic stare, and nodded gently before making her way downstairs.

  The roads were plowed the next morning, so we decided to leave then. I packed our things and climbed into the Suburban, feeling alone.

  The flight home was bad. Wes had chucked my meds at the cabin, so I was left to fly without him, without my meds, and with a stomach twisted with anxiety and loneliness.

  Adding to the realization that he was gone was having to drive his Rover back to his house. Even Dawn and Jackson’s carefree aura had dissipated. They both believed Wes had gone of his own accord, but the air still reeked “bummer” as they sensed me missing him.

  Once we got to Wes’, I transferred his bags along with mine to my Jeep because he felt closer to me that way. Jackson packed his things into his car and drove himself home. Once Dawn and I were on the road, I began thinking of ways to fix things. By the time we reached her house, I had built up enough nerve to ask for Chase’s number. She looked at me, more than confused, so I clarified. “I need to ask him some questions. Something Danny said.”

  “Oh, sure.” She scanned through her phone and wrote the number on a piece of paper. Once she went inside, I called my mom to tell her I was back and that I’d be home soon. Then, still sitting in Dawn’s driveway, I dialed the scribbled number that was written in pink ink.

  “Hello?”

  I curled my lip at the sound of his voice. My nervousness was replaced by heightened irritation. “Chase, this is Sophie. We need to talk.” A long pause quickly screamed guilty. “Now,” I added.

  “Where?”

  I almost said the overlook because that was the natural place to talk. Then I remembered Wes’ instruction to be careful. I had no intention of defying him now.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m at work.”

  His response reminded me of how he had penetrated my life. “Is Mr. Healey there?” I asked through clenched jaws.

  “No.”

  “Good. I’ll come to you then.”

  Every mile I drove fueled more frustration. I had no idea what I was going to say, but one thing was for sure. He was going to give me some answers.

  When I arrived, Danny was at the counter. His face lit up, as if he wanted to come around and give me a hug, but my expression must have prompted him to hold back. Instead, he gave me a confused smile.

  “You’re back. That’s good. Does that mean Dawn’s back too?”


  “Yeah, she is.” I didn’t have time for small talk, so I cut to the Chase, literally. “Where is he?”

  Technically, I could’ve been talking about Mr. Healey, but by my tone, he knew otherwise. His eyes got a bit wider.

  “He’s in the back.” He pointed slowly, like I didn’t know where to go.

  “Thanks.”

  I went, expecting to see Chase sitting at the table with his legs propped up as always. Instead, he was standing, expecting me.

  “Where is he?” I asked.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He had a smug look on his face, but a hint of guilt peeked through.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  He crossed his arms, shrugged his shoulders, and gave me nothing.

  “I know you had something to do with it. I know you did. You hang around here, antagonizing me all the time, trying to provoke me and Wes, talking secretively to men in suits, working here. How convenient is that?”

  Oh, my gosh. My eyes widened and my nostrils flared as I remembered Wes’ words about Chase. It all made sense. The timing, the behavior, the grudge.

  “Wait a minute. You’re in on all of it. And you probably had something to do with Ms. Mary’s death, so there would be a job opening here. And you played up to Danny. Didn’t you?”

  He pressed his lips together and stepped to the side to go around me, but I blocked the door.

  “You’re crazy.” He attempted a laugh, but couldn’t hide the worry in his eyes.

  When he tried to move me out of the way, I swelled with courage. “You’re sick. You’re a lunatic. You’re—”

  “Get out of my way.”

  My courage peaked as he tried once again to get around me. I wanted to punch him in the face, but my cast was still on. Even though my hand was completely healed, I couldn’t risk hurting it again for a punch that probably wouldn’t have an effect anyway.

  I wanted to hurt him any way I could, and at the moment he was piercing me with his arrogant stare. Eyes that faked a shine like Wes’. Eyes that spoke lies. Without thinking, I reached up with both hands and tried to scratch them out.