by Pamela Clare
Somehow, Kat was supposed to help him heal.
She knew it in her heart, knew it in her soul, knew it just as she knew the sun would rise in the morning. What she didn't know was how to do it.
He is far from himself and no longer knows what he wants. You must help him.
Grandpa Red Crow's words came back to her.
But how? What should I do?
She closed her eyes and prayed.
She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until Gabe woke her with a kiss. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."
"Where are we?" She sat up, zipped her coat, and looked around to find herself in another parking garage, this one full of people carrying snowboards and skis.
"Nowhere yet."
He and Marc hustled her through the parking garage, Marc walking in front of her, Gabe walking behind her, both of them alert. People seemed naturally to make way for them, taking one look at Marc and Gabe and finding some better place to be. And for the first time all day, Kat felt nervous.
Someone was trying very hard to kill her.
Then abruptly Marc glanced over his shoulder, one hand on his Bluetooth headset. "Copy that. You need backup?"
Kat felt her pulse skip. She looked over her shoulder and caught just a glimpse of flashing police lights before Gabe's arm went around her shoulders, compelling her to move faster. "Now isn't the time to be curious, honey. Keep moving."
Marc had picked up the pace, as well. "We're almost out. Don't worry about us. Take care of yourself."
"Was it Daniels?" Gabe asked.
"Yep."
"Son of a bitch!"
"Frank Daniels?" Kat stopped in her tracks--only to be dragged forward again. "What happened to Julian?"
"Nothing." Marc opened the door to a stairway that led up. "Someone tailed us up the canyon. Darcangelo pulled the car over and found Frank Daniels behind the wheel. I imagine the two of them are having a nice little chat."
Kat didn't know whether to feel relieved by this news--or afraid for Julian.
"I'd like to have a chat with him," Gabe muttered under his breath. "Darcangelo gets to have all the fun."
Marc grinned. "Not today he doesn't."
CHAPTER 24
KAT UNDERSTOOD WHAT Marc meant when she saw the snowmobiles. They sat on a trailer hitched to Gabe's SUV, which was parked in a nearby parking lot. Immediately she realized two things. The first was that they'd put a lot of preparation and effort into this secret plan of theirs. The second was that wherever they were going, they'd be riding these. A swarm of butterflies took flight in her stomach. She'd never even touched a snowmobile, much less driven one.
"Don't worry." Gabe rested his hand reassuringly on her back. "You'll be riding with me, safe and snug."
"Thank goodness!" she muttered.
He chuckled.
The three of them climbed into the vehicle, Gabe in the driver's seat, and left the expensive condos and inns of what turned out to be Vail behind, taking a snow-packed mountain road that wound its way behind the ski area, heading into what looked like backcountry wilderness.
Kat had never seen this part of Colorado. And never had she seen so much snow, the evergreen forest blanketed in deep white as far as the eye could see. The bright sun made the landscape sparkle, snow gleaming so bright and white that it almost hurt Kat's eyes, the sight so breathtaking that she momentarily forgot why they were here. As she took in the beauty that surrounded her, she half listened to Marc and Gabe talk about skiing, the two of them speaking a language she didn't understand.
"We hit the coulie in early March, and it was nothing but champagne powder and face shots all the way to the bottom," Gabe said.
"Sounds epic. Until yesterday, I hadn't skied anything but snow farms since getting out of prison," Marc replied. "Sophie skis only blues and greens, and when she's pregnant I don't want her on the slopes at all."
"I don't blame you. Ever tried snowboarding?" Gabe asked.
"Yeah, but I prefer skis."
"You're good, too. That was some sick terrain yesterday." There was a note of admiration in Gabe's voice. "At first, I was pretty sure I was going to have to come back for you with a toboggan and a warm blankie."
Marc chuckled. "So I surprised you?"
"Hell, yeah, you did. You jumped out of the chopper, and it was on."
That got Kat's attention. She gaped at the two men from the backseat. They had jumped out of a helicopter? On skis?
"I did all right, but you were amazing. Darcangelo's right. You're absolute hell on a pair of skis." Marc shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone take deep powder the way you do. Gee-zus! I didn't know whether to follow you down the slope or get on my knees and kiss your ass."
The two men laughed, and Kat saw on Gabe's face something of the man he'd once been, smile lines crinkling around his eyes, a broad grin on his tanned face. It made her happy to see friendship growing between him and Julian and Marc. They were men Gabe could trust, men who knew what it was to suffer betrayal and loss--and to find happiness again. And Kat hoped with all her heart that Gabe would find happiness again, too, whether with her or without her.
They took a right turn--then the truck stopped. Ahead of them stood a closed steel gate, the road beyond buried beneath a good five feet of snow. And Kat understood why they needed the snowmobiles.
"Here we are." Gabe looked back at her and grinned.
Yes, here they most certainly were. But where was here?
"So ... are you ever going to tell me where we're going?"
GABE ACCELERATED, POURING on the gas to get the snowmobile up the steep hillside. Ahead of him, Hunter, a high-powered rifle on his back, cleared the hill's crest and caught air, snow spraying up behind him as he flew over the top and disappeared on the other side. Gabe would have liked to do the same, but he couldn't-not with Kat riding behind him and towing a sled. It would likely scare the hell out of her, and it was just too risky while weighted down with supplies. Besides, Marc had the better machine, one built for high performance on mountain steeps, while Gabe had the snowmobile equivalent of the family station wagon.
Not that he really minded. Having Kat behind him, her thighs pressing against his, her arms wrapped around his waist, offered its own rush. It felt good just to be near her. She seemed more relaxed than she'd been when they first started out. In his mirror, he could see that she was smiling, her long hair blowing around her face, her cheeks flushed from excitement.
Eyes front, Rossiter.
Cold wind whipping against his face, Gabe felt himself begin to relax, too, sunlight, fresh air, and the beauty of the mountains taking the edge off his temper, almost making him forget about that son of a bitch Daniels. He knew Darcangelo could handle anything Daniels could throw at him, but that wasn't what bothered Gabe. No. What bothered him was the fact that he'd missed a chance to kick Daniels's ass. He'd told Hunter as much when Kat had been in his vehicle putting on ski pants.
"Believe me, I sympathize." Hunter had clapped him on the shoulder. "But it's probably better that you aren't there right now. You won't be able to help Kat if you're in the county lockup for assaulting a police officer. And--you'll have to take my word for this--life behind bars is seriously overrated."
Okay, so Hunter had a point.
Gabe accelerated a bit more, reaching the crest of the hill with enough speed to catch just a bit of air before starting down the other side. Behind him, Kat gave a squeal, but it wasn't a squeal of fear. She was enjoying herself.
So you like that, do you, honey?
Below them, Hunter was carving deep turns in the powder, clearly having too much fun for a lawman on the job. Gabe revved the engine and headed straight down the fall line, taking a couple of bumps, and then carving a few easy turns, the sled sending up a spray of powder. Behind him, Kat laughed, the sound uninhibited and sweet. He grinned back at her and shot after Hunter, who was already climbing the next slope.
They ought to reach the cabin within the hour. He and
Marc had chartered a chopper yesterday and dropped most of the supplies. Then they'd heli-skied in and gotten the place ready for Kat. And as soon as his skis had hit the snow and he'd seen how deep it was, Gabe had known he'd made the right decision. He'd had some doubts at first, certain he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off Kat if they were alone together in close quarters. But then he'd compared the cabin to the places Chief Irving had had in mind, and he'd known it was the safest place for her.
Few people even knew the cabin existed, much less knew its GPS coordinates. And no one would be able to get to it without cross-country skiing all day, heli-skiing, or riding in on a snowmobile. As of this afternoon, Kat would seem to vanish, and no one but Gabe, Hunter, Darcangelo, and Chief Irving would know where she was.
As long as Gabe kept his dick in his pants, it would be perfect.
KAT STARED AT the little cabin, amazed to find it here in the middle of the wilderness. It looked like an image from a Christmas card. Built of gray stone with a steep, sloping roof, it sat at the top of a hill, overlooking a vast evergreen forest, high peaks rising up behind it, nothing man-made as far as the eye could see. It was all but buried, snow covering its roof and rising to the middle of its shutters. Beside it stood a log outbuilding, where they'd stowed the snowmobiles and the supply sled.
"Is this yours?"
"Only in my dreams." Gabe chuckled, digging a key from his jacket and sliding it into the lock. "It's a U.S. Forest Service guard station. Rangers stay here from snowmelt to snowfall to watch for poachers, illegal logging, and forest fires."
Marc came up beside them, helmet tucked under his arm, a broad grin on his face, rifle still on his back. "But now the Forest Service is renting it to the Denver Police Department for winter tactical training."
That answered Kat's next question.
Gabe pushed the door open. "It's not fancy, but it's warm and dry and, most of all, very few people know it exists. You'll be safe here."
Kat followed him inside and immediately felt at home. A large woodstove meant for both heating and cooking sat against one wall, firewood stacked high beside it on one side, a sink, small refrigerator, and countertop on the other. A small wooden table and four chairs stood in front of the stove. A double bed sat against the back wall in the center of the room, covered with a comforter she recognized as Gabe's. Beside the bed sat a nightstand with a kerosene lamp. There were two doors in the far wall, one that led to a little walk-in pantry and the other that opened to reveal a small bathroom.
It wasn't octagonal like her grandmother's hogaan, but, as with all hogaans, its door faced east--a good sign.
"We've got solar electricity, so we'll have lights and hot water during the day, so you can keep your cell phone and laptop charged. At night, of course, we'll have kerosene lamps. The rangers who stay up here communicate via radio, so there's no landline, but we got a wireless card for your laptop so you could connect with the paper. Because this place is meant for summer use, the only heat is the woodstove, but there's plenty of wood in back." Gabe turned to face her. "It's not much, I know, but hopefully you'll be able to work in peace."
Kat loved it. Her throat grew tight, warmth swelling inside her at the sight of what her friends had done for her. She stood on her tiptoes, kissed Gabe on the lips and then Marc on the cheek. "It's perfect. Ahehee'! Thank you both so much!"
Both men looked extraordinarily pleased with themselves.
"CAN YOU REPEAT that?" Gabe paced impatiently around the cabin in the moonlight, trying to find a place where the signal was clear and wishing he'd taken time to get a satellite phone, Julian's voice breaking up on the other end.
"We found a Colt AR-15 in his trunk ... two-two-three rounds and a folder of ... written by Kat ... muddy gloves."
That was the same type of round the shooter had fired when he'd tried to kill Kat at the butte. By itself it might have meant nothing, as that model of rifle and that type of ammunition were so common among both law enforcement and civilians. But together with Kat's articles and muddy gloves, presumably used to scoop up wet leaves, it passed Gabe's test for clear and convincing evidence.
"Did you arrest him?"
"Yes ... hearing tomorrow. He says he was assigned ... assure Kat's safety, and ... Barker backed him up at first ... but the evidence we found ..."
Dammit!
Gabe hated cell phones. "How'd he know when we were leaving?"
"He ... told by a friend of his.... hospital security staff ..."
So much for all of their careful planning. "Does he know where we are?"
"... don't think so ... can't be sure ... Daniels ... to cooperate fully. Old Man Irving and Barker ... major dick fight ... angry that his boy is a suspect ... have to see what we find ... still too many missing pieces for ..."
A burst of static.
Well, this conversation was going nowhere.
Gabe had one last question. "Has Hunter checked in yet?"
Hunter had eaten a quick lunch, then hopped on a snowmobile and headed back the way they'd come, hoping to make it back to Gabe's vehicle before dark. Gabe had no doubt the man could handle himself if he got benighted, but spending a night in the freezing cold with no shelter wasn't fun, as Gabe knew from experience.
"He ... from the road about fifteen minutes ago ..."
Kat would be relieved. "Tell him thank you for me."
"How's ... she okay?"
"She's fine. She seems to feel at home here." That was an understatement. The moment Hunter had taken off, she'd gone to work unpacking her things and putting away the food and dishes as if she'd lived here all her life. From the scent wafting out of the cabin, she was busy making dinner.
"That's good to ... been through a lot ... Of all the women on the I-Team, she's ... vulnerable somehow.... special ... we all care ..."
Then the line went quiet, the call dropped.
Next time, buy the damned satellite phone, dumbass!
Gabe would have to call Darcangelo back later and get the details he'd missed. He pocketed his cell phone, trudged back around to the front door, and took off his snowshoes. His mind on Daniels, he stepped inside the lamp-lit cabin's toasty warmth--and stopped in his tracks.
The scene before him so natural, so intimate, so domestic that it made his mind go blank, appealing to some long-forgotten part of him, his chest constricting at the sight, the sensation bittersweet. Kat stood at the table mixing something in a wooden bowl. Her hair hung down her back, held in place by a silver and turquoise barrette, lamplight making the dark strands gleam. She'd tied a towel around her waist to serve as an apron, its red-and-white checks streaked with flour. Beside her, a cast-iron pot sat on top the woodstove, giving off a scent that made his mouth water.
Inside his skull, alarm bells went off, warning him that he didn't want this. He didn't want a woman in his life. He didn't want these feelings inside him. He didn't want Kat--not beyond the bedroom at least.
Oh, but he did. Yes, he did.
He shucked his parka and untied his boots, trying to reconnect his brain with his mouth. "Um ... Hunter made it back. Darcangelo said he checked in from the road a little while ago."
"That's good." She looked up at him, a relieved smile on her face, flour smudged on her cheek.
Then he remembered. "They arrested Daniels. He had a Colt AR-15 in his trunk along with boxes of two-twenty-three ammo, muddy gloves, and a folder of articles you've written."
She stopped kneading and sank into a chair, her face going pale. "So it was him."
"Seems so." Gabe let the anger come, his fury with Daniels so much easier to deal with than the other emotions he was feeling.
"But why? Why does he hate me so much?" Her eyes revealed a storm of emotion--confusion, fear, anger.
Gabe had no answers for her. "I don't know. But it looks like this might be over. If detectives can tie him to the looting, they'll have a strong case against him both for what he's done to you and possibly for the murder of Red Crow."
He might have pushed her to tell him what she was feeling if his own emotions hadn't already been in chaos. "No. First we need to know for sure that Daniels really is our man and that we've got him and anyone who worked with him in custody."
"That makes sense. Are you hungry?"
"I am now." He dropped the subject, followed his nose to a bubbling pot of chili con carne, then looked in the bowl. "Biscuits?"
She scooped out the dough, plopped it onto a floured cutting board, and began to pummel the hell out it, hiding her feelings behind a smile. "Frybread."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't realize you knew how to cook on a woodburning stove. I guess you've done this before."
She looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "I grew up in a hogaan with no electricity or running water, remember? How do you think we cooked?"
He'd known she'd grown up on the reservation, but he'd thought she was exaggerating when she'd mentioned the hogaan without electricity. "Tell me about it."
KAT PUT THE last bite of her frybread on the Spirit Plate. She'd spent most of the meal answering Gabe's questions about her life on the reservation--herding sheep, driving a big pickup to fetch water from the nearest pump, gathering wood and chunks of coal for cooking and heating. He seemed interested in a way most people weren't, listening to every word, asking more questions.
It touched Kat more than she could say.
"There were pictographs carved on the rocks not far from our homesite--creatures with square heads, strange bodies, and zigzag necks. Sometimes my grandmother would take me there and tell me stories about the time before we came to this world, when those creatures were alive."
"It sounds like you and your grandmother are very close."
Kat nodded, unable to keep from smiling at the memory of her grandmother teaching her how to plant corn. "Every spring she catches and kills a crow. Then she stretches its wings out and ties it to the fence she puts around her cornfield as a warning to all the other crows not to eat her corn."
