Mountain Hideaway

by Christy Barritt

  Trent shook his head. “No, not yet.”

  She didn’t miss the yet. But she pushed the thought aside for now. They’d deal with that later. Hopefully much later.

  She looked at Trent for a moment. It was the first time she’d been able to study him without suspicion. His cheeks were red and his hair glinted, probably from the snow.

  That was when she caught a glimpse of it—the kindness in his eyes. It was the real deal, not something that was fake or meant to impress. Trent McCabe was a good, decent man.

  “Don’t worry about me.” He let go of her hand, and she immediately missed his touch. He scooted back and stood. “I’m going to see if there’s anything I can use to heat up some water. Some fluids would do us both good. You stay here and get warm, okay?”

  She nodded, already missing his presence even though he hadn’t left yet. “Okay.”

  As he retreated, she turned toward the fire. The glorious heat emanating from it warmed her face and thawed her frozen extremities. In the middle of all of this craziness, being here in the lodge at the moment felt like a little oasis. Sure, the blankets smelled musty. The whole place appeared abandoned, maybe even a little haunted. Snow blanketed the outside and the floor beneath her was cold.

  But for just a moment, she felt she could breathe. She’d take whatever comfort she could get and hang on to it for as long as she could.

  At once, she imagined this place as it might have been at one time. She pictured visitors in ski suits standing around, sipping hot chocolate and talking about the slopes. She envisioned families together, friends chatting, strangers bonding over their love of adrenaline rushes.

  Now it was desolate. Forgotten. Empty.

  Don’t let yourself become just like this ski lodge.

  She blinked as the thought entered her mind. Where had that come from? Why were all of these esoteric ideas hitting her? It was almost as if a force greater than herself was calling her back.

  As though God was speaking to her in a quiet, gentle voice.

  “I found an old pot.”

  Trent’s voice plucked her from her thoughts. She looked over and saw him walk into the room with a cast-iron skillet and two coffee mugs. “That’s great.”

  “There’s no water here, so I used some snow to wash it,” Trent said. “Now we just need to warm this snow up and we’ll be in business.”

  Against her will, she shivered again. The motion was immediately followed by her teeth chattering. The reaction was so sudden, so strong that it surprised her. “I guess I’m colder than I realize.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Trent said, already working at the fire. “Your body is reacting and trying to keep you warm. It’s a survival mechanism.”

  She nodded but felt overcome by her reaction. It was as if every single thing in her life was out of control—her body, her emotions, her circumstances. When everything was stripped away, you learned who you really were. That was what her dad had always said.

  She’d been on a crash course these past several months, then.

  She actually liked some of the things she’d discovered about herself. She was capable. She could survive without a latte from the drive-through every morning. Fancy restaurants were overrated. Those were the surface items she’d realized.

  On a deeper level, she’d found she enjoyed having some peace and quiet, that family was more important than any job and that sometimes less was more.

  With a somewhat contented sigh, she watched as Trent put the pot over the fire and gently stoked the wood there.

  The man really was tough. He had to be cold, but he had some kind of inner strength that pushed him to keep going. A silent sense of responsibly caused him to put her needs above her own.

  That thought did something strange to her heart.

  She was entering dangerous territory, she realized. And she needed to put a stop to it before she ended up getting hurt again. This man was just doing his job. That was it.

  She couldn’t allow her thoughts to go anywhere beyond that.

  * * *

  Trent kept an eye on Tessa, hoping she didn’t take a turn for the worse. When they’d arrived here at the lodge, she’d been totally out, and he’d feared he wouldn’t be able to wake her. Thankfully, he’d started the fire and some color was returning to her cheeks. Despite that, her hands were still cold.

  The cut on her leg was deeper than he’d like. She really should get to a hospital, but since that wasn’t an option right now, he’d cleaned the wound and wrapped it with some bandages he’d found in a cabinet in the old kitchen. The wrap was a little brittle with age, but it would work.

  While she’d slept, he’d found an old radio and picked up a signal. To his dismay, a news report had caught his ear. The police were searching for a man and a woman in connection with an explosion in Gideon’s Hollow, West Virginia. The woman was identified as twenty-seven-year-old Theresa Davidson who might be going by the alias Tessa Jones. Anyone who’d seen her was asked to report information to the police.

  Had Tessa been set up again? First by Leo after she’d fled, and now by Leo as she ran for her life? That was certainly how it appeared. He must have gone to the authorities and revealed her real name.

  As he glanced down at Tessa, his heart lurched in ways it shouldn’t. Even being half-frozen, she was still lovely, especially with the firelight dancing across her face. Warmth had returned to her eyes, which was a good start. That meant that she was warming from the inside, also.

  He poured some water from the pot into a mug. Though he wished he had some coffee to go with this, he didn’t. At least the water would be warm. Carefully, he brought it to Tessa and helped her to sit up. He feared she couldn’t remain upright on her own, so he let her lean back on his chest. She fit a little too snugly there.

  “See if you can take a sip of this. It will help you warm up,” he urged, bringing the cup closer.

  She didn’t argue. Tentatively, she put the cup to her lips and took a sip. “That was a crazy storm. It started, what? Three hours ago? It already looks as if a foot has fallen.”

  “It came on fast and heavy, that’s for sure. If we hadn’t found this place, I’m not sure we would have made it. The good news is that because the storm came so fast, Leo’s men shouldn’t be able to follow our footprints. They’re also not dressed for this weather. But while we’re safe here for a time, we can’t get too comfortable.”

  “I wouldn’t put anything past them.” She paused with her water raised to her lips. “Please drink something yourself, Trent. You need to get warm, too.”

  He didn’t want to admit it, but sitting here beside Tessa made some kind of internal warmth surge through him. But she was right. He’d be no good to her if he didn’t take care of himself, also.

  Reluctantly, he moved away from Tessa for long enough to pour himself some warm water. He wanted to move back beside her, but he’d lost the chance. She was sitting up fine on her own. Instead, he lowered himself in front of her, near the fire. The heat from the flames felt good and for the first time since they’d gotten here, he allowed himself to relax for a moment—if only ever so slightly.

  They’d survived their last battle. Soon they’d have to prepare themselves for the next. Right now, he needed to recharge.

  “I bet this place was a beauty at one time. Don’t you think?” Tessa asked, her head falling back so she could see the ceiling.

  “Definitely.” The old building was fascinating. It looked almost as if the owners had left the place in a hurry—there were still pictures on the walls, a couple pots on the stove in the kitchen. Just what had happened here?

  “Do you ski?” Tessa asked before taking another sip of her water.

  He shrugged. “I’ve been a few times. I prefer being on the water to being on the snow.”

  She smiled softly. “Me, too. I only went skiing once, and it was with Leo’s family. It was somewhere up in Pennsylvania, and there was no expense spared.” Her smile slipped into a frown
. “I didn’t realize at that time that all of those luxuries were paid for with money exchanged for innocent human lives.”

  “You didn’t know.”

  Her frown deepened. “I didn’t even question it. I just assumed their wealth was from the art gallery.”

  “It was a natural assumption. Art can be a lucrative business.”

  “I just feel so naive about everything—about Leo, his family, his money, his friends. I never considered myself a pushover before, but my eyes were definitely opened to how much of an optimist I can be.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with being an optimist. I’d take an optimistic any day to some who’s jaded and skeptical about everything. The world needs people who aren’t afraid to trust.” He took a sip of his water, grateful for a hot drink.

  She straightened. “Well, that’s not me anymore. Now I’m suspicious of everyone. I fear I’ve gone to the opposite extreme.”

  He met her gaze. “You haven’t. You only think you have.”

  A flush rushed over her cheeks and she looked away.

  Something passed between them in that moment, and Trent knew he’d let the conversation get too personal. He needed to get his focus back here. There was a time for survival and a time for romance. Right now was a time for survival.

  He scooted toward some items he’d laid out by the fire and picked up a sandwich. “Here you go. It’s not frozen anymore.”

  She eyed the sandwich a moment before taking it.

  He picked up the other half and began eating, also. The bread was soggier than he would have liked, but it was good. Nourishment could be the difference between surviving or not.

  As he glanced out the window again at the falling snow, he realized staying alive involved more than a man-against-man struggle. They were also battling nature.

  He prayed that the storm would only protect them, and not be their demise.

  THIRTEEN

  “Sit tight for one minute,” Trent said after he finished his sandwich. “I need to make a quick phone call.”

  Tessa nodded, curiosity creeping into her gaze.

  He wandered out of the main room, but remained close enough that he could keep an eye on her and the windows—not that he could see much with the wall of snow that cascaded from the sky. But he had to remain vigilant in keeping watch. Those men were resourceful, so he wouldn’t put anything past them.

  He took the prepaid phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen, fully expecting not to have a signal out here in the middle of nowhere. To his surprise, one bar registered.

  He silently thanked God, as it had to be by His grace that he was even able to make this phone call.

  He punched in Zach’s number, thankful he had it memorized. A minute later, his friend answered.

  “I tried to call you back a couple of hours ago, but your phone went straight to voice mail,” Zach said.

  “Yeah, my phone is...indisposed at the moment. I have a new one.” Trent shoved his shoulder against the wall, his gaze continuously surveying the area around him.

  “Sounds as if there’s a story there, but save it for later. I looked into this Leo McAllister. I couldn’t find anything on him.”

  “Nothing?” Surprise rippled through him. That couldn’t be right.

  “Nothing criminal,” Zach said. “Now, his family is a different story. On paper, they’re squeaky clean. But I started digging a little deeper. According to my contact at the CIA, they travel abroad quite a bit and have been seen socializing with associates of people on a terrorist watch list.”

  “Really?” Not that he’d doubted what Tessa told him, but it was good to get another perspective. Zach was objective and his opinion on this would be invaluable.

  “It gets better. Apparently, the McAllister family has been under surveillance for quite some time now. There was some kind of anonymous tip to authorities a little less than a year ago. Law officials haven’t been able to find any evidence against them, though.”

  “Interesting.” That anonymous tip must have been from Tessa.

  “Listen, Trent, I don’t know what your involvement is with this family,” Zach continued. “But my friend said that the people they’re suspected to have ties with are no joke. Apparently, there are two people associated with the family who’ve been found murdered. Again, there’s no evidence tying the McAllisters to the crimes. Both are still open homicide cases. But I don’t believe in coincidences.”

  Tension returned to Trent’s shoulders, even stronger than before. He’d known these men were dead serious and lethal, but Zach only confirmed it. If those men captured them, he and Tessa would both soon be dead.

  “What can you tell me about the murders?”

  “The first was a delivery driver. One of the McAllister galleries was on his route. Name was Frank Webber. The other man worked at a bank. There’s no direct correlation to the family, only that he played a game of golf with Walter McAllister once. Walter is Leo McAllister’s uncle.”

  “The news just gets worse all the time,” Trent said, his gaze going to Tessa again. She faced the fire, unmoving except for occasionally sipping her drink. She was tough, but everything they knew was going to be tested before the end of this. “I may need more of your help, Zach.”

  “Of course. Anything.”

  Trent didn’t know who else he could trust. He could call the local authorities, but he doubted they’d take them seriously. Plus, if Tessa’s old boss was right, the rumor might be spreading around town that Tessa was one of the bad guys. He couldn’t put her in that position. Since these guys had the ability to disguise themselves as the police, that also made him cautious.

  He gave Zach a brief overview of the twelve hours since they’d last talked.

  “Sounds as if you’re in over your head,” Zach said.

  Trent glanced at the snow outside again. It continued to pile up, at least a foot deep. “Literally.”

  “Well, it just so happens I have two weeks between my old job and starting my new one. What do you want me to do?”

  “I need you to find out what the police know about Tessa. She’s been set up and now there’s an APB out for her arrest. At this point, I’m not sure whom we can trust, not even local authorities. The more information I can be armed with, the better. The person behind this obviously has deep connections.”

  “I can do that.”

  “I need one more thing—for you to pick us up. The roads are slick. But we’re trapped out here and, again, I don’t want to call the police. The fewer people who know where we are, the better.”

  “Let me do a little research, make some phone calls. Then I’ll check road conditions and head out there.”

  “Thanks, Zach. I appreciate it.”

  He hung up, grateful to know help was on the way. Trent only hoped they could stay safe until Zach arrived.

  * * *

  As soon as Tessa stood from her huddle of blankets on the floor, she regretted it. Pain shot up her leg. One glance at the bandages strapped around her calf caused her to squirm. A deep ache rushed through her muscles when she stepped on her foot.

  “You shouldn’t put too much weight on it,” Trent said, reappearing and shoving a phone into his pocket.

  The action caused her defenses to go back up. Who had Trent called? Was he hiding something? A niggle of distrust crept in. There was something he wasn’t telling her.

  She shoved away her doubts. Trent was on her side. There was no reason to doubt him.

  Except that nearly everyone she’d trusted had let her down.

  That thought caused a knot to lodge in her throat. Usually when people kept information from other people, it was because they were concealing something. What was Trent not telling her?

  “I need to get moving.” She raised her chin, knowing she couldn’t depend on Trent fully. The idea was tempting but not logical.

  Trent wrapped his hand around her arm, his expression firm. “You need to rest.”

  “But—”

/>   “I’ll keep an eye on things around here. You need rest. Save your strength for the battles ahead.”

  She wanted to argue, to be stubborn. But the truth was she couldn’t stand much longer. Nor could she walk without help.

  Begrudgingly, she sat down. She wouldn’t admit it, but it felt good to get off her feet. What would feel even better were a long bath and some fresh clothes. Maybe a warm meal and some coffee. None of those things were possibilities right now, though. She had to be grateful for what she had—life, breath, a heartbeat and a chance at a brighter future.

  She looked up, waiting for Trent to say something.

  He didn’t.

  Not about the phone call, at least.

  Instead, he said, “I’m going to look around here and see what I can find. We’re going to need more supplies—in case we have to stay for a while and in case the men find us. We have to be prepared.”

  He was going to leave her alone. Her fear deepened. She knew she had to be a big girl; it was just that she felt so much more secure and protected when Trent was with her.

  How could she question if he was trustworthy one minute and feel so safe with him the next? It didn’t make sense, not even to her. She wished her emotions weren’t such a tangled mess. She wished her past didn’t dictate her reactions to people today. But that was the way life worked sometimes, whether she liked it or not. Keeping her distance from people had helped to keep her alive for the past several months. She wasn’t sure if doing the same would keep her alive or kill her right now.

  “Not to be a broken record, but you really should take it easy,” Trent said, that edge of authority still staining his voice. It was as if he always knew exactly what he was doing and felt 100 percent confident in his choices. Must be nice.

  Tessa grimaced as her leg ached again.

  “Don’t worry—I’m going to stay in this building, so I’ll keep watch,” he continued. “But if we’re going to last here for very long, I’m going to need some more firewood—dry firewood—as well as some blankets and food.”

  She nodded.

  There was no way Trent was in on this in some way...was there? Leo was conniving, brilliant and manipulative. He wouldn’t have planted someone like Trent in her life, would he?