Subzero (BearPaw Resort Book 4)

by Cambria Hebert

  A much deeper, familiar voice.

  I bolted forward, throwing myself at Daniel, ramming into him as he shot the gun he’d been brandishing.

  “Down!” I roared.

  A scuffle of movement met the corner of my eye as Daniel and I hit the ground.

  Sabrina screeched.

  I landed on top of Daniel, instantly disarming him of the gun and leaping up.

  “Liam!” I called, rushing over to where they’d been.

  He was on the ground, his body draped over Sabrina like a shield.

  “Jesus Christ! Are you hit?” I demanded, dropping onto a knee to assess.

  He glanced up, hair in his face. “Nah, I’m straight.”

  I blew out a relieved breath. Then Sabrina groaned.

  The gun I held with both hands hit the dirt, and I hit my knees. “Kitten,” I rasped out, shoving Liam away and reaching for her. “Kitten, honey, where are you hit?”

  I gripped her shoulders and pulled her into me, scanning her face, her neck, her shoulders, panicking, searching for a bullet wound, looking for blood.

  Her eyes popped open. “Alex,” she whispered.

  My stare sprang to hers. “Tell me, baby. Tell me where you’re hit.”

  She sighed a little and snuggled close, then suddenly stiffened and wrenched away. I went to grab her back, still freaking the fuck out, but she yelled, “I’m not shot!”

  I reached for her anyway. She grasped my hand and glared at me. “Alex! I’m not shot!”

  I fell back onto my haunches, still gripping her hand so she had to move a little with me. “You aren’t?”

  “No.” She held her arms out. “See?”

  Anger filled my throat. “Then what the fuck were you groaning on the ground for?”

  Good God! She took nearly twenty years off my life!

  “Because this creep threw me on the ground and jumped on me!”

  Daniel came out of nowhere, grabbing up Liam by the back of his neck and putting him a choke hold.

  I lurched up and shook my head. “It’s Liam.”

  Daniel dropped him immediately. “My bad.”

  “You’re fucking lucky you didn’t put a bullet in him,” I swore.

  “Sorry,” Daniel said, sheepish.

  Liam straightened his shirt and glanced at me, lifting a brow. “Kitten? Honey? Baby?”

  “Fuck you, Mattison.”

  He turned to Sabrina. “You have a real name?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and sniffed. “You’re bigger on TV.”

  Liam grinned. “Still took you to the ground.”

  “You better watch yourself.” I warned him.

  Liam took my threat mildly, squinting at me. “I take it you know this little criminal?”

  Sabrina gasped.

  I laughed.

  Daniel stared between us all as though he wasn’t sure how to react. Right now, he was taking my word that Liam was good people, but if Liam pushed him, then I’d be breaking up a fight.

  “What’d she do?” I asked, smirking.

  “I caught her trying to hotwire the Hummer.”

  The smirk dropped. “What?” I growled, glaring at Sabrina.

  Daniel started muttering and cursing under his breath.

  “He attacked me!” Sabrina declared.

  Liam rolled his eyes. “I pulled her out of the front seat, and she attacked me.”

  “I taught her well.” Daniel grunted.

  “I probably already have bruises,” Liam muttered, rubbing his ass.

  “I’ve had just about enough of overbearing men thinking they can toss me over their shoulder and—”

  “He tossed you over his shoulder?”

  Liam heard the cool, flat tone I used and held up his hands. “She was trying to run. I was just looking out for you.”

  I frowned.

  I didn’t want him touching her. I didn’t want anyone touching her.

  “You better not have messed up my ride.” I warned Sabrina.

  She made a rude sound.

  “Why couldn’t you have just hotwired your SUV?” I wondered.

  She looked offended. “I wasn’t about to leave Daniel without any kind of transportation.”

  I made a face. “But I didn’t need any?”

  “Not my problem.”

  Liam was watching us, dividing apprising looks between me and Sabrina during the exchange. He took a step toward me. “Who is this?”

  I sighed. “This is Sabrina.”

  His eyes widened. “Sabrina, Sabrina?”

  I nodded.

  He whistled beneath his breath. “That explains it, then.”

  “Explains what?” she asked, curious.

  “What got him to hand over his favorite shirt.”

  I tossed my hands in the air. “She was half naked!”

  “How did that happen?” Liam ribbed, wagging his eyebrows.

  “That’s my sister,” Daniel intoned, stepping up to Liam.

  Liam stuck his hand between them and introduced himself. After a moment, Daniel did the same.

  I felt Sabrina’s eyes. “You told him about me?”

  I needed a drink. A stiff one. “I told him about my time in the army.” I rebuked.

  She glanced away and fell silent.

  “Everyone, in the house,” I snapped, picking up the guns and gesturing for them to all go ahead.

  As Liam and Sabrina went up the stairs, I grabbed the back of Daniel’s neck. “You shoot at my best friend again and I will put a bullet in you.”

  “Noted.”

  He wasn’t offended. Why would he be? I was giving him a heads-up. Frankly, it was a downright courtesy.

  I barely had the door shut when a phone started ringing. We all looked at Liam because no one else had one on them.

  He answered instantly. “Hey, sweetheart.” He paused. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” He glanced at me and listened. “He has some company is all. I’m telling you—” His words cut off and he sighed, stretching the phone out to me. “Bells wants to talk to you.”

  I grabbed the phone. “Yo! Girl who got away!”

  “Why do you have visitors in the middle of the night?”

  “How do you know I have visitors in the middle of the night?” I countered.

  She made a frustrated sound. “Because when I got up with the baby, I looked out the window and saw a light on in the distance.”

  My brows knit. “Shaw okay?” I glanced up at Liam. He nodded.

  “Yes.” Her voice softened. “He’s a baby. Sometimes he wakes up.”

  “I still think you must have a telescope angled at my place from that fancy mansion y’all be shacking up in.”

  “We aren’t shacking up!” Liam growled. He hated when I said that. And when I called their newly built home a mansion. Naturally, I said it often.

  Bellamy laughed in my ear. “Maybe we do.”

  “No other way you could see over here.”

  “I was just worried. I had a feeling. Liam said he’d check.”

  “Ah,” I said, glancing at Liam. He met my eyes and nodded.

  Bellamy was prone to “feelings,” ones she refused to ignore. I couldn’t blame her after everything she’d been through. Hell, if she didn’t listen to her gut when it screamed at her then, she’d probably be dead.

  I was touched. “You were worried about me, Bells?”

  Liam made a noise. He didn’t like when I called her that either. I grinned.

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Don’t be, okay? I’m fine. I’ll send your boy home so he can tell you in person.”

  “I’m coming over tomorrow.” She warned as if she were planning to catch me doing something I shouldn’t.

  My eyes strayed to Sabrina. Hell.

  “Anytime,” I replied, my eyes still on the brunette in my kitchen.

  Liam took the phone, said a few more words, and then ended the call.

  Sabrina was watching me, veiled interest in her eyes as she cle
arly listened to my conversation with Liam’s wife, Bellamy.

  “My other sister,” I explained, not really sure why I felt I needed to.

  “Like I care,” she quipped and looked away.

  Liam chuckled beneath his breath. I glared at him.

  “So, ah…” He spoke up. “What’s up with the late-night visit and the hotwiring?”

  “Long story,” I muttered. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”

  “Need to know.” Daniel reminded me.

  I nodded. Liam needed to know, and I was going to tell him, whether or not Daniel wanted me to. My house. My rules.

  Liam knew I’d tell him, so he didn’t even react to Daniel’s statement.

  I turned toward my best friend. “Thanks for coming by. I appreciate it.”

  “Minor,” he said, holding out a fist. I slammed mine into it. “Need me to hang around?”

  “Nah, I got this.”

  He nodded and glanced at Daniel. “Thanks for having shitty aim.”

  Daniel’s eyes flashed. “Ice pushed me out of the way.”

  Liam glanced at me at the use of my old army nickname. I shrugged.

  He turned around, facing Sabrina. She lifted her chin, stubbornness reflected in her eyes.

  “Nice to finally meet you, Kitten,” he said, a total shit-eating grin on his face.

  I grabbed the back of his shirt and leaned in. “Never again.” I threatened.

  He’d better never call her that again.

  He threw his head back and laughed. Asshole.

  When the laughter settled, he glanced back at Sabrina. “If you ever need anything, just let me know. Everyone around here knows how to find me.”

  She seemed surprised. Liam’s acceptance was immediate and honest.

  “Uh, thanks,” she said, swallowing. He started away, and she called after him. “But I won’t be around to need anything.”

  “If you say so.” He chuckled, then let himself out the door.

  I closed the door behind us when we stepped out onto the deck. “Bellamy had a feeling, huh?”

  He nodded. “I knew she wouldn’t go back to sleep until I made sure you were okay.”

  I smiled. I liked that girl.

  “Maybe I was a little worried, too. The last time we talked, you weren’t yourself.”

  I tossed my head toward the house. “Mercer had called. Brought some shit up.”

  Liam nodded, understanding. “And now he’s here.”

  “Sabrina is going to be staying for a while.”

  “Just a while?” He goaded.

  “Someone’s after Mercer. Thinks the best way to hurt him is to hurt her.”

  “I really fucking hate men who hurt women,” Liam growled, his face going dark. I knew he was thinking about Bellamy and everything she’d been through.

  “Word.” I agreed.

  “All right. We’ll talk later. I’ll cover you at work tomorrow. Think you might need the time.” He glanced back toward the house, lips twitching.

  I nodded.

  Partway down the steps, he turned back. “Bro?”

  I answered. “Bro.”

  “You never told me how hot she is.”

  My tongue ran over my teeth and my eyes narrowed. “Don’t look at her.”

  Liam smiled slowly. “Oh yeah. This is going to fun.”

  I gave him the finger, but he was too busy laughing as he sauntered away.

  Sabrina

  Alex offered my brother the use of his shower, who was about to say no when I pointed down the hall and glared. He’d been going well over twenty-four hours without any sleep, and before that, I had no idea. I honestly didn’t have a clue how he was still on his feet.

  Daniel relented and followed Alex down the hall to get a towel and a fresh change of clothes.

  When they were gone, I blew out a breath. My stomach was in knots and my nerves were shot. I was a tough woman. I’d been through a lot in my life, and I honestly knew I could get through anything, but I was rattled.

  Watching my brother kill men in front of me. Knowing the men he killed really wanted to kill me. Changing cars on back roads I didn’t even know existed and stopping only at gas stations that were so insidious Daniel didn’t even let me out of the car was enough to unnerve anyone.

  And all that ended here.

  With a man who broke my heart so badly I knew deep down I wouldn’t love again. Yes, I blamed Daniel for it… but not all of it.

  Alex could have stayed. He could have fought for me. For us.

  He didn’t. He left and he never looked back, disappearing and making it so I couldn’t even reach out if I’d wanted to.

  Rubbing the back of my neck and tugging once more on my ear, I glanced at the large triangular window looking out over the yard. The walls were wood, a deep honey color, and beams framed the window, the bottom of the glass met a large window seat that was screaming for some cushions and a blanket.

  The window would be adorable if it were framed in string lights. Not on the outside, but in here where they could be enjoyed year round, lending a cozy glow to the definite cabin feel.

  The room changed before he even entered. I felt his presence first. The cabin felt suddenly crowded, though I was standing there alone.

  Even after all this time, my body still anticipated him, even after all the pain.

  I kept my back turned, not wanting to look at him. I wasn’t going down this path again. Holding my breath, I listened for the sounds of his movement, though there weren’t any. Alex was a large man, but he moved like he was small.

  I knew it was training, the same kind my brother had, and even though I practically lived with it, I was still always amazed.

  I felt him stop partway into the room. I felt his eyes raking over me the same way I would rake over him if I had the chance to look at him without him looking back. My body tensed even though I tried to force it to remain relaxed. I couldn’t not react to him. To his eyes. To his presence, to the way I knew his piercing stare fixed on me.

  He chuckled quietly, obviously noting the way I stiffened. I amused him. I didn’t think any of this was entertaining. My brother dragged me here, and they both stood around discussing what I was going to do like I was a child, like I wasn’t capable of making choices for myself.

  “I don’t know why you laugh,” I said, keeping my body turned away as if the view outside was worthy of so much staring. In truth, all I could see was the dark night. “You left to get away from me, yet here I am.”

  His silence was anything but. The crowded room seemed to overflow with unspoken words, tension, and… Was that surprise? I took a moment, pressing my lips together and inhaling slowly through my nose. I was tired, but I was not weak.

  “As soon as Daniel gets a few more minutes to breathe, we’ll be out of here.” You can go back to the life you so desperately wanted without me.

  “I didn’t say I wanted you to go.”

  All that nervous energy? The flock of stupid and annoying butterflies filling up my stomach and chest? They died.

  Everything in me dropped like the heaviest of stones to the bottom of a deep, murky lake. I felt when it hit, and I imagined a million dead butterflies lying motionless and weighing so much more than they ever could when they were in flight.

  You never said you wanted me to stay.

  He made a soft noise. Then I heard him moving away toward the kitchen. “I’ll be outside. I’m going to check the perimeter.”

  I wondered if anything could ever shake his control.

  The door closed quietly with a low click. I avoided watching him descend off the deck, glancing away until I knew if I looked, he’d already have melted into the shadows.

  Only then did I let out a shaky breath and drop my guard enough that my body ached from the released tension I’d been so coiled with.

  Pushing my hair behind both ears, I stared down my body, gazing over his shirt and then down to my bare feet.

  It amazed me I’d gone this entire t
rip and didn’t realize I’d left my house with nothing but a small pair of pajamas. I wondered how long it would have taken for me to notice had it not been for Alex’s comment.

  Not much later, Daniel entered the room, and I turned from the window, watching him rub a towel over his head, drying the hair he didn’t have. His hair was dark brown like mine, but he kept it buzzed off. The only time I’d ever seen it long since he’d joined the army was when he’d just come home from a lengthy mission and it was almost to his chin. He’d had a beard, too. Something else I’d never seen.

  I asked about it, and he said it’d been a way of blending in. Whatever that meant. The day after he got back, though, all the hair disappeared and he was back to looking like the brother I knew.

  “You look better,” I remarked and then smiled. “Smell better, too.”

  “Har-har.” He tossed the wet towel at me. I caught it with one hand and threw it back. Daniel snagged it out of the air and draped it over his shoulder.

  He wasn’t wearing a shirt. He had that draped over his shoulder, too. His chest and shoulders were covered in tattoos, most of them just elaborate designs. Some of them I was pretty sure were symbols or things from other cultures, but I never questioned him about them because I knew he would only tell me half a truth.

  I pondered sometimes what it would be like walking around with permanent ink on your body, knowing that some of it probably had only been a way of survival or of “blending in” and probably didn’t even align with any of his personal beliefs. Like his body didn’t just belong to him, but to the army and the missions he took.

  Only a select few would ever know just how much he sacrificed, the countless people he saved. He’d belonged to a very secret special forces team—the same one as Alex. They’d both since left that team, but my brother still contracted jobs, unlike Alex who had walked away.

  He cleared his throat, and I drew my eyes from the tattoos and up to his brown eyes framed with incredibly dark lashes.

  “You want some more coffee?”

  He grunted. “If I drink any more coffee, I’ll be pissing brown the rest of my life.”

  “That was graphic,” I said, making a face. “How about some water instead?”

  He nodded.

  I went into the kitchen, struck once more that I was in Alex’s house and I was just walking around like I lived here. Of all the awkwardness and tension between me and Alex, this was the least of it. Even now, even after everything, I was still comfortable moving around his house. Probably because coffee and water, the bathroom, and clean clothes were a necessity. They were material objects that didn’t really matter.