by Cora Blu
“No,” she barked. “So beat it.”
“You don’t do coy well. Come out back. There’s something you should know before you go ahead with your plans.”
She had to go. Who knew about her plans? Greg sold her out. It had to be him; nobody even knew who she was.
Outside she trudged down the side path searching the darkness for anyone watching her. Pulling her hood down low, she ducked behind the barn. There ten yards away stood a dark figure.
“Who are you?”
“C’mon out of the light,” the dark figure demanded. The voice was familiar yet it couldn’t be. She’d been so careful around him.
She crunched through the snow, suspicious of the voice but kept walking. “What do you want?”
“The boss sent me to watch you. You’re becoming volatile. They only want her to leave Heinemann’s. Not be carried out, zipped up in a body bag. That was stupid to kidnap her.”
“How much are they paying you?”
He stalked her through the crusted snow until her back hit the tree. His fingers gripping her chin made her eyes water. His lips close to her mouth, as he warned her, “Enough for you to come up missing if Bethany doesn’t walk out of this alive.”
How did she not see this coming?
Chapter 12
Mikhail
The snow came down in thick clumps this morning covering all the foot traffic from last night, along with his. At least there were no footprints from skulking reporters hiding out attempting to get a shot of him and Bethany. Mikhail was ready to send them to the hospital if he saw another photographer.
Laptop secured under his arm, he walked past a few ski instructors checking the equipment and down the slight dip to the stables.
Mikhail lifted a chin to his foremen taking one of the horses out for a run before the guests started to come out for the morning.
“Mikhail,” his foreman called.
“Alexsey,” he said. “Good job getting the horses ready for this morning’s ride. I’m going back into the office to get a little work done.”
The man nodded and pointed back over his shoulder. “We have a problem. Stanic’s pet bear got out somehow, and he’s out searching for him. He thinks he’ll find him soon but wanted us to know he’s on the loose.”
The man should have never kept that cub when they found its mother dead in the ravine, attacked by a moose. “He couldn’t have worse timing. Let Josef know. He’s used to him coming up here.” On top of everything else, a partially domesticated cub is running around the grounds. “We need to make the guests aware. Make certain they know, the bear’s familiar with people, and he’s a cub so don’t shoot him if they see him. Tell them to walk back to the chalet, and he’ll follow them.”
“He has to get that cage fixed before a guest shoots it or worse, another guest, aiming for the bear. When he gets bigger, it won’t be this easy to stop him.”
“Let me know when he’s found.”
The scent of hay and horses filled the air as he walked past his horse in its stall. Mikhail blew out a breath then texted Aleksey. This was the last time. He’d send the rangers out and have the bear removed if this happened again. It was a liability with his guests.
The scent of hay, manure, and horse penetrated his senses even in the cold air of winter biting at his face. He loved it out there.
Horses hung their heads over the stall doors getting his attention as he walked by, hooves scuffing the floorboards.
“Not this morning, boys. I have a lot of work to do and a woman to keep out of prison. I’ll check on you tonight.” Inside the back room, past all of his father’s old fishing rods and hunting gear, he sat at the table and set up his laptop. It slowly connected pulling life from the air to breathe into the cold flat screen.
Reclining in the old chair, Mikhail hoped Bethany got more rest than he had. He’d been up all night, going through background checks on the photographers they’d apprehended on the grounds. Found out several of them worked for The European gossip magazine and had a private resource for their inside information. He’d been labeled the Rich eligible bachelor of the month, reporting he and Bethany were going through a nasty divorce. And different broadcasting companies were paying all together close to fifty grand for shots of them arguing.
That he couldn’t stop and wouldn’t waste time trying. He’d spent his time checking extensively on the men Mark said had harassed Bethany. One of their files was missing a few weeks of the history. He’d crossed checked it with Bethany’s complaint and found a portion of her employee jacket missing as well.
A knock sounded on the paneled wood door leading out to the stable. He raised his head, expecting Alexsey.
“Mikhail, its Bethany, mind if I come in?”
Chair legs scuffed over the floor when he pushed away from the desk to cross the room in three hurried strides. He yanked the door open so quickly hay flew around his feet. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” There stood Greg, angling his body to block Bethany.
“Mr. Shamochernyi, I can wait out here for Ms. Cansler in the stable,” Greg said. The man took his job seriously.
“I got it Greg,” he said. “Ms. Cansler’s in my care now, and I’ll take care of seeing her around safely.”
He looked back at Bethany.
Bethany blew over the lip of a mug trapped between her hands. The scent of rich coffee filled the air. That was Josef’s special blend.
Anya was scheming early this morning sending Bethany out with his favorite brew.
Bethany eyed the office as she warmed herself by the heater three feet away from the bathroom wall. “I’m fine, Greg—go enjoy the slopes—it’s a beautiful morning. You can ski without me taking you to the ground.”
“I didn’t mind,” Greg admitted his hands shoved into his pockets. “It kept you from hitting the tree so, it was worth it. That’s my job to protect you,” he said his open leg stance rigid.
“Bethany fell yesterday?” Mikhail stepped closer to Greg. Why hadn’t she told him? Because she didn’t trust him yet, that’s why.
Setting a cup of coffee on the ledge, she removed her gloves tucking them in her pocket. Mikhail tracked every move of her hips as she cradled the cup blowing a breath of air over the steaming liquid. The place filled with the sinful aroma of her fresh skin along with the coffee’s aroma as she closed the space between them.
“I tumbled down the hill by the sign. I’m fine.” She raised the tumbler of wickedness up to his nose and tossed a look to Greg, “I’ll meet you later for the scavenger hunt. We still have to find the green crystal to get back in the game.”
Greg tipped his head in a gallant gesture. “We’ll win this event. I guarantee it. We make a good team.” He walked off down the hall out to the stalls.
Mikhail’s shoulders tensed. What was happening? Every man up here fell at her feet. He knew from experience, it was her smile. Because he’d fallen for it a long time ago.
Bethany perched before him, face soft and flush, setting his body on fire. Her ski jacket dusted with snow, puckered around her round breast making his mouth water. Accepting the coffee, he closed a hand around her waist leading her over to his desk. Propping a hip on the corner he sank down holding her hands in his. “Fell on him… I need clarification.”
“I never knew you were the jealous type, Mikhail.”
“Now you do. What happened?” Releasing her hand, he took a sip of the coffee; let the black flame roll down his throat.
“I skied over a rock…wiped out both of us. We must have rolled for half a city block down the hill. The bales of hay stopped us.” She rubbed away the frown forming over his eyes. “Anya sent the coffee by the way.”
He made a noise deep in his throat. “I figured as much.” He took another drink. “What are you doing up so early?”
She leaned her thigh against the desk. “I signed up at registration to help with the horses this morning.” She paused pulling her gloves off stuffing them into her pockets. “
Your foreman thought I’d like to know that you were in here.”
“I’m glad he thought so.”
“Um, I wanted to thank you…yesterday…the hug in the woods,” she said closing a hand over his arm. “…thank you.”
“I think we both needed that.”
She nodded and took a breath. “Anyways, I told Greg I’d walk back with you, but he wanted to wait and make certain you were in here before he left.” She looked around the room. “Any more ideas about who the stalker is?”
“I do.” He listened for Greg certain he hung around then his eyes searched hers. “You look like you got a little sleep last night;” touching her eyebrows just below her cap, “I’m glad you could rest with so much going on.”
“Some,” she said feeding him his morning dose of sunshine from her quiet smile. “I can leave and let you finish…”
“No—you should see what I found—come over here.”
He led her around the back of the desk excited to see her first thing in the morning. No woman should look this good at 7 am unless she laid beneath him on bed with a smile on her face. Of course, he wanted it to be Bethany.
Her skin had a peachy flush to it and it wasn’t from the cup of coffee she’d held in her hands.
The chair casters clanked over the plastic floor mat. He adjusted the chair for her to sit.
Bethany unzipped her coat exposing a plaid shirt and a turtleneck snug around her throat. She eased down in his chair, her scent filling his nostrils. He loved her soft, feminine scent, always had.
“What am I looking at?” she said her attention on the small screen.
“Here,” he indicated the complaint on the screen. “This is where you said you’d filed the report with Mark on the harassment. I only see where you had a code set on your email that filtered personal messages, but not a complaint.”
Bethany tilted her face back looking up shaking her head. “I went into his office and filed it. Is there a separate, maybe confidential folder? It has to be there.”
“I don’t see one if there is,” he informed her going over the page for the tenth time since last night.
“Mikhail I filed that report, myself it should all be there,” she defended sharing her attention between him and the screen.
Just as he’d thought. Mark was using her. “Did he send you a copy?”
“I can’t enter my password until the investigation is over.”
“Munson locked you out?” he asked.
She nodded.
That sneaky bastard, Mikhail groaned disgusted with the man’s interference.
“Munson has enough authority to slow this investigation down to a crawl. I have a feeling he’s hiding something. Now I’m glad I made a copy of the letter we found under your pillow before sending it to Munson’s office. I sent an encrypted copy to a contact down at the forensics’ office for comparison,” he told her. As the financial advisor to many people in the area, his contacts came in handy.
“Who’s he comparing it to?” she asked.
“To every man’s handwriting that’s up here for the games.”
Bethany’s eyes went wide. He knew she understood what he’d done. “Mikhail…taking their signatures from guest registration…is that legal?”
He rested his hip next to her on the desk, and set his knuckle beneath her chin, lifting her oval face up to look into her eyes. He loved those eyes. “Was it legal to leave you bound and gagged in a cabinet on the cold floor? Or drug you or whatever they did to sedate you to get you in the truck?” Every time he pictured her that way, he wanted to put his fist through someone’s face.
Bethany blinked. “…no,” she muttered sadly under her breath.
“When I find this person or people doing this, they’ll pay for hurting you.” That was a promise he’d keep at all cost. He’d conduct this investigation by the law until the law got in the way of Bethany’s justice. “Now that I’m putting all of this together, I should take a closer look at Mark.”
A shocked expression fell over her face. “Why Mark?” She took a swallow of his coffee, her long sable lashes fluttered over the rim as she took two more sips before finishing. “Mark’s dating Glenda. Didn’t you know that? He’s been supportive and speaks to me every morning at the firm.”
They couldn’t be talking about the same person. “How long have he and Glenda dated?” His suspicions were running wild now.
“A couple months. It’s casual. I haven’t noticed anything more than a movie or dinner.”
He hadn’t known about Mark and Glenda. “That’s why you turned to Mark when we found you. You felt safer with him than you did with me.” A knife to his gut.
She handed him the travel cup and reclined in the chair. “Mikhail, what haven’t you told me about Mark?”
That he’s a snake. “If any of those men harasses you again, come to me. A few things have dawned on me, and I’m getting madder by the second. I don’t want you alone with Mark. Promise me, Bethany.” He set the cup down.
She got to her feet, posting herself between his open thighs, and he settled his hands on her hips. “The person that held me in the cabinet warned me not to trust you. Now you’re telling me not to trust Mark. What’s going on, Mikhail?”
Chapter 13
Nina
Nina paced back and forth over the tightly woven rug in the living room of the shanty, her boots scuffing the flowery pattern with each torturous pass. She was going to wear a hole in it if Greg didn’t hurry and get back. How long does it take to get a damn bagel? She could’ve driven into town by now. She lifted her coffee cup to her lips, her third cup this morning. This would be a busy day.
Years of planning and things were about to fall into her lap. She’d soon be Mrs. Mikhail Shamochernyi.
The creaking of the door opening brought her head up.
“I’m starting to wonder if they aren’t married and fooling everybody,” Greg said coming in through the door shaking snow from his coat.
“Never mind that, come over here and look at this.” Nina moved the coffee table from over the rug, then yanked the end back. Rubbing her foot over a square of planking, she tapped it with the heel of her boot, raising her eyes to Greg. “Did you know this was under here?”
“What is it?” he asked, tossing his jacket on the plaid sofa. He knelt on the floor and tapped the wood. “A door?”
“Yes.” Grabbing the small shovel from the potbelly stove, she pried up the edge of the board. “I found it yesterday after you left. I needed a place to think while you were playing with Bethany. It’s hollow. There’s nothing beneath it.”
“What’s down there?”
“I don’t know, but there’s a ladder leading down to the stone floor. I only went a few feet, but there’re many tunnels and one leads to the barn next to the chalet.”
“Why do we need this?”
She couldn’t believe he had to ask. “Don’t you know what this is? Many of these old farms had cold cellars that lead from the house out to the barn where the cows were. I think this one will take me under the chalet.”
“So, you said you had everything set. Why add something else to it. Let’s just do what we came for and be done,” he whispered. “If I get caught with you when one of your schemes blows up in your face… I’m not going to prison.”
She had to get rid of Bethany or convince Mikhail to walk away or she’d lose the fortune she was entitled to.
She had to make this work, and this tunnel was the perfect solution. If this leads back to the house, somewhere she could come up safely, this would be the perfect place for her to leave Bethany’s body. When and if it was found, it was on Mikhail’s property and by then she would have everything she wanted and be long gone.
“Come back after the games and…”
“Why go through this when you’ve had all that work done to your face?” Greg pulled out a cigarette and handed her one. Lighting it he set the lighter on the table. He took a long drag then blew out a cloud of
smoke to fill the air. “Seduce him. Get him away from Bethany.”
“Don’t you think I’ve tried that? I’m in his office every day and all he talks about are Bethany’s numbers.”
“Then you need to discredit her in front of others. Reveal her weakness.”
“Her brother!”
“Are you stupid? That’ll make you appear heartless. Ask something that’ll make her react in public.”
Nina tipped her head back blowing smoke into the air. Bethany was private. This might get her to leave Mikhail. “If I can embarrass her enough she’ll leave on her own and I’ll get paid, plus have Mikhail to myself. Then you can put that other body down here.”
“I’m not killing this woman for you.”
“I saw you on the slopes with her. Don’t fall for her. She’s all wrong for you, and my boss wanted her. The woman’s a leach and I don’t need you…”
He spun around, eyes blazing fire. “Shut your mouth. I’m helping you. Mention the other body again and I’ll stuff you down there. No one’s found him yet anyway.” He pinched the bridge of his nose then pointed a long thick finger at her. “Go against me and you might find yourself under this shanty.”
She’d forgotten about his volatile side.
“I’m going to find Bethany before there’s three of them.”
Kicking the rug across the room and into the corner should’ve felt good, but it didn’t and it wouldn’t stop Mikhail from going after Bethany. Her face screwed up into a tight mask of anger. “If she turns up pregnant, it could be anybody’s I don’t care if it’s yours, but it had not better be Mikhail’s. I’m the only one going to carry his child.”
“You’re talking crazy.” Greg shrugged his jacket on, tossing Nina hers. “I’ll check it out tonight. He opened the door. “Let’s go before someone sees me with you.”
She’d have to watch his mood or up his medicine.
Chapter 14
Bethany
Scavenger Hunt.
