Christmas on the Last Frontier (Last Frontier Lodge #1)

by J. H. Croix

  Gage held her gaze and swore softly. He turned to Aidan. “You promise I can wait right outside the room and you’ll get me right away if she needs me?”

  Aidan nodded firmly. “Absolutely.”

  Gage squeezed her hand and nodded firmly. “I don’t like it, but I get it. What’s the timeframe on when they’ll interview Kent? I want to be there for that.”

  Aidan shrugged. “That depends. They don’t want to tip him off, so it’ll depend on if they can reach him right away for questioning. The lead detective’s been great. He’ll keep us in the loop every step of the way. They’ve got an angle beyond this they’re working with him. The woman he had an affair with has reported he’s been stalking her and making threats ever since she broke it off with him. Sounds like Kent’s pretty pissed off that he’s not getting a kickback for passing on data to her anymore.”

  Fear threaded through Marley. As disgusted as she was to learn what Kent had done, the more she learned about him, the more he frightened her. She only hoped the police would be able to arrest him soon. The conversation moved on to lighter matters with Aidan discussing when he might be able to come to Last Frontier Lodge for a visit.

  ***

  Gage waited outside the room where the police were interviewing Marley. While his mind was fully aware of why it wouldn’t be helpful for him to be present during the interview, his emotions emphatically disagreed. After years of missions as a Navy SEAL, he knew damn well it was never a good idea for emotions to be in charge, but when it came to Marley, his definitely were. The only thing keeping him out of that room was the knowledge that Aidan was there with her. He trusted Aidan completely and knew Aidan would come get him if needed. Right before Marley had walked in the room, she’d squeezed his hand and met his eyes. Her clear, forest green gaze nearly undid him right then and there. She was trying so hard to be strong.

  He checked his watch. It had only been fifteen minutes. He shackled his emotions and leaned his head against the wall. He was good at waiting and would wait as long as he had to. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out to see Becca’s number flash on the screen.

  “Hey Becca. What’s up?”

  “Just calling to check in. We’re wondering how Marley’s doing.”

  Gage smiled to himself. After he’d filled Jessa and Becca in, they’d emphatically supported his decision to go with her to Seattle. Becca had gone into her protective bear mode, as she was prone to doing. As a prosecutor, she specialized in cases involving victims of violent crimes. Her skepticism about Marley, already waning, had dissolved in the face of a cause. Marley had become her personal cause for the moment. She’d contacted the police this morning to get an update herself and demand that they make sure Marley was provided with all the support she needed.

  “Marley’s doing just fine. Thanks for asking. Honestly, I’m in worse shape than she is. They didn’t think it was a great idea for me to be in the interview room with her since I might have some feelings about the situation, so I’m stuck waiting.”

  Becca chuckled. “Wow, you really love her, don’t you?”

  Gage thought perhaps he should argue the point with Becca, but it seemed silly. He wasn’t the most comfortable with expressing his feelings, but it didn’t dilute their depth. He sighed. “Yeah, pretty much. Not so sure what to do about it.”

  He could feel Becca’s smile through the phone when she spoke. “Seems like you’re doing what you need to do. If you ask me, she loves you too.”

  He couldn’t help the uncertainty that flared in his heart. He was truly walking on foreign ground with Marley. He’d never once in his life experienced uncertainty when it came to a woman. He’d always been confident that he didn’t want serious emotional entanglements, so he didn’t have them. It had been simple and clean that way. Then he met Marley. All the rules he’d lived by went out the window with her. He was so rattled by how much she meant to him, he didn’t know how to talk to her about it. To say he was out of practice was an understatement. He hadn’t had any practice at this kind of thing. He took a slow breath.

  “You think so, huh?”

  “As much as I can guess based on how she looks when she talks about you and when you get anywhere near her. She lights up like a top. I’ve only known her a few days, and I’m the first person to be skeptical, but you two are so obvious, it almost hurts to watch.”

  “I know I don’t talk much about stuff like this…”

  Becca interjected. “I’d say it’s more that you never talked much about stuff like this because you’ve never had stuff like this in your life,” she countered with a soft chuckle.

  “Any advice?”

  “Tell her how you feel. Maybe not today because you two have a lot of other things to focus on, but soon.”

  “That simple, huh?”

  “In some ways, it is,” she said softly.

  “Okay.” They sat quietly on the phone for a long moment.

  Becca spoke again. “Will you call us when you have an update?”

  Gage was touched at Becca’s concern for Marley, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. Becca thrived when she had someone to focus on, someone to worry about. He chuckled this time. “Of course. You know we’re flying back tomorrow morning, right?”

  “Of course. We’re picking you up at the airport. But a lot can happen between now and then.”

  “So true, so true.” Gage said goodbye and hung up. He flipped the phone idly in his hand, considering his conversation with Becca. He knew she was right, but he wasn’t so sure she could quite comprehend how out of his depth he was with Marley. He thought back on the many times he’d teased his team members for losing their heads over a woman and felt like he should call in a few apologies. He’d been utterly oblivious to the cataclysmic effects of falling in love. Marley had been nowhere near the map he’d created for his life when he planned his move to Diamond Creek to reopen Last Frontier Lodge. Now, he couldn’t imagine life without her.

  With a sigh, he leaned his head against the wall again, wondering when Marley would be out. As if he’d conjured her, the door to the interview room opened and she walked out, Aidan close behind her. Gage stood and turned to her. Her eyes were shuttered and tired. She looked on edge. He started toward her, but she waved him away.

  “Where’s the restroom?” she asked abruptly.

  Aidan pointed down the hall, and she walked briskly to the restroom and pushed through the door. Gage turned to Aidan. “Is she okay?”

  Aidan shrugged. “You know her much better than I do. She handled the interview okay, but it’s not an easy subject. I’m not sure how much she’s told you.”

  “She glossed over the details. I heard more from a family friend and another friend of hers. Not that it wouldn’t bother me, but if it was just a robbery, it’d be a lot easier to stomach. The guy pistol whipped her and threw her in a corner though—every time I think about that part, I almost blow my lid.” Gage marshaled his composure, calling on his reserves to keep it together. He met Aidan’s eyes. “Anything new come out of it?”

  “Maybe a few details. I’m gonna pop back in and see what they have to say now, but I wanted to walk her out here. If you wait here, I’ll update you.”

  Gage nodded and watched Aidan walk back into the interview room where the detectives were waiting. He glanced down the hall, impatient for Marley to return. A few minutes ticked by and then she came through the door and walked toward him. She stopped in front of him, and he felt the tension radiating from her. His throat tight, he stepped to her and pulled her into his arms.

  “I’m fine,” she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

  She leaned her head back to look up at him. Her eyes were still tired, but her gaze was softer, less edgy than it had been when she first came out.

  “Let’s sit down,” she said tugging him by the hand.

  He joined her, his arm firmly around her shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.


  She shook her head. “Not much to say really. I’m glad you’re here.” She took a quick breath. “Aidan said he’d check with them and let me know what’s next.”

  “He will,” Gage said firmly.

  They waited quietly while Gage grappled with a new reality for him. There was a time when he couldn’t have fathomed that his emotions would run the show, but the opposite was true now. With Marley, how he felt drove everything he did.

  It wasn’t too long before Aidan stepped out with the lead detective, Officer Phillips. Officer Phillips reported only that he’d head out with a partner later this afternoon to bring Kent in for questioning. After they departed, Aidan offered additional details, namely that Marley had been able to confirm a scar she’d seen on her assailant’s hand. What she hadn’t known was that it matched a scar on Kent’s hand.

  Up to that point, Gage had somehow managed to keep his fury toward Kent in check. But when suspicion ballooned into reality, the fury thundered back. He stood up and started down the hall, Aidan on his heels and Marley running after both of them.

  Chapter 20

  Marley ran into the parking garage, racing to catch up to Gage and Aidan. As she came around the corner to the row of cars where they’d parked their rental car, she saw Gage paused by the car. The driver’s side door was open and he was poised to climb in. Aidan was saying something, but Gage looked past him, his eyes locking onto her. He waited until she reached his side.

  Out of breath, she came to a halt and gulped in air. “Gage, where are you going?”

  He reached over, his hand threading into her hair. He tugged her close for a quick, searing kiss and then pulled back, his hand sliding out of her hair and cupping her cheek. “Stay with Aidan. I’m going to take care of something.”

  Marley stared at him. “Don’t go after Kent,” she said, afraid that was his intent.

  Gage held her gaze, his gray eyes flashing like lightning. “You don’t need to worry about me doing anything stupid, but I’ll make sure Kent never hurts you again.”

  Before she could open her mouth to reply, he swung away and slammed the car door shut, shifting into reverse and peeling out of the parking garage. Marley turned to Aidan.

  “Let’s go,” she said. All she could think was they had to follow Gage and stop him. What she knew about Kent at this point scared her, and she didn’t want Gage putting himself in the middle.

  Aidan glanced down at her, his blue eyes assessing. “No,” he said flatly.

  Marley tried to argue the point, but Aidan was implacable. He escorted her back to their hotel room and sat quietly at the table while she paced back and forth. His phone rang. After he glanced at he screen, he looked to her.

  “I need to take this. I’ll be in the hall. You okay for a few minutes?”

  Marley nodded. She felt tossed and turned inside with the tumult of emotions inside. She was dealing with the aftermath of once again recounting the events the night of the robbery, along with coming to terms that it was becoming frighteningly real that a man she’d known had robbed and assaulted her. On top of that, she was worried about Gage. He’d felt coiled so tight at the police station, she thought he might explode. Energy came off of him in waves.

  There was a sharp knock at the door. Marley swung the door open, assuming it was Aidan. Her heart froze when she saw Kent in the doorway. He looked ragged. His dark blonde hair was mussed, his tie loosened and his jacket hanging open. She gasped. Without a word, Kent pushed into her, kicking the door shut behind him. She tried to scream, but her voice was trapped. Kent shoved her against the wall, his elbow pressing against her throat.

  “You stupid fucking bitch! Who the hell did you send to my house?”

  Fear crashed through her. She felt frozen inside—all she could manage was to shake her head. Kent shoved her again, the pressure against her throat crushing. She struggled to breathe. Her vision blurred and she lost focus. Kent kept ranting and swearing, but she couldn’t hear. All she could think was she wished she’d told Gage she loved him.

  There was a bang against the door. Suddenly the pressure on her throat disappeared when the door crashed open, the frame splintering as it did. Gage plowed into Kent. She collapsed against the wall, gulping air in. In a blur, Gage grabbed Kent by the collar, yanking him off his feet and throwing him up against the wall. Aidan was right behind Gage. He kicked the broken door shut and stood in front of it.

  Gage held Kent against the wall almost effortlessly. His gray eyes were flat as he stared at Kent. Kent struggled against Gage’s grip. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Doesn’t matter who I am.” Gage’s voice was low and laced with fury.

  Kent glanced at Aidan and over to Marley, his eyes wild.

  Aidan said nothing. Marley stared at Kent, the fear still pounding through her, but slowly abating now that Gage and Aidan were here. “Why are you here?” she finally asked, wondering how Kent had known she was here in this particular hotel room.

  “I need that fucking flash drive!”

  Gage tightened his grip on Kent’s shirt, shoving him harder against the wall. He glanced at Marley and nodded, making her realize he was giving her the chance to ask questions if she chose.

  She looked at Kent, her stomach queasy. “How come you’ve been pretending like those emails were from HR if they were from you?”

  “Because I need the damn flash drive, that’s why.”

  Marley realized Kent was still oblivious to the ongoing police investigation and unaware he was already facing legal trouble.

  “Why do you think I have the flash drive?”

  “Because I hid it in your damn apartment, that’s why. The last time you were out of town and Becky watered your plants, I went with her. I needed to make sure it was somewhere safe. Your apartment was perfect because no one would connect it to me. What the hell did you do with it?”

  Marley shook her head slowly, glancing between Aidan and Gage before looking back at Kent. Gage still held him easily, almost casually. At a glance, Aidan appeared to be lounging against the hotel room door, but she knew he was ready to back Gage up in a split second if needed.

  “I didn’t do anything with it. I never knew it was there. Where did you hide it?”

  “Inside your dictionary. You had it way on the top shelf, so I figured you didn’t use it much.” Kent kicked against Gage. “Who the hell are you? You showed up at my house. That’s how I found Marley. By following you back here, dumbass.”

  Gage’s nostrils flared, but he barely moved as he pressed his forearm against Kent’s throat. He remained silent and nodded to Marley to continue.

  “Well, no wonder you couldn’t find it when you robbed my place. I took a load of books to the big library sale a few weeks before. Your flash drive went with them.” Marley paused as she considered her next question. She glanced to Aidan. “How much does he know?” she asked, angling her head toward Kent.

  “Doesn’t matter. Say whatever you want.”

  “Why did you have to hurt me?” Marley asked, fighting the rush of anxiety that welled inside. She reminded herself she was safe now. Gage and Aidan wouldn’t let anything happen.

  Kent slammed his head against the wall, struggling against Gage. Gage swiftly slammed back. Marley wondered if Gage would tire, but he seemed too amped up for that to happen.

  “You weren’t supposed to be there,” Kent choked out. “If you hadn’t shown up, it would have been no big deal. I just needed that flash drive back.”

  Marley felt sick as she stared at Kent. “But why?”

  “Because it had info I needed to keep. That’s all,” Kent said flatly.

  He suddenly arched his back and kicked out, managing to break free from Gage’s grip. As Kent stumbled to the floor and attempted to bolt past Gage, Gage leaned back and drove his fist into Kent’s face. Aidan’s only move was to straighten his stance. He completely blocked the door, so there was no way for Kent to easily leave. Kent
fell against the wall and tried to swing at Gage, but missed completely. Gage grabbed him by the collar again and held him high. “Here’s the deal: you just gave us exactly what we need to make sure you’re locked up. And this is for Marley.” He drove his fist into Kent’s face again, literally pulling Kent forward into his fist as he did. Blood spurted from Kent’s nose. Gage pulled his arm back again when there was a pounding on the door, the police announcing their presence.

  Gage dropped his arm, but didn’t release Kent. The police barged into the room, immediately taking over and cuffing Kent. Marley was separated from Gage and Aidan as they were respectively questioned. Much later, after they’d returned to the police station for more follow up, Marley walked back into the hotel room with Gage. He’d called ahead and asked the hotel to clean their room. The door had already been repaired and the room was tidy. Marley tossed her jacket and purse in a chair and sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh.

  Gage had been quiet to the point of brooding ever since the incident with Kent. He threw his jacket on top of hers and walked to the window, his hands tucked in his pockets. She considered what to say. In a few short hours, the weight of her robbery and assault had been lifted since she now knew for certain who had done it and why. She would still be stuck with the aftereffects, but at least she no longer had to wonder. Her body was tired and wired at once. Emotionally, she was overwhelmed. She didn’t know how to thank Gage, as he’d been the one to ask for Aidan’s help and had stepped in without hesitation today.

  She was nervous and uncertain why he was so quiet and withdrawn. It was enough that she was stumbling about while her feelings for him grew by the day. His actions the past few days wound the invisible threads between them tighter. She couldn’t quite fathom what to do with her feelings. She recalled Becca’s comment that it was clear Gage loved her. Marley watched him, her heart in her throat.