by Carla Thorne
“C’mon,” she said. “The others are waiting at the chalet. Ivy and Scout got delayed. They missed us at the top and will be down soon. They have news and need to talk to us.”
I was grateful for the break, but it wasn’t always good news when both Ivy and Scout needed to talk.
“Where’s Erica today?”
“She stayed with our youth group. They’re going to try snowboarding.”
“Aww, that sounds fun. You should have gone. I mean, you didn’t have to stay with me… You know. If you didn’t want to…”
“I wanted to.”
“Good. And I would have invited myself along anyway if you’d tried to get away.”
I hated myself as soon as the lame words came out of my mouth. There was no way to fix that level of goofiness.
Char smiled and pulled off her helmet and goggles. She wiped drops of water off her face from the biting snow and gave me a quick kiss. “We’re all good, Texas.”
Hottest. Woman. Ever.
“OK, but just so you know, I would have been as horrible at snowboarding as I am at skiing, but I would have tried.”
“You don’t have to impress me, Texas. I know you’re hurting. It’s probably time to rest those ribs.” She put her arm around me. “C’mon. Let’s stow our gear.”
Inside, Mary pulled chairs up to a big table while Jacob stood in line for coffee.
By the time Ivy and Scout fought their way to the end of the run, we were halfway through a hot drink.
We spotted Scout through the large glass windows as he tossed his poles, helmet, gloves, and goggles aside and wrestled out of his skis.
Ivy stood near and laughed.
“I guess it’s not going well,” Jacob said.
“Apparently not,” Mary added.
Jacob waved them over when they finally made it inside. “I got you something to drink.”
I pulled out the chair beside me. “What’s the matter? Did the Olympic ski team turn you down?”
“Yes. Yes, they did, Deacon, because this is a horrifying and ridiculous sport that is definitely not for me.”
Mary helped Ivy as she shrugged out of her jacket and sprayed fresh snow everywhere. “You look like you were doing pretty good.”
“Not as good as you. You rocked that last run. Are you going to try something harder next time?”
Mary glanced at Jacob. “I think we might.”
“She’s a natural,” Jacob said.
“I know I won’t be doing anything harder. I have to tell you guys, my ribs might be done.”
It was easier to admit that after Char was aware, but I didn’t miss the glance of understanding that passed between Char and Mary. What was that about?
“I thought we were talking about me,” Scout said and shed his jacket. “First of all, that pizza or snowplow thing does not work to slow you down.”
“It worked for me,” I said and took a drink. “Not well, but I did manage to stop.”
“Second, this place is dangerous. Even the beginner slopes have steep drop-offs. You think you’re doin’ good, then suddenly you’re going too fast and can’t stop.” He ran a hand through his half-wet shaggy hair. “And don’t get me started on the snowboarders, or the jerks who don’t follow the rules.”
“My problem isn’t the actual skiing so much as it’s the chairlift,” Char said. “I haven’t gotten out of one yet without sliding off course and into a drift. I lose a ski every time.”
“They’re the worst,” Scout said. “I’ve been violated more than once today by someone else’s ski or pole when I couldn’t get out of the way in time. True, I was usually on the ground in front of them, but still. There’s no respect for beginners. And those snowboarders…”
Jacob laughed. “I can work with you a while if you want. Show you some tricks. You’ll be carving and edging in no time.”
“I don’t even know what those words are, so no. I didn’t get that far in all the YouTube videos I watched, which by the way, didn’t help me with anything.”
I was shocked by that. Usually Scout could figure out anything given enough time to research it.
“No help necessary,” Ivy said and gave Scout a sarcastic motherly pat on the arm. “Grandpa here has informed me we are going into town with the next group to do something safe like shopping for souvenirs and antiques.” She dropped her gaze to hide a certain eyeroll. “And there’s a bookstore and a little museum of Rocky Mountain history, followed by hot apple cider.”
Scout sent her a withering stare, but he couldn’t hold it. “All right, Grandma, you don’t have to go.”
“I’ll go,” she said. “Not sending you into town for that kind of raucous adventure alone.”
Mary moved her cup aside. “You said you had news?”
“Yeah…” Ivy looked around the table.
We all knew Mary had brought Jacob into our world, but we didn’t know how far. Char was a complete outsider as far as I knew.
“Go ahead,” Mary said.
It was likely she knew none of us Warriors were going to spill anything private. We’d gotten good at speaking in code.
“OK,” Ivy said. “First, Gavin and Corey.”
Mary bristled. “What’s the latest?”
“I talked to Corey this morning. The good news is, she seems back to her old self. She’s through with Gavin and even apologized to me. I think she’s gonna be OK.”
“What’s the bad news?” I asked.
“Well, it’s bad news for them. Probably good news for us. They’re both on house arrest in their rooms until Erin’s mom takes them to meet their parents. They were caught drinking.” Ivy crumpled up a napkin and raised a brow to Mary. “And… I think Gavin may have been up to some other stuff? Last night?”
Mary sat back with a sigh. “Don’t worry. Everybody knows everything about that, from what Gavin did, to Char coming by as it happened.”
Every muscle and vein Jacob had seemed to twitch through his gray, merino wool shirt—which I didn’t know existed until Ivy explained merino wool to me.
“Are you sure he’s gone?” he asked.
“Should be by now. I saw Corey early, and I know Mr. Parrington wanted them out of his custody and into their parents’.”
The red in Jacob’s cheeks continued to grow.
Mary touched his arm. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not fine.”
“All right. It’s fine for now. Is that good enough? He’s gone.”
Jacob nodded.
I wouldn’t have wanted to be in Gavin’s shoes if Jacob had been the one to walk in on Gavin’s assault of Mary instead of Char. My only experience with a Protector was hearing it from Sebastian. I didn’t know any until Jacob, and apparently Jacob just learned of it himself. We hadn’t even had time to discuss it alone. If Warriors were the last line of defense with power abilities, it would stand to reason a Protector would be equally strong but serve a different purpose. Jacob had stepped in to help from the beginning.
It all made sense.
Scout nudged Ivy. “Tell them the second thing. I know they don’t know the second thing.”
“Right. Uh… The electrician from the fire is in Colorado.”
“What?”
My hands pulsed heat at the mention of him. I’d learned some reactions were simply remnants from a dangerous time. Other, more persistent heat and feelings, were about actual active events where I was needed to act and react.
My heating hands that day were only a memory of the day I busted down doors, helped Jacob’s head injury—and hurt myself.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I saw him,” Ivy said. “I was in the hall and he was at the end. Mr. Parrington was there. We chased him out the doors and down to the ground floor.”
“Holy crap, girl, why didn’t you text for help?”
“No time. Mr. Parrington has him on video. It happened too fast to text for uh…backup.” She paused. “Mr. Parrington wanted to gather the
whole group and talk, but everyone had already scattered for the day. He’s getting the police involved and is going to send out a text. I think if he had it his way, he’d pack everyone up and head home. He still might.”
I glanced at my phone. “Nothing yet.”
Mary’s gaze darted around as she considered it. “Why would he be here? Is he looking for us? Is it a coincidence?”
“There are no coincidences,” Jacob, Scout, and I all replied in unison. Then we looked at each other like that was the weird part of the conversation.
“If it were innocent, he wouldn’t have run from us,” Ivy said. “He didn’t want to be spotted.”
“I don’t like it,” Jacob said.
“None of us like it,” I said. “But what do we do about it?”
“All we can do is keep our eyes open. We don’t know who he is or what part he has in anything.”
Char hadn’t said much. “What’s this about?”
“Long story. I’ll fill you in later. I have a picture.” I scrolled and showed it to her. She had no reaction one way or the other. “If you see this person, tell ski patrol you need the police. This guy is wanted for questioning.”
“For something in Texas involving you guys?”
“Yes.”
“And now he’s in Colorado?”
“Yes.”
“That can’t be good.”
The news of the electrician went over like a turd in a punch bowl. Air visibly left the bodies around the table as everybody sagged with disappointment and concern. I hated that fear had entered our circle.
I tried to be logical like Scout. “Look, you guys, there’s nothing we can do but watch for that guy. Now that he knows he’s been spotted, he’s probably long gone. Would you hang around once you knew the cops were looking for you? And he was in the lodge, not on the slopes. He’s probably not here to ski.”
“But we’re in Colorado, Deac. Why is he here?”
“He’s right,” Jacob said. “We can’t let that guy ruin our trip. We go home tomorrow—or any minute—and it’s a great day to ski.”
“Yeah, look,” Ivy said and pointed outside. “It’s snowing again.”
Big flakes tumbled out of the sky and swirled through the pines that lined the wide, green-level slope. “It’s what we came for,” I said.
“Yep,” she continued. “A snow globe is why we’re here.” She frowned. “Wait. Is it safe for you all to ski in the snow? I know that sounds like a dumb question, but—”
“Not a dumb question at all,” Jacob said. “As long as it’s light snow and the visibility is good, we’ll be fine. It’s not advisable to ski in a whiteout, or when fog socks you in, but that’s not predicted today. We’re good.”
Char smiled at me and then sent another wary glance toward Mary. I was gonna have to figure that out. She pulled her camera out of her bag.
Everyone groaned.
“Oh, stop. We need a good group photo in the snow. It won’t take long.”
Jacob cleared his throat as he stood to follow Char’s orders. “Ivy, Scout, be careful in town. You guys the same, Deacon. Stay in contact and watch your backs. Maybe we can get some more info out of Mr. Parrington later.”
I was beginning to like the Protector.
Chapter 40
Mary
Jacob pulled a ski slope map out of his pocket after the others had gone.
He wiggled his eyebrows and all I could do was laugh.
“Let’s see.” He rubbed his hands together. “What combination of trails can we navigate to show off your natural skiing ability?”
“First of all, don’t overestimate my ability. I had a couple of good moves. I also face-planted and skidded sideways out of control. My skis were pointed up the hill, and I didn’t even know I was going the wrong way. That’s pretty bad, considering it’s a ski slope. Don’t give me too much credit.”
“We were in a flat area. Anyone could have gotten turned around.”
“Uh… The people skiing right for me should have been my first clue.”
“Stop.” He turned the map. “Look. There’s a green slope that has a spot where it branches off to a blue area. It’ll be busier and narrower with more trees, but it looks pretty tame.”
“Can you imagine how pretty that will be in the snow?”
He brushed a mass of hair away from my face. “Yes. I can imagine how pretty you are in the snow.”
A snowflake dropped on his eyelash and I couldn’t stop staring at him. “I don’t think that was the answer to my question.”
“Same difference.” He stuffed the map in his inside pocket and pulled on his gloves. “Less talking, more skiing, and later, more kissing.”
“Deal.”
And I didn’t say a word as we rode the chairlift to the top.
But I did take a lot of selfies.
“Zip that in your pack before you drop it. I promise it’s gone if you do.”
“I’m not going to drop it.” But I did what he said anyway because, duh, we were on a chairlift. “I don’t think I’ve gotten off one of these successfully since I’ve been here.”
“You can do it, Mary Angel. I got you.”
He lunged first, and with a couple of graceful swipes of his skis, he was clear. He stopped, and I bobbled and wobbled as close as I could without getting tangled up in his or anyone else’s poles.
“Hey,” he said. “You stayed upright.”
“There’s that…”
“This way.”
Blue sky gave way to light gray as gentle snow continued to fall. The fresh white fluff, kicked up and sparkled in the fading sun. The glare left the top of the vast white slope, and snowy peaks formed like puffy clouds on every branch.
People were everywhere, and I scanned them as they slid by for the face of the electrician. If he was there, I would never see him under the gear.
And that was exactly why I didn’t believe the electrician was there to ski. It made no sense. He had to have been there for something else.
But I was really only concerned about one person.
My Protector.
“Ready?” he asked.
I checked all my equipment and made sure my hands were in the right position through the straps and on the grips of my ski poles.
I looked over my shoulder one last time. “Yes.”
Chapter 41
Mary
I’d just found my rhythm on the mountain as Jacob skied by me on the right. I slowed. Well, my version of slowing, and slid farther his way.
He motioned toward a group of signs.
I nodded and knew to follow him toward where we could merge onto the blue slope.
I remembered to glance uphill and make sure I didn’t ski right in front of someone, but the skier to my left didn’t offer me the same consideration as I tried to maintain speed. He sped past me too close and I lost my balance. Jacob again swooped by me on the right in case I started tumbling.
I didn’t.
Skiers on the intermediate slope moved faster. It was more crowded and there was more noise. I thought I heard a female voice call my name, but I couldn’t look. I assumed it was someone from my group who’d caught up to and recognized me, but I never saw. When I heard it again, I tried, but couldn’t spot her in the mass of moving heads.
I worked my way to the middle-right because I was slow and that seemed logical. It’s what I did in a car, so it felt right on the busy, snowy road equivalent of a freeway. I continued to lose sight of Jacob, and couldn’t really search for him while I tried to stay safe and focused. Once, when I paused to wipe snow from my goggles, my vision cleared to reveal I was too close to the trees.
Still, Jacob always showed back up when I’d halfway decided to hug the edge and make as many pizza slices as it took to make it slowly to the bottom. He seemed to carve out space around me on the left and help me keep my bearings. I fell more than once, but I managed to get the feel of my first next-level-above-the-children’s-slope long enoug
h to stay upright most of the time.
Yellow tape flapped ahead.
Several signs had been covered with closed trail markers, so I planned only to focus on my path and get down safe. I passed one wooden barricade marked danger.
Orange plastic patches of ski netting came closer and closer together, and more and more yellow tape caught my eye. Jacob swooped by me again and had to veer left to avoid someone who’d stopped directly in my path. I figured he expected me to go to my right, but the skier who’d stopped stood their ground as I approached. Not only that, he appeared to be looking right at me through a pair of extra-large goggles. Between those and the neck gaiter, I couldn’t see his face, though I never expected to recognize him.
He stayed there, fixed in his spot, as other skiers dodged him. Jacob made a quick horizontal line back across my way and glanced up at me as I prepared to go around.
From there, everything was wrong and too late and out of place.
I tried to go right. The frozen-in-place skier moved, but only to block my way. I went farther right—and straight onto a barricaded trail.
Jacob yelled for me as yellow tape wrapped around my middle and then snapped free as I slid over a big enough dip in the path to pick up speed.
I thought I would just fall. I tried to fall. I made a plan to fall into the next available pile of fresh snow. But the trees grew closer and closer together, and others were behind me.
Others?
I knew Jacob would come, but it wasn’t Jacob who plowed by me too fast, clipped my left pole, and made an obvious attempt to knock me down. I braced to fall, or possibly ski into a wooded area and somehow stop or catch myself on a tree. There was a risk of injury, but at least I could get off of a closed, heavily wooded trail that hadn’t been recently checked. I could only guess what branches and even rocks were hidden under the beautiful, deceiving mounds.
“Mary, stop!”
