Nora Roberts Land

by Ava Miles

  “But it’s an avalanche basin.”

  His mouth formed a maniacal grin “Yes, it is.” He lifted his phone in her direction. “Now, say cheese.”

  She froze, rooted to the spot. She prayed Tanner wouldn’t come.

  Barlow planned to kill them.

  Chapter 51

  Tanner tossed the yellow envelope into the passenger seat and waved goodbye to Hugo. Peggy would test the Swiss army knife for prints as soon as she received it in the mail tomorrow. Maybe it would give them their first piece of direct evidence.

  He didn’t care if Arthur was calling in the cavalry. If he could hand them someone’s fingerprints, he would. That would be more damaging than a lab test. No question.

  Tanner thrust his homemade coffee in the cup holder. It sloshed out, making him curse. His routine was shot. No morning swim or coffee. He tried not to think about how much it had hurt not to have Meredith in his bed this morning. It wasn’t just his routine, he realized.

  It had become his life.

  Nothing he could do to change the situation until he solved the case and told her the truth.

  Tanner’s phone buzzed with a text as he drove down his driveway. He hit the display and swerved when he saw it was from Meredith.

  Found something. Evidence at Killer Pass. Headed there now. Don’t tell Peggy yet.

  Damn her. Even after last night she wasn’t backing down. He threw the phone aside. His gut quivered. What could she have found this morning? The place where Kenny had hidden his car and the drugs?

  Dammit, he’d told her to stay out of it! What was it going to take? Wasn’t pulverizing her heart into dust enough?

  He scanned the glen of trees, thinking. Why tell him? Okay, maybe she wanted to prove that she wasn’t giving up on the case. Even as pissed off as she was, who else would she tell? Her grandpa? He couldn’t climb Killer Pass.

  Still, the allusion to Peggy bothered him.

  Was it a trap?

  He started counting to ten to calm down, but got as far as four before he slammed his fist on the steering wheel.

  “Fuck!”

  He took the curve too fast, sliding, fighting for control of the vehicle. Locking his hands around the wheel, he headed there to meet her.

  It didn’t matter if it was legit or a trap.

  It involved Meredith.

  He didn’t have a choice.

  ***

  Kenny was leaning against Barlow’s car when he arrived at Killer Pass. Tanner scanned the space as he left his vehicle. The snowmobile caught his eyes. He didn’t see Meredith anywhere. His guts oozed out of his body.

  “I had a feeling Meredith wasn’t feeling up for a hike today. Where is she?”

  He caught the phone Kenny tossed him. Meredith’s picture shone on the display. She was squinting in a sea of snow. She looked scared.

  “And yet you came. Must be love,” Kenny drawled sarcastically. “Turn around. Hands on the car. Feet spread.”

  “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  The punch Kenny delivered to his guts made him grit his teeth.

  “Give me your phone.”

  When he handed it over, Kenny shoved him forward. “Okay, let’s go.” Kenny pointed to the snowmobile. “You take the back. If you try anything, I’ll shoot you. And she’ll die.”

  His words burned like a brand. Tanner kept his breaths slow and deep, trying to maintain his focus. If he could get to her, he could save her. He had to believe that.

  “You will anyway, right? Me too. Isn’t that the plan?”

  “Shut up.”

  Tanner straddled the seat behind Kenny. He hadn’t killed before, but now he understood how a man could be driven to murder. He’d do anything to protect Meredith—and himself.

  Snow misted his face as they cut through the trail, the engine revving. Tanner looked up at the sun, its rays hot on his black fleece. The snow was wet and dense under the snowmobile. He knew that Killer Pass had a reputation for avalanches. He’d learned a fair bit about avalanches in Afghanistan, where mountains towered above many of the villages he’d visited. Moderate weather alone wouldn’t do the trick.

  He had a bad feeling the criminals were planning on helping Mother Nature craft another accident.

  He wasn’t going to let that happen.

  In the distance, he spotted Meredith’s red coat and another dark form—his gut told him it was Barlow.

  His breath caught in his throat as he peered across the acres of snow. He’d seen his share of avalanche basins, but this one took the cake. The Great Wall curved like a comma. The rock face was pocked with holes, small havens for birds or bats, and a few larger openings dotted the harder-to-reach areas.

  The tree line stopped where the rock started. Thorn’s Peak towered boldly to the left of the wall, its rugged landscape somehow both terrifying and beautiful. It pierced the sky before angling out at a forty-degree angle. Completely free of trees, it flowed into Killer Pass in smooth, silky lines. A humpback-shaped ridge dotted with pines and conifers hunkered down next to the pass.

  He scanned the area for possible escape routes. There weren’t any obvious options. Kenny and Barlow had chosen well. This would be another accident with little to no evidence, and given their access to law enforcement resources, they could write the report the way they wanted.

  The snowmobile thundered closer, exhaust strong in his nostrils. His muscles locked when he saw Barlow next to Meredith, his Glock trained on her.

  When they shuddered to a stop, he swung off, loosening up his body. He had to be ready to make his move.

  Meredith took a step, sinking into the snow, her pale face clenched. “You shouldn’t have come!”

  He tore off his glasses so she could see his eyes. He had to tell her. “Everything I told you was a lie. I—”

  Kenny punched him in the kidney. He sunk to his knees.

  “Shut the hell up.”

  “Stop it!” Meredith screamed.

  Her fear cut through him like razor blades. “It’s okay. I’m all right.” He rose to his feet. He’d be pissing blood if they somehow survived. He turned to Barlow. “Well, what a surprise.”

  “No?” Barlow sneered. “I knew you’d come.”

  “You had Meredith. There was no other choice.” His gaze slipped to hers briefly. She shook her head back and forth in horror.

  “We figured that would cinch it. You’ve been a busy boy, working this case like you’re in fucking Iraq or something.”

  Since Meredith was here, he decided to give them an out. “My sister has a report on the drugs you gave Jemma. Ray was right. You did lace them.”

  Barlow walked forward, snow crunching. “You may have the drugs, but the dealer’s dead. Such an unfortunate accident. Besides, poor Jemma had a bad heart, just like Gene said. We couldn’t believe our luck when he left her marijuana use out of the report. Thank God for small towns.”

  “You fucking bastards,” Tanner growled.

  Barlow’s smile turned up at the corners. “Ah, you’re going to hurt my feelings. Like I said, if that dumb girl hadn’t died, we wouldn’t be here.”

  “She was just a kid,” Meredith cried.

  “Shut up!” Kenny said, drawing his gun.

  Tanner forced himself not to move. “Meredith.”

  She turned to look at him. He met her gaze and felt the connection all the way to his toes. Her throat moved before she nodded once.

  Time to gamble. He chose his words carefully. “Peg knows about both of you. This morning, I sent her the Swiss army knife one of you dropped under my car. I’m betting they’ll be able to find a partial print.”

  “Bullshit!” Kenny tucked his gun in his belt and charged Tanner. They fell to the ground, and he rained hits and kicks on Tanner, who pounded back with clenched fists.

  “That’s enough!” Barlow yelled. “Kenny, fucking pull yourself together. Didn’t you wear gloves last night?”

  Tanner didn’t give him time to think past the adr
enaline. “Look, Peg’s police force is working this case with us. We gave them paint shavings from Kenny’s truck after breaking into your garage. Arthur Hale called in the Attorney General this morning. It’s over.”

  “I knew I should have killed that bitch,” Barlow said, his mouth twisting into a sneer.

  Tanner’s rage skyrocketed, but he managed to control it. “Don’t add double murder to your list. Leave. You’ll have a head start on the authorities.”

  The veins in Kenny’s already bruising face throbbed like worms. “Fuck that! We’re not backing down.” His yell echoed against the Great Wall, raising the hairs on Tanner’s neck.

  “Tanner!” Meredith cried out, biting her lip. “They have Jill.”

  His heart rate doubled. He reached deep, studied a smirking Barlow, and went with his gut. “No, he doesn’t.”

  Wagging his gun, Barlow said, “You’re only making me want to shoot you more, McBride. And that would leave evidence.”

  Tanner’s breath stopped. So this was it. It was never like you imagined. Well, he wouldn’t go down easy. He stepped forward.

  A shot ripped out, and snow and ice exploded like confetti near Tanner’s feet. He came to a stop, his heart pounding, every muscle in his body strained.

  “Step back.” Barlow walked backward toward the snowmobile, his gun trained on Tanner. “We set charges on Thorn’s Peak this morning. In fifteen minutes, that mountain is going to blow.”

  Kenny kept his gun trained on Meredith as he headed for the other snowmobile.

  “That charge will leave evidence, Barlow.”

  The deputy sneered. “You think we’d be stupid enough to use dynamite or C4? Kenny bought a special binary compound that doesn’t leave a signature. Learned about it in the military.”

  “The Attorney General’s people will find something.”

  “Like you said, we’ll be long gone by then. Unfortunately for you, only Kenny and I will have time to reach higher ground before the charges blow. Have fun.”

  As the criminals sped off on their snowmobiles, Tanner raced over to Meredith, who stood frozen in place. Her wide eyes followed the vehicles’ speedy progress toward the ridge.

  He grabbed her shoulders. “Look at me! You know this area. Where can we go?”

  She didn’t move. He’d seen victims paralyzed by shock before, so he knew what was wrong. He dragged her along with him. Heading to the tree line seemed to be their only option.

  Another shot kicked up snow in his face. He glanced up. Barlow was going to play with him all right.

  Meredith suddenly came alive, gripping his arm. “Wait!” She pointed to the wall. “See that cave? We used to climb up to it in high school.”

  She started running, and he followed. He forced himself not to look up the wall’s towering expanse.

  “Can you climb?” She felt for the first toe hold, her red and cracked hands gripping gray, curved stone.

  “Yes.” Adrenaline rose in him like a tsunami. “We don’t have a choice.”

  Chapter 52

  Jill slammed the cash register door closed. Everyone in the coffee shop grew quiet.

  “Something wrong?” Margie asked.

  “Just having an off day,” Jill replied for the thousandth time that morning.

  Did everyone have to ask her what had crawled up her ass? Too bad she wasn’t about to share. At this rate, she was set to explode. She was mad at Mere and Gramps—and afraid. She’d checked her rear view mirror a hundred times on her short drive to work.

  She still couldn’t wrap her mind around any of it.

  After tossing and turning all night, some compassion had finally filtered in. Meredith was hurting over Asshole Tanner. It hadn’t been nice to kick her out.

  After struggling to make a soy mocha—usually so easy—she kicked the counter. She didn’t like being at odds with Meredith or Gramps. Gramps was so stubborn. When she’d called him to tell him she was upset, he’d told her to get over it. Why in the hell would he tell her about a dangerous story? He’d never done it before. He wasn’t about to start now.

  She fingered the amethyst pendant on the necklace Jemma’s mom had given her, which her friend had worn all the time, struggling not to cry.

  Her hands worked better once she decided to make Meredith’s favorite latte. She poured her grandpa a plain ol’ coffee. Once she was finished, she headed out after letting Margie know. The sun warmed her face, and she felt an answering warmth inside—this was the right decision—but then someone pulled up alongside her, and her mouth pinched like she’d tasted spoiled whipped cream in the shaker.

  “Hi,” Brian said.

  She scanned his body from the blue fleece to his denim-clad legs, wondering if he ever had an ugly day. “Lost your way? The Chop House is south, not north.”

  “I know that. I want to walk with you.”

  “Oh, so now you want to chat, huh?”

  Damn, this was the last thing she needed. But even though she was pissed at him, she still wanted to lather herself like body butter against that long, hard frame.

  He tore off his sunglasses. His direct gaze punched her solar plexus. “Please.”

  “What? I didn’t hear that,” she said, just to be bitchy.

  “Puh-lease,” he ground out. “Jesus, how many times are you going to make me say it?”

  “As many as I can,” she drawled.

  He followed her into The Western Independent. People waved as she walked down the hall, Brian right behind her. When she reached Meredith’s office, she skidded to a halt.

  Her grandpa was pounding his cane against her sister’s chair. “Damn girl!”

  “What’s going on?” she demanded, her voice horse.

  “I can’t reach Meredith.” Gramps said, shoving his cane aside. “She left a note about meeting Gene, but he’s on vacation today. I just called.”

  Jill rushed over and set the coffees on the desk, sloshing them. “Do you think she’s in trouble?”

  He pulled her against him. “Yes,” he said. “Let me think for a moment.”

  “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Brian demanded from behind her.

  She turned in a blur, meeting his concerned gaze with her own. “I’ll tell you later.”

  Her grandpa picked up the phone and dialed something. “Hello, this is Arthur Hale. I was wondering if Deputy Barlow is available.” He reached for her hand. “He’s on patrol, you say?” His breath rushed out. “I have a credible tip Deputy Barlow and my granddaughter, Meredith Hale, are in danger.” He listened for a moment, his chapped lips clenched in a tight line. “Okay, thank you.”

  The phone fell when he missed the receiver. “They’re starting a search.” He nudged it into the cradle. “I’m not taking any chances. Barlow didn’t respond when they called him, and they’re using his phone to find him.”

  “Why didn’t you tell them the truth?” Jill demanded.

  “We don’t know what’s going on, but my gut is burning. Better to be safe than sorry. If I’m wrong, I’ll blame it on early dementia.”

  “Why not just tell them Barlow’s dirty?”

  “They’ll work harder to find their own.”

  Brian rubbed her back, silent and tense. He didn’t know what was going on, but he was offering her support nonetheless.

  “I’ll call Tanner.” Jill dialed. The jagged glass in her belly cut deeper the more times the phone rang. “It’s going straight to voicemail.”

  “We’ll keep trying. I’ll get the Attorney General’s people up here too. The main thing is to find Meredith.”

  The phone rang again. Jill jumped as her grandpa lunged for it, knocking over a pen holder. Ballpoints rained across the floor.

  “Yes?” He clutched the receiver. “Barlow’s in Killer Pass? Thank you.”

  “That’s nuts. Why would they be there?” Brian asked from behind her.

  All the energy drained out of her feet. “Avalanche conditions.”

  Her grandpa slamme
d his hand on the desk. “We’ll have the sheriff get a rescue team out. If they’re planning another accidental murder, we’ll nail them in the act. They are not taking my granddaughter. Let’s go.”

  Jill handed him his cane and followed him out, forcing aside her feelings of shock and horror. When Brian brushed her side, she took his hand in hers, needing the connection.

  “Stay with me,” she said.

  He tightened his grip, his face stark white. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Chapter 53

  The endless expanse of rock trailed up to a cloudless blue sky. The opening she remembered was somewhere in the middle. They could do it. There was no other choice.

  Meredith eyed her watch, now fitted over her coat sleeve. “We have eleven minutes.” Her fingers curled around cold stone as she eyed the indentations from past climbers. “Since I’ve climbed it before, I’ll go first.”

  She fitted her body against the rock and started up the rock face, fighting the urge to rush, trying not to think about her lack of equipment. The impending explosion. God, she’d never seen an avalanche, but she’d heard one before. Deafening barely described it. She shuddered and took a deep breath. Clearing her mind, she reached for the holds she’d used years ago.

  When she looked down, she saw the top of Tanner’s dark head and his swollen hands gripping the rock. A shot pockmarked the wall to her right. She cried out, her fingers clenching for support. Barlow hadn’t been kidding about playing with them.

  “Fucker’s got a long-range rifle,” Tanner called out. “Relax. He’s just trying to break our concentration. He doesn’t want our bodies to be riddled with bullets. Ruins the whole ‘accident’ thing.”

  Relax. Yeah, right. She fitted her toe into another crevasse and reached up for another hold. Her nerves sizzled like an electrically charged fence as she kept climbing, slowly but surely. She bypassed a mossy patch and reached for another ledge. Another shot plowed into the wall a few yards away. Her toe slid, and her foot dangled. She looked down. Oh, God, it was a really far fall. Her head swam. She dug her shoe into a groove.