“I don’t know.” He wasn’t as optimistic that they could as she was. He’d been pleading with Zach to answer him from the moment he’d heard his last statement of love. But he’d gotten no response yet.
He knew Laurie was also screaming at Zach. He could tell by the glazed look in her eyes.
And then she switched the direction of her gaze and continued concentrating with wide eyes.
Finally she broke from the short trance and looked at him. “Mimi just spoke to me.” She grabbed his arm.
“In human form?”
“Yes. She could sense something wasn’t right. She says she feels Zach. He has to be fine. He isn’t dead. She would know.”
Corbin stared at her. Weary. Could that old woman really predict such a thing? His fear didn’t alleviate. He said nothing.
As they exited the lift with dozens of other people, Corbin took off running for the third cabin. Zach was presumed to have been digging in that area. He was a survivor. He would have done everything possible to save his life and that of his men.
He could sense Laurie on his heels as they ran. It was a ways, but it looked as though the majority of the avalanche had barreled toward the row of cabins. The snow groomers probably dislodged the loose powder and caused the land to be upset.
Several men who had abandoned the grooming vehicles were already on the scene, digging frantically in the snow around the cabin with their bare hands.
One of them shouted as Corbin approached. “I’ve got something.” He reached into the snow and pulled out a blue knitted cap. “Shit.”
Two men flanked him and dug harder in that area.
Seconds later, Corbin came to their side. “How many are buried?”
“Four.” One man glanced at Corbin. “Three were right here behind the cabin. Zach was over there.” He pointed to an area that had been hammered by the avalanche.
Corbin inhaled sharply. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Laurie scrambled in the direction indicated. The snow was so thick and rugged, it was hard to maneuver.
The three men continued to dig in the area behind the cabin while Corbin raced after Laurie. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as someone from inside the cabin climbed out the window shouting his intentions to help.
Laurie spun around in circles, waving her arms in the air. “Jesus. Where do we start?”
“I don’t know, babe.” Fuck. What a disaster. The chances of finding Zach buried alive in this snow were slim.
The chances of finding anyone were slim.
Screams at his back made him look toward the cabin.
“They have a hole. Holy shit. They’re all in there.”
All? Corbin’s heart raced.
A hand came up out of the snow and slowly a man pulled himself out with the aid of several others grabbing him by the sleeves. He gasped for air on his hands and knees as soon as he was free and then lifted his gaze toward Corbin and pointed. His voice was raspy. “Tree.” He nodded. “That one.”
Corbin turned around and heaved his feet through the snow to get to the indicated tree.
Laurie screamed into Corbin’s head as they made their way to the spot. “Zach. Dammit, Zach. Answer me.”
Nothing.
“Shovel,” someone shouted.
Corbin twisted around to see the top of a shovel sticking out of the snow.
“It was a marker. He was there when it hit. It was powerful though. Probably knocked him down the hill. Who knows how far.”
Corbin let his gaze roam in a line from the back of the tree down the mountain. It was hard to project where his mate might have come to a stop.
He grabbed the shovel and kept it upside down, poking the handle into the snow every few feet as deep as he could.
Laurie sat on her heels, rocking back and forth. “God. Please. Jesus.” She crawled forward as Corbin worked.
Another man came up beside him, and then two more. They all dug with their hands. One of them also had a shovel and began the same task Corbin had chosen. No need to dig with the blade until they encountered something under the snow.
As Corbin worked, Laurie crawled. She picked up her pace, still on her hands and knees, as if she had a particular destination in mind.
And then he froze and stared at the spot in front of her. The black aura was there, hovering in the air close to the ground. It was well-formed, more than he’d ever seen it, like a bear.
Laurie’s mouth was open, but she didn’t speak as she approached, faster now.
Corbin scrambled in her direction, the same destination—the smoky figure. Was it possible? Did the spirit come to guide them?
Laurie reached the figure first. She lifted a hand, and the aura disappeared in a flash, sucking in on itself until it poofed out of existence.
She started digging with her gloves, frantically.
Corbin reached her side. “Get back, babe. I’ve got it.” In silent agreement, they knew Zach was under the snow in this precise location. He reached down with the handle of the shovel and pressed it into the deep snow in the spot the aura had been.
And he hit something. He screamed. “Over here.” Frantically he flipped the shovel over and started to dig.
Another shovel hit the snow next to his and worked just as hard.
“Careful,” Corbin yelled. “About two feet.”
“Shit, man. How did you know?”
“Gut feeling,” Corbin muttered.
It took about five minutes to reach the first indication they might be right. Something dark colored. A ski jacket?
Corbin lowered himself to the ground and used his hands to brush the snow from the material.
“That’s him,” someone shouted. “He was wearing that jacket.”
Every man lowered themselves to the ground.
Movement made Corbin’s heart leap as a hand reached out of the snow.
“Zach,” Laurie screamed his name. “Baby, answer me,” she communicated silently.
“I’m okay,” he responded. “Get me the fuck out of here.”
Corbin had never heard anything so sweet in his life. He worked faster.
Finally they had his head uncovered, and Zach gasped for oxygen.
Corbin wiped the snow from his face. “Jesus. You scared the fuck out of us.”
“You and me both,” he mumbled. “I can’t move a single muscle.” Other than the one hand, he was still trapped.
It took about twenty more minutes to free him enough, and then everyone who could reached a hand in and hauled him out of the snow. He fell onto his back, heaving for air.
Laurie had tears running down her face as she scrambled forward on her hands and knees and leaned over Zach’s body. “Oh my God. You scared me to death.”
“I wasn’t so sure myself, baby.” He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her tight.
Corbin was so choked up, he could only stare at the two people who meant the world to him.
“How did you manage to survive that long?” Laurie asked. “You didn’t have air.”
“I don’t know. I got knocked out. My head hit something.”
“Jesus. You could have died.” She lifted off his chest and grabbed his face with both hands. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
He chuckled. “Noted.”
As soon as everyone caught their breath, they made their way back up the mountain toward the upper lodge.
Corbin stayed in the rear, watching in amazement as Zach managed to get to his feet and walk with Laurie by his side. It was incredible he wasn’t injured worse. A miracle.
“How did you find me,” Zach asked them both silently.
“Spirit guided us,” Laurie responded.
“And thank God Laurie was here, because I doubt that spirit would have made its presence known to anyone else, including me. She was the one to spot it first. I don’t think anyone else even saw it. They were too busy working.” Corbin set a hand on Zach’s shoulder as he reached his side.
“Let�
��s get out of here. I’ve had enough snow for one day,” Zach said.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Zach hung up the phone and turned to face his mates. “That was Trace calling from the sheriff’s office. We need to go make a statement.”
Corbin rolled his head against the back of the couch and groaned. “I hate statements. I hate taking them, and I hate making them.”
Laurie stood from beside him and tugged on his hand to haul him to standing, as if she had the strength for that. “How many times have you had to make a statement exactly?”
“None.” He grinned. “But I don’t want to start now.”
“Then maybe don’t hit people in the face next time.” Laurie jumped out of his way as he reached out to grab her around the waist.
Zach watched this banter with a grin. These were his mates. For life. For better or for worse.
“And you’d rather I let some asshole rape you?”
She shrugged with a giggle, the sound making Zach’s cock rock hard for the third time that morning. “I had it under control. No way was that guy going to rape me after I vomited in his face.”
“That was pretty awesome,” Zach added as he shrugged into his coat. “How did you manage to do that?”
She reached down to tie her shoes. “You think I can make that shit happen on purpose? That Brock guy made my stomach roil. He smelled foul. And his lips were disgusting. Anyone would have vomited with him on top of them.”
“Fair enough.” Zach handed her the pink coat from the rack and waited by the door.
Ten minutes later, they walked into the station.
Trace waved from across the room and motioned for them to come toward his desk.
The sheriff came out of his office and greeted them as they approached.
Trace introduced them. “Sheriff Bergman, this is Laurie Hamilton. And you know Corbin and Zach.”
The sheriff shook each of their hands. “Thanks for coming in. I’m sorry about the timing. I know you three have been through a lot lately.”
“Yeah, we’d love to wrap it up too. I’ve had enough action in my life for the next ten years.” Corbin ran a hand through his hair as he spoke.
“Let’s sit. I think the second conference room is open.” Berman motioned toward the far wall with his outstretched hand and led the group to a huge window and then into the room.
Zach pulled out a chair for Laurie and then took the one next to her. Corbin sat on her other side. It was painful to keep from touching her, but Zach knew he needed to pull his head out of his ass where society was concerned. When they were out in public, they needed to rein in their PDA. Regular humans weren’t into the ménage. It made them uncomfortable.
Zach watched as Sheriff Bergman tapped a file on the table and then set his palm over it. “You’re in luck, sort of.”
“How’s that?” Corbin asked.
“Turns out Brock Henson’s fingerprints were all over your windowsill.” He nodded at Zach. “He confessed to breaking into your condo and opening the natural gas knobs on your stove.”
“Seriously? What a prick.”
“Yeah. He’s in a heap of trouble.”
“And yesterday?” Corbin asked. “Can he press charges for assault?”
Bergman shook his head. “No. He’s really screwed. I thought we would have to plea bargain his breaking and entering charges to get you both off the hook for that one, but it turns out there were too many witnesses who testified that Henson was on top of Laurie, pinning her to the couch, straddling her legs when you walked in.”
Zach winced. He didn’t need the visual. He’d been there. It would forever be etched in his mind.
Corbin smiled. “So it’s easily a matter of provocation.”
“Yep. Unfortunately, he’ll probably make bail. His parents seem to have the money. He’ll be out on bond by tomorrow. But we have written up a restraining order. He can’t come near any of you while he awaits trial.”
“Great. Just what we need. Brock Henson roaming the streets,” Zach muttered.
Laurie spoke next. “He can’t be the only person responsible for all the hoopla.”
“He’s not.” Bergman sat forward, putting his elbows on the table. “A woman came forward this morning to make a statement.” He opened the file in front of him and tapped a name on the top page. “Mary Williams. She was a member of the Church on the Hill, and she’s responsible for both anonymous calls we received. She gave us the names of about two dozen individuals who met several times to run you three out of town.”
Laurie nodded. “Right. She was at the resort yesterday. She apologized to me briefly.”
“That was kind,” Corbin said.
“She’s still here. She wanted to speak to you three, if you’re willing. I told her all I could do was ask. If you want me to send her on her way, I’ll do that.”
Laurie shook her head. “No. I’d like to hear what she has to say.”
“Okay.” Bergman pushed off the table to standing and left the room. Seconds later, he returned, letting Mary in and closing the door behind her to give the four some privacy.
Mary’s hands shook as she took Bergman’s seat. She met Laurie’s gaze dead on, ignoring Zach and Corbin. “I’m so sorry about everything you’ve been through.”
Laurie nodded. “You said that yesterday.”
“Well, I wanted to explain my actions. If you’ll hear me.”
“Of course.”
“I was a member of the Church on the Hill—”
“Was?” Corbin asked.
Mary slid her gaze toward Corbin and continued, “Yes. You could say we had some differences of opinion on several topics. I stuck around for the last few weeks just to make sure they weren’t plotting anything horrific against you three.”
“That was kind of you.” Zach wasn’t sure if he trusted this woman, but she seemed sincere.
“I did it because it was the right thing to do.” She turned her gaze back to Laurie. “I didn’t hire you because the church was pressuring me. I’m sorry for that too. It was uncalled for. If you still want a job, it’s yours.”
Laurie hesitated. “No. That would be to your detriment. No matter how you look at it, there are obviously too many racists living in this community to support that plan. They’d run you out of business in a week.”
Mary swallowed. “That’s probably true. But it would be worth it. You deserve to be treated fairly.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Mary turned to face Corbin. “There are several people on the reservation in cahoots too. You should know.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I’ve always known that. It’s been going on for two centuries. Is there something specific I should know?”
“Yes. Your ex-girlfriend—Veronica?”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s her.”
“She was incredibly pissed about your breakup.”
Zach chuckled. “That’s an understatement, and not news. She paid us a visit.”
“Well, she made a few calls to cause unrest also. One of those calls was to a deputy in your department.” She looked at Corbin again. “Pete Sandhouse.”
Corbin sat very still for a moment. “You’re sure about that?”
“Well, it’s hearsay. And I’m not at liberty to tell you how I know, but I wanted to warn you anyway. I know someone attacked your apartment in Sojourn. I’d bet money this Sandhouse guy was the instigator. Or Veronica. Or both.”
Corbin nodded. “Thanks for letting us know. That’s very helpful.”
“No problem.” She turned back to face Laurie again. “If you ever need anything, let me know. I’m going to try to keep my preschool open in town—if those idiots from the church don’t run me out of town with gossip.”
“Can you get a restraining order against them?” Zach asked.
“Yes. And they have all been warned about the repercussions of retaliating against me. I gave a long list of instigators to your sheriff. He’s already got men ou
t visiting them. Hopefully, they’ll be too scared to come after me or my business. We’ll see.”
Zach leaned forward. “You let us know if you have any problems.”
She nodded, her face turning red. “I will. Thanks,” she muttered.
“Do you live alone?”
“I do. I’m trying to convince my parents to send my sister to live with me.”
“That’s good. There’s always strength in numbers.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not sure how much help Amanda’s going to be. She’s apparently been a handful for my parents lately. She’s not a child. They act like she’s twelve. She’s almost twenty-five. But they’re conservative and demanding.” Laurie smiled and chuckled. “They think if they send her to me, I’ll get her all straightened out in a small community in my nice fundamentalist church.”
“Shit.” Laurie grinned. “You didn’t tell them you left the church?”
Mary shrugged. “No. I know my sister isn’t in any real trouble. My parents are overprotective and exaggerate. I figure I owe Amanda this opportunity to find a better life. It’s not going to be what she expects. Her world will totally change. But hopefully for the better.”
“Good luck with that.” Laurie reached across the table to shake Mary’s hand—a sign of a truce, in Zach’s mind.
Zach stood. “I’ll walk you out.”
Mary led the way.
Laurie followed.
When they stepped outside, Mary pointed to her car. “That’s me. I got a close parking spot. No worries.”
Zach stared at her car and then looked back at her. “That’s your car?”
“Yes. Why?”
He knew that car. It was the same one he and Laurie had seen all fogged up on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere several nights ago.
Laurie reached into his head. “Don’t say anything. Please. Let her keep her privacy. Maybe she has a secret lover she meets on side roads in the night or something. There’s no need to embarrass her. You can’t possibly know she was up to no good out there that night.”
Zach cleared his throat. “Nothing. I think my cousin has the same model.”
“Oh. Well, it’s a good choice. It’s kept me safe for four years now.” She made a half grin, waved, and walked away.
Corbin came up behind them. “What was that all about?”
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