Snow Blind

by Cassie Miles

  He tore off his glove, opened his parka and drew his handgun. He might be making a mistake, but this time he’d go with his gut. Raising his weapon, he fired into the air.

  The result was immediate and unexpected. Sasha’s snowmobile took off. She raced across the field, headed toward the cliff. The cave. She was running for cover.

  Gunfire ripped across the valley and echoed. One of the men was shooting at him.

  “That’s right,” Brady muttered under his breath as he fired back. “Focus on me. Forget her.”

  They didn’t come after him. They followed Sasha.

  He needed to get to her first.

  The powder snow at the edge of the forest wasn’t as deep as in the field. His snowmobile shot across the land at top speed. He took a hard jolt and struggled to right himself. If he fell, he wouldn’t be able to get up in time to stop them. He couldn’t fall, couldn’t pause. His bare hand clutching the gun was freezing cold.

  But he was making headway. He was within a hundred yards of Sasha when she stopped at the foot of the cliff and leaped from her snowmobile. She scrambled up the path leading to the cave. He didn’t know what had inspired her. Hiding in the cave was smart because they couldn’t get to her. But she’d be trapped. There was only one way in or out.

  He saw her disappear behind the boulder that hid the entrance to the cave. For the moment, she was safe.

  And he was closing in. He slid to a stop beside her snowmobile, dismounted and dropped to one knee to aim his handgun. With his fingers half-frozen, he couldn’t accurately hit the broad side of a barn, but the other two on the snowmobiles didn’t know that. When he snapped off three shots, they slowed and stopped, preparing to return fire.

  He dashed up the cliff, following Sasha’s path. When he got to the safety of the cave, he’d call for backup. Not to Sheriff McKinley. Unless one of the deputies happened to be close, it’d take too long for law enforcement to get here. He’d call Jim Birch.

  Likely, Birch had already heard the gunfire and was wondering about it.

  In his bulky snow clothes, Brady squeezed himself through the small opening to the cave. “Sasha, are you all right?”

  “I saw him,” she said. “The man with Moreno is the killer.”

  She was using the LED function on her cell phone as a flashlight. In the bluish glow, he saw the fear she’d managed to keep mostly under wraps. He nodded to the phone. “Did you call for help?”

  “I’ve got no reception in here.”

  He should have figured as much. “Move around. There might be a place you can get through.”

  She’d already peeled off her extra layer of snow clothes, and he did the same. If they couldn’t call out, they’d have to make a stand in here, and they needed to be mobile.

  From outside the cave, he heard Moreno’s voice. “Are you in there, Deputy?”

  “Step inside and find out.”

  If Moreno poked his head into the cave, Brady had the advantage. While they were squeezing through, he could shoot.

  After a moment, Moreno said the obvious. “Looks like we have a standoff.”

  “Not for long. I called for backup.” Brady had his phone in hand. No reception. But Moreno didn’t know that. “You might as well give up right now.”

  “You underestimate me. I’ve gotten out of worse situations than this.”

  Brady’s best hope was that Jim Birch would come looking for them. When he saw the abandoned snowmobiles, he’d know something was wrong. Until then, he’d try to keep Moreno distracted.

  “I’ve got a question for you, Moreno. Why’d you kill Virgil Westfield?”

  “The man was in his nineties. His death should have been chalked up to old age. I don’t know why everybody got so worked up about it.”

  Because he was murdered. “What did he do to you?”

  “He knew too much. When he and Lauren started digging into my financial background to undermine my bid on the dude ranch, they uncovered a few nasty details about my offshore businesses. I was actually impressed. Lauren was one hell of a good bookkeeper. Too bad she got greedy.”

  “She tried to blackmail you,” Brady said.

  “It’s about more than just the money. If my finances don’t look clean and pure, I lose credibility with my followers. I need for them to believe in me.”

  “If you conceive it,” Brady said, “you can achieve it.”

  “Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s true. Getting rid of Lauren and the documentation she tried to use against me would have been easy. Her death would have gone unnoticed for weeks if Sasha hadn’t been looking through that window. This brings us to the current situation. Something must be done.”

  The craziest thing about Moreno was that he sounded sane. He talked about multiple murders the way other people made dinner plans.

  “I’m leaving you now,” Moreno said. “I’ll have to take care of damage control and arrange for you to both disappear without a trace. In the meantime, my friend will keep watch outside the cave. Sooner or later, you’ll have to come out.”

  And then, Brady supposed, Moreno’s friend would kill them. There didn’t seem to be an escape.

  * * *

  STILL HOLDING HER cell phone for light against the intense darkness of the cave, Sasha stepped into Brady’s arms and melted against him. Fear had robbed her of strength. Her legs trembled with the effort of merely standing. “I guess losing my job isn’t the worst thing that could happen.”

  He lifted her chin, tilted her face toward his. “I guess not.”

  Gazing up at him, she saw the dimple at the corner of his mouth. For some reason, that gave her hope. If Brady could still smile, all was not lost. His lips brushed hers, and fear receded another step. He kissed her more powerfully, pulling her close against him, and she felt life returning to her body. She wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet. Not when she had something to live for.

  She heard a rustling near the entrance to the cave. Brady must have heard it, too. He turned his head in that direction, lifted his handgun and casually fired a shot, reminding Moreno’s friend that they weren’t helpless.

  Her hand glided down his cheek. “There’s nothing like facing death to get your priorities straight.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “My job isn’t such a big deal,” she said. “And it doesn’t matter if I live in a city or in the mountains. Other things are more important. People are important.”

  When she’d been snowmobiling across the field, the threat of danger had become real. And she wasn’t thinking about her employment possibilities or her salary. She thought of him. She thought of long nights in front of the fireplace and waking up with him in the morning. “Brady, you are important to me.”

  “Same here. You’re more important than I ever would have thought possible after only knowing you a couple of days.” His breath was warm against her cheek. “I love you, Sasha.”

  “If I have to die...” Her voice trailed off. “I’m glad we’re together.”

  “Nobody’s going to die. Not on my watch.”

  He gave her another quick kiss and then went into action, gathering up rocks from the floor of the cave. “Help me out. We’re going to pile these up by the entrance. Anybody who tries to sneak in will make a lot of racket.”

  Still holding her phone, she did as he said. Within a few minutes, they had a stack of loose rock that was two feet high.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “We’ve got to find another way out.”

  “Didn’t you say that you’d explored these caves when you were a kid? You didn’t find another exit then.”

  “I wasn’t as motivated then as I am now. You go first. We’ll use your cell phone until it goes dark. Then we’ll switch to mine.”

  Losing
the light from the cell phone would be terrible. The dark inside the cave felt palpable and thick, almost like being underwater. He pointed the way through the darkness, but she took the first steps, passing the stalagmites that looked like dragon’s teeth.

  Too soon it seemed as if they had come to the end of the caverns that were large enough to stand upright in. Brady felt along the walls, looking for a break or a fissure. “Bring the light over here.”

  She knelt and aimed her phone at the bottom side of an overhang. Peering into the narrow horizontal space, she said, “I can’t tell if this leads anywhere or not.”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  He flattened himself on the floor and stretched his arm into the opening. “I don’t feel another rock.”

  “You can’t fit in there. It’s barely big enough for your shoulder.”

  She wasn’t claustrophobic but didn’t relish the idea of squeezing herself into a narrow space without knowing where it went. “Is there any way to tell how far it goes?”

  “No, and that’s why I’ll go first. I don’t want you to get hurt. Sometimes these gaps in the rock lead to other rooms. Sometimes the floor disappears and you fall into a pit.”

  Reluctantly, she pointed out the flaw in his logic. “I should go first. For one thing, I’m smaller. For another, if I start slipping into a pit, you’re strong enough to haul me back up.”

  Placing the cell phone on the floor, she maneuvered around so she could wriggle feetfirst into the space below the overhang. He laced his fingers through hers, holding tightly as the lower half of her body disappeared into the fissure.

  “That’s enough,” he said.

  “There’s more space. I can keep going.”

  “I don’t want to lose you. I’ve barely just found you. If you disappeared from my life, I couldn’t stand it.”

  “I feel the same. And I can’t believe that I do. This is happening so fast.” She blew the moist cave dirt away from her mouth. “I can count on one hand the number of men I’ve cared about. And that was after weeks and weeks of dating.”

  “Fast is good,” he said.

  “I love you, Brady.”

  They heard the crash of rocks coming from the front entrance. Moreno’s friend had grown tired of waiting. He was coming after them.

  Brady yanked her away from the overhang and turned off the light on her cell. Total darkness surrounded them, and she was immediately disoriented.

  “Stay on the floor,” he whispered.

  When she heard him moving away from her, she wanted to grab his ankle and hold on. She curled into a ball. Her hand rested on the side of the cave.

  A flash of light drew her attention. Someone was using a cell phone to find their way. It had to be the killer. She didn’t see Brady.

  The sound of gunfire crashed against the rocks. Two guns shooting. Then one. Then silence.

  She pinched her lips together to keep from making any noise. Her heart drummed against her rib cage. The darkness was stifling.

  The light from a cell phone flared.

  She was looking into the murderer’s face. He lifted his gun.

  From behind his back, Brady fired first. His first bullet tore through the other man’s shoulder, causing him to drop his weapon. The second shot was centered in the murderer’s chest. He fell to the floor of the cave.

  It was over.

  Epilogue

  At the Gateway Hotel, the gala grand opening for the ski lodge was keeping the valets hopping. As Sasha exited the limo Dooley had rented for the occasion, she knew she looked pretty spectacular in her black gown with the plunging neckline, especially since she was draped in a fake fur coat that Jim Birch’s wife had given to her. Jim’s missus said she wouldn’t need fur in Florida, which was where they were going even though the deal with Sam Moreno had fallen through.

  Moreno was in police custody, as was his “friend,” who hadn’t died in the cave.

  Everything that had happened after he was shot was kind of a blur. She and Brady had climbed out of the cave into the chilly afternoon light, and he’d put in the call for backup. As it turned out, Sheriff McKinley had already been on his way. Jim Birch had called him when he heard gunfire. The CBI agents had taken responsibility for Moreno’s arrest.

  She strolled across the red carpet at the entrance with her hand lightly resting on Brady’s arm. In his black suit and white linen shirt, he was her best accessory. She was proud to be Brady and Dooley’s guest for this event.

  When they entered the lobby, Katie Cook rushed toward her and took her hand. “Sasha, darling, how are you?”

  She’d never gotten that kind of enthusiastic greeting when she was only a legal assistant. Moreno’s dramatic arrest had turned her into a local celebrity. “I’m very well, thanks. Do you remember Brady?”

  “The deputy?” Katie squinted as though she couldn’t believe this sophisticated-looking man was the rugged lawman who had given them all so much trouble.

  He gave her a dimpled smile and a nod. “It’s a pleasure to see you, ma’am.”

  “Dooley’s nephew,” she said. “Of course, I remember you.”

  Politely, Sasha asked about the Arcadia partnership and how their negotiations were going, but she really didn’t care. She wasn’t part of the law firm anymore. Though she’d left two phone messages for Damien, he’d never bothered to call her back.

  Katie scanned the crowd, looking for someone more impressive to talk to. Offhandedly, she asked, “What are your plans?”

  “I’m going back to school.”

  “Law school?”

  No way. Sasha wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer. She wanted to help people and to pursue justice in another way. “I’m going to study forensic science.”

  “Whatever for?” Katie asked.

  Brady answered for her. “I’m planning to run for sheriff in the next election. And my first order of business will be to upgrade local law enforcement.”

  He’d stepped into the role of taking on authority as though he was born to it. Every day she spent with Brady, she found something else to love about him.

  As he took her coat, she spotted Damien in his tuxedo. He was standing near the statue of Artemis. “Will you excuse me, Katie?”

  “Of course, dear.” She was already waving to someone else. “Don’t be a stranger.”

  Sasha looked up at Brady. “There’s something I need to say to Damien.”

  “Do you want backup? I’d be happy to shoot him in the foot or kick his sorry behind.”

  “I can handle this myself. Like a professional.”

  She stalked through the lobby until she was standing directly in front of the man she would forever think of as a giant sleaze. When he opened his mouth to speak, she held up her hand to stop him.

  “Two words,” she said. “I quit.”

  She spun on her heel and walked back to Brady. By the time she reached his side, Damien was forgotten. She’d never been so happy or so much in love.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from STALKED by Beverly Long.

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Intrigue story.

  You crave excitement! Harlequin Intrigue stories deal in serious romantic suspense, keeping you on the edge of your seat as resourceful, true-to-life women and strong, fearless men fight for survival.

  Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Intrigue every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Other ways to keep in touch:

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  Chapter One

 
Mack McCann wiped the sweat out of his eyes and reached for his cold beer. He’d been sanding boards in the unusually warm spring sun for what seemed like hours. But he was making progress. The McCann cabin, blown to smithereens seven months prior, would stand again.

  It had to be ready for Chandler and Ethan’s late June wedding. His sister had insisted that she wanted to be married at Crow Hollow. Ethan hadn’t wanted to wait, but he’d agreed because he basically wanted to give the stars and the moon to Chandler.

  It was pretty damn amazing that his sister had fallen in love with one of his best friends. He and Ethan Moore, along with Brody Donovan, had spent their formative years at the McCann and Donovan cabins. The three boys had spent summers traipsing around the forests and the lakes set high in the Colorado Rockies, not ever realizing that theirs was a friendship that would span the globe over the next twenty years.

  Ethan had enlisted in the army and flew helicopters. Brody had gone to college, then to medical school, then surprised them all when he’d enlisted in the air force. And Mack, well, he’d done exactly what he’d hoped to do since he’d been about seven.

  He’d become a spy.

  Sort of.

  Naval intelligence. He’d worked in more countries than he could remember, and in some of the best and worst conditions known to man. Silk sheets and lavish meals in Qatar, and dirt floors and beans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

  He’d dined with presidents and princesses. He’d squatted alongside peasants washing their clothes in muddy rivers. His playground was anywhere there was information to be gained.

  He’d been working 24/7 for the last sixteen years, and quite frankly, he was tired. And he hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that there should be something more. So he’d made the decision to leave.

  Of course, he’d cop to having a few moments of doubt over the past months while he waited for his discharge papers to be processed. But once he had fresh mountain air in his lungs, he’d known that coming home was the right decision.