Chapter Twelve
Mike didn’t have to go to Annie’s. A forensics team and several cops, including Officer Riley had surrounded the Jeep. He only had to ask, and Riley was pointed out. He hated being around the group. There was nothing but bitterness left in him about his time with the RCMP. But this wasn’t about him, it was about Avery, and he’d do anything to protect and keep her safe.
“I’m Officer Riley,” the young cop said, pulling a card out of his breast pocket. “You’re Mike Hunter, right?” the officer asked, but it was clear to Mike, he needn’t have. He knew exactly who Mike was. Mike nodded.
“I need your help,” Mike said skipping the small talk. He held his breath, waiting, reading the young officer’s face.
“You look a little different with the beard and long hair, but I’d recognize those eyes anywhere.” The officer’s next words surprised the hell out of him.
“You were the best the RCMP ever had. Here I was coming to you for help, and you’re asking for mine.” He held out his hand, and Mike took it. “I’ve got a trail of bodies all the way from the US border to your mountain. I think whoever stole this Jeep is a serial killer. And I believe serial killers are your specialty.”
* * *
She waited alone at the cabin while Mike walked down the mountain to the swarm of police. Going to Annie’s was unnecessary when the cops were already on the mountain. Her anxiousness intensified every minute that Mike was gone—even Rocky seemed to sense her emotions. He paced on the porch, slumping down in front of the steps every ten minutes only to get up again. The cabin felt like it was closing in on her. Mike had ordered her to stay inside, as he’d locked every window and door, but she couldn’t breathe now that he was gone.
“They won’t risk sticking around with the cops everywhere, babe. You’re safe,” he’d said.
“Then why are you locking this place up like Fort Knox?”
He’d only shot her a dark look, before settling her on the sofa with a cup of tea.
When she stepped outside, Rocky rolled to lie his girth on her foot. She wondered if Mike had trained him to sit on her if she tried to run.
“I’m sure glad you’re here, Rocky.” The bear groaned and scratched his face by rubbing it against his massive paw.
It was even warmer than she expected, and with the sun strong she didn’t need the jacket she’d thrown on. She was amazed that it was only a week ago a spring storm had buried them. She walked to sit on the porch step, and Rocky followed. They hadn’t had much contact, but she knew she was safe with him. She rose and picked his tire up off its side with both hands. Rocky watched her with curiosity.
“Wanna play?” she asked, and he turned his head slightly. “Come on. I’ll roll it just like your buddy, Mike.” She sent the tire rolling with as much power as she had, but it didn’t go far. It rolled a few turns then flopped flat on its side. Rocky looked at her, then the tire, and she swore he guffawed at her inability to move the thing with any power, but then he hopped a little on his paws and hit the tire, so it bounced up. He swatted it then, and she laughed at the little spring in his step as it began rolling.
“Showoff,” she murmured and he chuffed. Though he was an animal and couldn’t possibly have the intelligence for showing off, she believed that was his intent. The yard around the cabin was more of a level landing before it went down to another relatively flat area. The tire made it to the next flattened part, and Rocky rolled around beside it, clawing and chewing. Avery smiled and picked up Mike’s ax. “I might as well make myself useful, Rocky. You sure know how to cut a game short.” The bear growled playfully and continued to roll around. The ax was sharp. She took a small log and set it on its side. She lifted the ax high and brought it down fast. It stuck in the dirt beside the log. She tried again, and it wedged in the log but didn’t split it. She put her foot on it and yanked but only succeeded in falling on her butt. She rose then, dusted off her pants and with a curse, picked up the ax, log and all, and slammed it down on the chopping block. It made a satisfying crack and split in half. She was out of breath from one chop. It was no wonder Mike was in such good shape.
She did a whole pile, and when she decided she couldn’t do even one more because her arms were more jelly than flesh and bone, she set the ax by the block and looked around for Rocky. He had abandoned his tire and she couldn’t see him anywhere.
“Thanks for bailing on me, buddy,” she yelled down the hill.
“Hello there!”
Avery’s head shot to her right where an older man stood in a ball cap. He had a backpack on, a bottle of water in one hand and a walking stick in the other. It was the second person she’d seen in two days and only three days ago she had been naked tied to a tree with her lover’s face between her thighs. The thought made her blush.
“Uh, hi.”
“Sorry, did I startle you?”
“A little. We don’t see many people around here.” She felt nervous suddenly. She told herself to relax though. He was obviously just an old guy out on a hike. She looked around. But where had he come from? There was nowhere to park along the road that she’d seen and wasn’t this private property?
“Name’s Henry.” He walked over to hold out his hand. She took it, and they shook quickly. He was in his fifties, maybe older, but he was tall like Mike with light hair silvered at his temples. He waited expectantly until she spoke.
“Amanda,” she said, sticking to her alias. “You from around here?”
“Oh, I come to the mountains occasionally. My brother has a cabin around here. I used to be an avid hunter. I haven’t done it for a while. I think I’m out of practice.” He chuckled, his blue eyes shining in the sun. “I didn’t even bring my gun.”
“Well, you should definitely have one out here. There’s a hungry cougar with cubs around.”
“Oh, yeah?” He hummed a bit, looking around. “Is that what all the fuss is down the mountain?”
“No,” she answered slowly. “I doubt it.”
“Well, I doubt the cat’ll be out with all those people around, but I should probably head back anyway.” He tipped the bill of his ball cap at her. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“No problem.”
“Have a good day.”
“You, too.”
Avery shook off the eerie feeling the man gave her and headed back inside. It would be dark soon, and she wanted to shower. As she was halfway to the shower, she turned suddenly and went back to lock the door. Could that hiker have been an undercover cop, or maybe a PI that Eddie and Moe had hired? She shook off the silly thought. He hadn’t asked her any questions. The only information he’d gotten was that there was a cougar around and she had offered that up.
She shoved the thoughts away and grabbed a towel. Mike was right, Eddie and Moe wouldn’t be anywhere near the mountain with all the commotion going on by the Jeep.
She heard pounding on the door when she climbed out of the shower dripping wet. Her heart raced. Was it the cops? She wrapped the towel tightly around herself and peeked around the bathroom door, hoping she could see who was on the porch without having to expose herself. She couldn’t see a thing, so she remained frozen to her spot, a puddle forming at her feet.
“Avery! Let me in!” There was more pounding on the door. Angry pounding. She jumped from behind the door in only her towel and ran to unlock the door for Mike.
“I’ve been out there for twenty minutes!” He came in with his brows hovering low over his grumpy eyes, but when he saw she was just in a towel, he smiled.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered, stepping out of his way.
“Why hello,” he said and gave her a predatory leer, grabbing at the towel she clutched to her breasts.
“Daddy!” She grabbed her towel tighter and backed away shyly. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Locking the door was exactly what you were supposed to do.”
“It’s just there was a hiker here before, and I was nervous.”
“A hiker?”
“Yeah, some guy that says he has a cabin around here. Or at least his brother does.” He nodded, still eyeing her towel with a heated gaze.
“His name is Henry.” Mike froze. Instinctively she knew something was wrong, but then he relaxed.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He reached for her towel. “Come here, little girl.”
“I’ll go get dressed so you can tell me what happened with Riley.” She turned to head to the bedroom when he grabbed her.
“No, don’t. I think you should wear that.” He chuckled and yanked hard until she crashed into him. “You look good enough to eat, and I’m starving.”
“Tell me.” She frowned, her stomach churning with nerves.
“No one is looking for you from the police. There is nothing in the system about you other than as a reference to Alex Donovan and his last known address. I explained what happened, and Riley’s checking out my story.”
“So what does this mean?”
“I think it means they lied to your husband. My instincts tell me neither of them were cops. I think the police that were looking for you were only there to ask if you knew where Alex was. Unlike you, he is in the system, and he’s wanted on many fraud charges, as well as charges for illegal gambling and some other petty stuff. In fact, his name isn’t even Alex Donovan. It’s Peter Wright.”
“What?” Her brows knitted in confusion. “He lied from the beginning?” Her mind spun, and she grabbed for the sofa to steady herself. “Does that mean we were never married?” Shock set her heart fluttering. She didn’t know how she felt about that or what it mattered now that he was dead.
“Yeah.”
“You think I’m safe then?” Her eyes found his. “How have they been tracking me?” Her shoulders fell. “And the Jeep owner is still dead. They’ll still think I killed him. I’m responsible for his death anyway.” Her breath quickened, and she started to pace, looking at the floor.
“Hold on now, little girl.” Mike grabbed her and rubbed his hands up and down both of her arms. “Let me finish before you start getting ahead of yourself.” He released her arms and took her chin in his hand. He tilted her face so he could look her in the eye.
“Tim Lester was shot while you were here. Time of death was only a few days ago. Both Annie and I are your alibi on that. Annie even told her daughter about you.” He took a deep breath. “And while I don’t think your problem is a legal one right now, I am concerned about how these guys are tracking you.”
“I still stole the Jeep, money, and a gun.”
“They only know about the Jeep, and Riley understands, and he doesn’t think it’ll be an issue as long as you’re willing to cooperate when they get these guys. This stuff is really at the discretion of the Crown, and no one with a heart or brain will go after you for this. No jury in the world would convict.”
“You’re sure?” she asked, her eyes tearing in relief. She was almost afraid to believe it in case Mike was wrong. If she was going to jail, she needed to prepare herself.
“We’ll go see Riley tomorrow once they’ve left our mountain.”
She swallowed hard, her hands shaking as she twisted them in front of her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be with you the whole time. Okay?” Mike squeezed her shoulders with his hands.
“No,” she answered with a tremor in her voice. “I’m not ready.”
“This is hard for me too, Avery. It’s not like I have a lot of trust in people now, especially cops, but we must do this. I’ll give you time. We’ll wait a few days, but you can’t keep living like this and Alex, or Peter, no matter how much of an asshole, needs to be put to rest.”
“You promise not to do anything behind my back? You’ll give me the time I need?”
“I will.” He leaned forward and kissed her head. “Now, I think I’m ready for a snack, and I know exactly the thing you need to get your mind off this for now.”
* * *
When she woke groggily to Mike’s voice outside, she was disoriented. She sat up, naked from a night spent in his arms, and threw on one of his flannel shirts. She padded to the kitchen in search of coffee and then him. It was eight o’clock, but they’d stayed up late playing cards, talking about their lives, and exploring each other’s bodies. She told him more about growing up in Iowa, and he told her about his family and several amusing stories of his teen years including that he found out he was adopted when he was looking for booze in his dad’s desk. They’d laughed, and she’d cried as they talked into the wee hours. It had been a special night for her. She’d never had that before.
She poured two cups of coffee and went to the door to slip on his shoes. Coffee on the porch watching the mountain come awake sounded like the perfect way to rouse, especially with the sun bright and the birds chirping.
Mike and two uniformed men stood outside on the lawn near his chopping block. Mike’s face pulled into a tight scowl and his hands gesturing wildly. As he pointed toward the cabin, the men turned to look, and she ducked just in time. They looked equally unhappy. Coffee splattered on her feet, seeping through Mike’s shoes, and she whispered a curse. New Brunswick cops? Theirs weren’t like the black RCMP uniforms or Riley’s though, but they had guns and tactical belts, so they were obviously officers. Why were they there? Suddenly her mind flickered back to the moose on the road and the words that rang out in her head all those weeks ago sounded again. Don’t be like Alex and take another innocent with you.
She set the mugs on the floor and crawled to the kitchen.
They had to be there to arrest her. Mike couldn’t stop them, and knowing him he’d try. She didn’t want him arrested too. And look at what she’d turned his life into. She wiped her watering eyes. His quiet mountain—his secluded life was crawling with federal and provincial cops, and quite likely murderers as well. She loved this man, and she’d ruined his life, and no matter how much he said he was ready for the trouble she brought to his mountain, it was selfish of her to let him take on her burdens.
Her heart slammed against her ribs, and air whooshed in her ears. She couldn’t be the reason Mike went to jail. And she couldn’t take away the peace he’d worked so hard to achieve. Avery loved him too much. Panic coursed through her and she nabbed his jacket off the chair and crawled to the bedroom. There was no time to look for supplies, but she grabbed her purse out of his wardrobe. She lifted the window slowly so it wouldn’t make noise, popped the screen, and climbed out.
Cougar or not, police or not, Moe and Eddie or not, she had to make a run for it. For a moment, her bottom tingled at the memory of his discipline when she’d taken off before, both times, but this time she wasn’t running from him. She was running for him. He’d have to understand that, and she did have the gun.
This time when she made her escape, she walked up the mountain, instead of down it. It would take longer going up and then down the other side to get to town, but there was less chance of running into anyone who wanted to sniff around by the wreck. She’d been walking for twenty minutes, obsessing and mourning both the loss of Mike and the return of the nomadic life she’d hated when she heard the rustle of a bush behind her. Her heart was in her throat when she spun, jamming her hand in her purse for the gun, but remaining empty-handed. Her eyes widened, expecting the cat, but saw Rocky instead. She exhaled in relief. He chuffed, fell onto the ground, and rolled on his back like a dog.
“Rocky, you scared the hell out of me.” The bear got up and lumbered toward her, snuffling wetly in her outstretched palm as she riffled through her bag for the gun. Mike must have taken it. Shit! She reached to pat Rocky’s head, looking around nervously, but taking a moment to scratch behind his ears and comb her fingers through his thick, bristly fur. As comforted by his presence as she was, he shouldn’t be with her.
“Go back to Mike, Rocky. He needs you.” The bear groaned and nudged her legs, almost knocking her down. “Fine, but don’t blame me when you can’t find your way back.”
She began climbing again, and the bear followed. She felt safer with Rocky since the cougar had already proven she didn’t want to tangle with him, but she figured he’d turn back soon enough. She’d watched him and Mike enough to know they wouldn’t leave each other for long.
After a particularly steep section of the mountain, Avery stopped to catch her breath. She took out the binoculars in Mike’s coat and looked down at the cabin. Smoke puffed out of the stack on the top, and she saw the solar panels that gave him electricity. He wasn’t outside now, at least from what she could see. Had they gone inside to get her? Her heart blipped at the thought.
She scanned the land around the cabin. She should be moving. It would probably take all day to get to town, and the temperature dropped at night. But there was a sinking in her gut. Not only did she miss Mike intensely but she suddenly doubted her decision.
She had promised to trust him and wasn’t accepting his decision to help, protect, and be with her, part of that? He’d never decide something like that lightly. He was her daddy, and she was his little girl and her running, even for the right reasons, was wrong—she had essentially given him consent to make their decisions, and by leaving for him she was deciding for him. Taking away that control was like reneging on their unspoken commitment to each other. If she was hurt, caught on the run, or captured by Alex’s killers, he’d feel responsible because he’d made himself her protector. God, how could she be so stupid? After what he’d been through with Ella, that would kill him.
“Come on, Rocky. We’re going back.” The bear ousted himself out of the bush and followed her.
She started to run, and Rocky barreled ahead of her. She didn’t stand a chance of keeping up with him, but she was okay with that. A shot rang out, and she dropped, rolling down the mountain with the momentum of her pace. The sound echoed in her ears, and she was confused by both the sound coming from behind her and Rocky falling in front of her. She screamed and scrambled toward the bear’s unmoving form, ignoring the pain of sticks and stones digging into her knees.
“No! You shot him! He’s not a wild bear, he’s Rocky!” She looked back at the man in hunting attire, aware of the ridiculousness of her words, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered is that he didn’t shoot again. Just as she got to the bear, a tug on the back of her jacket yanked her to her feet.
“I don’t think so, missy.” She was jostled around to face the hunter, or rather, Henry. At first, she thought he’d shot the bear to save her from a wild creature, but there was a cruelty in his features that made her gut roll. There was an ugliness to him that wasn’t physical, and she wondered if it had been there yesterday and how she hadn’t noticed it.
“Henry?” She glanced back at the bear, still confused. “Why?”
He smiled politely and released her. “I apologize for the abruptness.” He shoved his weapon into his belt.
“Why did you kill my bear?” She was still shocked and confused. His brow shot up at her question. “That bear, although not yours, would surely have ripped me to shreds had I not taken him down. I’m an acquaintance of Michael Hunter, Avery.” He gestured down the mountain toward the cabin. “I’m afraid he’s rather indisposed right now, and that’s my fault, but it was necessary. Don’t worry though. Michael is quite capable, and your husband doesn’t stand a chance.”
“What?” Her brow wrinkled in confusion. How did he know her name? And what did he mean ‘her husband’? He handed her some binoculars. “Look for yourself.”
She ignored his outstretched hand holding the binoculars and pulled Mike’s out. She peered through them. Mike was standing with his hands raised. Another man stood across from him. A frigging ghost. Avery felt as if her blood was draining. Alex Donovan stood across from her daddy and was holding a gun.
She started to run again but was quickly yanked off her feet and landed with an oomph on the ground. She gasped for the air that had been knocked out of her.
“We’re going for a little trek here, and I expect you to cooperate, or things will get rather unpleasant.” He pulled her up to her feet. Letting go of the scruff of her jacket, he grabbed her hand instead. His grip was tight enough to hurt, but she ignored the pain.
“Do you understand, Avery? I don’t want to hurt you, but I won’t hesitate.”
“How do you know my name?” she asked. “How do you know Alex? How is he alive? What the hell is going on?” Her last words came out in a panic-filled shriek. He squeezed her hand harder; this time it was painful enough to make her yelp and buckle to her knees. Fear exploded in her. This man was capable of pure evil and did it while still maintaining an air of superiority and civility, and that scared the hell out of her.
“Do. You. Understand?” His formerly genteel voice was harsh and uncivilized so she bobbed her head.
“Yes. God, yes! Please!” she gasped, and he released his death grip. His expression was suddenly calm again.
“This isn’t about you, Avery. Please know that.” His eyes dragged over her hair. “You have the same color hair as his wife had.” His eyes landed on hers. “But you’re nothing like her.” His head tilted to the side, and he looked thoughtful a moment before his eyes cleared, and he continued.
“Michael and I have unfinished business, and I’m afraid you’re the only way to get his attention, but I won’t hurt you like I did Ella.” His arm came up so he could trace a finger down her jawline. His mouth quirked and his eyes glinted mischievously. It unsettled Avery further. “Although, Michael won’t be happy you’ve run off, now will he?”
“What do you mean, like Ella?” Avery blurted, her eyes widening in realization. She even ignored the nervous blip over his mention of Mike being unhappy with her. Was Henry the one who killed Mike’s wife? She pulled her face away from him, feeling bile rise in her throat.
“You killed Ella?” She swallowed hard.
“She was a cheating whore. I did him a favor.” He gave a dismissive wave. “He’s been happier with you than he ever was with her. Unfortunately, I need him to leave his little oasis and focus on our relationship once again.” He picked up one of Avery’s curls and ran it through his fingers as Mike had done so many times. She pulled away from him again, repulsed. “Don’t touch me,” she spat. His face soured and he fisted her hair, yanking her head back hard. It burned where it pulled at her skull, and she squealed.
“Show some respect, Avery. I’ve killed so many women, I can do it in my fucking sleep. Michael can attest to that. Be sure to ask him later.” His free hand clasped around her neck, but he didn’t squeeze. Fear coursed through her and she closed her eyes as it suddenly became apparent he was the serial killer Mike had been chasing when he retired. “You’re the one Mike was hunting before he retired.”
“I’ve been watching you two, and his discipline didn’t make you well-mannered enough for my liking, Miss Trent. I should have left you in his care a little longer.” He shook his head. “I don’t have the taste for disciplining in such mild ways, love. I favor more blood.” He chuckled, glancing at her over his shoulder as he dragged her on. “Let’s not speak of unpleasant things right now though. You’re a smart girl, my dear. You’re exactly right. I’m the killer he never caught.”
Avery shivered. Not only had this murdering psychopath been watching them, but he’d already turned Mike’s life inside out once before.
* * *
Mike stared at the dark-haired man holding the gun in front of him. The man quite obviously wasn’t used to holding a revolver and with his stance, Mike could take him down in one move. Mike wasn’t worried about him. He only wanted to find Avery. His heart raced in fear and concern for her. He was only biding his time to find out who he was and if he was responsible for Avery being missing. Was this one of the men who had killed Alex? And if he was, had he taken her? He’d gone inside to find her missing after talking with two New Brunswick conservation officers about the cougar, but when he ran out to look for her, he’d run straight into the dark-haired douche holding a gun.
“Where is she?”
Mike’s brow quirked. He’d like to know the answer to that same question.
“Who?” Mike asked, playing dumb.
“Don’t lie to me. I know you know where she is. I know Avery’s been staying here.” He paused and looked Mike in the eye. Mike’s heart pounded faster. If he didn’t have Avery, who did? “Oh, the girl from the accident?” Mike pulled his work gloves out of his pocket and threw them on the chopping block. The guy’s eyes followed nervously.
“Move back. You’re too close to that ax.”
Mike stepped to the side but stayed focused on the gunman.
“She left. I have no clue where she went. I’m a loner if you can’t tell, and people don’t tend to stick around long. I’m a bit of a dick.”
“You’re lying, Mike.” Mike’s heart stopped at the use of his name. How the fuck?
Mike snapped his fingers, distracting the gunman, did a leg sweep, and snatched the gun out of his hand before the man even thumped against the ground. He started to rise, and Mike put his booted foot on the man’s chest and shoved the gun into his jeans.
“Who the fuck are you?”
The guy moaned, and Mike asked again, stepping harder on his chest.
“Who?” he demanded.
“Alex. Alex Donovan!” He coughed and held up his hands. Mike narrowed his eyes. What the hell? Avery’s husband was supposed to be dead. What was going on?
“I came for my wife, Avery Trent.” He looked around. “If you think you can keep her hidden and happy in this mountain shack, you’re wrong. That girl’s used to a different standard of living.”
“But you’re supposed to be dead, Alex—or should I say, Peter?” Mike crossed his thick arms calmly despite his racing mind and heart. He kept enough pressure on Alex’s chest that he couldn’t get up. Where was his Avery?
“It was a scam, but I had no choice this time.” Fear was evident with the way sweat beaded on Alex’s upper lip and forehead. His eyes widened. “They would have killed me if I didn’t tell them about her trust fund.” Mike bared his teeth. He wanted to step on the guy’s face. “Explain, asshole, before I put a boot print on the inside of the back of your skull.” He lifted his booted foot and hovered it over Alex’s face.
“Okay, Jesus, okay!” Alex scooted back, and Mike lowered his foot. “I’ve got a gambling problem. I emptied our accounts on a big poker game. I went all in on what I thought was a sure thing. I lost, but when I explained that Avery’s multi-million-dollar trust fund was coming through in a few months, they let me play on. I lost it all.” His throat worked as he swallowed hard.
“You’re a worthless piece of shit.”
“But she left me, so I had to get creative. I came up with a scam. They pretended to kill me so she’d believe they were willing to do anything to get the money, but she ran.” He blew out. “She was never supposed to run.”
“And?” He raised his foot again.
“No one was supposed to get hurt, but they’ve been killing people. Anyone she had anything to do with.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “I knew they’d kill us, too. I was stupid. I made a mistake, but I know she loves me and will take me back. I just want to get my wife so we can go somewhere far away, luxuriously sunny, and stay hidden for the rest of our lives.”
Mike’s eyes narrowed. Avery was his, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to stomp his boot down.
“How’d you find her?” he growled, his lips drawing back to bare his teeth and he set his foot back on Alex’s chest.
“She always wanted to see the east coast again, so I figured she’d head this way. I called Avery’s friend Becca and explained that Avery was in trouble. She reluctantly told me Avery had her cell phone, so I tracked it.”
“There’s more. Spill, asshole.” The tone of Mike’s voice was even foreign to him. He sounded savage.
“Okay, okay! Can I get off the ground?”
“No.”
“Jesus, man, I’m sorry. Just let me up.” Alex sounded remorseful, but Mike didn’t trust him.
“Talk, asshole.” He put pressure on his chest again, making his eyes bulge.
“We were on her trail, but we lost her after the last place she got gas. She must have turned off the phone. When I realized the guys weren’t going to let either of us walk away, I gave them the slip. I was hoping I could find her first and save us both. I was sitting in a hotel in Quebec checking the phone again, and I got a hit. I came straight here and I found the Jeep, so I got a hotel and came back the next day to look around. That’s when Prescott found me.”
Prescott? Fear froze his blood. He stepped back and shoveled a hand through his hair. Sweat broke out all over, and his heart slammed against his ribs. He had to have heard wrong. “What the fuck did you just say?”
Alex paused, probably noticing the change in Mike’s demeanor. “Prescott said he knew where Avery was and pointed out the cabin.”
“And you didn’t think that was at all suspicious, you moron?”
“Of course I did.” He tried to sit up on his elbows, but Mike knocked him back with his boot. “I asked why he’d told me, and Mr. Prescott said he needed me to distract you for a bit, and if I did what he wanted, he’d hand her over to me.” Mike stepped back, grabbing the ax and let Alex sit up and lean against the chopping log.
“Have you been screwing my wife, Mike?”
“Since Alex Donovan is a fake identity, you’re not legally married, douchebag, and you’ve got the damn brain of a frozen pea.” Mike slammed the ax into the block hard, knowing the pipsqueak would never be able to pull it out. “You’ve just killed her, and even if you don’t care about her life, you’ll never get the trust fund now.”
“What?” Alex questioned, scrambling up onto all fours. Mike started back toward the cabin. “What do you mean?” Mike turned back. “What happened to the other two in on the scam?”
“I have no clue where they are. Probably trying to find me.”
“Two conservation officers were here just before you. They showed me pictures of two bodies found down by the river last night. A bald one with a snake tattoo and a black-haired guy with a scar on his cheek. Sound familiar? They were left wounded and tied to a tree. They made a nice meal for the wild cougar in the area.”
Alex swore and lowered his head into his hands before looking back at Mike expectantly.
“Prescott used you as a distraction, but he never leaves witnesses.”
“What the hell do I do now?”
“My suggestion is to get your ass to the police station and beg them to lock you up and throw away the key because that’s the only way you’ll survive this.” Mike turned and walked away. “And Alex, if I catch you on my mountain again, you’ll be leaving with broken bones.”