The icy air licks my cheeks, and it makes my skin burn without warning. Evening is upon us, and the sky quickly grows a dark shade of navy.

“Bill, wait!” I call after him as he heads toward the parking lot.

He turns around, his features pulled down with disdain and, dare I say, fury.

A thought comes to me. “Your wife—she’s competitive by nature. I can tell. She didn’t want Eve around. And once Eve told her what she was about to do, it pushed her over the edge. It was practically a crime of passion.” Not quite true, but it gets the point across.

A low growl emits from the woods to our left, and Dutch bounds right out of Carlson Hall and speeds that way.

Oh boy. Something tells me we’re about to have company. And for a moment I wonder what the odds are that Eve’s cuddly pet bear will tear Bill Chutney to pieces right before my eyes? A familiar roar fills the air, and I’m betting the odds are pretty darn good right about now.

Heavy white plumes expel from Bill in quick succession as his breathing grows rapid. “You think Connie did this?” He shakes his head hard. “No! Not my Connie. She would never in a million years.” He beats his chest with his hands. “I’m the man of the family. I take care of the problems that come into our lives. And if you ask me, Eve had it coming for a long, long time.”

“You killed Eve.” The words strum from me, numb, as if he caught me off guard, and essentially, he did. “She was going to the city and—”

“She went to the city!” His voice riots into the night. His face turns a shade darker in this dim light. “A couple of more days and she would have destroyed me.”

“So you destroyed her instead.” I take a stumbling step back, and his head flops to the side as he observes me.

“Now where are you going, pretty little lady?” In one clean move he pulls a weapon from under his coat and something from his pocket and threads the two together before pointing it right at me. “Put up those hands where I can see them.”

My hands raise to the command. “You poisoned her. You didn’t think anyone would notice. You were in her house every single day. How did you get in that last day, the day you spiked that pitcher of water in her bathroom? You overrode the filter, didn’t you?” Just a stab in the dark but a darn good one.

“The housekeeper let me in whenever I wanted.” A satisfied smile glides over his face. “It took some time, but the old cow keeled over quick enough.” The sound of voices rumbling from the hall behind us lights up the night, and he motions to the woods with the gun. “Come on, honey. I don’t got all night.”

I glance to the dark thicket of evergreens and realize that if I set foot into that forest I may never come out. I could scream. And he could shoot. Not sure that’s quite the combo I’m looking for.

His arms begin to shake, and his face twists with rage. “I said move!”

An ear-piercing growl emits from the woods, and both the long dead black bear and Dutch come flying out. The eyes of that bear glow an eerie shade of yellow, and for once I fill with relief at the sight of the beast.

“Come on,” I whisper under my breath as I watch them thunder this way.

Bill turns his head as if he heard them, as if he felt the wild vibrations going off under our feet, and the bear nearly clips him, causing his arms to flail, and I try to bolt for cover behind the nearest car. No sooner do I hit the frozen ground than the windshield of the vehicle I’m using as a two-ton shield shatters to marble-sized pieces, raining down over my hair, my clothes. I didn’t hear the horrific detonation you expect from the firing of a gun, more like a loud snap. I’m betting it was a silencer Bill threaded over his weapon.

“Oh God,” I whimper before carefully peering out in the direction of the woods. The gentle click of metal clicking against metal goes off behind me, and I freeze.

“That’s right, hon. Get up nice and slow and start walking. Don’t turn around. No funny business.”

“Did you feel that earthquake?” I try to turn my head his way.

“We don’t have earthquakes here. That must have been a truck going by. You got lucky, but you won’t get lucky again. In fact, you might just say this is the unluckiest day of your life.”

My feet move slowly and carefully.

Dutch bounces in front of me, panting with his tongue swinging happily to the side as if we were ready to play a game.

Unluckiest day of my life? As in bad luck? I look to the mystical oversized puppy, and my heart breaks. Could I have brought this on myself simply because I enjoy having a handsome little spectral in my life? I can’t get rid of Dutch. He’s like family at this point. My luck has always been sort of rotten. What’s a bullet or two going to hurt?

What the hell am I saying? The adorable poltergeist needs to find the next portal home before all of Honey Hollow caves in on itself and quickly become the world’s largest sinkhole.

Dutch whines as if he heard me, and my insides wrench just hearing it.

“Where’s that darn bear?” I mutter to the spooky hound, and he glances to my left. “Don’t just stand there—get him now!”

“What’s that?” Bill pipes up just as we’re about to leave the safety of the parking lot.

“Just saying my prayers!” Oh dear God Almighty, forgive me for lying—but while I have your attention, feel free to send a little help my way.

“Lottie!” a familiar male voice booms into the night somewhere in the far-off distance.

That was quick. I glance to the sky and mouth a silent thank you.

“Faster.” Bill’s voice shakes with agitation, and I realize this is it. The woods are pitch-black, save for Dutch’s glowing red eyes. Still no sign of Eve’s less than gregarious black bear.

“Lottie!” Noah’s voice rings out closer than it was before, and it takes a split second for me to decide what to do next.

“Noah!” I shout and dive behind the trunk of an evergreen. Another shot gets fired, and I hear the bullet vacuuming the air right next to my head.

The crash of footsteps falls hard in the snow, and I turn to find Bill running away from the woods. He jumps into his truck and starts to peel out before turning hard and heading straight for—

Oh my God.

“Noah!” I scream so loud my skull threatens to shatter. Dutch barks up a celestial storm just as the truck speeds up. Noah tries to get out of the way, but it’s too late. Bill’s not slowing down, and Noah can’t move fast enough.

Out of nowhere that black bear springs to life and steps right in front of Bill Chutney’s pickup, and the truck bucks hard as if it just hit a wall. Noah rolls to the side, shooting up the truck, and the tire under the driver’s side quickly begins to sag. Bill bolts from the vehicle, and Noah leaps over him as if he had the ability to fly.

Ivy comes up behind him, gun drawn, and soon enough the entire parking lot is filled with squad cars, their spastic lights illuminating the night.

“Lemon,” Everett barks, and he’s on me, his strong arms caging me in tight before I can process what’s happened. “You’re safe,” he breathes the words hot into my hair, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he just ran a string of kisses over the top of my head.

Noah strides over, his clothes slightly disheveled as he tucks his weapon back into its holster.

Everett takes a firm step away. “Good work, Fox.” He glowers at him a moment, because well, it’s just his way. “Next time, work a little faster before Lemon gets killed.”

“I’m not getting killed.”

Dutch barks in protest as if it were a real possibility, and that curse Nell filled me in on haunts me once again.

“I’m glad you’re safe.” Everett holds my gaze for as long as he can. “Goodnight.”

We watch as he takes off, and then Noah takes me in his strong arms, his hot kisses tracking over my temple straight to my anxious-to-have-him lips.

It’s really over.

Eve Hollister’s killer has been apprehended.

All is well in Honey Hollow.

Somewhere in the distance the howl of a bear goes off, and a shimmering light fills the forest before dissipating to nothing.

I have a feeling Eve Hollister is getting herself a nice firm bear hug right about now.

Noah tightens his grip over me, and I get one, too.