Page 13 of Mountain Hero

“I looked,” I answer through a tightening throat. “Whenever I could. But the windows were all locked with a special key. The doors had deadbolts on the inside. He never left his keys or his phone unattended. And the neighbors…”

Another sob tries to force its way out, but I swallow it down. “He lives outside of town. So there weren’t many neighbors around. One day, I thought about the mailman… but Thomas knew somehow. And he locked me in the bedroom and said if I tried anything, he’d beat me and then track down my aunt and kill her.”

“Shit,” mutters Officer Nelson. She scowls at the notebook in her hand before raising her gaze to me. “I have to ask, Winter. What about when he was at work? How did he keep an eye on you then?”

“Security cameras. And his friends.” I pluck at the thin hospital blanket before continuing. “He’d have his friends come over to watch me sometimes. Especially in the beginning. Later… I was trying to act more… passive. Agreeable. I thought if I did, he’d let his guard down and I’d find a chance to get out. Get to the police. Warn my aunt before he could get to her.”

“I don’t understand,” Officer Quillian says. “No one reported you missing. I checked. How is that possible if you were held captive for a month?”

“I just moved here. Eight months ago. And with everything… I didn’t get a chance to meet anyone who would worry. My neighbors saw me with Thomas before. They probably assumed I moved in with him. My best friend Violet… he sent her messages before he took my phone. Terrible things. She didn’t want to speak to me after that.”

“And your aunt?”

“Thomas let me call her occasionally. On his phone, and only when he was there. He said he didn’t want her getting involved. So I had to tell her everything was okay and come up with excuses why I couldn’t visit. If I didn’t, Thomas would…”

Crap. I’m crying again.

“Okay, Winter.” Officer Nelson hands me a handful of tissues and waits for me to dab away my tears. “I think we can move on for now, though we’ll have more detailed questions for you later. Can you tell us about how you ended up at Rossi’s Outfitters?”

My head is pounding in rhythm with my pulse and I want nothing more than to burrow under the covers and hide. I wish Enzo was here to hold my hand. I wish Violet could be here. My aunt. I wish I didn’t feel so alone and small and scared.

But this part I have to get right.

So I tell them everything in meticulous detail, even as I’m swallowing down bile and willing my stomach to settle. I tell them about being in the car, not having a choice about it, feeling horrified and helpless when I found out Thomas’s plan.

I recall the moment I knew I had to do something. “I couldn’t let Thomas burn down the store. I couldn’t. I’d met Enzo and he told me how it was his uncle’s store and how much it meant to him. I couldn’t sit by and watch as it was destroyed, no matter how scared I was.”

My heart in my throat, I tell the officers about Thomas forcing me to touch the crowbar. How he grinned as he said I was an accessory now, too.

And then, finally, I go through those last few minutes—when I snuck into the store and called 911, hoping I wasn’t too late to stop Thomas. “I didn’t know what else to do,” I explain. “He had the car keys. I couldn’t get to help on my own. Calling was the only thing I could think of. And then he found me. Hit me. That’s the last thing I remember until Enzo was there.”

Officer Quillian stares at me for a second, his jaw tight and working. Then he says, “You did a very brave thing, Winter. And you saved the store. There were items stolen, and some damage, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been.”

“Yes,” agrees Officer Nelson. “The safer thing would have been to do nothing.”

They don’t seem upset or like they’re doubting my story, but I can’t let go of the fear of being arrested. “Am I… going to jail?”

She shakes her head. “No. We’re obviously going to investigate further, and we’re going to bring Thomas in for questioning. Search his house. Make sure your story lines up.”

“Do you believe me?”

Her face softens. “I do, Winter. I wish I could tell you it’s cut and dry, but you are still a person of interest until you’re fully cleared of wrongdoing. Hopefully that will happen quickly—” She stops as she sees something in my expression. “You’re safe now, Winter. I can promise you that. And I do believe you. Truly. I’ll be fighting for you.”

“I believe you, too,” echoes Officer Quillian. “What you told us…” Anger darkens his gaze. “We’ll figure this out. Okay?”

But what about in the meantime? “But what do I do? Where do I go? You don’t have Thomas yet. I’m sure he didn’t go back to his house. He’s awful, but not stupid. He has to know I’d turn him in. If I go home, it’s the first place he’ll look.” My voice pitches up as the panic surges. “You didn’t see how he looked at me. He’ll come after me. I know he will.”

“Once you’re discharged, we’ll set you up at a hotel,” he replies. “Put a patrol car out front. We’ll have someone there twenty-four-seven until we have Thomas in custody.”

“Okay…” I’m so exhausted, it takes a minute to sort through everything, to figure out if their solution will really keep me safe.

Do I have another choice?

Not really.

“I need to call my aunt,” I blurt out. “She’s in New Mexico right now, but she needs to know. I don’t think Thomas would go out there or even know where she’s staying. But she’s supposed to come home next week, and if he’s not?—”

“I’m sure we’ll have him much sooner than that,” Officer Quillian replies quickly. “But absolutely. We’ll figure out long-distance calling for you.”

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