Page 18 of Mountain Hero

“Winter?” He’s eyeing me with growing worry, and I realize I’ve been staring at him instead of answering like a normal person would.

“Sorry.” My cheeks go hot like I’ve been caught doing something wrong. Which in his eyes, he probably thinks I have. In a rush, I say, “It’s fine. And I’m okay. It’s just a concussion.”

He frowns. “Have they given you anything for it? The headache? Nausea?”

“How do you know?—”

“I’ve had concussions before. Sometimes the nausea and dizziness can be worse than the headache.”

“Um.” His concern has me flustered and off-balance. It’s not what I was expecting. “It’s not that bad. The headache is the worst, really. But I didn’t want to take anything, since the police were coming, and…”

Enzo’s gaze darkens and I scold myself for mentioning the police and reminding him of the reason he came here.

But he surprises me. “Do you need anything?” His gaze moves around the small hospital room. I’m the only one in here, and aside from the small bag of clothing Officer Nelson brought earlier, it’s bare of any personal belongings or decorations. It’s a far cry from when Violet had her appendix out in college and her room was so packed with flowers and cards and stuffed animals, they covered every available surface.

Not that I’d expected anything like that here, and I’m more than okay with it. A barren hospital room is still a million times better than the windowless room I had to call a bedroom back at Thomas’s house.

Meeting his gaze, I ask, “What do you mean?”

An unhappy expression moves across his face. “I don’t know. Food? Something to drink? An extra blanket? Just… Do you need me to get anything for you?”

His unexpected kindness makes me feel like crying. Blinking away the dampness in my eyes, I say, “I’m okay. But… thanks. Really.”

“Are you sure? I know the hospital food isn’t great. When my uncle was here, I had to sneak in burgers from Burger Bliss for him.” Enzo pauses and two spots of pink appear high on his cheeks. “Nevermind. I don’t even know if you like burgers or if you’re hungry.”

The mention of his uncle makes my chest go tight. “Is the store… is it okay?”

“Pretty much. Some damage, but nothing that can’t be fixed. If there had been a fire, though…”

There it is. The part I’ve been waiting for.

“I’m so sorry,” I blurt out. My heart speeds up so quickly I’m lightheaded for a second. “I know you want answers. I’ll tell you everything I know. But I swear, I didn’t have anything to do?—”

“Winter.” Enzo touches my hand, the heat of his warm fingers seeping into my chilled ones. “That’s not why I came.”

But his words don’t register. All I can think about is getting everything out. Somehow convincing Enzo I didn’t have anything to do with the damage to his store.

My words spill out in a rush. “I didn’t know what was going on. Thomas just grabbed me and made me get in the car. He didn’t say why. Not until we got closer and he said what he was planning. But I would never… as soon as I heard… I knew I had to do something. I knew it was your store, and your uncle’s, and he wanted to burn it down?—”

“Winter—”

“He wanted me to stay outside and be the lookout. Honk the horn if anyone came. And he made me touch the crowbar. So I’d be”—my voice catches—“an accessory. But I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to be there. He took the keys and I couldn’t go for help and the only thing I could think of was to go in after him and try to call the police. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Winter. Stop.” Enzo’s voice is achingly kind.

But I can’t stop. The dam burst, and now everything is coming out in a torrent. “If I could have stopped him sooner… I heard the noises in the other room. Maybe I should have run out there. Distracted him. I was thinking about it, but then he found me. And he?—”

The memory of his face flashes before me. The rage in Thomas’s eyes. And then the bright lights exploding before everything went black.

I’m not even aware I’m crying until I taste salt on my lips.

“I didn’t want to be with him.” My voice drops to a whisper. “Maybe the police told you. But I wasn’t Thomas’s partner. Not his friend. Definitely not his girlfriend. He kept me in his house. He wouldn’t let me go. I would never have helped him. Never. I swear it.”

Enzo grits out a low curse under his breath. His features are carved stone. A muscle in his jaw twitches. But he’s still holding my hand like it’s something fragile, his thumb stroking softly across my palm.

He takes several deep breaths before he says in a low, controlled tone, “I didn’t think you were responsible, Winter. Not last night, not this morning, and not now. I didn’t come here expecting an explanation. I just wanted to see how you were.”

“Oh.” My voice is tiny. “I just… I wanted you to know.”

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