Page 41 of Mountain Hero

This isn’t the gentle, sweet Enzo I usually see. This is how I imagine Special Forces Enzo would look—all intense and focused and poised to leap into battle.

But then he drops to his knees in front of me and cups my cheek, his thumb brushing feather-light across my skin. His expression softens, his gaze turning dark with worry. “Winter, hun. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Although I’d sound more convincing if my voice wasn’t trembling. Firming my voice, I add, “You didn’t have to come home. I’m okay.”

“Winter…” His lips press into a thin line. “Of course I’m coming back. As soon as Knox called me…” He casts a quick glance at Knox. “Is the house secure?”

“Completely,” Knox answers. His easy smiles from earlier are gone. Now he’s grim-faced, alert, and intimidating, his thickly-muscled arms crossed over his chest. “Each entry point is secure. All the alarms in the house are working properly. Nothing on any of the cameras to indicate an imminent threat.”

Enzo moves onto the couch beside me and slips one arm around my waist. “Good. I didn’t see anything concerning on the perimeter cameras, either. But I still want to check again. Can you…”

“Of course.” Knox lifts his chin. “I’ll do a complete survey of the property. Look for anything—” Glancing at me, he cuts himself off. “I’ll check everything.”

“I don’t think he’s here,” I say. “If he knew, I think he’d have said so.”

Enzo turns to me. “Probably not. But he made contact. I just—” Pausing, he takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. “I don’t want to take any chances with your safety.”

Knox nods. “It’s unlikely that Thomas knows you’re here. It’s more likely he got your number when he broke into your aunt’s house.”

Although it makes me feel sick to think about it, he’s probably right. It wouldn’t be hard for Thomas to get into Aunt Linette’s computer and look at her cell phone account. Not with her little password book that always sits on the desk beside it. Then it would just be a matter of checking any of the numbers she called with a Vermont area code until he found mine.

“I’m going to talk to Patrick about this,” Enzo says. “Alec and Leo, too. See if there’s some way to trace where Thomas was calling from.” He pauses. “I’d like to meet with you guys later, if you’re available. Talk about a different approach.”

“Of course,” Knox replies. “You let me know when, and I’ll be there.”

“Okay. I’ll call Alec, Ronan, and I’m going to try to get Gage in on this. He’s been hiding out for way too long. This could help him, too.”

Then Enzo looks at me, and his expression changes. The commanding tone in his voice softens. “I’m sorry, Winter. This isn’t what you need right now. I should have thought?—”

“It’s okay.” I force my lips into a tight smile. “You can talk about it. I’m not going to fall apart because of a phone call.”

“Still…” Enzo takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I know it was a shock. Talking about it now?—”

“We have to talk about it.” As the initial fear and panic fades, anger and frustration move in. How dare Thomas break into Aunt Linette’s house? Call and threaten me? Hasn’t he done enough already?

And why is he still fixated on me? Why doesn’t he run off to Mexico and hide out there? Or Canada? Or literally anywhere but here?

But no. He wants me back—either to capture or kill me—and I have a sinking feeling he has no plans of giving up. I don’t think he knows where I am, or Aunt Linette, but what if he tries to use someone else as leverage?

What if he goes after Enzo’s store again? Would he risk traveling to DC to try to find Violet? He never knew her last name, or where she works, but what if…

Enough.

I can’t keep sitting back passively waiting for Thomas to be captured. I should be taking a more active role in this instead of letting Enzo and his friends do all the work.

“We should set a trap for him.” I wasn’t planning on saying it, but it feels right. “If he knows where I am, he might come after me, and then we can catch him.”

“What?” Enzo’s face jerks in shock. “We’re not doing that. No way.”

“Think about it. He must have friends watching out for me. And if they see me in town, or at the store?—”

“No.” It’s quick. Adamant. “No, Winter. I won’t?—”

My temper flares. “You won’t?”

“You know,” Knox announces, “I’m going to head outside. Check the perimeter. Call the guys.”

Seconds later, after Knox practically runs from the room, Enzo takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. But… hun. The thought of you putting yourself in danger, letting Thomas get close to you…”

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