Page 72 of Unforgivable Ties

“Good job,” he said, grabbing my hands and helping me up. “Now let’s do it a few more times.”

And we did. I took another few tumbles and was considering writing off snowboarding completely. But, on my fifth try, something clicked. I kept my nerve even as my speed picked up, and once I saw the bottom of the slope coming closer, I gently pressed my heel into the snow.

And, lo and behold, the snowboard slowed.

“Heck yeah!” I said as I pulled to a stop, albeit it an ungraceful one.

“Good job,” Vincenzo said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my back.

We did it a few more times, and I got better each round. But I found out quickly that snowboarding was a tiring sport. Hours of tumbling in the snow and speeding down the slope had left me half-dead, muscles aching and lungs gasping for air. My bright red helmet was frosted with snow and ice clung to my hair, but when I glanced over at Vincenzo, he looked as fresh as if he’d just stepped onto the slope.

“I think I’m going to take a break,” I said to him.

“Ok. Can I go on some of the harder slopes, or do you want me to stay with you?”

“No! Go ahead,” I said, waving him off. “I want to watch you on the tougher slopes.”

With that, Vincenzo made his way back to the ski lift, and I situated myself at the bottom of the hill. As I sat there hugging my knees, I saw Vincenzo ascend into the expanse of white. He was just a tiny moving dot against the backdrop of majestic mountains and snow-laden trees. The ski lift made its way towards the summit, making Vincenzo disappear intothe wilderness. He emerged after a couple of minutes, a tiny silhouette against the snow-white landscape. And then he was moving, barreling down the steep slope with an unmatched grace and speed that made my heart flutter in awe—snow spraying up in his wake.

He twisted and turned, making S shaped patterns in the snow around the obstacles in the course. I let out an audible gasp when he jumped off a pile of snow. After he finished, he made his way back to the lift, and I was excited to watch him do it again.

“Excuse me, miss,” a male employee said to me.

“Hi,” I responded.

“You’re not supposed to be seated in this area. If you could please follow me.”

Weird. I could have sworn there were other people sitting here when I was on the kids course. But maybe no employees were around to get them to move.

“Oh...sorry,” I said, picking up my snowboard and following him.

I expected him to lead me back to the lodge, so I could get a slap on the wrist and a lecture not to do it again. Instead, he was leading me away from the main building and towards a wooded area with small cabins.

No one could see me anymore, unless there was anyone in the few cabins scattered around.

“I...I think I’ll head back to the main area, thanks,” I said nervously, backing away from him.

“Oh, that won’t be possible, Miss.” He yanked my arm so hard I dropped my snowboard and fell to the ground.

“Stop it!” I screamed, trying to pull free from his grasp, but it was near impossible. He had the upper hand. It was easy to drag me through the slippery snow, and the grasp he had on my wrist was unrelenting.

I wanted to throw up when he dragged us into the cabin and slammed the door behind us. There was no hope for me. Vincenzo didn’t know where I was and wouldn’t be able to rescue me.

These were the small cabins the employees lived in. Whether or not this man was an employee was a detail lost on me in my terror, but his intentions were clear. He shoved me against the cold wooden wall and demanded I remain silent.

But every ounce of fear within me was fueled with an anger, an urge to fight.

“Get off me!” I screamed, my breath condensing in the air between us. Gritting my teeth, I swung my helmet at him. He grunted in surprise, releasing his grip on me to clutch his shin.

I took advantage of the momentary freedom and lunged for the door, my hands just barely ghosting the handle before he yanked me back.

He pinned me to the ground, one hand holding my neck, the other restraining my hands. A wave of nausea hit me as my brain thought of all the possible things he was going to do to me. Was he just going to violate me, or would he kill me, too?

I still tried to struggle, but the lack of oxygen soon had my vision blurring and body going limp. In my half awake state, I could see his hand move to the zipper of my snowsuit.

Maybe this was worse than death.

Suddenly, the man’s body went flying across the room. I thought I was hallucinating from the lack of oxygen until I heard a familiar angry roar and the splitting of wood. Vincenzo’s face was contorted with fury and his fists were driving into the man, who was already unconscious.

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