Page 48 of Snowed In

“You’d said that everyone was dead. How did that happen?”

“Arnold, the Ranger who was driving, tried to correct for the impact, but there was already ice over the bridge, and he ended up overcorrecting and taking out the other car as well. Both cars went over.”

“Did you see the other car underwater?”

I started choosing tiles.

“Jesse?”

“I didn’t see the other car, but I did see the other driver. He was...uh...my uncle.” I arranged the tiles. “He didn’t make it out of the lake.”

What I didn’t say was that I was the one who’d made sure he stayed underwater.

Despite the long-standing issues I’d had with my uncle—he was a ruthless asshole and a homophobe—I knew that Kyler loved his dad and would be devastated by his death.

That wasn’t the reason I stayed quiet in this moment, though. As much as I hated to admit it, there was something so good about Rafferty that I wanted him to think I was good, too.

But I wasn’t.

“Hey,” he said, closing his hand over mine. “He was trying to kill you. That’s endgame. It was either him or you. And I am perfectly fine with the way things ended up.”

I chanced a look in his direction and saw only honesty.

“I don’t really like killing people.” I said quietly as I made a few other adjustments with my tiles. “But some people need killing.”

I was surprised when he laughed.

“What? Did you think you would shock someone in law enforcement by saying that? We know it’s true.”

“You say that, but you put me in jail for taking out a real scumbag.”

“That’s true. I did.”

I tapped a tile on the table. “And what do you think of the people who take out the trash? Are they good guys or bad guys?”

I held my breath, waiting for his answer.

He took a moment, adjusting his own tiles. Then looked me in the eye.

“Yes.”

Chapter Five

Rafferty

After spending only a few hours with Jesse, I was starting to question what I thought I knew about the man. I’d known he was more than his family, but I was surprised how much he seemed to crave my good opinion.

I wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Jesse had been light and funny this morning, but as the day progressed, I could see the weight of his decisions begin to weigh him down. And I wondered at what point he’d decided he was going to run instead of going back to the Rangers.

Thinking about our earlier conversation, I pushed aside the game and stood up.

He looked up at me. “What’s up, Raff?”

“I’m bored with this game. Let’s take a hot shower together. I’ll work on your sore muscles and then maybe distract you for a bit.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I might like that. Thank you.”

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