Page 52 of Snowed In

He paused, listening intently as he watched me.

“Yeah, sure. Keep me up-to-date.”

He held out his arm. I stepped into his embrace.

“Thanks, Ronnie. I’ll be here if you need anything.”

He ended the call and brought me into a full hug. “Are you okay?”

“Why didn’t you tell your boss about me?” I asked, burying my face in his chest.

“The Rangers obviously can’t keep you safe, so it’s better if they think you’re dead.”

I shook my head. “But why would you help me? You’ve got your whole career ahead of you.”

“No, I’ve got my whole life ahead of me,” he said gently. “And I don’t want this career anymore.”

“Rafferty, you can’t make that decision based on one vodka-fueled encounter with a criminal.”

He chuckled, that low tone vibrating my core. “I decided to quit on the drive out here. I’ve been drinking to give me the courage to acknowledge how I really feel. The vodka-fueled encounter with a criminal was just a bonus.”

I knew he was trying to be funny, but it wasn’t funny at all.

“If they find out that I was here the whole time, you’ll go to jail.”

“No, I won’t.”

Something about the confidence in his words told me he was right.

“Why would you help me?”

He released me and took my hand, walking us toward the living room. “It’s like you said—this wasn’t the life you would’ve chosen for yourself. Maybe now you can figure out a better life. Possibly in a non-extradition country.”

I stared back toward the hallway. “What are we going to do with the body?”

He pointed out the big picture window in the living room, which showed the snow already starting to melt. “It’s a deep lake, Jess, and it’s already dusk. I’ll take my grandfather’s outboard.”

He walked to the front door and opened it. Water dripped from the roof and my cousin’s Jeep sat next to Rafferty’s truck. Shivering, he shut the door and looked down at me. “If your cousin could make it in, you can make it out.”

Before I could protest, he shook his head. “The snow last night covered up your tracks. They’re still looking for you in the lake, and it’ll be days before they realize you’re not in there.”

“But—”

“He has a passport, right?” he asked, talking over me. “You both had to get one to go to Mexico, right?”

“Yes, but?—”

“We’re going to shave your head and you’re gonna take his Jeep, get his passport, and then drive up to Dallas tonight. Go straight toDFW and get the first flight to the first non-extradition, non-visa country you can find. And you’re going to live a good life.”

I almost laughed. I had no credit cards to speak of. Hell, I didn’t even have a bank account anymore.

But Kyler does.

“Raff.” I held up my hands. “My father clearly knows where I am. If he doesn’t hear from Kyler in the next ten minutes, he’ll come out here and finish the job himself. It wouldn’t take him very long at all to figure out that I was herewith you, and even less time to leverage that against you.”

“I know.”

“But—”

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