Page 82 of Snow River

Molly nodded, then shot Grant an uneasy look.“Hang on a hot second.This isn’t the bad guy, is it?I don’t want to be alone in a truck with a bad guy and a knife.”

“I’m not the bad guy,” Grant said through gritted teeth.“I’m an investigative journalist.I was working on a story about the biggest fucking coverup in Alaska history.And if these guys don’t get going, the truth will be buried forever.”

“Okay, okay, but you might want to work on the overdramatic delivery.That’s why people side-eye the media.”Molly shifted into lecture mode.“Just the facts, please, hold the hype.”

“Oh my god.That’s what you’re worried about while I bleed out in your truck?”

“Huh.You just proved my point.I don’t see much blood at all.”

“Lila, I have some towels in my Toyota, can you grab them?”Bear asked her in a low voice.

She ran to do so.The pit in her stomach kept growing.Not only had she flung a knife at someone, but Bear hadn’t fully met her eyes this whole time.Sure, he’d been focused on taking care of Grant, but her intuition told her he wasn’t happy with what she’d done.

When she brought the towels back—they were in his box of emergency gear—Bear carefully nested them against Grant’s side and on the armrest.“Better?”Grant nodded.His eyes were starting to drift closed.“No sleeping,” Bear said sternly.“You might jostle the knife and send it deeper.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t sleep.”Molly gestured at Bear to close the door, which he did gingerly.“I have a lot to say about the state of journalism.I can keep going on that topic for a while.”And off they went.

Lila’s heart fluttered a mile a minute as she stood in the snow next to Bear, watching the truck’s taillights disappear down the corridor of spruce trees.Their branches were still heavy with snow, arching over the road.

She spun to face Bear at the same moment he turned her way.“I’m sorry,” she blurted, while he said, “I had it under control.”

“I just…I couldn’t bear to see you in danger.”She felt tears coming, but willed them to stay away.“I just reacted.”

His face was grim.“Too risky.”His voice went flat and hard.“What if he files assault charges?”

She hadn’t even thought of that.“But he had a gun on you!”

“On me, not you.If harm comes to you because you were trying to protect me…” He scrubbed a hand through his hair.This time his voice broke.“That can’t happen.”

“Bear, I did it because I love you.Why can’t you see that?Can you imagine if I had to watch you get shot right in front of me?”With a soft sob, she turned away from him.A moment later, she felt strong arms come around her.

He pulled her into the trees along the side of the road, then pushed her behind him to shield her with his body.

“Shhh,” he said in a whisper.“Be very quiet.”

In silence, they watched as two men zoomed down the road on snowmobiles.They wore ski goggles and Gore-Tex snowsuits, along with rifles strapped to their backs.They didn’t stop at the parking pad but kept onwards, jumping across the snow dunes and the boardwalk, until they reached the front door of the Community.There, they jumped off their rigs and stormed into the building.

“Come on.”Bear tugged Lila from behind the trees.They ran toward his truck.He opened the door and shepherded her inside.“Keep your head down.”

They spun into a turnaround that sent snow spraying through the air, and zoomed down the road.

“You can get up now,” he said after they’d gone half a mile or so.“I don’t think they heard us.Probably making a bunch of noise tearing up the Community.”

Wincing, she lifted her head.He reached over to massage the kink out of her neck.Strong hands, gentle touch.Had she really messed everything up with Bear?“Are we going to Snow River now?”

“I’d like to go out there, but you don’t have to.I can drop you in town.Pick up reinforcements.Gunnar would be nice to have along.Gil if I can find him.”

She was already shaking her head.“It might be too late.Those men on the snowmobiles, don’t you think they’re headed to Snow River next?”

“They might have already been there.I don’t know.Maybe they didn’t find everything they were looking for.Maybe they thought Grant had it.”

“Can we drive all the way to the cabins?Is there a road?”

“Not all the way, no.But we can ski the last few miles.I happen to have our skis in the back of the truck.Never took them out after the last time.”

She looked over at him, finally able to smile for the first time since that knife had left her hand.“You know how much I love to ski.”

“Yes, you say it’s like flying across the snow.I think about that every time I ski now.”He gave her a tender smile that made that tight band around her heart loosen a little more.

---