Page 74 of Saving it with My Best Friend's Brother

Sweet family reunion. But did you think I’d trust amateurs with something this important? The real explosives aren’t in the cabin. They’re under the resort.

-Jack Morrison

Through cabin windows, Pine Haven’s lights flickered like dying fireflies.

Five minutes until midnight.

“Jack Morrison.” Mom’s good hand gripped Arthur’s arm. “Of course. He was there that night—watching, always watching.”

“He killed Thomas,” Rachel breathed, fury replacing grief. “Used my brother’s death to manipulate everyone.”

But I barely heard them. My world narrowed to Amelia’s face as she reread the message, her features settling into the determination that had first made me fall in love.

“Hunter.” Her voice trembled slightly. “The festival guests—“

“Are being evacuated.” Agent Blake moved toward the door. “We found his digital signature in the power hack. Buildings are being cleared, but we need his location.”

“And now we have it.” I steadied Amelia against me. “He’s in the resort.”

“Mom’s office.” Recognition lit her eyes. “Where she kept everything important. Where she worked late into the night...”

“Perfect vantage point,” Michael added softly from Taylor’s care. “You can see everything from there, including this cabin.”

Mom’s touch on my arm carried warmth despite the night’s chill. “Go. End this. For both our families.”

“For everyone they’ve hurt,” Arthur added, tired eyes moving between us.

Amelia squared her shoulders, moonlight catching gold in her hair. Pride and love swelled in my chest, even now.

“Together?” I asked.

“Together.”

We moved fast through the darkness, Agent Blake’s team spreading around us like shadows. Pine needles crunched beneath our feet, marking precious seconds. Pine Haven loomed ahead, moonlit windows glowing like warning beacons.

“Wait.” Amelia caught my arm in the security light pool. “If anything happens—“

I drew her into a kiss, pouring everything I couldn’t say into it. Mountain air and promise mixed with the salt of her tears. When we parted, her eyes shimmered in the dim light.

“I love you.” The words carried everything we’d fought for, everything we still might lose. “Everything else is just details.”

Her smile, even now, could light the darkest night. “I love you too.”

Movement caught above—Morrison watching from the office window, a spider in his web. Moonlight turned the glass into a mirror, hiding his expression but not his satisfaction.

“Ready?” I felt her slight tremor against me.

Amelia’s hand found mine, warm despite the mountain cold. “Let’s end this.”

We entered Pine Haven as midnight struck, but before we reached the stairs, our phones lit up. The message cast blue shadows across the familiar lobby:

Did you really think your mother kept all her secrets in plain sight, princess?

Check behind the painting in her office. The one of Pine Haven’s opening day. You know - where she’s standing with Richard Miller, looking so... close.

Some partnerships run deeper than business. Some betrayals cut straight to the heart.

Two minutes to decide: Your mother’s real legacy, or saving Pine Haven.

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