Page 51 of Snowman

She shook her head, her jaw tight, her hands trembling as she held Laura off. "This time… it's my turn to protect you."

And then it happened. Laura twisted in her grip, the blade flashing. And it happened too fast, too brutal, and the knife sliced across Mel's neck. And in the room, the only sound was the gurgling noise of Mel drowning in her own blood.

She was gone. Mel was gone.

"Enough!" Laura screamed.

"Mel!" I staggered forward, my body screaming to go to her, but my legs refused to move. Her blood was everywhere, staining the floor, her hands, my heart. She had given herself for me. Forme.

I had no choice. I forced my legs to move, spinning toward the window. My hands fumbled, the cold air rushing in as I slid it open. I climbed through, my chest heaving, my vision blurred by tears.

"No!" Laura tried to catch my hand, "Nooo!"

I didn't stop. My feet hit the frozen ground, and I ran. The sharp wind sliced my face, and the snow crunched beneath my boots, but all I could hear was my heartbeat, hammering like it wanted to tear itself free from my chest.

Behind me, footsteps. Fast. Closing in.

I pushed harder, my legs burning, my lungs raw from the icy air. My body begged me to stop, but I couldn't. Not now. Not after what Mel had done. Every step forward felt like it carried her with me, like stopping would mean leaving her behind. I wouldn't do that. I couldn't.

The footsteps were right behind me now. I felt a hand grab the back of my shirt, jerking me back. My body snapped backward, slamming into a firm chest.

I didn't think—I just fought. My arm swung out on instinct, my hand connecting with a face. The blow made us both stumble, my feet catching on the snow. I tripped, pulling him down with me, and we hit the ground hard, the icy cold biting into my skin.

Then his hands were on my face. Firm. His voice cut through my panic, "Bree."

My eyes shot open. For a moment, all I saw was his face, his eyes, but one was icy blue, the other chestnut brown. I froze, everything else was just falling away.

"Thor?" I whispered, my voice cracking. "You…" My throat tightened, the words tangling together. "How?"

My hand lifted before I could stop it, brushing against his temple. My breath caught as I stared into his mismatched eyes. "Your eyes… they're blue," I murmured, my voice trembling, barely more than a breath.

"No," he said nervously, lifting himself off me. His voice was thin, uncertain. "They're not," he added, looking away. "They're brown."

I stood up, steadying myself, my gaze fixed on him. He tilted his face, trying to avoid my eyes.

"No," I said, pressing my palm against his cheek. I turned his face toward me, not letting him escape. "Don't call me crazy, Thor. I know what I saw."

He just stared at me, silent. His lips didn't move, not even to protest.

"You're him, aren't you?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," he muttered, pushing my hand off his face. But the way he said it… It didn't sound convincing.

"You're Snowman," I said. "But how? How is that even possible?" Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling over before I could stop them.

"Fuck, Bree," he said, exhaling sharply, his hand dragging through his hair. "Maybe you just want me to be."

"Look at me," I begged, my voice shaking. He tilted his head slightly but didn't meet my eyes. "Look at me!" I shouted, the desperation clawing at my chest.

"No," he whispered, so quiet it was almost like he didn't say it at all. He turned his back to me, his shoulders stifled.

"You stalked me," I said, stepping closer. My voice was tight, trembling with anger. "Then you came into my home, pretending to be a cop. You gave me that phone, but why? Why?" My voice cracked. "So you could track me? Is that it?"

"No," he said again, still not turning around. His tone was flat, his back refusing to give me anything.

"I trusted you," I said, choking on the words. Tears blurred my vision. "I still do," I added, my voice dropping to a whisper.

His head moved slowly to the side. "What do you want from me?" he said with a low growl. "I can't give you much."

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