Page 51 of Mountain Man Daddy

“Okay, Jesus,okay!” Alex scooted back, and Mike lowered his foot. “I’ve got a gambling problem. I emptied our accounts on a big poker game. I went all in on what I thought was a sure thing. I lost, but when I explained that Avery’s multi-million-dollar trust fund was coming through in a few months, they let me play on. I lost it all.” His throat worked as he swallowed hard.

“You’re a worthless piece of shit.”

“But she left me, so I had to get creative. I came up with a scam. They pretended to kill me so she’d believe they were willing to do anything to get the money, but she ran.” He blew out. “She was never supposed to run.”

“And?” He raised his foot again.

“No one was supposed to get hurt, but they’ve been killing people. Anyone she had anything to do with.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “I knew they’d kill us, too. I was stupid. I made a mistake, but I know she loves me and will take me back. I just want to get my wife so we can go somewhere far away, luxuriously sunny, and stay hidden for the rest of our lives.”

Mike’s eyes narrowed. Avery was his, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to stomp his boot down.

“How’d you find her?” he growled, his lips drawing back to bare his teeth and he set his foot back on Alex’s chest.

“She always wanted to see the east coast again, so I figured she’d head this way. I called Avery’s friend Becca and explained that Avery was in trouble. She reluctantly told me Avery had her cell phone, so I tracked it.”

“There’s more. Spill, asshole.” The tone of Mike’s voice was even foreign to him. He sounded savage.

“Okay, okay! Can I get off the ground?”

“No.”

“Jesus, man, I’m sorry. Just let me up.” Alex sounded remorseful, but Mike didn’t trust him.

“Talk, asshole.” He put pressure on his chest again, making his eyes bulge.

“We were on her trail, but we lost her after the last place she got gas. She must have turned off the phone. When I realized the guys weren’t going to let either of us walk away, I gave them the slip. I was hoping I could find her first and save us both. I was sitting in a hotel in Quebec checking the phone again, and I got a hit. I came straight here and I found the Jeep, so I got a hotel and came back the next day to look around. That’s when Prescott found me.”

Prescott?Fear froze his blood. He stepped back and shoveled a hand through his hair. Sweat broke out all over, and his heart slammed against his ribs. He had to have heard wrong. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Alex paused, probably noticing the change in Mike’s demeanor. “Prescott said he knew where Avery was and pointed out the cabin.”

“And you didn’t think that was at all suspicious, you moron?”

“Of course I did.” He tried to sit up on his elbows, but Mike knocked him back with his boot. “I asked why he’d told me, and Mr. Prescott said he needed me to distract you for a bit, and if I did what he wanted, he’d hand her over to me.” Mike stepped back, grabbing the ax and let Alex sit up and lean against the chopping log.

“Have you been screwing my wife, Mike?”

“Since Alex Donovan is a fake identity, you’re not legally married, douchebag, and you’ve got the damn brain of a frozen pea.” Mike slammed the ax into the block hard, knowing the pipsqueak would never be able to pull it out. “You’ve just killed her, and even if you don’t care about her life, you’ll never get the trust fund now.”

“What?” Alex questioned, scrambling up onto all fours. Mike started back toward the cabin. “What do you mean?” Mike turned back. “What happened to the other two in on the scam?”

“I have no clue where they are. Probably trying to find me.”

“Two conservation officers were here just before you. They showed me pictures of two bodies found down by the river last night. A bald one with a snake tattoo and a black-haired guy with a scar on his cheek. Sound familiar? They were left wounded and tied to a tree. They made a nice meal for the wild cougar in the area.”

Alex swore and lowered his head into his hands before looking back at Mike expectantly.

“Prescott used you as a distraction, but he never leaves witnesses.”

“What the hell do I do now?”

“My suggestion is to get your ass to the police station and beg them to lock you up and throw away the key because that’s the only way you’ll survive this.” Mike turned and walked away. “And Alex, if I catch you on my mountain again, you’ll be leaving with broken bones.”

Chapter Thirteen

In the cabin, he collected his thoughts. Pacing, he knew he couldn’t rush off without a plan. Prescott was smart, and this wasn’t about Avery, it was about him. His skin was crawling, and anger rippled under it. What the hell did he want? Why was he here?

He picked up the deck of cards on the table and threw them. They flew, fluttering around before falling across the floor.

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