Page 23 of Slay Ride

Neither has Eve. She’s also been helpful, encouraging me to keep trying each time I fall. I can’t imagine her killing someone, yet that’s exactly what she plans to do when she takes her turn down the big mountain.

“Will the weapons be down at the bottom too?” I ask as we grab our gear and head toward the final slope.

Maverick nods. He’s walking a few steps ahead of us, clearing a path with snowshoes to make it easier for the rest of us.

“There’s an equipment shed at the top and bottom,” he says. “That’s where we store the gear and weapons. There’s also a cabin somewhere nearby in case we ever get stranded out here.”

“Won’t be of any use if we don’t know where it is,” Ice Pick says behind us. He’s struggling to keep up, so we all slow our pace.

“That’s a good point,” Maverick says. “I probably should have gotten the coordinates from Ezra, but I don’t think it will be an issue today. The weather’s holding, and the snow stopped.”

“I think I’ll need a long nap when we get back to the mansion,” Eve says. “If I don’t show up for lunch, don’t wake me.”

“Same,” I say. “Though I can’t skip lunch. I already missed last night’s dinner.”

Huffing and puffing, we reach the top of the slope. The path cuts a wide gash through the forest, and visions of Sonny Bono and Michael Kennedy play like a gory newsreel in my head. Better than a tree literally going through my head, I guess, though that’s a real possibility.

Snowmobile engines buzz somewhere in the distance. I can only assume it’s the staff bringing the Cattle from the mansion basement. By the time one of us reaches the bottom, they’ll have the kill set up. Then it’s up to us to dispatch them.

“I’ll go first,” Ice Pick says. He sits in the snow, and Maverick helps him slot his feet into the bindings.

I don’t move. I keep staring toward the bottom of the mountain as anxiety takes hold of my heart and gives it a squeeze.

Eve steps in front of me and looks into my face. “Hey, you okay? You look a bit pale.”

She pulls off her glove, and her warm fingers brush over the little strip of forehead peeking above my goggles. Her fingers come away damp.

“Honey, you’ll catch a chill if you keep sweating like this. If you’re scared, we can go down together.”

I’m grateful she’s keeping her voice to a whisper. I’d be mortified if Maverick saw me freaking out. He’s almost finished strapping Ice Pick into the boots on the board, so I’m running out of time to compose myself.

“I am a little nervous,” I admit, “but it’s not only about snowboarding. I’ve...I’ve never killed anyone before.”

Before she can ask anything else, Ice Pick gets to his feet and shuffles the board to the start of the slope. A look passes between Eve and me, and we communicate so much in our silence.

I don’t want to talk about this in front of anyone else, my eyes say, and she replies with an affirmative nod.

Ice Pick lowers his goggles and aims the nose of the board downhill. With all the confidence of an X Games athlete, he pushes off and starts to move forward. And with all the grace of a landslide, down he goes, right onto his ass.

Maverick sighs and shakes his head. “I should probably go with him.”

A few hours ago, this might have upset me, but now I see it as an opportunity.

“I have a better idea,” I say. “Why don’t you help him get down the mountain, and then Eve can go down alone so that she can enjoy herself? I’ll head back to the lift via the path we took from the practice area. You all can head back to the mansion in the sleigh. Have the workers ride with you, and I’ll take the snowmobile back. Kindra taught me how to drive one on the day we arrived.”

Maverick looks between me and Ice Pick, who is now struggling to get to his feet again. “Are you sure? This was going to be your first kill, and I’d hate for another one to get fucked up.”

“She said what she said, Maverick,” Eve says. “No need to babysit a full-grown woman.”

“But what if Kindra?—”

“If Kindra says anything to you,” I say, “just tell her I demanded it be this way. She knows how I am. When I’m set on something, there isn’t much you can do to stop me. Plus, I feel like I need a little more practice before I go tumbling through a mess of trees and rocks.”

He blows out a breath and lowers his goggles. “Okay, but if my ass gets chewed for this...”

With a shake of his head, he calls for Ice Pick to stop rolling around in the snow so that he can get on his board and help him. Moments later, Maverick starts toward him, leaving Eve alone with me.

“Thanks for that,” I tell her when the men disappear around a bend in the slope.

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