Page 22 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

“Chances are, she knew who was following her.”

“I think we also know who was following her, or their employer, at least,” I mutter, then search along the dashboard. “Dammit, nothing.”

“Check the top.” Nico points to the sun visors. “If anyone is looking for that, specifically, the glove compartment would be the first place they’d search. Anya’s a lot smarter than that.”

I flip the driver’s sun visor down. As if summoned, a small, square device slips out and falls into my lap. I turn it over a few times, noticing the scratches on both sides. Nico takes a deep breath. “Let’s hope it still works. With the subzero temps we’ve had over the past week, the interior circuits might be damaged.”

“Well, that would be a fucking shame, wouldn’t it?” I give him a curious look. “At least we know she had it. Did you find anything under the hood?”

He raises a handful of cables, two of which were hastily chopped. “What I suspected. Someone tampered with her car. They messed with the steering wheel and the transmission. Slow drip to failure, to be specific.”

“Holy shit,” I gasp, my eyes as wide as saucers as I stare at him. “Had you not seen the headlights… had you not seen the muzzle flash…”

“She would’ve died out here in the dark.” Nico sighs and takes a step back. “We scared the fucker off with my truck. He would’ve finished the job.”

“And we wouldn’t have found her until we were able to get back down the mountain.”

“That’s right.”

Ice thickens in my veins as I reassess the entire situation. It only makes me want to protect Anya even more. “We made a promise to her brother a long time ago,” I tell Nico. “Granted, we never thought a day like this would come.”

“We’re going to keep that promise,” my brother replies, a muscle ticking furiously in his jaw. “And provided we’re able to salvage whatever is on that drive, we’ll take those fuckers down, too. Once and for all.”

I look at the drive again. “Do we show it to her?”

“It might trigger some memories.”

“Part of me doesn’t really want her to remember,” I confess.

“I can’t blame you. I think I feel that way, too, sometimes. Chance, as well. She’s good here, safe,” Nico says. “It could be the beginning of something new, something better. Maybe Anya is better off not knowing. But at the end of the day, it should be her decision. Her mind. Her rules. All we can do is stick to her side and make sure nothing happens.”

“Keep our promise, like you said.”

Easier said than done, if we don’t know where the enemy’s coming from. How many of them are there? And how determined are they to get to her and the USB drive?

“We need to rethink our safety and defense strategy,” Nico concludes.

Much like Nico and Chance, I will go scorched earth on anyone who tries to come after Anya. Especially after last night, when the unthinkable happened. We have her. We’re not letting them take her from us.

5

Chance

Ifind Anya back in her room, curled up by the window with a book. Bringing her a cup of coffee seems even more appropriate, so I go in with a smile and set the hot drink on the side table next to her.

“Good morning,” I say, carefully checking her from head to toe.

“Morning,” Anya replies with a soft sigh.

She slept well. Her skin seems brighter, and the bandage on her temple is getting smaller with each change, which is a good thing.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, pulling up a chair next to her.

“Much better. Thank you for the coffee,” she says and takes a long, heartfelt sip.

I love this look on her. Long, silvery blonde hair pouring over one shoulder, the sky blue in her eyes twinkling with excitement when she sees me. I can’t get enough of this feeling I get when I’m around her, a feeling I didn’t think I’d experience again when the news first broke about what happened in Dalton.

My brothers are right. It’s as if I came back to life when I saw that Anya was still alive after two years of quiet grieving.

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