Awakening Alex Read online

  Grant nodded. “It is. Simply amazing.” He glanced around. “Think we might see any more wildlife?”

  Alex motioned toward the distant ridge of trees. “I’ve often spotted a moose in there. Would you like to have a look?”

  Grant couldn’t hide his eagerness. “You think it’d be out in broad daylight?”

  She shrugged. “It’s hard to say. Some days when I’ve been up here alone, I’ve spotted some. But now that the snow has let up, we’re more apt to catch sight of a band of them.”

  “Why?”

  She glanced skyward. “Because of the snowfall, they’re forced to travel farther to forage for food. From the looks of those clouds, we’re going to get more snow in the next few days. The animals sense it, and know they have to store up food now so they can settle in until the end of the storm.”

  He tugged on a lock of her hair visible beneath the bright yellow cap she’d pulled on. “How’d you learn all this?”

  She smiled. “I learned a lot from Grandpa Sully. He’s always had a great store of knowledge about nature. And from Lem. The rest I’ve picked up just by living here.”

  She suddenly stiffened.

  Beside her, Grant went very still. Within minutes a moose moved silently through the woods. The sight of such an animal sent chills along Grant’s spine.

  The moose was larger than he’d expected, its winter hide thick and shaggy. It moved slowly, taking time to tug on the branches of evergreen.

  Grant was so engrossed in what he was seeing, time seemed to stand still. Once, the big bull moose turned its head and stared directly at him and Grant held his breath, afraid he might do something that would cause it to bolt and run. But when the bull turned away, Grant slowly exhaled.

  Sometime later the moose began moving, as if by silent command, until it dissolved deeper into the woods and was hidden from view.

  “Well. Two sightings in a single day.” Alex turned and led the way back to the top of the hill, where they’d left the toboggan. “You must lead a charmed life.” She glanced over. “So tell me. Are you getting tired of all this isolation yet?”

  He shook his head as he trudged along beside her. “It’s funny. I figured a couple of days here and I’d be begging to get back to civilization. Those first few nights I could hardly stand the silence. Now I’m beginning to wonder how I lived all these years without this.” He gathered her close. “Or maybe I’m just wondering how I lived all this time without you. You’re spoiling me, Alexandra. I may never be able to go back to that other life.”

  “That’s what happens here.” She brushed her lips over his. “This place casts a spell over some people, and they’re never the same. It’s what happened to me the first time I came her with my grandfather. He swears he could see it in my eyes. The rest of my family never understood. Even now they think I’m an odd duck for sticking to the lodge, when I could have my pick of newer, more glamorous hotels anywhere in the world to live.”

  He breathed her in, loving the clean fresh fragrance of evergreen that clung to her hair and skin. “I get a rush every time I kiss you.”

  “Yeah. I know the feeling.” She pushed a little away and looked up with an impish grin. “Now you’re about to get an even bigger rush.” She pointed down the long hill, dotted here and there with evergreens. “Are you ready to risk life and limb to ride this toboggan all the way to the bottom?”

  His smile was quick and dangerous. “I am if you are.”

  “Let’s go then.” She positioned the toboggan, then removed her snowshoes and climbed aboard. “Give me your snowshoes, Grant. You’ll have to move fast if you’re going to shove off and still get aboard.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Ms. Sullivan. Just keep an eye out for trees.”

  He gave the toboggan a hard shove, then leaped aboard and tucked his body tightly against hers. Within minutes they were flying down the hill at breakneck speed, leaning far left, then far right to avoid trees in their path.

  The air flew past them, biting their skin like sharp little needles, leaving them breathless.

  As they drew near the lake Alex shouted over her shoulder, “Lean left. Hard. Now.”

  They skimmed across the snow and neatly avoided the shore, heading directly toward the lodge. As they hit flat ground, the toboggan came to a gradual stop.

  Grant rolled free and offered a hand to Alex. Both were so exhilarated they could hardly speak.

  When he found his voice Grant said, “That was the most fantastic ride of my life. I think it was better than the roller coaster in Atlantic City.”

  She was laughing. That soft, velvet sound that never failed to touch his heart. “I told you it was a rush.”

  “Yeah.” He kissed her long and hard and deep. When they drew apart he shook his head. “Hmm. I think that was even better. Do you mind if we try that again?”

  She was laughing as he dragged her close and kissed her again. Her laughter died as he lingered over her lips until she felt her heart do a series of somersaults.

  “Mmm.” He drew back slowly, still staring into her eyes. “That’s definitely the biggest rush of all.” He caught hold of the toboggan rope and started toward the shed. “I’ll put this away. And when I come back, I think we’ll have to see just how far we can take this.”

  She was laughing as she started up the steps of the porch. “I can’t think of a nicer way to get warm.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking.” Grant was whistling as he strode toward the shed.

  Once inside he shook the snow off the toboggan and carefully hung it on a hook. He wouldn’t want Lem to find anything out of place.

  Grant was still whistling as he made his way to the lodge. As he trudged through the snow it occurred to him that there was a second pair of footprints leading to the porch. Lem must have come to check up on Alex. It was like the old man to see that she was getting by during the storm.

  Before going inside Grant stopped by the woodpile and gathered up an armload of logs. What he wanted tonight was a cozy fire, a romantic dinner, and a very long, uninterrupted night of loving. Not necessarily in that order, he thought with a grin.

  He nudged the door open with his hip and called, “Honey, I’m home.”

  When there was no answering response he kicked off his boots, leaving them in the puddle forming beside Alex’s. Then he carried the logs into the great room, where he deposited them beside the fireplace. Wiping his hands on his pants he was just turning around when he felt a prickling along his spine.

  There were wet footprints across the floor. But how could that be? Alex had shed her boots at the back door. And old Lem was too much of a stickler about neatness to ever walk inside in his boots.

  Grant Malone was a man who had always trusted his inner sense. And right now, all his instincts were screaming a warning. Before he had time to react, he heard a sound that had him whirling.

  What he saw had his heart stopping.

  Alex was in the hallway, standing as still as a statue. A man was standing behind her, his arm wrapped around her throat in a death grip, causing her to struggle for every breath.

  As Grant started forward, the man gave a high, shrill laugh and lifted his hand. In it was a very small, very deadly gun, which he very deliberately pressed against Alex’s temple. He waited a heartbeat, then pulled the trigger. The click of the empty chamber sounded as thunderous as a cannon in the silence of the room.

  “The next one,” the man said in that same high, unnaturally shrill tone, “won’t be empty. And at this range, I promise you there won’t be anything left of this pretty face.”

  Chapter 14

  “Who are you?” Grant kept his tone low, easy, even though his heart was pumping furiously and his years of training had already begun to kick in. The first rule was to keep the shooter talking, until a way could be found to relieve him of his weapon. “What do you want?”

  “I’ll ask the questions here.” The man’s voice was jittery with nerves. He waved his gun, then
returned it to Alex’s temple. “Open your coat. Slowly. Then toss aside your gun.”

  “I’m not armed.” Grant pulled open his parka and eased it to the floor.

  “You’re lying. I know you better’n that.” The voice grew higher, more agitated. “I had plenty of time to search this place while you were out playing in the snow. There were no weapons in here. And I know you wouldn’t go anywhere without your gun. So where is it, cop?”

  Grant thought about the stash of rifles upstairs, hidden behind the wall panel, and was thankful for old Patrick Sullivan’s insistence upon secrecy. Otherwise this madman would have enough artillery to outlast an army. Still, the thought of facing this intruder without his own gun brought a rush of frustration. If only he hadn’t given in to Alex’s demand.

  “What makes you think I’m a cop?”

  The intruder’s voice rose even higher. “Don’t play games with me. You’re the reason I’m here. But even if I didn’t know who you are, I’d still be able to tell you’re a cop. I can always smell ’em.”

  Grant kept his tone level. “Up here I’m not a cop. I’m just a tourist.”

  “I don’t believe you. Once a cop, always a cop.” The man tightened his grasp on Alex’s throat. “You don’t want to make me mad, or I’ll have to take it out on your girlfriend here.”

  “She’s not my…”

  “Stop lying.” The man’s eyes were wide, the pupils glazed.

  Grant figured he’d taken a hit of something for courage. That made him doubly dangerous. He was not only high, but spoiling for a fight.

  “I saw the two of you through the window.” The man gave an edgy laugh. “You’re so hot for her you practically melted the snow. Now where’s your gun?” His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he studied Grant. “Open your shirt.”

  “I told you…”

  He waved the gun wildly. “Shut up and do as I say.”

  Grant unbuttoned his shirt, all the while gauging the distance between them. The shooter was still too far away to get to. At least not without endangering Alex. He had to get closer. But how?

  He pulled apart his unbuttoned shirt. “Satisfied?”

  The man shook his head. “Turn around. You could be hiding it behind your back.”

  Grant complied and turned, lifting his shirt from the waistband of his jeans as he did. “Would you like to come over here and search me?”

  “You’d like that wouldn’t you, cop? You think I’m dumb enough to let go of your girlfriend here so you can take me on. But I’m wise to all your cop tricks. Take off the shirt.”

  Grant did as he ordered, letting the flannel shirt drop to the floor. “Now are you satisfied?”

  The man nodded. “Okay. You’re not packing. That makes it even easier.” He visibly relaxed. “Since I’m the only one armed, that makes me king of the hill. And without a weapon to defend yourself, looks like you’re out of luck, cop. You’re just going to have to dance to my tune.”

  Grant took a step closer. “What tune is that, punk?”

  “Punk, is it? We’ll see what you call me before this is over. I came here to see that you paid for my brother’s death.”

  Grant went very still. “Your brother?”

  “My name is Vance Kendrick. Brother of Wayne Kendrick.” He saw the look of stunned surprise in Grant’s eyes, and then the sudden dawning of understanding.

  His eyes narrowed. “Yeah. I figured you’d remember that name. You killed him, cop. My baby brother. And I vowed I’d make you pay for that. All the way up here I thought about a dozen different ways to make your dying as slow and painful as possible. My first plan was this.”

  Without warning he aimed and fired. The bullet slammed into Grant’s arm with such force it went clear through, exiting the wound with a river of blood. The force of the bullet drove Grant against the wall, where he dropped to his knees, pressing a hand to his flesh to stem the bleeding. But it was useless to try. Blood streamed between his fingers, staining his chest and the front of his jeans.

  “No! Grant! No!” Horrified, Alex cried out and tried to break free of the arms that held her. But it was useless. The gunman simply tightened his grasp until she could no longer breathe. Before she slipped into unconsciousness, he loosened his hold enough to allow a few struggling breaths. And all the while he laughed.

  “Yeah, cop. That was my first plan. To just shoot you and keep on shooting until you begged me to kill you to put you out of your misery. But it wasn’t until I watched you through that window that it came to me. The best possible way to even the score.” He rubbed the pistol against Alex’s cheek like a caress and laughed when she flinched. “Now that I’ve seen the way it is between you and the pretty lady, I figure the best way to hurt you is to hurt her. And make you watch.”

  Grant’s hands clenched in impotent fury. “Leave her out of this. She had nothing to do with what happened to your brother.”

  “But you did, cop. You’re the one who pulled the trigger and blew him away. And now it’s payday. You took the life of someone I cared for. Now it’s my turn to do the same to you.”

  “All right.” Despite the almost blinding pain, Grant forced himself to stand, leaning against the wall for support. “Here I am. Take your best shot.”

  “Just like that?”

  Grant nodded. “Why not? What you have in mind can’t be any worse than what I’ve already gone through. Do you think I like knowing I killed a kid? If you shoot me, you’ll just be putting me out of my misery.”

  “Aw, you’re breaking my heart. But I still say hurting the woman is the best way to get to you.”

  Grant could feel himself fading in and out, and was desperate to end this before he lost consciousness completely. His voice lowered, to soothe, to coax. “If you leave now, I won’t be able to follow you.”

  “Leave?” Vance roared with laughter. “Do you know how hard it was to find you? When I finally discovered where you were staying, it took me three stolen cars to get this far. Then I got caught in a snowstorm, and had to abandon the last car a couple of miles from here. I walked through waist-high drifts just to find you, cop.”

  “Then think about this.” Grant struggled to keep the edge of pain and shock from seeping into his voice. “If you give yourself up, you’ll face nothing more than a simple breaking-and-entering, along with car theft. But if you go through with your plan, you’ll have every police force from here to New York searching for a cop killer.”

  Vance shook his head, still laughing. “I know your kind. You’re all alike. You think you can talk me into setting down this gun and letting you put the cuffs on me. You’re going to spout that garbage about this being a simple case as long as I don’t kill someone. You’ll go easy on me if I let your girlfriend go. And you’ll put in a good word with the judge if I give in peacefully.” He gave a high, shrill laugh that scraped across their already taut nerves. “Think again, cop. I have no intention of going easy on you and the woman. There isn’t a judge in this country who’d let me do simple time. Not after they looked into my record and found out about the stolen car ring, and the number of carjackings I’ve been involved in, and the street thugs I’ve had to take out in order to be number one.”

  “How many people do you think have died because of you?” Grant didn’t expect an answer, but he was determined to keep this wild man talking while he tried to figure how to get Alex safely away from him.

  To his surprise, Vance stood a little straighter and boasted, “More than you can claim, cop.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “There’ve been dozens. At least half of them were women and girls, and I showed them a real good time before I finally killed them.”

  Grant saw the look of revulsion on Alex’s face, and wished he could spare her. But he realized this madman craved this opportunity to brag. Seeing this as the perfect chance to distract him, he shook his head in denial. “You’re lying.”

  “Am I?” Vance dragged Alex firmly against him and leaned clos
e enough to press his mouth to her temple. “I’ll let your girlfriend here have a chance to find out in just a few minutes. And all you’ll be able to do is watch, cop.”

  Alex was filled with such dread, she feared at any moment her legs might buckle. Still, she stood as still as a statue, hoping to hold her fear at bay, for Grant’s sake.

  Grant. The sight of blood streaming down his arm, smearing his chest, had tears very close to the surface. She blinked them back furiously. There was no time for tears now. She had to find a way to save the man she loved.

  “Tell me about the ones you killed.” Grant gritted his teeth against the pain and tried to concentrate. There had to be a way to save Alex. As for himself, it no longer mattered. He would die a happy man if he could know that she was safely away from this monster.

  “You really want to know?”

  “Yeah.” Grant took a deep breath and watched Vance’s eyes.

  “There was the old man and woman who thought they could stop me from taking their brand new van. It was on the top of my wish list. I told the old guy not to try to be a hero, but he wouldn’t listen. After I shot him, the old woman picked up a cell phone. So I had to stop her, too. I figured, before I shot her, I might as well have a little fun for myself.”

  He enjoyed the hiss of disgust that issued from Alex’s lips. He grinned, enjoying himself. “Then there was the Red Shirt who wanted the same car I wanted.”

  Grant glanced at Alex, hoping the sound of his voice would give her the strength she needed to get through this. “Red Shirts are members of a rival street gang. Vance and his brother were members of another gang we’d been watching for months.”

  Vance gave a sneer. “The Red Shirts are nothing but two-bit punks. They can’t even shoot straight. After I had my fun with his lady, I took him out with a single shot.”

  Alex closed her eyes, trying to blot out the images his words had planted in her mind. The horror of what he’d done, without a trace of remorse, had tears clouding her vision.