Taming Alaska (So Not Prince Charming Book 1) (25 page)

“Give me an hour or two. I will come back, and this is important to me. The bear is close, and I’ve waited years to kill it. I have to do this.”

He’s done so much for me it would be selfish to not let him track the stupid bear, but other than sleeping in a real bed, I don’t want to linger here, waiting for Red and Loki to show up or the bear to attack Shane.

Chapter Twenty-four

Shane

While spooning Cyn, her sensuous curves wriggling between my hips, I wake long before the sun creeps over the mountains. My arms and legs are tangled between hers, long and silky smooth from shaving last night. My cock’s so damn hard it aches to be inside her, but I have to kill this damn bear, not just for Skyler but for me and my family.

Cyn snuffles in her sleep, her hair flowing over her wistful, dreamy smile. I didn’t think I would fall for a woman so soon, especially not a princess like her, but she’s shown me an inner strength that I’ve never known in anyone I’ve dated. And she has that fabulous ass I can ram my cock between. If I don’t leave soon I won’t leave at all.

Being as quiet as I can be, I scoot out of bed and tiptoe through the cabin, grabbing one of her protein bars, my rifle, and a small backpack. If I can spend an hour or two tracking and maybe killing the bear, then I can come back for it after I drop off Cyn in town.

Once I’m outside, I trek to the shed where ATVs and a snowmobile are stored. Snowshoes hang on the wall, so I grab a pair. After I get the snowmobile started, I hitch a trailer to haul our packs and drive the snowmobile to the cabin. I leave Cyn my handgun, keys to the snowmobile with directions to town, and a note.

Smiling, I kiss her soft lips, inhaling the scent of her recent bath with me. I care for her more than I ever intended. She’s become a permanent part of my heart, but in my current predicament, I doubt I’ll be able to see it through to anything beyond this week. It hurts like a drill bit screwing through my heart.

She’ll be safe here, so I don’t mind leaving. She needs sleep from the hard push of reaching the cabins. She’s a survivor, incredibly strong, so it’ll be nearly impossible to give her up. She’s the kind of woman I need and desire.

Outside, the air smells crisp from the heavy snowfall, and the glow from the rising sun haloes the peaks. Red and Loki should be a day behind us, but I won’t spend too much time searching for the grizzly. I can’t afford to be wrong. After locking the door, I hike toward where I last saw the bear yesterday.

The snowshoes easily trek across the snow heavy with moisture. I walk along the base of the mountain, an avalanche no longer a threat. Yesterday, Cyn came through for us, so a smile tugs on my lips. We could’ve both died a few times, but she never gave up.

This past week feasting on her body has spoiled me. I love her more than I’m willing to admit, and to think a week ago, I wanted to marry the wrong girl.

A hundred yards down, a grizzly lopes along a small stream then splashes into the water, clawing out a fish. It seems almost too easy. I set down my light pack and bring the rifle out to put the bear in my crosshairs.

As I study the grizzly, I realize from its size and squat legs, that it’s most likely a female and not my bear.

The report of gunfire explodes in my ears just before a bullet rips through the same shoulder Red hit before. “Goddammit.”

Other than my brother, no one else around here can sneak up on me or shoot like that.

I doubt Red could kill me in cold blood, which is good, but I don’t think I could kill him either. I grab my shoulder where the blood flows through my fingers. It stings like a mother. How the hell am I going to get out of this?

I turn slowly around to look at my half brother squarely in the eyes as he marches toward me with his rifle up and pointing at me. Where the hell is Loki? He couldn’t have hiked that distance through the night with his bum leg.

“Put your rifle down.” Red’s voice booms over the expanse between us.

“Fuck you,” I spit out, holding my rifle, cocked and ready to go. I’ll be damned if I’ll let him shoot me again. “You’ve fucked up so bad this time I don’t even know what to tell you to do. You’re an accessory to murder. You’ll go to prison, you dumb fuck.”

He closes the gap between us, and I stifle the uneasy feeling working its way through my chest. For me to return to Cyn, one of us may have to die, and it isn’t going to be me.

“You should’ve given us the girl, and it wouldn’t have come to this. I can leave the country and send the money to…” Tears rim his dark eyes, and his desperation frightens me. Maybe I misjudged him. What would I do for my child or Cyn?

Blood soaks my hand and jacket, the sharp pain digging into my shoulder. “Your little boy. I get that. Why didn’t you ask me for money?” The dumb motherfucker. My voice grows louder, anger flaring in my words.

“How could I?” He sniffs back tears. “You were the golden child, even Mom liked you better, good in school, good at hockey. I was the royal fuckup of the family.”

There are lots of things he could’ve done differently, but he doesn’t always use his head, and I had no idea he felt this way. Mom sent him off to the military, and he came back a hero. What the hell happened? “Red, you taught me everything I know. You’re a decorated veteran.” That screwed him up good. After a few tours, he spent time in jail and in the stockade for fighting.

He hangs his head, and I wonder if I should take my chances to either run or tackle him or shoot him.

“I’ve never been as good as you,” he says, blubbering. “And now I have this kid. He loves me.”

My heart cracks open for him. I love Red, but I can’t show any weakness now. “Don’t give me that shit, Red.”

He purses his lips. He still has a tight hold on his rifle. “I can’t abandon him. Cassandra never told me the child was mine. After her death, her mother asked for a blood test, and he’s my son. He’s going to die,” he chokes on his words, but the tightening grip on his gun prickles the hairs on my neck and arms, even though he’s lowered his rifle.

“Since you won’t ask me for money, you could’ve worked on the pipeline and supported him.” Red always has excuses.

“They wouldn’t hire me with my previous conviction.”

“They’ve never been that picky before.” It must be Red. He’s always been difficult to get along with. His reputation has banished him from many bars in Fairbanks. He’s lucky Sally’s in Tonakwa takes anyone. In my younger days, I’ve been in a few fights there myself, either backing up my brother or protecting my cheating ex Lindsey.

Red lifts his rifle up, aiming it at my chest, making me wonder just how far he’ll go. My throat dries, hurting like it’s been stuffed with a sock. I can no longer swallow without biting pain.

My rifle is raised too. Could I shoot him? “Red, I don’t want to hurt you, but I won’t let you take Cyn.”

“Loki’s taking care of that.”

“Shit,” I mutter. I should’ve thought about that. “How the hell did he hike that far?”

“Vengeance. He wants your ass bad, so will Lindsey once she finds out you shot her brother. Cyn’s worth a lot of money dead.”

“That’s messed up.”

His finger twitches on the trigger. I have to move before he shoots my ass.

“How did you guys get here so quickly?” I ask, eyeing his rifle.

“Loki insisted on hiking through the night. He’s hungry to shoot you, but I told him I’d handle you.”

I narrow my eyes. “And how do you plan on doing that.”

“I can still kick your ass.”

He probably could, but I’d do serious damage to him now. “And what good will that do?”

“Slow you down, so we can get away. I only need a head start.”

Despite the blood flowing from my shoulder, I keep my rifle leveled at Red. I should just shoot him, so I can return to Cyn. I can’t leave her alone with Loki. “What are you planning on doing with her?”

“That’s up to Loki. I thought this was just a kidnapping and ransom because her dad would pay to get her back, but…” He shakes his head. “Loki was paid for a hit on her. Says she’s too much trouble anyway.”

I can’t stand here any longer. “Who’s paying you?”

Red shrugs. “This is Loki’s deal. Someone in Texas he knows. He’ll give me two hundred thousand.”

If Loki gets a bigger cut, that’s a hell of a lot of money? But not enough to hide on. “What’s Blake’s involvement?”

“Nothing. He was dating Julian, but his parents wanted him to marry and have kids, and then Blake fell for her. Julian helped to arrange the honeymoon, no hard feelings and all.” Red smirks. “I had no idea you knew her and would take up with a girl like her.”

What the hell am I still doing here? Cyn is with Loki. When I lunge at Red, knowing he could easily shoot me, a mass of fur tackles me to the ground. Searing pain rips through my thigh, and I cry out. Blood gushes from my leg and blond fur blocks out the sun. A long gash cuts across the top of my thigh. The bear swats the rifle from Red’s grip, and he trips backward, falling to the ground.

I scramble for my rifle while Red hops to his feet. The bear raises its dagger-like claws to tear off my head.

Chapter Twenty-five

Cyn

I wake to the sun peeking through the small window above the bed, a lazy smile sweeping across my face. Another good night with Mr. O’Flannery. Letting out a long dreamy sigh, while breathing in the smell of coffee, I rise from the bed. It was heavenly to sleep in a real bed and not on the hard ground.

As promised the handgun rests on the table, along with keys and a note. I can’t believe he left me for a stupid bear.

I already miss my princess, Shane.

I miss my not-so-princely man too. Instead of chasing the stupid bear, he should’ve woken me up this morning, but he’s safely taken me through the interior, so I can’t complain. He knows what he’s doing.

I eat another bowl of stew and drink a glass of flat champagne. There’s no sense letting it go to waste.

Since there’s no signal, I’ve kept my phone off for the past week. I turn it on to check the time. Shit. It’s after eight-thirty. Where the hell is Shane? In a hurry, I dress and pack, gulping down the fear of where he could be. He wouldn’t just leave me here. Did the bear get him? A horrifying feeling threatens to swallow me whole.

Keep it together, Cyn.

When I finish, Shane still hasn’t returned. I cannot even lift his pack. How does he even carry this damn thing? I pull some of the stuff out and lug it out to the trailer attached to the snowmobile. My boots sink several inches into the cold snow. It’s even deeper than it was yesterday.

After I stow everything, except my pack, and strap it down onto the trailer, I scan the area, but I only see snowshoe tracks leading back to the mountain, its peaks hidden by wisps of light grey clouds.

With the gun holstered around my shoulder, like Shane does, I pat it for comfort. Shane’s out of his mind if he thinks I’d leave him. I’ve never driven a snowmobile, but it can’t be too hard.

I sling my light pack over one shoulder, grab the keys, and walk to the cabin door. As I reach for the handle, the door slams into my forehead, knocking me backward. I land on my butt while my hand fumbles for the gun.

Loki points the rifle at my chest, so I stop cold. He hacks up black spittle, like he’s smoked several packs a day his entire life. He heaves in ragged breaths, like he’s been running all night. His shoulders sag from carrying the weight of his pack, and blood stains his right arm where Shane must’ve shot him. He’s weak and exhausted, and I’ve finally gotten plenty of rest.

“Hands in the air,” he rasps.

I put them up, my heart beating wildly fast. Think. What can I do?

With his gun cocked and glued to my breast, he leans down, takes the gun from my holster, and places it on the table. The bear spray is in my pack that’s on my back.

The rifle muzzle pokes my chin. Loki fingers through his greasy, thinning hair while chewing on a toothpick. The small white scar on his cheek that I gave him twitches. “You look good, like your mother.”

“Why did you kill her?”

He frowns. “It was an accident. She was worth a lot more alive. We never did find that ring she was wearing. She must’ve swallowed it.”

They had it all along and didn’t know it, and now I do.

I fight back the tears at losing her all over again. I’d like to claw his eyes out. “Why did you…why did you take off her head? Where is it?”

“It’s in New Mexico, and don’t be so stupid.”

It’s a drug cartel kill signature. After Mom died, I used to do my dad’s books. My questions about some of the odd expenditures come to mind and the hidden accounts. Were they pinning this on my dad? Was my dad working for his crazy brother? We have plenty of money, and I know Dad wouldn’t hurt her.

Loki prods me to my feet. His limp is more pronounced than it was a week ago, so he must be in pain. He staggers and hacks up a lung. “We thought the wild would do you in, and we can still do that, once Red eliminates Shane.”

Their goal was to kill me. I swallow the rock pile growing in my throat. “Red won’t kill his brother.” I hope, but Shane isn’t back yet.

“You sure about that?” Loki pokes me from behind and shoves me into the snow outside. “Come on.”

I cannot get to my pack, so I shuffle my feet, using my imagination to think up impossible scenarios to save myself. Shane must be with Red, and it makes me nauseous. Red already shot his brother once.

Loki pushes me to the back of the cabins toward the mountain away from Shane’s snowshoe tracks. A river flows about a hundred feet north of us, and using the rifle jammed into my back, Loki drives me toward it, hobbling and panting like I was last night on the mountain.

My breathing quickens, and my heart rate speeds up. “What are you going to do?” What am I going to do?

When Loki groans, I twist my head to see him wince every time he puts pressure on his left leg. He’s really hurt, so I need to take advantage of that. He rubs his eyes and drags in a breath.

“Leave you in the wilds, Mrs. Waits.”

“I just hiked eighty miles. You don’t think I can’t handle a few more?”