Saved by the Blizzard: A romantic winter thriller (Tellure Hollow Book 2) (2 page)

“Funny thing is, I don’t recall it being your decision to make,” I snapped. “I didn’t ask you to get involved, did I?”

He glanced at me, his hazel eyes darkening. “No, you didn’t. I feel like I’ve let you down though, that I didn’t do enough to protect you.”

I had to bite down my anger. I realized he wasn’t mad at me, he was upset with himself. Even though I never asked for the protection, I appreciated it nevertheless. I tentatively reached out and put a hand on his thigh. “It’s not your fault at all. If I’d been honest with you from the start, you would’ve known how dangerous he really is.” I shook my head and looked out the window. “I should’ve just been honest about everything.” The tense silence returned between us. With my phone on speaker, I sat in the passenger seat dialing and redialing 911. We were only five minutes outside Tellure Hollow when it finally rang. I nearly dropped it as the ring tore through the quiet.

“911, what’s your emergency?” a bored man answered.

I had no idea how to reply, which crime to start with. “Hi, uh, yeah. There’s been an accident and I think the driver’s been hurt.”

“Okay ma’am, where exactly was this accident?” he said still sounding rather uninterested.

“Shit, I don’t know what to tell him,” I said holding my hand over the receiver. Bryan waved his hand, gesturing for the phone. “Hold on, I’m handing you over,” I told the operator.

“Yeah, hi. The accident was about two miles down 40, just off Coal Ridge Road...yeah...no. It wasn’t just an accident. The driver was threatening me and my friend, chasing us, when he went off the road.” Bryan hesitated, glancing at me. “He’s armed and there were a lot of shotgun shells in the cab...right, maybe a hunter, sure, but he was following us. Okay, thanks. We’ll be there in a minute.” He hung up the phone and handed it back to me.

I tried to focus on the dire situation at hand rather than his labeling me a friend.
Priorities, Liz
, I berated myself.
You can sort out your relationship status later.
“So?” I squeaked.

“He said they’re short-staffed today because of Christmas but they’ll send someone out as soon as they can.” He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and took my hand. He flipped the turn signal on and swung into the police station. There were only two cars outside the tiny brick building, one a squad car. He threw the truck into park and sighed. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s just...with everything that—”

“I know, it’s okay. I totally get it,” I replied, squeezing his hand. “Hopefully this won’t take too long. He can’t have gotten very far. They’ll catch him and we can salvage whatever we can of the day.” My stomach grumbled audibly and we both laughed. “Maybe they’ll have donuts,” I giggled. He pulled my hand up to his mouth and kissed it briefly, moving for the door handle. “No, screw that,” I said, pulling him back.

I slid across the bench seat and pulled him close, our lips meeting for the first time since we’d gotten dressed earlier that morning. The stubble of his beard scratched my skin, but I didn’t mind. I loved being so close to him. His scent brought back memories of the night we’d spent in front of the fire, my body almost involuntarily reacting to his touch. I had to remind myself we were parked in front of a police station about to turn in my crazy ex for what, harassment? Attempted murder?

I chuckled and broke away. I rubbed my nose against his with a grin. “Now I
really
hope this goes quickly.”

He flashed me a charming smile. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

The building looked almost abandoned, so much different than the bustling police department I’d been dragged through in cuffs nearly a year before.
And here I am again, all because of Rick
. We stepped down the empty hallway, searching for any signs of life. One row of florescent lights was off overhead, adding to the deserted feeling. Christmas music tinkled faintly from down the hall. With a shrug, Bryan nodded forward, still holding my hand.

A balding policeman sat at the desk, his feet kicked up, flipping through a hunting magazine. He blinked up dully as we entered, not even bothering to sit up. “Can I help you?”

Bryan cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. I’d like to report a stalker.”

The cop looked at me and smiled. “Are you sure? She’s too cute to turn in for stalking. I say go for it, bud.” It took me a minute to understand he was joking, apparently Bryan too.

“No...listen. She has a guy after her, he followed us this morning. He’s already attacked her once,” he said, gesturing to my bandages.

I glanced at his name badge as he finally sat up.
Dylan
. “Alright,” he groaned. “Where is this stalker right now?”

“Hopefully dead in the forest,” I muttered. Both men looked at me in surprise. “What?” I shrugged at Bryan. Turning back to Dylan, I continued. “He crashed when we were trying to get away. We called for help as soon as we could.”

A light bulb went off in the cop’s head. “Ahh, that was you. Yeah, we have a unit going out there to check it out. Okay, I’m gonna need to take down some of your information.” He sounded disappointed that we were presenting him with actual work. I couldn’t blame him, it being Christmas and all, but I felt a pang of irritation.
Sorry my drama couldn’t wait until the New Year, bud
. I rested my arms on the tall counter as Dylan stood. He handed us a clipboard and placed a pen on top. “If you can both sign in, I’ll take your statements and get you on your way. Hopefully by then we’ll have word about the accident.”

I signed my name and passed it over to Bryan. “Do you think I should call my parole officer?” I asked in a whisper. He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the policeman to ensure he was out of earshot.

“No, don’t call him yourself, have them do it. The more this goes through official channels, the better, I think.”

Rubbing his shoulder, I slid my arm down his and interlaced our fingers. I loved the warmth and comfort even that small gesture could give me. I didn’t need his protection, but it still felt good to have him by my side.

Dylan’s calmness was both alarming and reassuring. It might’ve been one of the most traumatic days of my life, but the fact that he didn’t seem all too worked up made me feel better. He came back and took a look at our names, reading them out loud. “So we have Elizabeth Croyden—”

“Liz,” I offered.

“And Bryan Marsh.” The policeman looked up, squinting at his face. “Wait, Bryan The Blizzard?”

A vein in his temple pulsed slightly but he nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.” I looked at him in confusion but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. I’d never heard him called that before.
The Blizzard?
I wondered.
He has a nickname? How could this guy know who he is?
Before my mind could trip over this revelation too long, Dylan dropped a bombshell.

The cop groaned and shook his head. “I’d heard you were in town...Jesus, I’m really sorry to have to do this,” he looked to me almost as if he were apologizing. His expression hardened as he returned to Bryan. “I’m gonna have to take you into custody. There’s a warrant out for your arrest.”

“For what?” I said, thoroughly dazed now.

Dylan pursed his lips slightly. “Assault with a deadly weapon.”

Bryan put his hands up and stepped back defensively. “Whoa now, I’ve never done anything like that. There’s gotta be some kind of mistake.”

“We had a Noah Richards in here a couple nights ago screaming for your head. Said you hit him in the face with a gun. Do you know anything about that?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I shouted. “He and Rick, the guy who’s been
stalking
me and who you’re going after right now? Yeah, they were threatening me and my friend. Bryan stepped in and saved us. Look,” I said presenting my various wounds as proof.

The cop stepped around the counter. “I’m sure we can clear all this up, but I’m gonna have to put you in one of the cells, alright? Am I gonna have to use these?” he asked putting his hand on the cuffs at his hip.

“Come on, this is ridiculous!” I screeched.

Bryan ran his tongue along the edge of his teeth and shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll follow you.” I looked at him incredulously.

“Is there anyone you want me to call?” said Officer Dylan.

“Actually, Liz,” he said, finally turning to me, “could you call Walt for me? Let him know what’s happened.” It broke my heart to see such a mixture of unease and anger there, especially after the warmth of the previous night. “I don’t know what good it’ll do, but I feel like he should know. Other than you, he’s the only person I know in this town that can help.”

Choking back tears of anger, I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go over right now. He lives above the shop right?” Bryan gave me a tight smile as the cop put his hand on his shoulder and started to lead him away. “Wait!” I cried. “Can’t I just...”

Dylan almost rolled his eyes but took a step back. “Honey, I’m not executing him or anything, but since it’s Christmas...”

I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing him as tightly as I could. I quickly nuzzled my face into his neck and breathed in his scent. “I’ll get help, okay? I have money to post bail. Don’t worry.”

He pushed me away and looked earnestly into my eyes. “Don’t you dare use that money. I’ll be fine, just call Walt. Here,” he said handing me the keys to his truck. “I’m sorry.”

I stood and watched as Bryan was led down the hall and out of sight, deciding that out of all the days in my life, this was definitely the strangest.

——————

“Come on,” I grumbled to the ringing phone. I’d been trying Walt for ten minutes and he still hadn’t picked up. I felt weird about leaving Bryan at the station but knew I had to get help. I grunted in frustration and jammed the key into the ignition, but paused just short of turning it over.

There were so many things going on at once. Rick was still out there, possibly hurt. Would the policeman sent to get him be in danger? Should I go inside and warn Dylan? We hadn’t imparted how dangerous Rick actually was. Should I call Bryan’s mom or something? Someone in his family must care if he’s in trouble, right?

I slammed my hands against the steering wheel. “One thing at a time, Liz. Go get Walt.” The pep talk did enough good to turn the key and get the truck into reverse. I consoled myself with the fact that the store was less than five minutes away.
I’m not going far
.

I’d expected something like this to happen. Not Bryan getting arrested exactly or Rick appearing with a shotgun, but
something
. Anytime I find a bit of happiness and contentment in my life, something comes along and turns it to shit. An inevitable condition of being Liz Croyden, apparently. Maybe that makes me bitter, but I can only work with what life has given me.

The main street was completely deserted, of course, close to 11 a.m. on Christmas morning. All the kids would be unwrapping presents, parents sipping coffee, the magic of the morning just unfurling across the sleepy town. I swung the truck in front of the shop, disregarding all the parking spots. There was a little door just to the side of the main entrance that looked like it led to the apartment above. With no doorbell or name, I pounded my fists on the cold wood until I heard movement inside, specifically someone swearing up a storm as they shuffled down the stairs.

The old man whipped the door open ready to shout. He wore a battered, patchy blue bathrobe and thick slippers, his hair a disheveled mess. I cut him off before he could start his tirade.

“Are you Walt?” I asked in a breathy, panicky voice.

He squinted at me. “It’s my day off. Shop’s closed.”

“Jesus, I’m not here to get my skis sharpened. Bryan sent me. He’s in trouble.”

The old man’s expression changed at that. “What’s he done?”

“Nothing. He hasn’t done anything wrong. Noah Richards is pressing assault charges and the police are holding him. He told me to come tell you.”

“That fucking Richards family,” Walt said as he spit on the sidewalk. He studied my face before adding, “Alright, come on in, missy. We’ll sort this all out. Sounds like I got some phone calls to make.”

“I’m just gonna put you in the cell until we can sort through this whole mess, alright?” the cop Dylan said as he led me down the hall. “I don’t feel like going through all the paperwork just to have you released. But I will need to take your phone,” he said holding out his hand.