Anonymous(51)

His jaw clenches and he turns back to the window. “Doubtful. Kimberly’s gone and I’m here. Dating’s kind of not something that’s going to happen right now.”

“Have you talked to Kimberly at all?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Not a word. She was a little too high maintenance for me anyway. I say good riddance.”

Car lights beam up the street, so I stand by the window and watch them as they move past. “Ellie told me you bought this place. It’s really nice,” I say, glancing at him over my shoulder. “What made you want a house up here?”

He stands and grabs a beer out of the refrigerator. “Lots of things, I guess. I have land to hunt on and explore. Not to mention, I’ve always loved Canada. When I retire, I’ll get a visa, so I can live here permanently.”

I point toward the back of the house. “Speaking of land, anyone can easily hike over your mountain and sneak up on this place.”

Nodding, he takes a sip of his beer. “You’re absolutely right. That’s what I’ve been thinking about since we arrived.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll hike it and look around to see if I can find any tracks. Ellie can stay here and relax. I don’t want her out wandering around until the fucker’s caught.” I shrug. “Who knows? He might never follow through.”

Owen finishes off his beer and tosses the bottle into the trash. “What I want to know is, why can’t they trace who hacked into the system? It has to be Snyder.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I can’t help but be curious. “Why do you think it’s him?”

He shrugs. “He’s the perfect candidate. He has access to government files and he can hack into anything. If he can do that, I’m sure he can make anything look legit on the computer . . . even tampering with video surveillance footage.”

I look out the window and everything’s dark, except for the snow that glows under the moon. “Why didn’t you ever learn to hack like that? It’d really be useful about now.” I look at his reflection in the window.

“I was too busy chasing down bad guys to focus on that shit. Now, I wish I had.” He grabs another beer out of the refrigerator and starts toward the stairs. “I’m hitting the sack. See you in the morning.”

“See ya,” I call out after him. The night drags on and the sun comes up. I have a strange feeling this is all just the beginning.





Twenty-Five





Ellie





“I am so sorry I slept the whole time.” I pile eggs and bacon onto Jake and Owen’s plates.

Chuckling, Jake sits down at the table, while Owen stands and eats by the window. “It’s okay, Ellie. You’re pregnant. I want you to take it easy.”

Scoffing, I grab my plate and join him. “Seriously? I’m not a porcelain doll. I can still hike, run, and have fun.”

“Yes, you can do all those things,” he says with a wink, “but you need your sleep.”

Owen’s been quiet all morning. “What’s wrong, Owen?”

Brows furrowed, he takes a bite of bacon and then looks down at me. “I don’t know, Ells. Today doesn’t feel right for some reason.”

My body shivers. “I don’t like the sound of that.” Then again, it’s almost as if I can feel what he’s talking about. There’s a tension in the air; it’s dark and electric.

Jake finishes his food and clears his throat. “Which is why we need to be alert today.” He kisses my cheek and gets up to take his plate to the sink. “I’m going out back to check out the mountain. How long would you say the trail is?” he asks Owen.

“Not far. Probably around six miles.”

“All right.” Jake dries off his hands. “I’m going to get ready.” He hurries upstairs, and I’m left at the table, wishing like hell he’d just stay with me. I don’t want him going out there alone.

Owen sits beside me. “You look worried.”

I snort. “How can I not be? Jake’s a fighter, but I have no clue what he’ll be up against if someone tries to attack him. If he was in the ring, that’s one thing, but out in the wild is another. They could try to shoot him or come at him with a knife.” Jake’s boots pound on the stairs and I turn to watch him. He’s dressed in his thick, navy coat with a pistol in his hands. He tucks it in the holster on his pants and covers it up. “Are you sure you don’t want to just stay here?” I ask.

He nods over to the living room and I follow behind him. “Someone needs to go out there, Ellie. You’ll understand my reasoning soon.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I look at him like he’s lost his mind.

His fingers brush the hair off my face. “I can’t explain right now. Just do me a favor and take this,” he says, handing me my Glock 19. “Don’t let it out of your sight. I’m serious.”

The cold metal seeps into my skin as I take it. “Jake, I—”

He cuts me off with a kiss. “I love you, Ellie. Don’t forget that. I promise I’ll be okay.”

My eyes burn, but I kiss him back before he walks out the door. I watch him trudge through the snow toward the mountain and disappear through the trees. Owen stops behind me and I can see his reflection in the window. “He’ll be fine, Ells. Jake’s a big boy.” He taps the gun. “It’s probably not a bad idea for you to keep this on you.” I nod and place it on the windowsill.