“It’s not,” Chase promised her. “There was nothing you could have done that would have stopped them. I think these are the guys we’ve been hunting the last few months, and they are ruthless.”
Michael must have halted his plans for the other children when his foot solider had spotted his son yesterday—Riley was the new target. Now that he had what he wanted, he’d probably leave town quickly.
They didn’t have much time.
The air was already heavy with the coming storm and large white clumps were drifting around them, growing thicker by the moment.
This was good news. The kidnapper would have to drive a lot slower in this weather, but on four legs, it would barely slow Chase at all. He was built for this. Hell, he wasbornfor it.
But he couldn’t leave Hailey out here in the snowstorm alone, and if he took her back to his house, the trail would go cold. He could track in the snow, but this wind would chase away any trace of the scent before he was even halfway back.
There was only one option. She had to come with him.
“Hailey,” he said calmly, “I can help you get Riley back, but I need you to trust me.”
She didn’t even hesitate. “I trust you, Chase, whatever happens.”
He nodded. “Good. Then I’m going to shift back, and I need you to climb onto me. I’ll carry you to where we need to go. To Riley.”
Hailey bit her lip, then nodded.
Chase quickly shifted back, grateful to be back in his warm fur. He sank to the ground and Hailey eyed him, then took a tentative breath, then stepped forward and scrambled onto his back. He turned his head back to nudge her into position and she hooked her arms around his neck and hugged her thighs together, holding onto him tightly.
He lunged to his feet, pausing to make sure Hailey was still secure, then broke into a run. His high-stepping gait carried him easily over the snow, and he could outrun a bear in this form. He settled into a rhythm, taking the smoothest path he could to protect the woman on his back, whilst staying close enough to the scent to make sure he wouldn’t lose it.
He felt Hailey’s fingers delve deeper into his fur, and he shivered in response. That was interesting. Apparently, he was even more sensitive to her touch in this form.
And this absolutely was not the time. He silenced his reindeer’s jubilation along with his own, and together they focused on the task at hand.
Through the thick snow he could make out an old, abandoned cabin…which wouldn’t be unusual for this part of the woods, except for the smoke rising from the cabin. He slowed to a walk, and then to a stop at the edge of the tree line.
His more sensitive hearing could pick out sounds of movement inside the cabin, and he exhaled a breath of relief. Riley was still inside. It was likely the other children were as well.
They’d made it in time.
But they still needed to find a way inside. Entering through the front door was too dangerous; they didn’t know how many of them there were, and they would likely be armed. Yet, there only seemed to be one door. Should he risk breaking a window? There was only one floor, they’d likely hear him unless they were distracted…
“Let me do it,” Hailey said, then clambered from his back before he could utter a sound of protest.
Chase tilted his head to demonstrate his question, frustrated by his inability to speak in this form, but she was so in tune with his thoughts it seemed like he didn’t need words.
“Let me talk to Michael. You use the opportunity to break inside and rescue Riley. It’s time…I need to face him—once and for all.”
Chapter Eleven
Hailey
Chase couldn’t have looked less impressed by Hailey’s suggestion—which wasn’t at all a surprise to her. Of course, after the day’s revelations, a sentient comet could fall right out of the sky and announce it was here on vacation and she wouldn’t have been surprised. If there was a quota for shocked, hers was all used up.
But there would be time to get her head around the fact that Chase apparently morphed into Santa’s sidekick when the mood took him later. Right now, Riley was in danger, and he needed her. And if that meant she had to face Michael, so be it.
No matter how unhappy Chase was about it.
“I know it sounds crazy,” she said. “I do. But I also know Michael; he isn’t going to hurt me, at least not right away. He’ll try to convince me to come back to him first. That’s why he took Riley. He always expected me to find them; he thinks if I come to him on my own volition, I’ll feel like it was my choice to get back together with him.”
The reindeer shook its head fiercely. He didn’t need the power of speech: she could practically hear Chase telling her it was too dangerous, that he could snap at any time. But she’d lived with that monster for years; created a child with him. She knew how to read him. She’d had to learn, it had been the only way to stay safe. And she had to trust that knowledge would keep her safe now. And she only needed to keep him talking for a short while.
And as long as Riley got out safely, nothing else mattered.
