He’druined her life. Taken away the man she had loved—lovedstill.
Even after her move from Jeopardy Falls to Taos, all the precautions and sacrifices, he’d still returned.
Please,Lord,I beg you,let me be free.I don’t know what else to do.
Sheriff Gonzales, of the Taos sheriff department, didn’t know what else to do. Given it’d been a year without contact from her stalker, he’d set the case on the back burner.
Joel worked the case to the bones in Jeopardy Falls, then he joined forces with Sheriff Gonzales after she moved, but the case still refused to be solved despite their best efforts.
Her fists tightened, the note crumpling inside her left hand, and she forced herself to take a deep breath.
He’s not here. He’s backthere.She exhaled and sank down in the oversized leather chair, resting her head in her hands.
Please help menot ruin Izzy’s wedding like I ruined her brother’s. And guide me to the right path when Ireturn home.
She’d alerted the sheriff before she left and prayed he was already making progress. Glancing at her watch, she had a half hour until the meet-up.
Changing into her snowboarding gear, she stepped out into the crisp air. Not knowing which cabin Iz was in and not wanting to go knocking on all of them, she set out for the lodge and the coffee shop she’d spotted at the base of the trails. There was always time for coffee.
Snow crunched beneath her boots as she huffed her way to the edge of the small forest separating the cabins from the main lodge.
The snow gave way under the cover of evergreens. Only brown needles and pinecones littered the ground.
Coming out on the other side of the woods, she spotted the exterior ordering window of the Brew Through.
Five minutes in line and another few placing her order later, she studied the gorgeous Cedar Loft lodge, the Silver Pines lodge far in the distance, and the quaint, tranquil ski village surrounding her. A beautiful place to be wed, especially since Iz and her brothers had grown up on this mountain. Their dad’s best friend owned the Cedar Loft, and Cassie had heard all kinds of stories about their childhood antics at the original lodge, which apparently remained standing, but she had never been to the ski village herself.
“Your order, love,” the lady at the Brew Through shop said, leaning out the sliding window to hand her the hot cup of steaming cocoa with two shots of espresso. The scent of sweet marshmallows, dark chocolate, and rich espresso carried on the blustering wind.
“Sorry. Daydreaming,” Cassie said, taking the cup.
“We all do it, darling. Enjoy your drink.” She slid the window closed.
Cassie stepped out of the way for the growing line of customers, most with skis on their feet or snowboards tucked under their arms. Fresh snow filled the air, twisting in mini cyclones. She made it around to the front porch, where she found Iz and Talbot waiting—alone.
“There you are,” Iz said. “I was about to track you down.”
“Am I late?” Cassie glanced at her watch, then gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry. The coffee line must have taken longer than I anticipated.”
“It’s okay. You made it.” She wrapped her arm around Cassie’s shoulders, leading her around the corner and down the small slope to two helicopters waiting for the wedding party. A regular day of snowboarding would’ve been too dull for one of Izzy’s adventures.
She looked questioningly at her bestie.
“Heli-skiing.” Talbot smiled. “You’re in our copter.” He pointed to the nearest one as the other lifted off.
Whoosh.Whoosh. Whoosh.
Helicopter blades sliced through the air.
Trepidation shot through her. While she enjoyed heli-skiing, and carving fresh powder was addictive, the ride there skyrocketed her anxiety.
Iz reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’ll be okay, I promise. We’re just taking it to the west side of the mountain.”
“The untouched side.” Talbot stepped back and gestured for them to go with a sweep of his hand. “After you, ladies.”
Iz climbed in first, and Cassie followed.
Talbot, Izzy, and Brady sat rear facing. Heath, who worked with Cassie and Devon at the ME office, sat near the open bay door, forward facing. Her two coworkers had grown tight with Talbot over the past couple of years at all the group barbeques and outings, and now they were a close part of the gang. She scanned the seats again. Jayce and Mia had their seats, leaving the only empty one next to...
