The Stranger (36 page)

“Of course not.” She scowled some more. “You’ve got to be the most reckless man in the galaxy.”

“I wasn’t reckless.” I put the medical supplies away. “Some of Alaska’s most accomplished pilots and mountaineers participated in organizing this operation. I spent a lot of time planning my steps, packing my gear, studying the terrain, selecting my routes, and anticipating the contingencies.”

“Ah, yes, contingency thinking,” she said. “That’s what you do for a living and you do it quite well, if I remember right.”

“Exactly.”

I checked on the battery-operated space heater. It was a small piece of equipment, nothing to write home about, but it had a huge impact on a small space. From the moment I’d requisitioned it from the hangar, I knew it could be the difference between surviving the night or not. The temperature inside the cabin was far from toasty, but it was warm enough to keep the killer cold at bay. I checked my watch. Eight hours to go.

Alex’s eyelids fluttered open.

“Home?” he muttered.

“Not yet,” I said. “But you’re safe for the night. Try to get some rest.”

Summer fed Alex some warm broth. We tried to make him as comfortable as possible. We had some space to work with, since I’d had the bucket seats removed from the cabin before takeoff. We didn’t want to move Alex any more, so we kept him on the sled and piled up some additional blankets. The medications began to kick in right away.

“I can’t believe you came,” Alex said.

“You had to know that I would at least try.”

“For Summer, right?”

“For Summer.” Goddammit, would it kill me to say what he needed to hear? “For you too, but I’ll deny that in public.”

“Me too,” Alex mumbled, somewhere between lucidity and oblivion. “Summer made me promise.”

“Summer made you promise what?”

“I’d make peace with you,” he said. “
If
I survived.”

“Ah.” I glanced at Summer. “She’s crafty that way.”

Summer lifted a shoulder as a way of apology.

“The bribe money,” Alex muttered. “It’s connected to your personal accounts.”

“I know.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “But...how?”

“I mapped the money trail,” I said. “I discovered how you connected it to me, then connected the bribe back to you. I also found your accounts in Luxembourg.”

Alex sighed. “The next board meeting is the end.”

“Up to you,” I said. “You’ve got time to make things right.”

“
If
I make it.”

“We’re going to make it,” I said. “No ifs or buts. Consider it done.”

Alex groped for my hand. “Peace, man.”

I squeezed his hand. “Peace.”

Alex closed his eyes. His features relaxed and his respiration evened. I took his pulse. It was strong. I didn’t like the fucker much these days, but he was still family and I didn’t wish him pain and suffering. I tucked his hand beneath the blanket and checked on the IV. At least he’d rest comfortably for the next few hours.

“His father chose you to run the company over him,” Summer offered from her perch, huddled with her chin on her knees next to the space heater.

“Is that what this was all about?”

She shrugged. “Simple and yet complicated.”

It was hard to believe but when I thought about it, I recognized the truth. Would I have felt differently than Alex if my father had chosen him over me?

The anger drained out of me. All those years of rivalry and rage seemed like an awful waste of time. I crawled over Alex and settled next to Summer, casing her between the heater and me. “I should’ve known.”

“You’re smart,” she said, “but you’re not a mind reader.”

“I should have figured it out.”

“Perhaps next time?” Summer said. “After all, you don’t expect Alex to grow up all of a sudden, do you?”

“You’re right.” I had to chuckle. “One day at a time.”

Summer’s gaze fixed on me. “What now?”

“Now we wait for the storm to pass.” I located the protein bars and, after handing one to Summer, tore into one myself. “Eat up. You need to replenish your energy. The storm is supposed to last another eight hours or so, but we’ve got a reliable heat source and enough food and water for a few days if need be. The rescue squadron is aware of our location. They’ll mount a proper rescue when it’s safe to do so.”

Summer nibbled on the protein bar, looking as exhausted as I’d ever seen her, but also rugged as hell. She’d survived. My tropical orchid had survived the worst that Alaska had to offer with the grit of a native species.

“How did you find us?” she asked between bites.

“Joe Pilot gave me thorough directions and coordinates.” I chewed on my protein bar and swallowed. “Once I flew into the valley, I caught the signal for the plane’s emergency beacon. The strobe light and the SPOT’s signal helped guide my ascent.”

“What you did was very dangerous,” Summer said. “I had it under control, you know.”

I smirked. “You were going to freeze your ass solid.”

“I didn’t need your ass to freeze along with mine,” she said. “I wanted you safe at home and far away from here. You were willing to die.”

“Hell, no,” I said. “I didn’t come here to die. I came here to live. No more dying for me or for you. We’ve got to learn how to live, Summer, and I mean it, beyond working like hell and taking care of other people, both of us have to get better at enjoying our lives.”

She grumbled under her breath. “That hero complex of yours got the best of you.”

“Bullshit,” I said. “You were the one trying to play heroine.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

“You could’ve hiked out with Joe,” I said. “That might have been a sensible decision. But no, oh no. You had to stay. Who’s the one with the hero complex?”

“I hate that you came.” Her green eyes brimmed with emotions. “But I’m also glad that you came. I know, I sound loony. I’m not making any sense.”

“You make total sense to me.” I put my arm over her shoulder and hugged her to me.

“Are you mad at me?” She cuddled against me.

“Raving mad.” I kissed the top of her head. “Cross-eyed mad. Furious, livid, and enraged.”

“Sorry,” she said. “So much has happened since I last saw you. I don’t know where to begin.”

“Pick a subject,” I said. “Any subject.”

She hesitated before she asked. “I was sleepwalking when you found me, wasn’t I?”

“I think so.” I shuddered when I imagined what could’ve happened if she had stepped off the cliff, or been swept off by an avalanche, or frozen right there on the high ridge...Christ. That heart attack still lingered close at hand. I had to stop thinking like that.

“I saw the killer in my dream,” she said. “I know who he is.”

“Hector Carrera.”

Her mouth fell open. “How—how do you know?”

“Spider hacked into a life insurance policy purchased by your father years ago,” I explained. “The policy was drawn against the balance of the stock your father owned in his partnership with Carrera, the only asset he had left back then. At the time, the stock wasn’t very valuable, but over time, its value has grown tremendously. That led us to further investigate the partnership.”

“And?”

“We discovered that Carrera was swindling your father when they were partners. Your father did most of the work, but Carrera embezzled the profits. Your mother must have discovered Carrera’s fraud. That’s why he had her killed. As the developer of Fountain Way, Carrera had access to the building. He shared that access with Peterson, who he hired to murder your mother first, and then you.”

“All these years, Hector pretended like he cared,” Summer said. “He even gave me a job.”

“He needed to keep you close at hand,” I said. “The policy was coming due next month. You were the benefactor. With the shares realized, it would’ve given you half stake in Carrera’s firm, plus the value of the policy. But if you were dead, the stock would return to him along with the money. He wanted it all for himself.”

Her eyes widened. “God.”

“There’s more.” I took her hands in mine. “State troopers executed a warrant on Carrera this afternoon. They found a stash of sleeping medications in his luggage. It would have aggravated your sleepwalking episodes and rendered you helpless. With Peterson dead, Carrera came to Alaska to kill you himself.”

“That’s why he insisted I bring the plans to the lighthouse.” Her hands fisted in my grip. “That’s why he wanted to be alone with me.”

“That’s also why I’m going to make sure he will rot in jail for the rest of his life.”

It was a lot to handle, but Summer took it all in with the resignation of someone who already knew the truth. In fact, she’d figured it all out in her dreams, where her unconscious mind tackled complex problems with astonishing results.

“I...” Her fingers softened against my palms and her gaze found me. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You did most of the groundwork,” I said. “We just followed your lead. That sleeping disorder of yours is a liability, sure, but it’s also an incredible asset.”

She considered the idea. “I never thought about it that way. You may have a point.”

“While we’re at it,” I said, “I might as well tell you. Your stepmother is raving mad at me.”

“Why?”

“I may have implied that she was behind all of this.”

Summer grimaced. “You’re in deep trouble. I told you she wasn’t involved.”

“If it’s any consolation,” I said, “she didn’t break anything else. Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?”

“A little sucking up goes a long way with Louise,” Summer said. “It won’t be easy. She’s as cantankerous as they come. But, given time, you’re likely to grow on her, Erickson.”

I laughed. Summer flashed me a crooked little smile, but her eyes glimmered with that haunted expression that got my gut churning. I could almost hear her brain working inside her skull.

“Seth?” She hesitated. “Why did you come after me? After I left you that note, and handed over your board meeting notes to Alex? And don’t you dare give me those lines about keeping your promise or providing suitable shelter. Knowing you, all of that was just the means to an end.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “You’re right. I had another good reason to come all the way out here. I wanted to ask you a question.”

“You flew through a superstorm, ditched your beloved helicopter, and risked your life to ask me a question?”

“Yep.”

“You are unbelievable,” she said. “The most obtuse man on the planet. You know that?”

“I’m dense, that’s true.”

She fixed her eyes on me. “So?”

I had to fight the lump blocking my throat. “I guess Alex forced you into doing his bidding.”

“He wanted to pay me for your notes, deposited money in my account, but...”

“Hang on,” I said. “Give me a chance here. I want to come clean. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Tammy.”

“I talked to Tammy,” she said. “She told me she asked you not to tell me. I don’t like it, but I understand that lying to me wasn’t your first choice.”

“In hindsight, it was a very bad idea,” I said. “Also...”

“What?”

“That vase your stepmother broke?” I winced. “It was a pricey one. I lied to you because I didn’t want you to obsess about it.”

“I don’t obsess—”

“Oh, yes, you do,” I said. “You obsess about people and things all the time. You’re easily consumed with worry.”

“Tammy said the same thing.” She puffed a long breath. “Maybe you guys are a little right. Alex told me about the vase. Knowing Astrid, I should’ve been able to figure it out on my own.”

“I’m sorry I lied to you twice,” I said. “I know you must have felt betrayed. But still...why didn’t you call me? Why didn’t you at least give me a chance to explain before you went off with Alex?”

“Seth?” Her green eyes studied and caressed my face at once. “I couldn’t call you because I didn’t have the means. Alex took my cell. But most importantly, I
wanted
to go with Alex.”

“What?” I frowned. “Why?”

“To find out what he was planning,” she said. “To figure out how he meant to trap you.”

“So you went with Alex for me?”

“Of course, silly.”

“For Christ’s sake, Summer.” I grappled for words. “The things you do.”

“I wasn’t going to let him hurt you,” she said, sticking out that little stubborn chin of hers. “I just...wasn’t.”

The thaw raged through me, out of season and yet complete. Every frosted part of me warmed and melted. I lowered my lips to her mouth and kissed her. My body’s reaction confirmed that my skeptical, fucked-up mind had had to work through the possibility of Summer’s betrayal, but my body had never believed it.

“I have to admit that I was mad at you for lying at me,” she mumbled against my lips. “And the picture frightened me at first. It really threw me for a spin.”

I frowned. “What picture?”

“The picture of me? On your dining room table? That first night?”

“There were no pictures.” I’d made sure of that. “I deleted the footage from the security cameras.”

“But Alex hacked the security company’s deleted files,” she said. “He managed to retrieve one image. He paid big bucks for it. He swears this is the only copy.”

She pulled out a thumb drive from her pocket. I took it from her and crushed it in my fist. It was, of course, a symbolic gesture, but it helped combat the revulsion in my gut. Later on, I’d make sure the gesture became reality.

“I hate that you had to live through this again,” I said.

“So you know?” she said. “About Sergio and all of that? Your investigators found out?”

“You told me,” I said. “When I asked you. In your dreams.”

“Oh.” Her lips compressed into a grim line. “I...I had a hard time getting over that.”

I squeezed her shoulder. “I know.”

“But something else happened when I saw the picture.” Her mouth relaxed and hints of a smile matched the light that returned to her eyes. “Later. In the plane? I remembered that night. I remembered everything.”

My heart tripped. “You did?”

She nodded. “I was at ease in the picture. I was happy and I wanted you. What happened that night was beautiful. From the very beginning, I trusted you, in my dreams.”