Chapter One
Ariella
I ran for my life, and it was allhisfault. Secrets had brought me over a thousand miles from home. I fled with only one thought in mind: a second chance. Starting over was my only option for survival.
I squinted through my sunglasses, shucking them to the empty passenger seat, finding it difficult to see. My vision adjusted, but the night was setting in fast as daylight fell over the horizon. I struggled to see the narrow, snow-covered road ahead. The streets at the bottom of the mountain had been freshly plowed and salted. The headlights on my five-speed were angled at odd intervals, casting shadows over the road covered in potholes beneath the slush. The car jolted and bounced with my foot on the gas, splashing my scalding stale coffee from the cup holder.
My eyes burned and welled. “Shit!” Tears threatened the surface, but I wouldn’t cry. It wasn’t the sting of blistering liquid that hurt. I’d done this to myself. I blamed him, but it was as much my fault.
Secrets surrounded my past. Benjamin Ryan had been part of those secrets, but there was more than even he knew. There were secrets I never could tell him, even as he was whisked away in handcuffs.
I packed my car with my possessions and hurried out of the state of New York. Of course, not before finding a small log cabin in the woods that I could afford in cash, sight unseen. I also lined up a job interview at a nearby resort, but there was no guarantee of landing a job right away. My last job had ruined my life, and I couldn’t even put it on my resume. I’d have to be frugal with the few dollars left to my name, which consisted of a few ones in my wallet.
Was I bitter? Sure, as shit, but I moved on, started over, and prayed for a second chance. A fresh start is what I did, what I craved, and the only way to get that was to move. I went back to using my maiden name: Ariella Cole. I wasn’t in hiding per se. After all, I had done nothing wrong or criminal. I couldn’t say the same for him. I didn’t want to get mixed up in his illegal affairs.
I had planned on arriving at my new home before dark, but the interview had been in the afternoon at Blue Sky Resort, a ski lodge just outside of Breckenridge, Montana. It was for a position, covering other worker’s shifts, everything from waitressing at the restaurant to doing housekeeping tasks and handling the ski rental equipment. I’d take whatever I could get.
The interview had seemed to go well, and they had asked to run a background check. I wasn’t keen on it, but I didn’t have a choice, so they’d see that my ex-husband, Ben, had run up our credit. They couldn’t deny me a job because of that, right? He was serving time in federal prison for several felonies. That couldn’t count against me, right?
When I’d left the resort, with my piping hot burnt coffee, it had grown dark. The front desk attendant had given me directions since my phone died, and GPS was sketchy whether it worked in the mountains. I headed for my new house, weary, tired, and worn after a lengthy interview and an even longer drive across the country. I wanted to discover my new home, climb into bed under the warm covers and sleep for a week.
The interviewer informed me they’d run my references, and I had to submit to a background check. It sounded all good, and while I hoped the job was mine, there were no guarantees. They hadn’t offered me anything yet.
I downshifted my car, but I struggled to get up the mountain. The bald tires spun as I white-knuckled the steering wheel. The back of the vehicle fishtailed. I downshifted again and stomped on the gas to climb the godforsaken beast of a mountain when the car slipped and slid backward downhill.
“Shit!” I screamed and stomped on the brakes hard, which only had me doing donuts as I spun and slid down the icy path of the mountain. I would have braced for impact if I had known how, but I just wanted to survive. I needed to survive.
My stomach ached with dread. My palms were sweaty, and I clung to the steering wheel, attempting to maneuver my car out of danger. I had no control over the vehicle, like it had a mind of its own. The car spun and smacked into a tree. The window smashed. It wasn’t enough to stop the momentum from sliding down the mountain, and the back wheels skidded off the road.
By some miracle, the vehicle came to a halt. The back wheels teetered off the edge of a ravine. The car’s front appeared stable, but would it propel me downward and into oblivion if I made any sudden movements?
I glanced in the rearview mirror. It grew darker by the minute, and I couldn’t ascertain how far down the ditch went, but given the fact the entire drive up the mountain was switchbacks and dangerous, without a doubt, it was deadly.
Exhaling a soft, slow breath, I couldn’t stay in the car. I needed to get help. I hadn’t seen a car on the road since I attempted to climb the damned mountain. Was there a reason for that? Did anyone live up in Breckenridge, or was I the only one crazy enough to head up there on the cusp of winter?
I probably should have traded my car in for a vehicle with all-wheel drive or a truck, but it wasn’t like I could afford it. I was strapped for cash. I spent every dime on getting to Breckenridge and paying cash for the cabin I found on one of the realtor sites online. The place looked like a gem, backed up to a gorgeous river, and within walking distance to a few local shops in town.
This had to mean I wasn’t the only one in Breckenridge, but they were smart enough not to travel at night up the mountain.
My phone was dead, and even if it had any juice left, I knew without a doubt there would be no cell service around here. There had been no service at the bottom of the mountain. That had been when my phone still had a tiny amount of battery power.
Not that I didn’t have anyone to call, my sister would expect to hear from me, but we weren’t on the best speaking terms. She was pissed that I moved to Breckenridge instead of staying in New York with her.
I couldn’t stay. I had to get as far away from New York and the enemies we’d made.
I glanced behind me at my knapsack. I couldn’t risk reaching for it. Not until I was out of the car.
With slow precision, I unlocked the door and eased the driver’s side open. I made no sudden movements. While I’d have preferred to stay in the confines of the car that offered shelter, it teetered on the edge of a ravine. I wasn’t ready to meet death.
The car creaked and groaned as I was careful to shift my weight from one foot and then the other out from the vehicle.
The vehicle didn’t launch off the cliff as I had first feared. I shivered and pulled my jacket tight. I couldn’t easily open the back door from my position. The snow was several inches thick, and I had stuffed my boots in the trunk. There was no way I could maneuver myself to grab my warm and comfy shoes. My fancy heels would have to suffice because I wasn’t going barefoot. That would be even stupider in this weather.
“Okay, I can do this,” I said to myself. There wasn’t another soul on the road, and I didn’t even want to consider what wild animals like bears or wolves come out at night. I hadn’t the slightest idea if they were nocturnal. I hoped I didn’t run into any creatures because I had nothing but my hands to protect me, and well, I may as well just lay down and play dead.
Okay, so getting my bag from the backseat wasn’t as easy as I thought. I exhaled a nervous breath, my stomach in knots as I climbed back into the driver’s seat, reached for my knapsack in the back, along with my purse on the passenger seat. I didn’t make any sudden movements, and I backed away from the car, shut the car door, and shoved my purse into the bag, and swung it over my shoulder.
My hands shook from the cold and the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I dug into my pockets, retrieving a pair of leather driving gloves. They would have to suffice.