Mountain Refuge (Mountain Mutineers #1)

Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Brooke

E lijah clung to my back as I guided the snowmobile down the steep, snow covered slope. This was his first time off the mountain since he’d arrived almost fifteen months ago. It was hard to believe how much had changed, how much I had changed, in fifteen months.

Jack had called us this morning to say that Josie and Trenton had finally made it to town. We were on our way down to see them. Elijah had become proficient in driving the snowmobiles, but the way down the foot of the mountain was far different than being up in the saddle where we lived. Which was why he was riding with me instead of on his own.

We were meeting at Jack’s store and then would be guiding them up to Tommy’s land, where Corbin and Walter would be meeting us later. Corbin would bring Elijah back up to his cabin, I would take Trenton to mine for the night, and Josie would be heading up with Walter to his land.

I hadn’t been down to town since before Thanksgiving. Celebrating holidays and birthdays was another change in my life since Elijah and his kids had entered it. I had had my first birthday party in a decade last fall. Belle had asked when my birthday was and that was that. Same with Christmas, Thanksgiving, and even Halloween. Since Belle couldn’t go Trick or Treating like other kids in town, Corbin had made a scavenger hunt on his land where he hid candy and treats for Belle and Lucas to find. Elijah and I had spent Valentine’s Day in front of the fireplace in my living room last week.

It was interesting how much the presence of children on the mountain had changed us. Dalton, Corbin, and I had always looked out for each other and pitched in to aid Tommy too, especially after Tommy’s hip fracture. But now we weren’t just neighbors. We were friends .

I’m not even sure I had such an active social life when I was married and living in the city with my family as I do now.

Being winter, it was entirely reasonable for Elijah’s face to be completely covered. Mine was too. As we entered town, we got several curious glances. It was extremely rare for the notorious ‘mountain men’ who lived up Big Mountain to journey down into town—and even rarer during the winter.

The ski resort was in full swing and the town was flooded with tourists. The resort rented out snowmobiles for guests to use like a rental car. As a snow town, it was not unusual to see more snowmobiles than cars on the road during the winter months. We headed down the road towards Jack’s store.

I saw the curious looks from the locals. Over the years, I had heard all sorts of rumors about the ‘mountain men’. Most of them believed I was one of their wives or some sort of mountain man hooker that they shared. There was talk about cannibalism and how we hunted missing tourists for sport. We did nothing to stop any of these rumors. Hell, no one would believe us even if we tried. Truthfully, none of us cared enough about anyone in town for us to correct their opinion of us. Jack didn’t bother to defend our reputations either, because he knew that the ridiculous legends kept locals and tourists from journeying up our mountain.

After I parked, we dismounted but did not remove our snow gear. We left our faces covered until we entered the front door of Jack’s store.

A young man I didn’t recognize was sitting behind the counter. He had sandy brown hair and a unique shade of amber eyes. I placed him in his early twenties, which was why I didn’t guess who he was right away.

“They’re in the back with Jack,” he told us.

This was Owen? This kid had rescued Trenton and Josie? And he’d faced down how many of Gunther’s goons to do it? I was a bit grateful for the flannel face mask and goggles covering my face and what was no doubt an astonished expression.

“Thanks,” I said, my voice muffled by the mask. I took Elijah’s hand and led him towards the storage room. He had removed his goggles, so I could see his eyes taking in everything about Jack’s store. I doubted he even noticed Owen or his youth.

I guided Elijah through to the large door that hid Jack’s real business. He was waiting for us, closing us into the secret room. Once there, we started to unbundle our snow gear.

I had only been in Jack’s computer room a handful of times. There was never a need for me to be back here, other than following Jack’s initial pitch to become a Mutineer and then two other times when I’d happened to be in his store when a situation had arisen. The room had more television screens mounted around the walls than a NASA command center. He had a single desk with a keyboard and a picture of a schoolgirl I had never had the guts to inquire about. I suspected she was his daughter, but Jack had never mentioned having or having had a family. Based on the age of the picture, she was either dead or Jack was long estranged from her.

Never before had I seen bed cots set up along the left wall. They were likely pulled from Jack’s camping supply products in his store. Most of the computer screens were now turned off, giving the room a dark and dreary look to it. I’d never noticed how little overhead lighting was here before because the screens gave off so much glow.

On the cots were two very bruised and battered people I had never met before but now claimed as part of my mountain family.

Trenton was passed out. He had a cast over one hand and a splint on the other. His head was tipped away from us on the camping pillow. He had as blonde of hair as Belle and me with natural highlights. I wondered if his eyes matched Belle’s too. Unconscious, with his jaw swollen and what looked like cotton hanging out over his lip, he looked far younger than his twenty-three years. A thin blanket covered him from the chest down, hiding any other obvious injuries.

On the other cot was the woman I could only assume to be Josie. She too had a cast on her hand, though hers went further up to her elbow than Trenton’s did. Her left eye was puffy and colorful, but she was able to blink and move the eyelid. She had two butterfly bandages on her left cheek. Her split lip looked almost healed. She was sitting up on the cot with her back against the wall and her knees raised before her. I recognized the hardened look on her face: it was one I saw too often in the mirror myself. It was the look of a woman who had hit rock bottom but refused to stay down.

Her long black hair was up in a simple ponytail. From the gun in her left hand, I realized why she wasn’t sleeping. She was still trying to protect Trenton. Jack might have told her we were coming, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Most likely, she blamed herself for Trenton’s condition and was taking care of him more than she was herself.

Due to that realization, I was grateful Walter was coming down to take Josie up to his cabin. It would give her a chance to heal and rest instead of being hyper-focused on still protecting Trenton. The mountain and I would protect her charge until she was ready to take him back into her protection.

Jack was sitting at his desk, but he wasn’t working his computer magic. Instead, it looked like he was counting medication bottles and various first aid supplies. That would make sense. It wasn’t like we had a pharmacy up on the mountain. Anything they needed medical-wise needed to be brought with us. Including antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatories… Most of us used home remedies, but there was no reason for Josie or Trenton to be in undue pain just because the other mountain dwellers and I did not want to rely on medications from town.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Jack said as he stood up. He walked up to Elijah and held out his hand. “Good to finally meet you, son.”

Elijah shook his offered hand. “You too. I’m sorry it’s taken these circumstances to get me to come off of the mountain.”

Jack waved off Elijah’s words. “I am the last person you need to explain staying on that mountain to. I understand its allure probably better than you do.”

I thought his wording odd. As far as I knew, Jack did not and never had lived on the mountain. He lived in an apartment above his store here.

Jack turned towards me and held out his arms. “Kitten, you look good.”

I smiled and accepted the hug from my old friend. I never asked why he always called me ‘Kitten’ and I probably never would. I loved the pet name. It gave a fatherly feel to our relationship, which is something I sorely lacked in my life since my own father’s betrayal. “Jack, you’re looking old.”

He chuckled, stepping back to chuck me on the chin.

Then he rolled his desk chair over towards the cots and gestured for me to take a seat. Since it was the only chair in the room, I glared at him and held my ground until he sat down himself. I didn’t know Jack’s exact age or even his birthday, but I placed him in his mid-sixties. Like hell I was sitting down while he was forced to stand, even if chivalry demanded it of him.

“Josie, I’d like you to meet Brooke and Elijah.”

Her eyes passed me over and landed on Elijah. Jealousy was a new emotion for me. As the only woman not related to Elijah in some way, I hadn’t experienced it before in our relationship. I’m not even sure I had during my marriage to Tyler and wondered if that was because I’d been secure in our relationship or blind.

It took me a second to realize that Josie’s appraisal of Elijah wasn’t sexual. It was calculating and assessing. Like she was trying to determine if he was a good guy or a bad guy.

“Wasted a lot of time and money looking for you, Mr. Greene.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elijah’s wince. “I don’t go by that name anymore.”

Josie nodded once. “For good reason. Even if Jack gets you cleared of all charges, you’re still going to have a bounty on your head. A lot of people blame you for Gunther’s downfall.”

“I hear that trophy belongs to you,” Elijah parried back. “Took a lot of guts to take Gunther on like that.”

“Yeah,” Josie scoffed, and then winced in pain. She put a hand to her ribs, making me think she either had a fractured or bruised rib or ribs. “Guts aren’t something I’ve ever lacked.” She lifted her casted hand up slightly. “Two working hands, though, seem to be in short supply around these parts.”

My eyes landed on Trenton, who was still slumbering, as I’m sure Elijah’s did. “How is he?” I asked, my voice low and full of concern. Even in sleep, I could see he was in pain.

I recalled seeing pictures of Sebastian Gunther from my time on the force. The man was short and stalky. Trenton, though, was tall and lanky. Like someone had taken a younger version on Gunther and stretched him like a Gumby. I couldn’t see his eyes as he slept, but he had the same obsidian hair as his father.

“The doc Owen took us to was able to reattach all but the one finger we couldn’t find.” There was a detachment to Josie’s voice that made me believe she was trying not to think about how much the kid was suffering. From what little I knew about Josie, and how I knew I would react, she was likely blaming herself for his condition. “Jack was able to get a dentist to come to the clinic too. He was only able to reattach two of his teeth. In time, he’ll be able to get partial dentures if he wants. After everything else, his broken nose almost seems anticlimactic.”

Elijah approached the cot where the young man lay. He knelt down, gently running his hand through the man’s blonde hair. “He’s braver than I ever gave him credit for. He took a bullet for me the night we escaped.”

I saw Josie’s brows furrow. “I never knew that,” she said softly.

Trenton muttered something in his sleep but did not wake.

I turned to Josie. “How are you ?”

Her face hardened, as did her voice. “I’m fine.”

I didn’t believe her. Neither, apparently, did Jack. “You have a fractured hand that required reconstructive surgery, Josie. You are not fine .”

“I am fine ,” she snapped back at him. “My hand is nothing in comparison to what those bastards were going to do to me. If I had my way, they’d still be alive so I could teach them a lesson.”

The venom in her voice was palpable.

Jack’s own face darkened. “While I agree with you, and I wish I could provide them to you to seek your own justice when you’re mentally and physically ready, you know that Owen had no choice but to dispose of them as quietly and as quickly as he could.”

Josie turned her face away, looking like a petulant child who had just had her favorite toy taken away. It was hard to tell in the low lighting and with her bruises, but I guessed her to be a few years older than Elijah and me.

“I understand your anger,” Jack told her softly. “All I can offer you is a piece of Gunther when I finally find him.”

Josie glanced over her shoulder at him. “Just a piece?”

“He owes a lot of people blood, Josie.” Jack’s chuckle had a hint of malice to it I had never heard before. “You have to share, but you’ll have your turn.”

That answer seemed to satisfy Josie. She even grinned as widely as her split lip would allow.

“Do you have any news on Gunther?” Elijah asked from behind me. “Anything at all.”

“I have a few leads some of my men are checking out,” Jack said cryptically. “With the loss of his men, he needs to find others. He’s low on cash but has assets he could sell to get what he needs. I’m looking into a black-market art auction that looks promising. He’s been known to frequent it before.”

I walked over to where Elijah was still kneeling by Trenton’s cot. I put my hands on his shoulders and leaned down to press a kiss into his hair. “Once we get back up the mountain, Gunther will no longer be our problem.”

“Weather’s supposed to turn tomorrow,” he reminded me. “We need to get back up before dawn.”

He still didn’t like our current sleeping arrangement. I wasn’t too thrilled about being separated from him either, but it wasn’t like we were next door neighbors where he could walk across the street to check on his kids. Until the weather was better and we could get all of the kids’ supplies down to my cabin, it just wasn’t feasible to swap sleeping arrangements yet .

“I’ll have Owen carry Trenton out to the Jeep ,” Jack said, standing. “The sooner we get them up the mountain, the better.”

“What medications are needed?” I asked him.

“I’ll get Trenton,” Elijah offered. “I just need to know where to go.”

As Elijah started to get bundled up, Jack gave me instructions for each patient and separated the necessary pills into two different zippered baggies. I assisted Josie into a heavier coat and snow boots. She wouldn’t be exposed long, but in this weather, it wasn’t worth the risk. She was already injured and did not need to complicate her health further.

Once Elijah was bundled up, he lifted Trenton under his knees and behind his back. Jack went out first to ensure the coast was clear. He held the backdoor open for us. I guided Josie to the front seat of the Jeep while Elijah laid Trenton down. I wondered if he’d been given a sedative since he’d barely moved during the transfer.

Then Jack went to switch places with Owen. Since Jack didn’t have any regular employees, it was noticed when he closed down and locked his doors. Everyone in town knew when Jack had a doctor’s appointment or such because those were the rare times when the store was closed or he had a townie watching the register.

Once Owen was ready, Elijah and I headed for my snowmobile. Jack would send the signal up to Corbin and Walter that we were headed to Tommy’s.

Looking up at the heavy clouds rolling in, I hoped we made it back to our respective homes in time.