Snowbound with the Santas (Forbidden Fantasies)

30. Frankie

30

FRANKIE

“ I –I’m a murderer. I killed two people. ”

The cup slips a few inches in my hands. My fingertips snag on the rim and become the only thing stopping it from escaping my grasp and falling right to the floor. Rayne’s words don’t sound real, even as she repeats them twice and then falls completely silent.

Neither Nick nor Archer moves. They seem to be processing the revelation.

What are you supposed to say when someone says they’re a murderer?

Is this meant to be a joke? Is she speaking metaphorically? I stand in the doorway with the cup teetering on the edge of my fingertips.

“Rayne,” Archer says, and his voice is deep and serious. “What do you mean, you killed two people?”

Rayne doesn’t reply. She’s staring blankly past Nick at something in the distance. Or nothing. If I took a guess, I’d say the arrival of Ashton, her panic attack, and this confession are all she has the energy for. She now looks completely out of it and doesn’t react when Archer touches her wrist.

“Rayne? This is a… a serious thing to say. We need to know what you mean?”

“I think it was pretty clear,” Nick says tightly. “You wanted to know the truth.”

Archer’s head whips around to Nick. “You say that like it’s my fault.”

“She clearly wasn’t ready to talk about it.”

“What else are we supposed to do? We can’t wait around forever with that fucker and Mountain Security on our ass. We’re working with limited information here.”

“And forcing it out of her?”

“I didn’t force it?—”

“Enough,” I snap, raising my voice before their bickering takes over everything else. Setting the cup of water aside, I move past Nick and crouch next to Rayne.

“Rayne?”

She doesn’t respond. It’s hard to tell if she even knows that I’m here. Exhaustion lines are prominent on her face and her eyes appear glazed over. Whether it be shock, pain, or the after-effects of the panic, she is definitely not with us right now.

“It’s okay, Rayne.” I scoop her up into my arms and she still doesn’t respond. Nick rises with me as I stand, but I move past him and carry her through the cabin toward her bedroom. Rayne’s head lolls on my shoulder, but the closer I get to her room, the more she nuzzles into my neck. Her face is burning up, which I suspect is from her panic attack. I’ve had enough of those in my life to know how hard the adrenaline crash can hit.

In her bedroom, it takes some quick maneuvering to get her into bed. Pulling off her boots and socks, I lay her down as gently as I can and then draw the covers over her. She continues to stare blankly up at the ceiling, showing no reaction even when I kiss her forehead. I have to leave her briefly to collect the cup of water, and when I return, her eyes are closed.

Rest feels like the best option for her right now.

I linger in her room for a few minutes to watch over her, then I close the door and head back to the lounge where Nick and Archer are deep in conversation.

“Do you think it’s recent?” Nick asks, pacing in front of the fireplace. His somber expression is extra jarring when surrounded by sparkling Christmas lights.

“What, you think there are two bodies out there somewhere?” Archer remarks. He stands by the window, leaning against the curtain and staring out at the darkening world.

“I don’t know,” Nick replies. “She wasn’t exactly forthcoming on the details, was she?”

“So you think she was telling the truth?” I ask. I stop by the couch, standing just behind it and lightly knocking my knee against it. The slight movement helps keep my static nerves in check.

“Yes.” Archer sighs deeply. “You don’t say something like that while in that state and not mean it.”

“Unless she only believes that’s the truth,” Nick points out. “We’ve spent these past, what, three or four weeks with her? I don’t think she has a cruel bone in her body.”

“So either she killed people or she didn’t and just thinks she did,” I murmur. “Either way, if that’s her truth, then we have to take it at face value, right? Until we know more.”

“Right.” Archer nods. “Regardless, that Ashton guy seems to know all about it. But…”

“But?” Nick’s head snaps up.

“Ashton… you heard him. He was going to tell everyone the truth , he said. He didn’t mention going to the cops or anything like that. He spoke as if he wanted to expose her.”

“So… you think she didn’t kill anyone?” I ask, trying to follow his thought process.

“Maybe. Or it wasn’t recent, in which case we don’t need to worry about stumbling over some bodies.” Archer snorts. “If that little fucker is planning on telling everyone that, we have to plan for the worst-case scenario.”

“Which is?” Nick asks, although he sounds like he already knows.

“Rayne is as she says. A murderer. And the reason she ran that night and nearly got herself killed is because she ran into her ex who, for whatever reason, knows about this. Why he hasn’t told anyone before now is… odd.”

“Not really.” I press my knuckles into the couch. “You heard him. Calling her my girl . I don’t know. I don’t get the feeling that he kept this a secret through the goodness of his heart.”

“Whatever his reasoning,” Archer says, “he seems to have no qualms about spilling the beans. So whatever he knows, he must be confident in it.”

“Okay,” Nick says, and he slows his pacing. “So, we assume Rayne is telling the truth. She’s a murderer. Her ex is about to tell everyone at the ski lodge about it, which could result in two things. The cops come looking for her or her family does.”

Silence falls. Nick’s pacing picks back up, and Archer taps his fingers against the windowsill. The urge to fill the silence grows, but there’s nothing I can say. My thoughts keep jolting to a stop as soon as I consider that Rayne could have taken a life.

“Well, whatever happens, whatever help she needs, we’ll help her.” Archer moves away from the window.

“We will?” Nick asks.

My heart jumps. “What do you mean by that?”

Nick holds up his hands. “I just want to make sure we’re considering everything here and not being blinded by… feelings.”

“I’m not blinded,” Archer remarks. “Are you?”

“Of course I am,” Nick snaps. “Rayne is…” He sucks in air through his teeth. “Everything about her blinds me. I know we all would have pounded on Ashton and left him in the snow to rot because of how we feel about her, but we have to consider everything.”

“What have we not considered?” I ask, trying to ignore how true Nick’s words are. What I feel for her, what we all feel for her in such a short time, is almost too intense to talk about.

“What if she is the danger?” Nick looks each of us in the eye. “What if she is, as she says, a murderer, and she is the threat?”

I can’t hold in the scoff that rises. “Come on. She’s the sweetest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Remember how sweet Amanda was? Now she’s the fucking devil incarnate. All I’m saying is we have to consider it.”

“I can’t judge her,” Archer remarks. “I’ve got more than two people’s blood on my hands.”

“That’s different,” Nick remarks. “You’re a soldier.”

“Different?” He rolls his eyes. “Depends who you ask.”

“Okay, so you’re saying she’s a cold-blooded killer, and this is a case of she’s not locked in with us, we’re locked in with her ?” I add some jazz hands to emphasize how dumb this sounds.

Nick narrows his eyes. “Listen. I’m not saying that, but we have to consider it, okay? Just like we have to consider all the options. I’m not saying we don’t help her. I’m just saying we need to make sure we understand everything before we settle on that decision.”

No matter how I play it out in my head, Rayne being a killer for fun just doesn’t sit with me. Then again, maybe Nick is right. Maybe she really is just a talented liar and she’s been waiting out these weeks to decide whom to kill first.

“I’ve considered it,” Archer says finally. “And I say bullshit. I understand why you’re asking, though. You’ve got a kid to think about.”

Oh.

In all the chaos, Freida had slipped my mind. Of course, Nick would think things through more thoroughly. Whatever choice we make here doesn’t just affect us. It affects Nick and his entire battle to get his daughter back.

“Shit,” I murmur. “Sorry. I didn’t even think.”

Nick shrugs. “It’s fine. I did.”

“So?” Archer looks around at us. “Even if she is the killer, do we help her?” No one has an answer until Archer chuckles. “I’m kidding. Look, we can’t jump to conclusions until we know more. So… we keep that on ice until she gives us details, okay?”

Suddenly, a sharp beep echoes through the cabin and Archer lunges forward. “Shit! I forgot I was on a call with Colin.”

Nick snorts. “I’ll get it.” He hurries out of the room, leaving Archer and me to soak in the revelation.

“How’s your hand?” I ask.

Archer glances down at it, then flexes his fingers. “Had worse.”

“Come on.” Tilting my head, I head into the kitchen, and Archer follows after a minute or so.

“I don’t need you to patch me up.”

“Sit the fuck down and let me. I feel like I’m losing control, so just let me, okay?” I slam the medical kit down on the table harder than I intend, but it helps emphasize my point.

Archer sits across from me and holds out his hand. “Are you okay?”

“None of us are,” I reply, pouring some antiseptic onto a cotton pad. “We’re all scarred, secluded men in love with a woman we found in the snow who may or may not be a serial killer.”

“Not a serial killer.” Archer snorts. “She only killed two.”

“Well, whatever.” As I dab at the scrape on Archer’s knuckles, my shoulders drop. “Is it weird that I still feel insanely protective over her?”

“No,” he replies simply. “I do too.”

“I don’t know how to protect her from this, though.”

“Maybe we can’t.” Archer sighs, and his hand flinches slightly. “But we can help her through it. Whatever it is.”

I nod slowly, trying to plan how the conversation with the cops would go if it turns out she is killing people intentionally, but all I can think of is that sweet little smile she gives when she gets a compliment.

Nick appears in the kitchen just as I finish cleaning Archer’s knuckles, and he’s pale.

“What is it?” Archer demands immediately. “What is it?”

Nick slumps down into a chair. “It’s Amanda.”

“Has something happened?” My heart immediately tightens as Freida surges through my thoughts.

“No, well… Colin stayed on the line because he had more to tell us. She’s here.”

“Here?” Archer exclaims.

“Yep. She’s down in the ski lodge. Apparently, she arrived just before Christmas to see me, but they kept her down there because of the storm and just couldn’t tell us because of the bad connection.”

“Holy shit.” I lean back in my chair. “What do you think she wants?”

“Fuck knows,” Nick growls, and the anger suddenly becomes clear. “But I know she left Freida at Christmas to come here, so it can’t be good. I have to go see her.”

Archer and I glance at one another.

“We’ll all go,” Archer says. “You’re not facing her alone.”

“Even Rayne?” I ask.

Archer nods. “We’ve got no choice. Two birds, one stone, I guess.”