Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
ZACH
The overhead lights are too bright for this little room, but I force myself to look the state attorney in the eye as he reads me the legal steps of the deposition.
Watching via a secure video conference link from Alaska and the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Department is Deputy Hunter McCabe, and federal arson investigator Brian Ambrose, a friendly face I haven’t seen since I left the foster care system, and a studious-looking woman in a blue suit whom I don’t know.
“Do you swear to tell the truth and only the truth in this recorded statement?” State Attorney Ned Thompson asks next to me, his deep brown eyes steady.
“I swear,” I say.
“And are you aware this statement will be used in a court of law during the discovery phase of any related legal action by either Kristov Stoll’s council, the State of Alaska, or federal prosecutors?”
“I understand.”
“Also present is Deputy Hunter McCabe of the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Department, ATF Special Agent Brian Ambrose, and Alaska State Attorney Serena Baker, who is overseeing the case against Kristov Stoll. ”
Alaska State Attorney Serena Baker gives me a kind smile. “Thanks for being here, Zach.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Hey, Zach,” Hunter says.
Hearing his steady voice again brings Alaska that much closer. His brother Evan and the McCabes were my safe landing when everything went to hell with Kristov. Evan’s wife, Tasha, helped me craft a temporary custody agreement that would keep William safe while I went into hiding.
While I want to ask Hunter about William, my deposition is not the place.
“Hey,” I reply, and give him a quick glance.
Brian gives me a nod of support—one I can practically feel through the comm line. Back when I first ended up in foster care, Brian looked out for me. At one time, I thought I’d become a firefighter like him. But that was before Kristov and the arson fire that destroyed my dad’s vet clinic. I had to distance myself from Brian after that. Does he understand my motivations, and that’s why he’s here? Or is he fishing for information that will tie me to Kristov’s crimes?
“All right.” State Attorney Thompson turns the top page of the stack in front of him, bringing us back to our purpose. “Please describe your relationship with the defendant, Kristov Stoll.”
My fingers start tingling, so I flex and release them under the table. “He married my mom about four years ago. We had been in foster care before that. There wasn’t—” I have to pause as the memories flood through my mind “—enough to eat. And William kept getting into fights at school.” I had been trying so hard to pull my family through that time. Working two jobs, trying to get mom to stop drinking, but things just got worse.
“Kristov and Mom visited us at the OCS home in McKenzie. That’s where he met Terrilynn Silva.”
“What was your relationship to Ms. Silva?” State Attorney Thompson asks, sending me a shrewd look.
“She was my friend.”
“Were you in a sexual relationship with her?”
Shit. They’re coming in hard. “No. ”
“You claim Terrilynn was working for Kristov. Did you witness this?”
I explain how Kristov befriended her. Gave her compliments. Bought her things. At first, I didn’t understand. I didn’t know him well enough yet. “Terrilynn was desperate to get out of Alaska. Kristov lured her into prostitution. Then he got her to help him set fire to my dad’s clinic. She tried to run, but they caught her.”
From the screen, Brian Ambrose grimaces. “State Attorney Thompson, may I?” He waits for permission, then asks me, “How did Terrilynn assist with the arson fire at the clinic?”
“I think she got a key from the desk.”
“How did this come about?”
I heave a full breath as the memory unspools. “I hadn’t seen Terrilynn in a little while. I was at the clinic like I always was in the early evening, cleaning up. The business was holding on by a thread. I needed to turn things around, but my mom kept changing her mind, and I couldn’t do anything on my own. I was about to inherit the clinic, so I was doing everything I could to keep it afloat.
“Terrilynn came by and we talked. She confessed that she’d made a mistake trusting Kristov. He’d gotten her pregnant, and she wanted to keep the baby. She wanted a fresh start. I was proud of her, actually. She sounded like she’d figured some things out. By no means was she choosing the easy path, but I remember feeling hopeful. Maybe things would work out for both of us.
“A few days later, the spare keys in the reception desk were missing. I didn’t even think about Terrilynn’s visit until she was found in Porcupine Creek. A lot of things came together then. I think Kristov used her to get a key to the clinic, and then he murdered her.”
A heavy silence hangs in the air.
I force in a cooling breath. In the middle of the table are several plastic water bottles. I lean forward and reach for one. Cracking the lid, I bring it to my lips. The water is warm, but it helps settle my thoughts.
“Stoll is accusing you of arson,” Brian says.
“Yeah, how does that work when he’s the one who got the money?”
Attorney Thompson raises a palm. “You’ve stated before that you didn’t know he’d married your mom. Maybe the idea of running the clinic was too much. You said it yourself, Zach. The business was on the brink of bankruptcy. Anyone would understand what you were up against. Your mother had turned to drugs. She wasn’t able to care for William or you. You weren’t even out of high school. Running a large animal veterinary clinic is a big job. Even selling it would have been complicated, and certainly not a guarantee. The insurance money would have helped you through a really tough time.”
It takes everything I have not to crush this water bottle in my fist. “I would never do that to my dad. I was weeks away from inheriting the clinic. I could have turned everything around.”
Brian nods, his mouth set in a grim line.
“Let’s talk about your relationship with Stoll,” State Attorney Thompson says.
My fingers start tingling again. Sofie told me it’s a kind of nervous system activation, a sign of stress when someone is reliving a bad experience. I breathe in and out slowly once, twice, focusing on the feel of the chair under me and the ground beneath my feet. Slowly, the tingles subside.
“He was abusive.”
State Attorney Thompson grimaces while Hunter clenches his eyes shut for a moment. “To you, or William, or both?”
“Me. He tried to get at William, but I fought him.”
The attorney flips to a new page in the stack. “You were a star athlete. Baseball, football, track…”
“I was no star, sir. But I did play, yeah.”
“Hospital records show you were admitted for wounds and several broken bones a few months before the vet clinic fire. The report states you fell down the stairs.”
“It’s true.” I search Hunter’s gaze, then the attorney’s, looking for reassurance that changing my story isn’t a mistake.
“But you had help?” Hunter asks, his face tense.
I clench and unclench my fingers. “Yeah. From Kristov. He was in William’s room.”
Hunter nods.
“And the broken window you somehow fell through, what really happened there? ”
“I had some help with that one, too.”
I stare at the table as old fears fire through me, making my fingers shake and my head buzz. “I thought he was going to kill me.”
State Attorney Thompson releases a slow breath.
Do they believe me? It’s my word against Kristov’s. Is it enough?
“Why would he want you dead?”
I huff a deep breath. Just a little more and I can be done with this. “I knew how he got to Terrilynn. And I knew he set fire my dad’s vet clinic. But more than that, Kristov wanted William, and if I was dead, there would be nobody to stop him.”
“Why William?”
The tingles spread up my chest and into the pit of my stomach. “Because he’s a predator.” I stare the attorney down. We aren’t going any further down this road—those memories are locked away, and nothing he can say to me will change that.
State Attorney Thompson and Hunter lock eyes for an instant.
“I think we stop here for now,” Alaska State Attorney Baker says.
The others agree, and I release a measured breath while the deposition comes to its formal closure. The TV screen goes blank and State Attorney Thompson slides his documents and his laptop into a briefcase.
His office phone rings, but I tune out the attorney’s answer until he hands me the phone, a soft expression in his eyes. “It’s for you.”
Confused, I lift the clunky receiver to my ear. “Hello?”
“Zach?”
I suck in a breath but it lodges in my throat. I grip the back of my neck—something to hold onto. “William. Hey, buddy.”
His voice is changing—gone is the softer adolescent tone. No doubt he’s grown, too. An ache for all that I’ve missed rips through me, hot and powerful.
“Where are you?” he asks.
The emotions I’ve kept trapped inside me fizz under my skin. I run a hand through my hair, but it does little to keep me grounded.
State Attorney Thompson steps past me, and a moment later, the door clicks shut behind him, leaving me alone.
“I’m in a little town called Finn River,” I say .
“Evan said you’re coming home.”
The prickles turn hot. “Yeah.”
“When?”
“Really soon.”
“Oh good. I miss you.”
My heart presses painfully against my ribs. “I’ve missed you so much. We have a lot of catching up to do, don’t we?”
“Yeah. We’ll be together, right? For good this time.”
I squeeze the back of my neck as the tears splat on the desk. He’s safe. We’re safe.
But going to him means leaving here. Leaving Sofie.
“Yeah, bud. For good.”
I whip the sled around, huffing after the long climb, and hold it steady while Linnie and Sofie climb on. Next to us, Ava, Hutch, and Linnie’s friend Maryanne climb onto the other sled.
Hutch and I lock eyes, then shove off and jump on behind the girls.
Linnie and Maryanne both shriek in delight as our toboggans fly down the hill, flashing past the other sledders climbing and descending, their brightly colored snow clothing a blur.
The cold air burns my eyes and stings my teeth.
“We’re going to crash!” Linnie cries.
“Hold on!” I steer us past a bump but the right edge flips up and we all go tumbling. I scramble for Sofie and Linn, but they’re both cackling so hard they can barely get a breath.
“Dad’s here!” Linnea says, scrambling to her feet and racing down the slope to Rowdy.
He swallows her up in a giant hug while I pull Sofie to her feet. She smiles, her eyes playful, and gives me a quick kiss before tugging me to where Rowdy is swinging Linnie around, laughing.
It’s been almost a week since the blizzard and the awful events that happened. After they released us from the hospital, I went home with Sofie. Those first two days, we both slept a lot, the two of us tangled up in her big bed or curled up on the couch. Since then, we’ve spent most nights in my little room above the Hutton’s barn. We’ve had a lot of making up to do. The bed is cramped, but the couch and the bathroom counter have proved quite useful. Plus it’s private, and I’m now officially addicted to the sweet music we make together.
I squeeze Sofie’s hand and she grins back at me, as if reading my thoughts.
Neve and Jesse join us, holding hands, and all of us trudge back to the hill, sleds in tow.
With the arrests of Dustin and Kai, my security job at the ranch was terminated. Stu offered me a mechanic intern position this winter, but I turned him down. While the idea of working outside is appealing, I’d rather devote my energy to a job I’m passionate about. I think I know what that might be, but there are too many unknowns right now.
Kristov is in jail, awaiting his trial. I’ll have to testify, but I’m not afraid. His network has been disbanded and more arrests have been made, including several high-powered government officials and a former Russian intelligence agent. It’s boggling to think Kristov was connected like that, but it doesn’t matter now. He’s going to spend the rest of his sorry life in prison.
I talk to William every day, and every day he asks when I’m coming. I’ll need to give him an answer soon, especially with the approaching holidays.
“Hi, Sofie!” A small person in a baby blue one-piece snow suit wraps his arms around Sofie’s legs.
“Arlo?” She gets down on her knees to smile at the boy.
“Sofie!” a man with bright hazel eyes and a tanned face cheers. He’s towing a sled and dressed in black ski pants and a red coat. A man behind him, clearly a private security detail or bodyguard, stands five feet away.
Sofie jumps up and smiles. “Couldn’t resist the famous Finn River Sled Hill, huh?”
The dad laughs, and it’s then I recognize him.
“Mr. Lennox is a member at Finn River,” Sofie says to us. “Sometimes I get to spend time with Arlo. ”
I try not to stare. It’s no secret the rich and famous frequent Finn River Ranch, but Teague Lennox is my first movie star.
“Is this your family?” Mr. Lennox asks, smiling at our little crowd.
Sofie introduces Rowdy, me, Jesse, and Neve, and points at Linnea across the hill.
I’m the only one without a label. It shouldn’t bother me, but it does.
“I’m glad I ran into you,” Mr. Lennox says to Sofie. “Could we talk later?”
My insides turn molten because what the fuck does he want, and why is he looking at her like he already has it?
Sofie’s smile falters, but she’s quick to hide it. “Sure.”
“Ride with me, Sofie, please?” Arlo asks, tugging on her hand.
“You know it!” Sofie says, and races off with him in tow.
“Hey, Zach! Help!” Hutch calls from behind me as Linnie and Maryanne tackle him in a heap.
It takes me longer than I’d like to admit extracting Hutch from the assault of two preteen girls. They take off squealing.
Hutch shakes out the snow from inside his coat and glances over to where Rowdy and Teague Lennox are still chatting with Neve and Jesse.
“Who’s that?”
I fight the annoyance bubbling under my skin. “Teague Lennox.”
Hutch scans the hill. I’ve noticed he does this. Especially around Ava. “Did Sofie invite him?”
Did she? “Maybe.”
We fall into step on the up-track with the sleds dragging behind us.
“Sofie still taking that job with him?” Hutch asks.
“What?” I stop, my breaths suddenly sharp in my chest.
Hutch’s quick eyes take me in. “The nanny gig overseas. What, you didn’t know?”
I force another breath, but my throat is too tight.
Hutch winces. “Shit. Maybe I was supposed to keep that under wraps.”
“Not your fault.”
My mind goes end over end. Why hasn’t Sofie said anything to me? Is she really taking a nanny job… overseas? How long will she be gone? An d what about that look Teague Lennox gave her? Like he wants more than just a nanny.
“I thought you were letting her go,” Hutch says, giving me a sideways glance.
I tear my attention away from the top of the hill where Sofie is settling behind Arlo on the sled. “Sorry, what?”
His jaw tenses. “You’re leaving, right? Alaska?”
“My brother is there. I have to go.”
He sizes me up, like I’m slow. “Doesn’t mean you have to stay there.”
“I can’t force my brother to leave, not after everything he’s been through.”
“What if he’s willing?” Hutch’s eyebrows arch. “Finn River is a kickass place to grow up.”
A lump thickens in my throat. I remember that moment in Sofie’s kitchen, dancing like a fool while Linnie heckled us. But this time, I picture William there too, his eyes bright as he takes it all in.
“Do you think Sofie would stay?” I gulp a quick breath to steady my voice because what if this dream isn’t impossible? “For me?”
Hutch gives me a soft smile. “Maybe it’s time you asked her.”