7. Rhys
Chapter seven
Rhys
R hys stared morosely at the condensation rolling down the outside of his glass. Fitzgeralds was doing a roaring trade tonight, but he wasn’t in the mood for drinking—or anything else since walking out of Brianna’s store the day before.
“Are you going to drink that, or just sulk in its general direction?”
Rhys sighed. “Be my guest.” He pushed the beer across the table, where a few members of the Cantrell Mountain Rescue team were taking some time out after a week of back-to-back missions. He’d barely seen Adelaide or Riley all week—they were either pulling long hours with the rest of the team, or crashed out asleep at home. The silence at home was getting to him, and he figured that trying to be sociable at the pub was better than being alone with his thoughts.
His phone buzzed briefly, but he ignored it. In a dark moment the night before, his thoughts turned to leaving Cantrell and heading back to the ski resort life. But after messaging his boss to see if his old job was still available, he changed his mind again. He’d promised Brianna time to decide what she wanted, and he suspected disappearing from town wouldn’t do him any favors in her eyes. And he still needed to tell her that he was her landlord…
Another vibration interrupted his musing and he flipped his phone over, intending to put it on silent, when his eyes were drawn to the latest unread message on the screen.
Need your help. Can you come?
He dialed her number as he walked out the door, assuming Katerina must have come back and Brianna wanted help getting rid of her. To his surprise, he got her voicemail.
While phone coverage could be patchy in the hills around Cantrell, it was generally pretty reliable in town itself. But maybe the network was overloaded with people sending mushy messages back and forth ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Note to self: Stay off social media for the next forty-eight hours until V-Day is over…
“Hi, you’ve reached Brianna Cunningham from A Moonlit Night Bookstore, Colorado. I can’t take your call right now, but if you leave a message, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Have a great day!”
“Bree, I just got your message. Call me back and let me know what I can help with.” He paused for a second, wondering how far to push it. She’d asked for space, after all. “I, umm, I hope everything’s okay. Bye…”
He followed it up with a message, just in case she couldn’t access her voicemail for any reason.
Tried calling but couldn’t get through. Let me know where you are and what you need. Hope everything’s okay
He leaned on the wall outside Fitzgeralds, nodding at a couple of people he recognized as they walked past. He should just head back inside to his beer and his friends, but Brianna’s message weighed heavily on his mind. Where was she, and why did she want his help?
Making a decision, he walked as quickly as he could down the road towards her shop, fishing his keys out of his pocket as he went. He would have run, but the sidewalk was icy in patches and he didn’t have time for a broken leg right now.
To his surprise, the shop was dark. He peered through the front window—Brianna had posted a video that morning showing her taking the paper off, and like a sucker he had watched it over and over again, just to hear her voice—but there was no sign of her, or Katerina.
He hesitated for only a moment before using his keys to open the shop, then the internal door that led to her apartment above.
“Brianna,” he called, as a chill crawled up his spine. If she wasn’t here or in the shop, then where was she, and why did she need his help? The scenarios started running unbidden through his head: a car crash on the icy mountain roads, kidnapped by Katerina, or having a panic attack at the grocery store…
Stop. Think of it like a mission: establish the facts, create the plan, get the results.
He walked around her apartment, intent on finding something that might help him work out where she was. Nothing in her bedroom, bathroom or kitchen looked out of the ordinary, but a collection of used tissues piled haphazardly on the couch seemed at odds with the otherwise tidy apartment.
He stepped closer and discovered a wadded-up fleece blanket and an empty ice-cream container. He might have been a guy, but he knew the signs of an emotional meltdown on the couch when he saw one. Mint chocolate chip had been his good friend too, in the weeks and months after his surgeries.
He pulled out his phone and called Adelaide.
She answered groggily and he realized that he’d woken her up. “What is it? This had better be good.”
He didn’t bother rising to the bait. “Have you seen Brianna?”
“Not since this morning when I was getting coffee. Why?”
“She sent me a message earlier asking me to come and help her, but she’s not at the shop or her apartment.”
“So maybe it wasn’t meant for you. Aren’t you taking some time apart anyway?”
Rhys sighed. He hadn’t seen Adelaide since his last conversation with Brianna, but clearly Riley had told her what was going on. “Who else would she be messaging? She only knows a handful of people here.”
There was a scuffle at Adelaide’s end before Riley’s authoritative voice came down the phone. “Does it look like the place has been broken into?”
“The door was locked when I came in. No broken glass that I can see.”
“Know anyone that might have harmed her? The crazy hat lady, maybe?”
“She never mentioned any stalker exes. And Katerina seemed weird but wasn’t making any threats yesterday.” He wondered if he should mention what he found on her sofa. “And, uh, it looks like she’s been pretty upset about something. Sofa, ice cream, tissues, you get the idea.”
“Alright, I’ll give the sheriff’s office a call and see what they think we should do. Stay where you are, just in case she comes back, and let me know if anything changes in the meantime.”
The line went dead, and Rhys rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his muscles that were tense with strain. Everything pointed to something happening to Brianna, but there were no obvious threads to pull. Where was she, and why did she need his help?
He paced up and down the hallway between the store and the downstairs kitchen, too wired to sit patiently and wait for Riley to call him back or for law enforcement to show up. Even though he had a key, and it was a potential emergency, he didn’t feel one hundred percent comfortable being in Brianna’s private living space without her there any longer than necessary.
As he looked across the shop floor, he saw the blinking light of her computer, and the lock screen image. It was a selfie she took during their hike at Lake San Christobal, just after their second kiss. His lips were puffy, her hair was a mess, and they were both grinning like idiots. He tapped the screen and it flashed up asking for a pin code. His heart sank. He was no computer hacker, and there could be millions of possible combinations.
As he gripped the desk, using deep breathing to slow his heart rate down, his eyes landed on a piece of paper taped to the corner of the computer screen. He could just make out the words in the dim light of the screen.
PW: Nana DOB
He would have a chat to her about computer security later, he rationalized, pulling out his phone to search the internet. With any luck, there would be a death notice or something—anything—that would give him her Nana’s date of birth. With shaking hands, he typed “Brianna Cunningham grandmother obituary” into the search bar… and struck gold.
On the first page of results, there was a listing for a Sheila Cunningham, with birth and death dates, and Brianna was one of the grandchildren listed.
He painstakingly typed ‘031429’ into Brianna’s computer, opened the browser window, and sighed in relief. Her last internet search was for hiking tracks near Cantrell, and there was one in particular that she had opened in a new tab.
He recognized the track instantly. It was Adelaide and Riley’s favorite, where they’d been reunited unexpectedly after four years apart. His gut was telling him that whatever made her send that message, it was happening somewhere in the vicinity of Rattlesnake Ridge.
He looked at his jeans and sighed. He wasn’t dressed for a search and rescue mission at all, but technically he wasn’t a fully operational member of the Cantrell Mountain Rescue team just yet, so maybe they would cut him some slack.
Only yesterday he’d been sitting on the floor right next to where he was now, hastily chewing a Valentine’s Day candy with a cheesy love message written on it. The thought reminded him that he should take some food with him, and the candy would be perfect. Hopefully she had more around here somewhere, otherwise he would be scrounging around in his truck for a stale granola bar.
He opened the top drawer under the till and chuckled when he found multiple unopened bags of candy.
Makes sense that she would have bought in bulk, given her plans to open on Valentine’s Day…
He’d put the computer to sleep, plunging the store back into darkness, and was making his way across the room when the front door suddenly opened.
“Are you sure about this, Katerina?” He didn’t recognize the whispered voice, but the mention of Katerina made him pause. There was absolutely no reason for her to be coming back so soon, and definitely not after 9 p.m. when the shop was obviously closed.
“Don’t question me, girl! We talked about this. I want the names of the suppliers she is working with.” Even if the name hadn’t given it away, the Eastern European accent was unmistakable. “Look for a notebook, laptop, anything like that where a list could be.”
He took a moment to get his bearings. It was a long time since he’d needed to put his stealth training to good use, and if he accidentally walked into an obstacle, the two women would know something was up.
Standing with his back against the shelves, he could just could make out Katerina looking around the front counter, while the other person—her new assistant, he presumed—made a half-hearted effort of searching the books stacked on a display nearby. He inched forward and ran his hand lightly across the wall, looking for the light switch he knew was there somewhere.
He flicked the switch on and was rewarded with a loud curse word from Katerina.
“You!” She bellowed. “Always popping up out of nowhere!”
“I could say the same about you,” he countered, moving swiftly to stand in front of the front door. “What do you want this time?”
“I thought that was obvious.” She spread her arms wide. “I want this shop. My new assistant,” she pointed to the other woman, who was studiously avoiding Rhys’ eye, “is all across social media, and found Brianna’s little venture. I don’t have much of a foothold in Colorado yet… but that could all change. But perhaps I should ask, why are you here, skulking around in the dark?”
“I own this shop, and Brianna’s my tenant,” Rhys bit out impatiently. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a patrol car gliding to a stop across the road. If he could keep her talking long enough until the sheriff arrived, he could hand both of them over then get back to his original mission.
“Is that right?” Katerina’s eyes lit up, her objections from the day before clearly overcome by his status as a property owner. She started gliding towards him, her intent clear.”
“Not interested, lady. Not now, not ever. I can’t make it any plainer than this: Brianna’s not just my tenant: she’s my whole world.” He opened the door to the sheriff, who was clearly surprised to see three people in the store instead of one. “I can fill you in on the details later, Sheriff, but I’d suggest taking these two down to your office and asking some hard questions about why they’re here, in a store they don’t own, so late at night.”
“Don’t worry.” The sheriff’s face was hard. “I ran Katerina’s name through the system, on a hunch, when Riley reported Brianna missing. Turns out I’m not the only branch of law enforcement who has some questions for her.”
“Do whatever you need to do.” He pulled the shop key from his keyring and pressed it into the sheriff’s hand. “I’ve got to go.”
He walked back to where his truck was parked, firing off a quick message to Riley at the same time.
I think she’s up Rattlesnake Ridge. Going to get her.
His phone rang immediately but he ignored it. He was breaking every single rule of search and rescue by going out on his own, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in danger, and there was no time to wait for the others to get themselves organized.
His heart pounded as he reached the lookout on the ridge. He worked out often enough to be moderately in shape, but he was going up the switchbacks as fast as he dared.
As he had every fifty yards since finding Brianna’s navy hatchback at the trailhead, he paused, pointed his flashlight at the sky and called her name. But unlike before when all he heard was the whistle of the wind in the trees, this time there was a faint shout from below where he was standing.
He inched closer to the edge of the lookout, craning his neck to see anything that might indicate where Brianna was.
“Brianna! Are you there?” God help him, he was rolling his rrrs again, and his voice was loud enough to flush out any faeries that were guarding the river valley.
“Here,” came the weak response, and to his everlasting amazement, he saw movement on a ledge not far from the lookout, barely five yards from where his hands gripped the wooden safety rail. The full moon was bright enough that he could make out the angry red scratches that marred her pale skin without needing his flashlight.
She’s alive.
“Stay where you are,” he called to her. “I’ll come to you.”
He spotted a faint track leading away from the lookout towards a steep drop-off. Probably an animal track of some sort that unwitting hikers had followed, looking for a better photo opportunity. He’d heard Riley and Adelaide grumbling a few days earlier about how many search and rescue missions were caused by people taking selfies and not being aware of their surroundings. At least Brianna had survived…
He made his way carefully along the track, trying to avoid dislodging rocks and dirt on top of her. The whole time he kept up a lively conversation, repeatedly reassuring her that he was coming to get her and she was safe now.
Finally, he reached her. Even if he hadn’t heard the quavering sound of her voice, the tracks down her grime-streaked face showed she’d been crying.
“You came,” she whispered. “I wasn’t sure if you got my message, and I dropped my phone over the edge not long after I sent it.”
“Ach, mo chridhe , how did you end up here?”
“Well,” she said haltingly, “I haven’t been sleeping well for the last couple of nights, so I figured I’d come look at the stars. Tell Nana about my real-life book boyfriend. Work out what I want to do with my life. Then I saw the path and thought it might lead somewhere interesting.”
“It was that mint chocolate chip ice cream, wasn’t it?” He smiled at her, and was relieved when she smiled back at him, although she was still alarmingly pale.
“How did you know about the ice cream, and where to find me?” She went to brush her hair out of her face, and grimaced at the movement. Probably some bruises, at least.
“I can explain,” he said, “but I’d prefer to do it somewhere where there’s less risk of both of us tumbling down a mountainside. How about we get you back to solid ground, then I can tell you everything?”
He reached out his hand, and was relieved when she placed her hand in his.
“Don’t pull me,” she begged. “It’ll hurt.”
She inched her way across the rocks and back up to the narrow trail, never letting go of his hand. When they were finally standing together, she gingerly leaned against his chest. “Thank you for rescuing me… again. It seems I’m not very good at doing life without you.”
He leaned down to kiss her briefly, mindful of her injuries. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Now comes the hard part—so just lean on me, and take all the time you need.”