Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Cat
I t’s almost nine in the morning, so I’d better get a move on. The carriage for the ski lift leaves in fifteen minutes, and I’m wearing little more than panties and a full face of makeup.
Shorty jumps onto the bed and headbutts my elbow, which bumps my arm and sends a glob of black eyeliner racing up to my temple. I’m fine. This is fine. Just one more log to add to the growing pile—which will soon combust.
“Go play with your toys,” I say as I pull him close for a cuddle. “Mommy has to get ready for a snowboarding lesson.” I gently place him on the floor.
He trots a few steps before flopping onto his side with an annoyed flick of his ebony tail. I set back to work, repairing the errant eyeliner and applying some mascara. Maverick won’t even see my eyes through the goggles, but it gives me confidence.
After brushing the cat hair from my pink snow gear, I dress as quickly as I can. Layers matter in this climate, so I even toss on a hideous pair of long johns underneath everything else. It’s not like anyone will see them, and if I don’t focus on them, I can almost ignore the way they’re scratching my skin. At least the puff of blonde hair peeking from the bottom of my pink toboggan looks cute.
“Be good,” I say to Shorty as I head for the door, but he only flicks his tail and squints his eyes.
I totter down the stairs, barely able to bend my legs under the weight of all these clothes. How do snow bunnies look so cute for winter sports? I feel like a monster in a black-and-white horror flick as I approach Grim, Ice Pick, and Maverick near the front door.
“Are we the only ones going snowboarding?” I can’t contain my excitement at the prospect of an entire event with Maverick...without Bennett anywhere in sight.
Maverick glances up the stairs. “It appears that way.”
He looks like a snowy dream. Unlike me, he moves so fluidly in his winter gear. I wish I could ride him to the bottom of the mountain. A snowboard will have to suffice, though.
“Rosie planned to join us,” Grim says. “I will just pop up to her room and check on her. If I have not returned in ten minutes, you can count us out.”
Ice Pick peeks past the curtain covering one of the narrow windows on either side of the door. “The carriage isn’t here yet, so you have time.”
Grim just smiles, nods, and heads-up the stairs. Something tells me they won’t be joining us.
“What about Ezra and Kindra?” I ask. I leave off Bennett’s name for fear of calling forth the demon.
“They’re busy setting up for tonight’s New Year’s bash,” Maverick says. “It was supposed to be a masquerade ball, but the masks never arrived. Kindra’s trying to whip something up with what we have around here.”
A good friend would help her with that. Hell, a good friend would have known she needed help to begin with.
“Guess I should skip the snowboarding, then,” I say as I reach up to pull the toboggan from my head.
Maverick shakes his head and places his hand over mine. “No, I have strict instructions to make sure you go snowboarding and that you get your first kill.”
I don’t have to ask who issued those instructions. Kindra is really winning at this friend thing.
But now my nerves are acting up. This is really happening. With no sign of Bennett, I’m guaranteed to get a kill. My stomach rolls into my chest.
“Maybe I should go help her anyway,” I say. “After all she’s done for me, I kind of owe it to her.”
“Kindra thought you might say that. I’m supposed to respond by saying that if you don’t go snowboarding, you’re welcome to help Bennett with the mask making.”
So that’s how she’s kept him away from me this morning. She went to a lot of trouble, and now I can’t let her down.
“That’s what I thought,” Maverick says with a laugh. “Looks like you’re stuck with us.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulder, and I want to climb inside his coat and feel each rippling muscle. I snuggle a little closer, then look up into his face. But it’s not his face. It’s fucking Ice Pick.
“We’ll take real good care of you, sweetheart,” he says, and I can smell the onions from whatever he had for breakfast.
I take a step away and pat his hand. He’s a harmless flirt, but I’ll puke if another oniony breath blows into my face.
To be honest, I feel kind of bad for the guy. He wants so badly to fit in that he often goes a little too hard. We all treat him kindly enough, but we don’t exactly go above and beyond to include him in things. I wish I could, but I’m afraid he’d take it as flirtation instead of friendship.
“Wait!” a female voice calls from the second floor. “Don’t leave without me!”
A tall figure rushes down the stairs. When she reaches the group, she bends at the waist, puts her hands on her thighs, and struggles to catch her breath.
“My flight was delayed last night, so I didn’t even arrive until dinner was nearly over, and then I overslept this morning,” she says. Thick box braids drape from either side of her head, the ends tapping against her heavy designer coat with each breath she sucks in.
As she stands, I get a better look at her face. Her high cheekbones accentuate her dark eyes, and her umber complexion is flawless. I don’t even think she’s wearing any makeup.
She’s stunning.
And Maverick hasn’t taken his eyes off her since she joined us.
“Guys, I’d like to introduce you to a new friend of mine,” he says as he steps closer and brings her into a hug that never seems to end. By the time they separate, my body temperature has risen at least ten degrees. “This is Eve, also known as the Alimony Killer.”
“Only among those in the know,” she says with a smile. “I’m a contract killer. When wives are dissatisfied with their current arrangement and wish to try something new, I help them keep the benefits of their current marriage while disposing of the liabilities.”
I’m not sure how I feel about that. The reason I hold Kindra, Ezra, Maverick—and yes, even Bennett—in high esteem is because they kill with purpose. Eve doesn’t appear to have the same morals, and that makes me uncomfortable.
“We met at dinner last night,” Maverick adds. “Imagine my shock when I learned she loves snowboarding in her free time.”
“When I’m not modeling or pursuing a target,” she says with a laugh that sounds like music.
Of course she’s a model who loves snowboarding and murder. And they met at the dinner I skipped because of Bennett. I didn’t even get to eat last night because of him! When I discovered his devious little short and curly beside the mashed potatoes, I realized how close I’d come to eating more of Bennett’s sexual conquests.
“I guess that’s everyone,” Maverick says. “Shall we head to the sleigh?”
We nod, and the four of us head out into the dark. Someone was kind enough to shovel and salt the walk, though, so at least I don’t have to worry about slipping on ice and making more of a fool of myself.
Who am I kidding? I’ve done nothing but make a fool of myself since I arrived, and it’s only getting worse. Now I’m about to fall down a large, snowy hill, and when I reach the bottom of the slope, I’ll probably chicken out of the kill. Then this braided goddess will swoop right in and take it without batting her perfectly applied lashes.
As we climb into the sleigh, my heart sinks again when Maverick sits beside Eve. Ice Pick seizes his opportunity and snuggles up to me, bringing an onion-scented cloud with him.
There go my hopes and dreams for the party tonight. When the clock strikes midnight, Maverick would be stupid to kiss me instead of her.
The coachman clicks his tongue and gives the reins a gentle snap, and the horses start forward. Old-world lampposts line the path on either side, casting a soft glow to guide the sleigh. A light snowfall patters down, each flake melting as soon as it touches skin.
“Might be a good idea to put on any face coverings now,” Maverick says over the sound of the rails cutting through snow. “Your face might ice up, and that’s not particularly comfortable.”
I pull a pink ski mask from my pocket and ease it over my face. The itchy wool makes me want to rip it off immediately, but the thought of literally freezing my face off stays my hand.
Eve pulls her mask on as well, though it’s much thinner and looks infinitely more comfortable and stylish than what I’m wearing. It covers the bottom half of her face, and instead of looking like a colorful bank robber, she still looks like a fucking model.
“Goodness, I don’t know how you can stand that wool,” Eve says.
“I just wanted to make sure my face stays warm,” I say through a forced smile.
Eve reaches into her pocket and pulls out a second thin mask. “I brought two in case someone forgot theirs. It’s just as warm as wool, but it’s more comfortable.”
Great. She’s beautiful, confident, and kind.
I take the mask from her and slip it over my head. She was right. Despite the thin material, it’s just as warm as the wool and much softer against my skin.
“Wouldn’t want your pretty face to end up with a rash,” Eve says with a wink. “You can keep it.”
I can’t tell if that was a backhanded compliment or something more genuine, but then Maverick brings things into striking clarity for me.
“Eve, Cat’s into guys, so you’re barking up the wrong tree,” he says with a pat of her thigh.
“So you like girls and guys?” Ice Pick says to Eve, and I can already see him imagining her head between my legs.
“You wish,” Eve says, and the corner of her mask lifts as she smirks. “I’m into women exclusively, and no, you can’t watch.”
And like a beacon in the night, hope shines eternal. Maybe I’ll get that New Year’s Eve kiss after all. I just have to get through this snowboarding kill first.
I don’t know why I can’t be honest with everyone. When I first started documenting Kindra, I was merely finding a place to turn my interests into something tangible. The fascination wasn’t with the killings, though. It was about the psychology behind the slayings. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until after Kindra agreed to take me under her wing.
Now I’m too chicken to admit that I don’t think I can do it.
As the clearing for the ski lift comes into view, I’m running out of time to come up with an excuse to get out of this. I don’t even have Kindra here for support. The horses stop, and everyone exits the sleigh, but I’m stuck sitting here. I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I want to do this.
Then Maverick’s face pops up beside my knee, and he offers his hand to me. “You ready to do this?”
My brain screams a resounding no , but I slide my hand into his, and he helps me down from the sleigh. Prepared or not, if I want Maverick to see me as one of them, I have no choice but to make the kill when I reach the bottom. With my resolve set, I take a deep breath and smile.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Eve steps closer and places a light hand on my shoulder. “This is going to be so much fun, Cat. You just wait. I’ll have you snowboarding like a pro by the end of this trip!”
The snowboarding isn’t what I’m concerned about.
“The lift is on!” Ice Pick calls from a nearby building.
A large motor grumbles to life, and the seats begin to move on the track. With my eyes, I follow the long wire forging a skyward path up the mountain. More seats dangle at regular intervals, all of them coming and going much faster than I anticipated.
“We have to get on while it’s moving?” I blink at the chairs, which seem to be speeding up.
Eve bends so that her mouth is beside my ear. “It’s easier than it looks,” she whispers. “Ask Maverick to help you.”
With a subtle shove, she pushes me toward him. I feel bad for disliking her at first. She’s a real girl’s girl after all.
“Need some help?” Maverick asks, and I can only nod.
He takes my hand and guides me closer to the chairs rotating around a large cylinder. I struggle to get on an escalator without stumbling, so I don’t know how I’ll pull this off.
“First, watch how Ice Pick does it,” he says.
Ice Pick comes out of the building and heads toward the chairs. He waits for one to pass, then steps onto the platform and walks forward until his feet meet a bright yellow line. As the chair nears him, he sits, but instead of being lifted into the wild blue yonder, the coupling attaching the chair to the cable releases, and down comes the chair, Ice Pick and all.
“Okay, maybe don’t use him as an example.” Maverick rushes forward and moves the chair out of the way before the next one swings through. “Didn’t Jim have this shit inspected?”
Ice Pick shrugs. “No clue, but at least it let go here at the station.”
“Is there a chance it could let go while we’re in the fucking air?” I ask.
“There’s always a chance,” Eve says as she steps up. “Is the risk worth taking?”
A chair swings by, and she sits. We all hold our breath as we wait for the coupling to release, but it holds this time.
“I always take the risk!” she yells back as she floats higher.
“Me too,” Ice Pick says, and he drops his ass into the next chair that swings by. This one holds too.
Maverick turns to me. “What about you? Will you take the risk?”
Fate has given me an out. I could say the lift debacle has frightened me. I could hop into the sleigh and catch a ride back to the mansion. I could avoid the embarrassment of getting to the bottom of this hill and admitting I’m not a killer.
But then the chair bumps against my ass, and off I go, rising into the air and heading toward my fate.
Whatever that may be.