Page 55 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

There’s another thing I know for sure.

I don’t want this ever to end.

14

Anya

Iwake up alone.

I hear them in the kitchen downstairs. Talking. Laughing.

The sun is out, making the snow glimmer like an ocean of pure white diamonds, out of which the forest pokes with its dark green crowns. It’s so beautiful. So peaceful.

Ten minutes later, I join the guys in the kitchen over coffee and waffles, which Chance eagerly serves with dollops of honey-sweetened yogurt and greenhouse berries.

“It’s a shame life just can’t be about this,” I say, making myself comfortable in the chair closest to the window, nursing my coffee mug as I gaze out at the mountain ridge with its thick woods and clear blue sky. “Just chilling, enjoying a good cup of coffee, and eating and screwing our brains out.”

“In all fairness, that does sound amazing,” Chance chuckles as he leans in and nuzzles my neck. I giggle in response, welcoming his tender, sweet affection.

“What would you like to do today, Anya?” Nico asks me. “We don’t have to rush back into the real world just yet.”

“I wish I could agree,” I reply with a heavy sigh. “But the truth is, if Max was so eager to come after me, then surely his brother will follow.”

Booker gives Nico a knowing glance. “We took care of that.”

“We left a trail for the Bratva to follow, away from Seeley Lake and all the way up to the Canadian border,” Nico tells me. “The sheriff was kind enough to oblige, though I’ve yet to convince him to do something about the body.”

I frown in dissent. “The body?”

“Mills won’t be able to keep Max on ice forever,” Nico says. “There are other options, but none are ethical nor humane.”

“The mountain has hidden its fair share of bodies over the centuries,” Chance offers with a cold shrug. “Max’s wouldn’t make a dent.”

“Good luck getting Mills to agree,” Booker scoffs.

“What other options are there?” I ask, shuddering at the thought.

I have yet to erase the lifeless look in Max’s eyes after he tried to kill me. ironically, it’s one of the few things I wish I could actually forget.

“Private cremation,” Nico says.

“Again, good luck with Mills. He’s not going to surrender the body to us,” Booker insists.

“It would be all kinds of illegal,” Chance reluctantly agrees. “It’s not fair on our part to coax him into doing something like this. It goes against everything he believes in.”

“There is one other option,” Nico muses. I shudder at seeing how cold and calculated the Hayes brothers can be when it comes to protecting the people they care about. Perhaps I should be put off or alarmed, but frankly, it only makes them more appealing for the sense of security they’re so keen to offer.

“He could report the body as a John Doe and issue it only statewide. It would take a long time for anybody from New York to find him, especially after the blizzard. There are plenty of deceased John Does currently crowding the morgues across this region.”

“Then there’s the credit card trail leading up north,” Booker says with a slow nod. “For all Leo knows, his brother is still on the move and headed into Canada.”

“He can’t reach Max on the phone, though,” Chance reminds him. “There’s a possibility he’ll at least pass through Seeley Lake before he goes up north.”

“Anya will stay here in the meantime,” Nico decides. “One other thing I can think to do is speak to Mills again and see if he can at least transfer Max’s body to another mortuary, as far away from this district as possible.”

“Anything to muddle the tracks, right?” I reply.

He gives me a slight nod. “We have to work with Mills on this. It would suit him, as well as the sheriff, because the last thing he wants is the Bratva coming into our neck of the woods, itching for revenge.”

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