Page 136 of The One With the Mountain Man

“Hands in the air!”

Travis and I both dropped everything we were holding and stepped away.

“Hey Sheriff.” Travis grinned.

“What part of ‘do nothing and wait for us’ did you two find confusing?” Sheriff Parker shouted as her team surrounded the men on the ground.

“The part where they packed up all their shit so they could grab Marley.” I let a kid I’d known since he was in diapers pat me down and confirm the only dangerous things I had on me were knives and bear spray.

“They’re not hurt,” Travis offered. “Mostly.”

Sheriff grumbled, then gave orders for her team to search the cabin, their bags, and the surrounding area.

Fortunately the case made itself. Cristobal’s bags were full of information on Marley, including pictures (some I wish I could unsee), threatening letters, and a diary that left no doubt that he planned on not only taking Marley, but killing her when he was done with her.

Cristobal’s partner was Patrick Smith and his obsession was very similar, but with a singer based out of Atlanta.

“You know what this is about?” Sheriff Parker slapped an envelope full of cash against her gloved palm. My father’s name was scrawled across the front.

“Dear old Dad contacted Cristobal and told him Marley was here.” I pulled out my phone and played her the recording.

“Jesus fuck, Huk. He’s always been a bastard to you, but this is unforgivable.”

A strange sense of calm had come over me. I was outside of my body now, watching the story of a man whose own father would do anything, go to any length, to torture him just a little bit more.

“Just keep him away from me, Sheriff. You won’t have any issues if you do that.”

“I can’t bury this,” she warned.

“I don’t want you to. I want everyone to know who he is.”

Sheriff Parker tucked the money into an evidence bag and sealed it. “There’s no doubt they will.” She gave my shoulder a squeeze.

I stood there staring at the trees, the way the leaves rustled in the wind the same way they had my whole life. Lost Creek was as steady as the rock beneath my feet and for once it might actually be a place I wouldn’t have to hide behind the name Huk or play a game I never intended to play.

It was the shittiest way possible to move past my father but at least there would finally be an end to our story.

“Hey Travis?” The Sheriff held up her phone. “They got your sister out of that mine. She’s safe and sound.”

“Thank fuck!” Travis crowed. “You need us for anything else?”

“Not right now. Get out of here.” She gave me a separate, slow nod.

I returned it, then followed Travis back to civilization.

"Jackson, what are you saying?"

Marley stood in front of me outside of Sharon’s house but I couldn’t look her in the eyes. It took us nearly an hour to get back to the truck and another thirty to drive back. And now I was trying to find the words to explain that I was the reason Cristobal had gotten so close to her.

"Everyone in Lost Creek knew about your pen name.Everyone.That includes my father. And the asshole sold out your location to hurt me." I concentrated very hard on keeping my hands from digging into Marley's skin. I didn't want to hurt her with my boiling rage.

George could yell at me, beat me, do whatever underhanded shit he wanted, but he wasn't allowed tolookin Marley's direction. I would never, ever forgive him for this.

"But...how do you know it was him? Technically anyone could have."

I shook my head and she stopped talking. "I know it was him. I heard him when Cristobal was on the phone with him, and the Sheriff found the envelope of money he had set aside to pay him off. My father was working with Cristobal.”

If I’d just left town, kept to my usual routines, Marley could have had a whole summer of anonymity. But I just couldn’t let her go.

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