Page 110 of Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms
He held her in front of himself, his arm wrapped around her upper body, and he brandished a gun in his other hand. The fear on her face cut me to the core.
“Lakes?” he called. “Is that you?”
If I answered, I’d give away my position. He turned to face me as if he somehow knew, so I backed up until I could hardly see them through the blizzard and circled a short distance in the other direction.
“Come out, Jensen,” he taunted. “I know you’re here.”
He turned so his back was to me. I darted closer, then froze when he called out again.
“I so enjoy our games, old friend. But we’ve reached the final round.” Still taking slow steps in a circle, he raised the gun to Natalie’s temple.
Rage burst through me like a torrent of fire. He was not going to hurt her.
In a few steps, I was there. I slammed into him and grabbed his elbow. The gun went flying and his grip on Natalie loosened enough that she fell forward into the snow.
Archer spun into me, landing a blow to my jaw. I took it—hardly even flinched—and returned the favor.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Natalie crawling away. Knowing she was out of his reach, I turned my full attention to Archer.
He staggered against the force of my strike, and I took advantage of his lack of balance, smashing into him. We hit the ground, each struggling for control. My hands slipped against the slick surface of his jacket. I couldn’t get a grip on him.
He wrestled me to my back and was about to land another blow when I grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it in his face. I hit him while he was blinded, but not hard enough to knock him off me. He came for me again, and we grappled, rollingthrough the freezing snow. He tried to get me on my back again, but I threw him off and surged to my feet.
He got up and wiped his arm across his face. I tasted the metallic tang of blood, and his nose bled freely. His shoulders were hunched, and an angry sneer distorted his features.
“You piece of shit,” he spat. “You can’t beat me.”
Maybe this was all a game to him, but it wasn’t to me. Gritting my teeth, I was about to charge again when he moved, reaching into his pocket. The strangest thought went through my mind. He was going to shoot me. And I was too far away to stop him.
My eyes darted for Natalie. I was about to throw myself on top of her in case he decided to point the gun at her instead, when several shots rang out. I looked down at myself, expecting to see bullet holes and splashes of blood dripping into the snow.
But I hadn’t been shot.
Archer crumpled to the ground in a heap. Natalie stood to the side, the gun still raised. The gun Archer had dropped.
She let go of the weapon, and it fell into the snow.
In an instant, I rushed to her, wrapping her in my arms while her body shook.
I held her for a long moment, but she was shivering violently.
“Is there anyone else here?” I asked.
“Don’t think so.”
“Let’s get you inside.”
She nodded against my chest.
I led her into the cabin and shut the door. It wasn’t much warmer, although at least there wasn’t any wind. I ripped the quilt off the bed and put it around her.
“There you go.”
“I’m so cold,” she said through chattering teeth.
“Your clothes are wet. We have to get you dry.” I glanced at the wood stove. “Give me a minute. I’ll get a fire going.”
Buried in the large quilt, she sat in an armchair.
