Mountain Refuge. Sarah Varland

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СКАЧАТЬ quiet town—hunting violations and speeding tickets were usually the craziest things her brother dealt with, as far as Summer knew. Until this. Until today.

      Someone knocked on the door. “It’s me.” Noah’s voice.

      Clay unlocked it and Noah came in, followed by Tyler and Kate.

      “He was here.”

      Summer had never heard Noah’s voice like this. Hard. Angry.

      “How do you know?” Clay asked.

      Noah glanced at Summer. Shook his head slightly, like doing so would make her not aware of the fact that he was trying to communicate without her noticing.

      “I can handle it, Noah.”

      “You don’t need to know,” Noah insisted, Tyler and even Kate nodding. She’d have to give her sister a hard time later. The two of them had always stuck together as kids whenever their brothers turned bossy or overprotective. Boys against girls and all that.

      “I think she does,” Clay said.

      Summer swung her gaze to her unlikely ally, eyebrows raised, sure her surprise must be showing on her face.

      “You’ve read the reports,” Noah said to Clay as if she wasn’t even there. She decided to let it go for now and just listen.

      “I have. And I think it’s unfair to keep so much from her when it’s her life that’s in danger. We’re asking a lot of her to do what people say without understanding the situation, especially people like me who she doesn’t know or have any reason to trust.”

      More than the usual amount of pause dragged out. Clay stood firm, Summer noticed, his posture giving no indication that he was backing down. She’d never thought she’d see someone willing to stand up to both her brothers, but here Clay was taking them on, plus Kate.

      It was...nice.

      “Alright.” Noah looked to Summer. “You want to know?”

      She wanted to go to sleep, wake up and realize it had all been a dream. With that not being an option... “Yes, I want to know.”

      “He was here.”

      “Who is he? You keep talking about him like he’s someone else. Someone...specific. Do you have a suspect?”

      “Not a name.”

      “But...?”

      “I have reason to believe it may be the serial killer who’s been killing women in Anchorage.”

      Summer’s mind couldn’t process, wouldn’t wrap around what her brother had just said. “You think...?”

      “The MO is incredibly similar.”

      “Surely if that were true I’d need more security than just Clay, right? No offense, Clay, it’s just that I’ve seen the news articles about that killer. People haven’t stood a chance against him.” She waited for their answers.

      No one said anything.

      Until Clay finally spoke. “The problem is,” he began, and for the first time Summer admitted to herself that the slow Southern accent calmed her, maybe just a little bit. It was easy to listen to him talk when she wasn’t feeling her independence threatened with everything he said. “The MO doesn’t fit perfectly. So we’re waiting to see if this is just our suspicion or if it’s founded.”

      “Our suspicion?” Noah asked Clay. Summer wasn’t sure what to make of that. Had Clay disagreed at first?

      Clay nodded. “I don’t feel good about this.”

      Noah’s face seemed to indicate that he agreed. “We’ll investigate more outside tomorrow. For tonight I’ll stay up and keep watch.”

      “I don’t think I can sleep,” Summer said.

      “You can and you need to.” Tyler pulled her into a hug. “Take care of yourself.”

      Summer hugged him back. It was possible she had the best brothers in the world. “I’ll try.” She offered a small smile.

      “Good night.” Kate smiled at her, but didn’t offer a hug. She wasn’t the huggiest of people, even with those she loved, so Summer didn’t mind.

      She smiled back. “Good night.”

      And then her siblings dispersed, leaving only her and Clay.

      She turned to face him, not sure what to say. At first, she’d disliked him because she’d been embarrassed. Then it had been convenient to ignore him because she hadn’t wanted his presence infringing on her independence, one of the things Summer held the most dear these days.

      Now...

      Summer wasn’t sure. But she owed him a thank-you for convincing her siblings to see reason and to keep her in the loop.

      “Thanks for getting him to talk to me,” she offered softly, sighing after she did so. “I’m not the youngest, Kate is. But for whatever reason if someone needs extra care, they always assume it’s me.”

      “Siblings are well-meaning but I hear they can be smothering.”

      “You have siblings?”

      Clay shook his head. “I’ve got a friend who’s about as close as you can get, but no, not really. Must have been nice growing up with friends around all the time.”

      Summer couldn’t argue with that.

      “Listen, they are right though—you need to sleep.”

      “I can’t sleep up here.” So far from everyone else, with no easy escape route. At least downstairs had multiple routes to the outside. Here in her room it was the door or the window. She felt trapped and exposed at the same time.

      “It’s the safest place for you, Summer. Like I said earlier, it’s all tucked back here so that you’re almost impossible to get to.”

      She wouldn’t sleep a wink. But if he was going to push the issue, she’d sit up and read all night.

      “Alright,” Summer said without further fight.

      Clay moved toward the door. “I’ll be right outside in the hall.” Then he turned toward her, his eyes focused and thoughtful. “You aren’t planning to even try to sleep, are you?”

      “Not even a little.”

      He laughed. A real, actual laugh. “May as well head downstairs, then. Maybe you’ll nod off on the couch.”

      Summer followed him down the stairs, his laughter echoing in her mind, almost pushing away the niggling fears that reminded her that someone wanted her dead.

      Almost.

      But not quite.

      * * *

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