Frozen Necessity (12 page)
Authors: Evi Asher
“I’m assuming you are here so I can help you escape?” Kate sat down on the chair across from Angelica and pulled her legs up, cupping her coffee mug close to her.
“Yes.” Angelica took a sip of coffee so she wouldn’t have to say any more.
“Things not working out between you and Colt?”
“Look, you offered to get me out of here, and I’m taking you up on that offer, but we don’t have to pretend to like each other.” Angelica regretted the words the minute they left her mouth. It wasn’t like her to be spiteful or mean.
Kate didn’t seem fazed. She shrugged. “Fair enough. So we don’t like each other, and we don’t have to do the girl talk thing.”
“Why are you helping me?” Angelica asked.
Kate leveled a stare at her. “Isn’t it obvious? I want Colt, and you are in the way.”
Angelica swallowed a surge of anger and hate. She wanted nothing more than to get up and beat Kate until the other woman was bloody. Tightening her grip on her coffee cup, she fought the urge.
“He wants nothing to do with you.”
“I don’t know…He kissed me back with enough passion.”
Bile rose in Angelica’s throat, jealousy ripping her insides to shreds.
“Leave him alone.”
Kate laughed, “Who’s going to stop me? You won’t be here. He’ll be ripe for the…fucking.”
The cup flew through the air as Angelica launched herself at Kate, wrapping her hands—hot with flame—around the other woman’s throat.
Kate shoved her hands in between Angelica’s arms and forced them open, and then shoved Angelica back.
“How the hell do you expect to get out of here if you kill me? And gods, do you have to be so jealous? It’s not like you want him. Why not let him be happy with someone else?”
Angelica was thrown back onto her chair and she poised with her teeth clenched, fury boiling in her veins.
Then she noticed that Kate was fine…
“Why aren’t you burned?”
“What?” Kate raised her hands to her throat as if to hide the area.
“Why didn’t my flames burn you, Kate?”
“I don’t know.” The female shrugged it off. “Maybe your power is on the fritz or something.” Kate got up and dusted herself off. “If we are going to leave, we need to leave now. I have provisions already set up and some extra warm clothing for you.”
Angelica stood up from the chair. “You are just going to ignore what happened?”
“Yes, and you’d better ignore it, too if you want to get out of here before Colt wakes up and comes looking for you.”
For a moment, Angelica wasn’t sure she wanted to leave. The time she’d spent with Colt last night had been heavenly until the idiot didn’t notice he took her virginity. The reminder of that hardened her resolve.
She couldn’t stay. She’d made her choice—now she had to have the guts to follow through with it. Heartbreak was inevitable, and the only choice was when. She’d rather suffer now before, her feelings for Colt intensified.
She heard the nearly inaudible whisper in her ear. “Miss Angelica, let’s go now.”
Angelica nodded her head. “Fine, let’s get going. I need you to take me to the haunted town first. Can you?”
“Which haunted town?”
“Radcliff.”
Kate looked perplexed for a moment, then smiled, and once again, it never reached her eyes. “Sure, Radcliff first, then where ever you want to go.”
Kate walked over to some packed bags and handed Angelica the warmer clothes that were on the top. It included a jacket, but Geli couldn’t bear taking off Colt’s coat, so she left the jacket on the chair.
Soon they were ready.
“How are we leaving, on foot?” Geli asked as Kate led them to the back door of the cabin.
“No, I’ve got a snowmobile. I didn’t think you’d be able to drive one, so we’ll take mine.” She opened the door, and icy wind entered the cabin.
They stepped out, and Geli shivered even with all her new warm layers on.
Out back was a snowmobile with a sled attached to the back. It was packed full of what Angelica assumed were the supplies Kate had spoken of.
Next to the sled, though, was a dog. Geli squinted at the dog in the feint light and recognized it.
“Disco? What are you doing here?”
“It’s not like he’s going to answer you,” Kate said as if Angelica was stupid.
The dog chuffed low and came to rub himself against Angelica’s legs.
“Go home, boy. Go to Colt.”
The dog chuffed again and sat down on the snow next to Geli.
“Ignore the dog.” Kate swung her leg over the snowmobile. “Get on.”
Angelica nibbled her lip and looked down at Disco. “Go, shoo.” The dog stared up at her with big blue eyes that looked black in the darkness. Angelica got on behind Kate and the other woman started the machine and pulled off with a flurry of snow.
Angelica flinched at the roar of the machine and held on tighter as they made their way up hill and out the village. At the top of the slope Kate stopped, and looked back at the village.
Angelica noticed that Disco had run with them. “Go home, dog!”
He ignored her and hopped into the sled behind the snowmobile.
Kate laughed. “That dog has decided he’s going to follow you. You won’t get rid of him now.”
Geli sighed and realized Kate was right. She had company whether she wanted it or not.
“Fine, Disco, you can stay, but don’t blame me when Colt gets mad at you for running off.”
The dog chuffed again, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he gave her a very doggy grin.
“This is your last chance to turn back, Angelica,” Kate said still looking down at the village.
Geli thought about it. She thought about how much she would miss Colt, and those instances when he couldn’t help but come to her, and kiss her till her senses reeled. She thought about how he could be angry but caring at the same time, and she thought about how he’d forgiven her for raping him.
It took a lot for a man to do that. Just a pity that he never realized she hadn’t done the crime in the first place.
She took in a deep breath and faced forward again. “My mind is made up.”
She couldn’t risk falling any more in love with Colt. It would end in more heartache than she could take.
She looked back one last time and mouthed a silent goodbye.
“Let’s go.”
To be Continued…
About the Author
Evi is a die-hard romantic who firmly believes in happy endings and loves all things paranormal. She lives in South Africa, with her (very patient) husband, two children, and too many pets.
Table of Contents
