Lion Conquers All by Krystal Shannan
22
CONNIE
“Look here, you’re only wearing that badge because we allowed it.”
Whoa!Connie kept staring at the map of Denali in front of her, but her ears focused onto the conversation over to the far side of the gym. It wasn’t like they were being particularly quiet. But still.
“They have a way of finding the kids that we don’t have. I need everyone called down off the mountain. Every hunter, fisher, and musher. All of them. I want it empty.”
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.Connie whirled, searching the gym. Where was Aarav? Where was Col and the others? None of them were there. Not a single one.
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.
“Sarah, you’re going to trust a bunch of outsiders who say they can hike Denali in the middle of a snowstorm and find your kids? We have people here who do that for a living. And I’m the sheriff of Mystery.”
“You’re a drunk and an asshole. And if you want to continue earning a paycheck without being publicly shamed or Dad coming back here and dragging you back to rehab by your hippie-ass man-bun, you’ll do exactly as I say.”
Wait. What?
How had she not put that together before? Sarah Roberts was related to sheriff jack-hole? Or Deputy Dipshit as they used to call him before he somehow got elected and took over the office when Henley retired. Now she knew how he’d been able to campaign so effectively for the office. Sarah Robert’s father was one of the most influential men in Alaska. Wealthy businessman who had a say in which people ran for which office in almost all of Alaska.
“You can’t—”
“You want to see how fast your life can disappear, Richard? Just try me. My child is missing. If Col and his band of mountain men have a way of finding Sam and they need privacy to do it. Then privacy is what they get. And amnesty from anything that happens next.”
The sheriff’s mouth opened and then shut like a fish sucking air.
“I need you to call everyone in.” The sheriff directed the order to the SAR guys at their station packing backpacks.
“Sir, we haven’t sent anyone out. At least not yet. But the storm is letting up a little. It might be sooner than we think.”
“No one goes out. And call everyone in.” Sarah’s husband was standing next to the table now and his tone left no room for argument.
Connie turned and met Calvin Roberts’ gaze.
“No firearms. No people. No nothing on that mountain. We’re sending in someone else and everyone else needs to get the hell out of the way. Is that clear?” Calvin didn’t sound like someone who was on the brink of breaking from the loss of a child. Sarah and her husband both seemed to be on a mission and somehow they knew something about the Reyleans. And the Reyleans had agreed to help? Agreed to expose themselves to find the kids?
Not that she could blame them. They’d wanted to from the beginning. But it would cost them everything. They’d have to leave. They’d be hunted.
She’d lose Aarav.
Oh, God, she’d lose Aarav.
She hadn’t considered what her life would be like without him in it. He’d always been there, waiting and watching and taking care of her and she’d been so stupid. She’d thought she could get there on her own time. That nothing would ever change. He’d wait for her. And he’d said he would, but now he was putting himself in danger. For a good reason. She was proud of him and furious in the same breath.
He’d left without saying a word.
“Get on that radio and do your best to clear off anyone who might be out there. Make up something to get them back. I don’t care.” The words flowed from Calvin with a powerful force behind them like orders from a military drill sergeant. The SAR guy didn’t have a choice. He just obeyed.
“Ms. Callahan.” Calvin tipped his chin politely and walked across the gym toward his wife, hauling the sheriff along with him—who Connie now knew to be his brother-in-law.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
Connie glanced up at one of the SAR guys. He had his hand on the radio and a paper list of volunteers in his hand. “You better get on that. You don’t want them getting hurt.”
“Have they called in a military favor or something?”
Connie nodded. “Something like that.” It was a good version of the truth. All the Reylean males had been warriors on their world. “I have to go. Do what he asked.”
“I am.”
She started for the front door, but only made it halfway before Sarah Roberts called out her name.
“Connie.”
Dammit.
“Connie.”
Connie turned around. Sarah was jogging toward her, quickly closing the gap between them, leaving her brother the sheriff in custody of her husband. Who also seemed to perfectly capable of controlling the asshole.
“I know you’re close with the deputy sheriff and I know he’s one of—well, he part of their group, so I assume you know some things.”
“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.” Connie stared at the floor. She wouldn’t give them away. Never. She had no idea what Sarah knew or didn’t know and she wasn’t adding to the pile.
“Deputy Di’Rham is like his friends who live out on the other side of the river. They are special somehow. Different. I don’t know how, Col showed me something and I don’t quite understand what it was, but that’s fine. They can help and they’ve been hiding it because—”
“Because the town will turn on them if they know the truth. The government will hunt them down and either kill them or lock them away in a very deep dark hole. You’re asking them to risk everything.”
Connie wrapped her hands around her waist to hide the shaking. Her whole body was trembling now. “And they will, because that’s how good they are. They are noble and proud and they love this town and they would do anything to protect the people in this town. And it’s been killing them to hold back while these children were missing. If they didn’t have wives and children, I don’t think they would’ve hesitated. Now they’re making a choice they can’t take back. One look at them and you’ll be afraid too. You’ll turn on them. And I’ll lose the only man who’s ever really loved me.”
Aarav did love her. Him and his lion.
She couldn’t let him do this without telling him. He was making a choice without all the facts.
“I have to go.”
A hand on her arm sent chills up her spine. Connie twisted and fought to control her urge to react. She hadn’t expected Sarah to reach for her. She hadn’t anticipated being grabbed. “Don’t touch me.” The words left her mouth a bit harsher than she would’ve liked, but it was too late to call them back.
Sarah pulled her hand back like a snake had bit her. She met Connie’s gaze for a second and some sort of strange understanding passed between them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I hope you can do what you say. I really do hope you can protect them, but I don’t think you will be able to even if you want to.”
“I’m coming with you,” Sarah said, the jingle of keys accompanied her words. “I’m driving. Calvin and I brought the 4-wheel drive down this morning. We’ll need it for the snow if we’re going out to their cabins.”
Connie stared. Her brain empty and frozen. What the hell?
“Or I’m going without you.” Sarah took a couple steps toward the door.
Connie glanced back at Calvin and the sheriff and then the SAR table where people were scrambling around on multiple radios.
“Calvin can hold down the fort, Ms. Callahan. I plan to be as close to the place where your friends will return to with my son.” She held up a keychain and pointed at the door. “Coming?”
Dammit.“Yes.”