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“Take one of the four-wheelers or bikes if the trailhead you’re wanting is quite a distance away.” He waited as if hoping I would volunteer which trail I planned to take.Fuck. No.“Well, if everything is good here, then my work is done.”

He didn’t do any work, but okay.

I slumped against the doorframe when he turned to leave, only to stiffen when he whirled back around.

“I know this isn’t my place, but I feel the need to warn you.” My stomach flipped as fear flooded my system. Rocking back on the heels of his shiny black dress shoes, Charles slid his hands into the side pockets of his slacks. “They’re dangerous.”

“The trails?” I asked slowly.

He scoffed. “No, those men and women who work for Uplift.” I felt my brows furrow, which was apparently all he needed to continue. “The owner of the place loves them and refers only their tours and excursions to our resort guests. I can only assume the owner doesn’t know what I know.”

I stifled a sigh, very over the conversation already. “And what do you know?”

“Those people are not who you think they are. Their owner focuses on mostly employing veterans. You know what that means?”

I blinked down at him. “That they’re badass and already come with some serious training?”

“Loose cannons, unpredictable,” he said like I was the dumb one. “They’re dangerous because you never know when one might snap. Another female guest recently talked to me about two of the men in the group and confirmed my suspicions.”

“Right,” I drawled. Grabbing my pack off the ground, I tossed it over my shoulder, flicked the lock on the inside of the door, and stepped out onto the small porch, closing the door behind me. I jiggled the handle to ensure it locked. “I’m guessing this female guest is the same one the two men have talked to the sheriff about?”

The same one who tried to embarrass them at the bar that first night.

I should’ve punched her in the boob when I had the chance.

“Well, that’s because she just wants them to apologize for leading her on?—”

I held up a hand, cutting him off. “Thanks for the warning, but I’m going to stick with my first impression of those two men and everyone else who works at Uplift. They’ve been nothing but helpful and kind.”

A flash of annoyance came and went before he pursed his lips and nodded. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you about the danger. Things shift quickly here in Alaska. Anything could happen when you least expect it.”

I gaped at his retreating back.

Why the fuck did that sound like a threat?

And why the hell didn’t I listen?

26

AIDEN

Whistling a cheerful tune, I leapt up the few steps, riding boots slamming to the porch with a thud. My stomach growled, reminding me it was lunchtime, but I didn’t care about food. Unless the food was Aspen’s pussy—then I’d be all about eating until I had my fill. Hopefully, she was back from town and happy to see us.

Our afternoon client called to say they’d changed their minds and wanted to book a horseback trail ride with our resident cowboy, Liam, later in the week instead. When we found out that we’d get to head home to see our girl sooner than expected, both of our moods instantly perked right the fuck up.

Ready to call out her name, I swung the door open with a flourish, but my wide smile slipped immediately, sensing she wasn’t there. Stomach sinking with every quick step, I strode to the kitchen to check for a note on where she might have gone. Finding the counter bare, I swept an assessing gaze around the cabin, snagging on the coffee cup she used earlier sitting in the sink, still full of the oil-like substance.

Like me, she wasn’t a fan of Miles’s ultra-dark coffee and mentioned needing a decent cup, which meant the only coffee shop in town.

Sips.

I shifted to eye the clock on the stove. It was almost two in the afternoon, though it felt much later because of the darkening skies that prevented the sun’s bright afternoon rays from pouring through the windows.

“Good thing that client canceled. I just got a fucking weather alert,” Miles muttered, the door slamming shut behind him. “We’re under a snowstorm warning.”

I huffed and shook my head. “Of course we are. Alaskan weather likes to keep us on our toes. When do they expect it to hit us?”

Miles stared at his phone as he made his way through the living room. “In a few hours for Anchor Bay. We shouldn’t get too much snow, maybe a few inches. The worst will hit the mountains.” For the first time since he entered the cabin, Miles looked up from his phone and glanced around the room, lips dipping into a frown. “Where is Aspen?”