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Piss off, the smile basically said.

“Yeah, no thanks,” Logan said again. “I’ve got some stuff to check out around here anyway.” As he said the words ‘check out’, his eyes intentionally went to the pretty blonde. Kara’s jaw clenched.

“You guys go ahead though,” Logan finished. “I’ll catch up with you when you get back.”

He waved his hand, then went right back to talking with the three girls. But from the corner of his eye? Kara knew he was still looking at her. Watching her for any sort of sign or reaction, physical or emotional.

She decided she wouldn’t give him any.

“Well don’t go up there alone,” she said sternly, her gaze once again finding his. “It’s too dangerous.” The meaning was not lost between them. “And see if you can have our room cleaned and made up too,” Kara added. She winked at the blonde girl. “You know, the one with the big mirror? The one we’re staying in later on tonight?”

The blonde’s chin dropped ever so slightly. She made an expression like she’d sipped a mouthful of sour milk. So did Logan.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll talk to Radcliffe about it.”

“Good idea.”

Kara stormed off, not caring whether or not he was still looking. She crossed the lobby, exited the big doors, and took her first breath of fresh air in days.

It was crisp. Clean. Delicious. The cold stabbed at her lungs.

“God, this air tastes sweet!” she shouted, then smiled at Jeremy.

“You’re not kidding.” He scanned over her shoulder, obviously looking for something. “Uh… he’s not coming?”

Screw him.

“Logan’s gonna hang back and prep things for tonight.” It was only a partial lie. Or so she hoped.

“Ah,” said Jeremy. “Good idea.”

He was standing beside a big SUV, driven by a burly, black-bearded man. Jeremy opened the rear passenger door for her and Kara slid in. He slid in beside her. The driver hit the gas, the tires spun for a bit, and then the vehicle started rumbling its way toward the town’s main avenue.

Kara stared back at the Averoigne, all covered in snow. Forget proverbs — it felt as if a physical weight were actually being lifted from her shoulders.

“Storm’s not over,” the man told them as he drove. The roads were borderline terrible, but his wide tires made short work of the powdery chunks. “This is just a break, so you might want to get back to the hotel sooner rather than later.”

Kara was still marveling at how good it felt to be away. “Thanks,” she said. “We’ll keep it in mind.”

Thirty

The town library was an old, multi-level building set into the side of a deep hill. From the road the snowdrifts made it hardly visible at all. The parking lot was only partially cleared.

Somehow they managed to get in anyway. The ride Jeremy arranged for them dropped them off on the salted, dirty sidewalk.

“Be careful where you step,” the burly driver coughed as they exited. “There’s patches of ice everywhere.”

Jeremy thanked him and tipped the guy heavily. He also promised to call him for the ride back in a couple of hours.

Kara watched as he pulled away in a white puff of exhaust. “I can’t believe this pl

ace is even open,” she marveled.

Jeremy laughed. “This is New Hampshire,” he said. “If they let a little snow shut them down, nothing would be open for half the year.”

An argument formed in Kara’s head, one in which she pointed out what the definition of a “little snow” actually ought to be. She dropped it as they passed through the sliding doors and into the wide, spacious landing. Two sets of well-worn steps had been re-treaded with double-sided skid tape. They led both up and down.

“Front desk is this way,” said Jeremy. “Let’s see what we can do.”